CannabisLink.ca - Current Affairs 2026

(2026) - Chronological (1531 items)

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Sep 16, 2026	Are We Underestimating the Pharmaceutical Potential of the Cannabis Plant? Yes, I think it is safe to say that the UK is currently underestimating, or at least underutilising, the full pharmaceutical potential of cannabis. This is not meant as any form of criticism of where the industry currently sits, and I do not see this as a failure of science. Cannabis tincutures could still be legally prescribed in the UK until 1973, yet it took another 45 years for cannabis-based medicines to return to legal prescribing. That interruption left a considerable gap in clinical education, while regulation has continued to struggle to keep pace with the law it is meant to implement.
Sep 16, 2026	Virginia Releases Draft Rules for Adult-Use Cannabis Market The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) released its draft regulations last week for the state’s adult-use cannabis industry, Virginia Business reports. Virginia lawmakers reached an agreement to legalize adult-use cannabis sales about two months ago. Under the new law, the adult-use market is capped at 350 licensed dispensaries. Additionally, the law allows for only five of the industry’s biggest tier of cultivation licenses, which cover up to 35,000 square feet of cannabis canopy.
Sep 16, 2026	Cancer patients report major improvements in symptoms after medical cannabis use, study finds Medical cannabis use is associated with improvements in several common cancer-related symptoms, according to a new large-scale observational study. Researchers at the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) analysed data from 6,621 people with cancer who purchased medical cannabis through the state programme between July 2015 and December 2023. The findings, published in the OCM report Impact of Medical Cannabis on Minnesota Cancer Patients, showed reductions in pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety and depression. Improvements were also reported in sleep.
Sep 16, 2026	Popular cannabis theory may have less evidence than we think There is still a lot to discover about cannabis. One oft-debated theory is the entourage effect: the idea that cannabinoids, terpenes, and other compounds in the plant interact to influence its effects. However, a new review wonders if the theory still has a way to go before it’s proven. An article published in Current Neuropharmacology sought to gather scientific evidence on the entourage effect. Researchers conducted a literature search for preclinical and controlled clinical studies examining whether terpenes or minor cannabinoids influence the effects of THC.
Sep 16, 2026	Calling Out the New York Times’ Alarmist Cannabis Coverage The New York Times is setting its sights on cannabis, again. Their primary concerns? Marijuana is too strong and too many people are using it. However, a deeper dive into both issues reveals that there’s far more to the story than the NYT is reporting. First, sensational claims of increases in marijuana’s potency are nothing new. In fact, the Times first began sounding the alarm about the prevalence of supposedly super-potent pot nearly five decades ago (‘A More Potent Marijuana Is Stirring Fresh Debates,’ December 28, 1978).
Sep 15, 2026	Health Canada Releases New Analytical Cannabis Testing Guide Health Canada has published a new Validating Analytical Methods in Cannabis Testing Guide, providing more detailed guidelines to help producers and laboratories validate analytical testing methods. While the document does not introduce new, specific rules for cannabis testing, it provides a centralized list of requirements the agency has not previously referenced in any front-facing capacity. The document serves as supplementary guidance to the international ICH Q2(R2) standards, tailored specifically to address the unique chemical complexities of cannabis products. Although the guidance is framed for cannabis cultivators, processors, and analytical labs, the latter will likely find it most valuable.
Sep 15, 2026	Curaleaf Urges Aurora Cannabis Shareholders to Tender Shares to Takeover Offer Curaleaf Holdings (USOTC:CURLF) has sent a letter to Aurora Cannabis (NASDAQ:ACB) shareholders urging them to tender their shares to its outstanding acquisition offer after Aurora's board declined to engage with the proposal. Under the offer, Aurora shareholders would receive 0.3463 Curaleaf shares and $0.75 in cash for each Aurora share.
Sep 15, 2026	Vermont Lt. Gov. Settles with Regulators for Cultivating Cannabis Plants at Unlicensed Location Vermont Lt. Gov. John Rodgers (R) says he agreed to pay a $2,500 fine to state regulators to settle a violation for growing about 200 cannabis plants at an unlicensed location, Vermont Public reports. The settlement cuts the initial $5,000 fine in half. In an interview with Vermont Public, Rodgers called the fine “very expensive… for a very minor infraction that could have been dealt with in a much easier collegial way.” He explained that his son, a partner in the cannabis businesses, neglected to tell the Cannabis Control Board (CCB) about the greenhouse in West Glover. “Sometimes you drop the ball and it’s on me. I dropped the ball because after my son put the application in, I didn’t check to make sure.” — Rogers to Vermont Public
Sep 15, 2026	What Is Going On With French Medical Cannabis Regulations? In late June 2026, an official decree on how France will govern the reimbursement of medical cannabis was reportedly submitted to the French Council of State, as the Union of Manufacturers for the Utilization of Hemp Extracts (UIVEC) announced at the time. “On 30 June, Laurent Panifous, Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament, confirmed that the decree on the rules for the coverage of cannabis-based medicines, finalised in mid-June, had received the Ministry of Economy’s approval. This text, which is essential for the transition to a permanent framework, will be sent to the Council of State today for examination after the summer break and publication to be announced at the beginning of the school year.” UIVEC wrote on LinkedIn, translated from French to English.
Sep 15, 2026	Medical cannabis may improve endometriosis symptoms – study Women with endometriosis reported less pain and better sleep after taking medical cannabis, with improvements lasting for two years in a UK study. Researchers cautioned that the findings do not prove medical cannabis caused the improvements because the study had no control group and participants received different products and doses. The observational study followed 101 women prescribed cannabis-based medicines and also recorded improvements in anxiety, quality of life and the effect of pain on daily activities.
