CannabisLink.ca - Current Affairs 2026

(2026) - Chronological (730 items)

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May 18, 2026	Strict Rules Keep Canadian Cannabis Brands on the World Cup Sidelines Canada is preparing to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico, an event expected to draw millions of viewers and hundreds of thousands of visitors. For most industries, it represents a once-in-a-generation marketing opportunity. But for cannabis companies, the conversation is much more complicated.
May 18, 2026	Truckers And Pilots Still Can’t Use Medical Marijuana Even Though Trump Reclassified It, Transportation Department Says Last month, the Trump administration moved to federally reclassify medical marijuana that is dispensed to patients in accordance with state programs. But that doesn’t mean truck drivers, airline pilots and other federally regulated workers can now use it without being punished, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is clarifying in a new notice. “Marijuana use is not compatible with safety-sensitive functions,” the agency said on Friday.
May 18, 2026	Cannabis Legalization Associated With Lower Crime Rates The enactment of laws legalizing cannabis for either medical or adult-use purposes is associated with declining crime rates over time, according to findings published in the scientific journal Economic Modeling. Researchers affiliated with the Jack Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and Barnard College in New York evaluated the relationship between statewide cannabis policies and crime rates nationwide. Consistent with prior studies, they reported that liberalized marijuana laws were associated with reductions in overall criminal activity. Specifically, the adoption of medical cannabis legalization is associated with reduced property crime, whereas adult-use legalization is associated with decreases in violent crime. These trends become more pronounced over time.
May 18, 2026	UWIFIC and Antigua and Barbuda Medicinal Cannabis Authority Formalise Research and Education Partnership The University of the West Indies (UWIFIC) Five Islands Campus and the Antigua and Barbuda Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) have formalised a partnership aimed at advancing medicinal cannabis research and education within the country’s developing industry. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on April 17, 2026, during the third annual Antigua and Barbuda Cannabis (ABC) Festival, as reported by the Antigua Observer.
May 18, 2026	‘Big Tobacco’ Moment for Cannabis: What Insurers Need to Know About Murray v. Cresco A massive 320-page class action complaint has the attention of the cannabis sector. The insurance professionals who underwrite it should also be paying close attention. The case, Murray et al. v. Cresco Labs Inc. et al., was filed on May 4 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. It represents the most ambitious legal assault yet on the marketing practices of major cannabis multistate operators (MSOs).
May 18, 2026	“End the Nightmare”—Coalition Hits DC for Cannabis Justice A national coalition of 41 advocacy groups converged on Capitol Hill for the Cannabis Week of Unity, when a coordinated lobbying blitz pressed a gridlocked Congress to act on federal marijuana descheduling, criminal-legal reform and equitable access. The mobilization, which ran from May 12-14, brought together labor unions, veterans, civil liberties advocates, legal experts, industry executives and directly impacted individuals around three core demands: federally legalizing cannabis, releasing federal cannabis prisoners, and expunging records to restore civil rights. The coalition spent three days navigating the halls of both congressional chambers to pitch a comprehensive package of 13 separate hemp and cannabis reform bills.
May 17, 2026	Strategies for Dealing with Effect of Cannabis in the Workplace The regulations surrounding cannabis changed on April 23, 2026, when the Department of Justice announced that FDA-approved cannabis products and products containing cannabis subject to a Qualifying State-issued License are moving from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act.
May 16, 2026	How to Hide Your High, According to People Who Have It Down to a Science When you’re higher than you planned, paranoia is the real enemy. Five cannabis users share their best techniques for surviving the moment you cross from private to public.
May 16, 2026	Bermuda Government Seeks Regulated Medical Cannabis Framework for Patient Access and Clinical Oversight The Bermuda Government is progressing efforts to establish a regulated medical cannabis framework, aiming to balance patient access with clinical judgment and robust safeguards. Michael Weeks, the Minister of National Security, informed the House of Assembly that the proposed structure is being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the Attorney-General’s Chambers. The objective is to create a safe and lawful pathway for patients with legitimate medical needs, while preventing misuse and diversion, according to a report by The Royal Gazette. This initiative seeks to integrate approved cannabis-based medicines and regulated medical cannabis products into the existing controlled prescription medication system.