Sep 15, 2026	Inside Northern Leaf’s Remarkable Turnaround: From Brink of Collapse to £8m Cultivator Northern Leaf, the Jersey-based medical cannabis cultivator, looked all but certain to follow in the footsteps of Curaleaf, Aurora and Tilray to become the British Isles’ very own international cannabis superstar. In 2021, the height of the global ‘green rush’, Northern Leaf was granted the first British high-THC commercial cultivation licence since GW Pharmaceuticals (now Jazz Pharmaceuticals) in 1998.
Sep 14, 2026	Curaleaf (CURA.T) vs Aurora Cannabis (ACB.T) is a battle of two badly run companies Curaleaf (CURA.T) is in a fight with Aurora Cannabis (ABC.T) and both sides are getting messy. At the root of the fight: Curaleaf made a takeover bid for Aurora with a pretty good premium on offer. But Aurora execs think the offer underpays for the assets involved, and that Curaleaf has enough skeletons in its wardrobe (or debts on its bank balance, to be more precise) that the deal should be ignored.
Sep 14, 2026	How Canadian Cannabis Producers Learned to Make Money For the last few years, the story of many of Canada’s LPs has felt more like an episode of Survivor than an upward growth trend. Companies closed facilities, cut staff, restructured operations, and the catalysts for needing those changes will forever be debated in the history books. That reality, however, seems to be changing as more Canadian producers report stronger margins and sustained profitability. But the companies emerging from the industry’s prolonged shakeout look considerably different from the LPs that raced to build capacity following legalization.
Sep 14, 2026	Portugal’s Regulator Defends Cannabis Crackdown as Export Permit Delays Fall Portugal’s medicines regulator has defended a year of tightened oversight and extended licensing delays throughout the country’s medical cannabis sector, telling operators that export certificates are now issued within 12 days and that the enforcement which unsettled the market stemmed from record-keeping and traceability failures rather than problems with the product itself. Speaking at the Portugal Medical Cannabis (PTMC) conference in Lisbon yesterday (September 10, 2026) Vasco Bettencourt, Director of the Licensing Unit within Infarmed’s Inspection and Licensing Directorate, said the regulator had strengthened supervision of traceability, waste management and the qualification of customers and suppliers after weaknesses in those areas triggered criminal investigations. The problem, he said, lay in paperwork and partner checks, not in the medicines themselves. Portugal is Europe’s largest medical cannabis exporter, but the enforcement drive and the permit backlog that followed is forcing many supply chains to reroute elsewhere, threatening the country’s long held reputation as the ‘doorway’ to European cannabis markets.
Sep 14, 2026	Aurora Cannabis Refutes Curaleaf's Latest Attempt To Distract Shareholders From The Facts EDMONTON, AB, Sept. 14, 2026 /CNW/ -- Aurora Cannabis Inc. ("Aurora" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB), the Canadian-based leading global medical cannabis company, today responded to the application by Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. ("Curaleaf") (TSX: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) to halt Aurora's at-the-market ("ATM") program. Aurora believes Curaleaf's filing is simply the latest attempt to distract shareholders from the fundamental issue before them: Curaleaf's hostile bid significantly undervalues Aurora and seeks to acquire Aurora's cash, unique EU-GMP assets, global growth platform and future upside at a discount.
Sep 14, 2026	Indigenous cannabis shop owners fight Ottawa closures The email came one day in May, 2025. Bryan Brant’s landlord said the police had contacted him about his cannabis dispensary and that Brant was being evicted. He had 48 hours to vacate his shop — Native Cannabis Depot — on Bank Street. Brant, as an Indigenous businessperson, claimed he had rights to open and run such an unlicensed shop. But the closure became just one of several in Ottawa that he and another Indigenous owner have been fighting.
Sep 14, 2026	Curaleaf asks Alberta regulator to halt Aurora's share issuances while its offer stands Curaleaf has filed an application with the Alberta Securities Commission seeking to stop Aurora Cannabis from issuing shares under its at-the-market program for as long as Curaleaf's offer for the company remains outstanding. The application asks the commission to halt further issuances immediately and to protect the ability of Aurora shareholders to consider and respond to the offer, and Curaleaf has requested an expedited hearing. It follows Curaleaf's formal offer for all issued and outstanding Aurora shares, commenced on 19 August at 0.3463 Curaleaf subordinate voting shares plus US$0.75 in cash per Aurora share, which the company values at approximately US$4.00, and Aurora's rejection of it.
Sep 14, 2026	Report: Cannabis Excise Taxes Totaled Over $3.5 Billion Across 30 U.S. States Last Year Locally licensed cannabis retailers in 30 U.S. states and the District of Columbia generated about $3.55 billion in cannabis excise tax revenues between July 2025 and June 2026, according to a U.S. Census report.
Sep 14, 2026	Cayman Islands Considers Cannabis Reform Options Government officials in the Cayman Islands, a self-governing British Overseas Territory located in the western Caribbean Sea, are reviewing public responses regarding proposed changes to current cannabis laws. The public submitted responses during a two-month consultation period. On July 1st, 2026, the Cayman Islands government published its “Cannabis Reform: Options for a Harm Minimisation Framework” discussion paper, which included various options to consider for modernizing current cannabis laws. The public consultation period ended on September 1st.
Sep 14, 2026	Bill Directing Federal Health Officials To Track Testing For Marijuana And Other Drugs In Hospital ERs Set For House Vote This Week The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a bill this week to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to study how prevalent drug testing for marijuana, fentanyl and other drugs is in hospital emergency departments.

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