May 16, 2026	Alabama’s First Medical Cannabis Dispensary Nears Opening, Five Years After Legalization Alabama is preparing for the imminent opening of its first medical cannabis dispensary, Callie’s Apothecary, located in Montgomery. This development occurs nearly five years after Governor Kay Ivey signed the Darren Wesley ‘Ato’ Hall Compassion Act into law on May 17, 2021, which legalized cannabis for medical use in the state. The anticipated launch, expected within days of May 15, 2026, marks a significant step in patient access, building on earlier coverage of the state’s preparations for medical cannabis sales, as reported by WHNT News.
May 16, 2026	Drug convictions no obstacle to becoming licensed cannabis dealer in Canada Canadians with past drug convictions are still eligible to become federally licensed cannabis dealers under Ottawa’s regulatory system, according to the Department of Health. Blacklock's Reporter says in a submission to the Senate committee on indigenous peoples, the department confirmed criminal records tied to marijuana or other drug offences do not automatically disqualify applicants from participating in the legal cannabis industry. “Health Canada’s regulatory framework does not automatically disqualify individuals with past cannabis or drug-related convictions from participating in the legal industry,” the department wrote in its report, Response To A Request For Information.
May 15, 2026	Aurora granted Plant Breeders' Rights in Canada Aurora Cannabis has been granted Plant Breeders' Rights in Canada for two proprietary cannabis cultivars developed through its world-class breeding program. This certification gives Aurora the exclusive rights to grow, propagate, and sell finished products produced from these varieties.
May 15, 2026	Health Canada Seeks Feedback on Potential Changes to Industrial Hemp Regulations Health Canada is looking to streamline aspects of the nation’s industrial hemp regulations as part of the government’s red tape reduction efforts. In a Notice of Intent posted on May 15, 2026, the federal health agency called for interested parties to provide feedback on potential amendments to the Industrial Hemp Regulations (IHR).
May 15, 2026	CBD Holds Potential As An ‘Anticancer Agent’ For Dogs, New Scientific Review Concludes Studies “consistently show” that the non-intoxicating marijuana component CBD is a potential “anticancer agent across different cancer types”—and that effect applies to dogs as well as humans, according to a new systemic review of the scientific literature.
May 15, 2026	Delaware court grants Cannabist first-ever Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection for a cannabis MSO On May 9, a Delaware bankruptcy court handed The Cannabist Company Holdings Inc. something no cannabis multistate operator had ever managed to obtain: federal bankruptcy protection. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brendan L. Shannon signed the recognition order, confirming that Cannabist's ongoing insolvency proceedings in Canada qualify as a foreign main proceeding under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, effectively pausing domestic collection actions while the company works through its asset sales.
May 15, 2026	Should Canada rewrite the Cannabis Act? Amid RCMP raids on unlicensed cannabis dispensaries in Mi’kma’ki, some First Nations leaders are calling for changes to Canada’s Cannabis Act. .... The Cannabis law was passed in 2018 under former prime minister Justin Trudeau. But as Staniforth points out, it doesn’t include any mention of First Nations, Inuit or Métis people.
May 15, 2026	Canada Supplied Half Germany’s Cannabis Imports in Q1 2026 Germany imported 50,539 kg of cannabis flower for medical and medical-scientific purposes in the first three months of 2026 (Q1 2026). The latest figures from Germany’s medical cannabis regulator, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), show imports were down about 15% from the previous quarter but up about 34% year-over-year, compared with Q1 2025.
May 15, 2026	Charted: Cannabis Use Hits Record Highs, Alcohol Use Falls Key Takeaways About 1-in-10 young Americans now report daily or near-daily cannabis use. Frequent cannabis use has surged alongside legalization trends, while daily alcohol use has gradually declined over the last three decades. Cannabis use has officially overtaken alcohol consumption among young Americans on a daily basis, marking a major shift in U.S. consumption habits.
May 15, 2026	Cannabis club says patients’ lives at risk as B.C. targets storefront Weeks after provincial authorities seized roughly $100,000 in product from the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club, the club is facing new threats to its existence. The province has filed civil forfeiture documents against the landlord of the club’s storefront space on Quadra Street, arguing they have benefited from the club’s unlawful operation and calling the property “proceeds of crime.”
May 14, 2026	House Votes To Let Military Veterans Get Medical Marijuana Recommendations From VA Doctors The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to let military veterans receive recommendations for medical marijuana through their doctors at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)—while also approving a separate amendment focused on the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.

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