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Top Stories (2026) - (1749 items)

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Aug 8, 2026	Senate Passes Spending Bill With One-Month Delay to Federal Hemp Crackdown WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has passed a government funding bill that would give the nation’s embattled hemp industry roughly one more month before sweeping federal restrictions on hemp-derived THC products take effect.
Aug 8, 2026	After 2 Decades of Raids and Prison Stints, Liverpool's 'Cannabis Martyr' Is Still 'Fighting for Freedom' Gary Youds says his cannabis café is “what the future looks like the day after the drug war.”
Aug 7, 2026	California approves first cannabis self-checkout kiosk Cannabis dispensary Perfect Union Northside in Sacramento has introduced what its parent company describes as California's first regulator-approved cannabis self-checkout system, according to a New York Post report. MWG Holdings Group received clearance to deploy the RFID-based technology, which allows customers to purchase cannabis products through a process resembling self-checkout at supermarkets and convenience stores.
Aug 7, 2026	Why a Massachusetts town owes the cannabis industry $2 million A tony Boston suburb must return more than $2 million in fees collected from three legal cannabis business after failing to demonstrate it properly spent the money. The city of Newton’s bill to cannabis retailers, which court records show was imposed by a Middlesex Superior Court judge on Tuesday, is the latest example of Massachusetts cannabis businesses challenging localities over “community impact fees” – and winning.
Aug 7, 2026	Dr. Oz Asks Senators To Delay Hemp Product Ban So Seniors Can Get CBD Products Covered Through Medicare Dr. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is asking U.S. senators to reject an amendment that would keep a forthcoming ban on hemp products on track to take effect in November. “Passage of this amendment would undo significant gains that have been made to make clinically-appropriate full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD accessible to the senior citizens and individuals with disabilities that rely on the Medicare program for their healthcare,” Oz wrote in a letter to senators.
Aug 7, 2026	The Convenience Revolution Has Finally Reached Cannabis Most of what Americans buy now arrives without anyone leaving the house. Dinner comes in twenty minutes. Groceries are ordered on a phone and left at the door. Prescriptions refill automatically. Convenience has become the baseline expectation across nearly every retail category, and consumers notice immediately when a product fails to meet it. Cannabis was one of the last categories to catch up. For most of the legal era, buying THC meant driving to a dispensary, waiting in line, and paying in cash. That is changing, and platforms like Edibles.com are part of the reason why. Launched in March 2025 and based in Atlanta, the wellness-focused marketplace ships vetted, third-party-tested hemp-derived THC products directly to consumers across more than 30 states, including many where no dispensary exists.
Aug 7, 2026	SQDC to Host First Networking Event for Cannabis Producers The Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) is hosting a networking and educational event for cannabis producers in Montreal on Tuesday, September 15, 2026. The one-day event, split into a morning plenary session and an afternoon networking session, is focused on those selling cannabis into the Quebec market, as well as those interested in doing so.
Aug 7, 2026	Square Tells Businesses To Stop Selling Hemp And CBD Products In Light Of Upcoming Federal Ban The popular point-of-sale and payments service Square says it will no longer allow CBD and other hemp-derived products to be sold on its platform, according to an email obtained by Marijuana Moment. The communication, sent to a business that uses Square, cited an upcoming change to federal law that will recriminalize many hemp products that were previously legalized by Congress.
Aug 7, 2026	Police Used Flock Cameras to Track Wisconsin Man’s Out-of-State Cannabis Purchases Police in Wisconsin used Flock camera feeds to determine that a man who regularly traveled to Michigan and back was likely trafficking cannabis, which remains strictly prohibited in Wisconsin, according to a 404 Media report.
Aug 6, 2026	Why Low-Dose Cannabis Is Becoming The Industry's Growth Engine For decades, cannabis brands competed on one metric: potency. More THC meant a better product, at least for experienced consumers chasing a stronger high. But in today's maturing legal market, some of the most successful companies are taking the opposite approach, betting on precision instead of potency to win over adults who don't regularly consume cannabis.
Aug 6, 2026	Virginia and Texas Are About to Become Cannabis Battlegrounds. Here's Which Stocks Are Positioned to Win. Forget California and Colorado. Those markets are already well established. If you're looking for where the cannabis industry could find its next meaningful growth opportunities, Virginia and Texas deserve a much closer look. Each state is following a different regulatory path, but both could become important drivers of industry growth over the next few years.
Aug 6, 2026	Hemp fight sparks GOP ‘blowup’ as Trump pushes to delay ban President Donald Trump is urging Senate Republicans to delay a federal hemp ban he signed into law, personally calling one senator as the White House pushes for broader cannabis reform. According to Axios, Trump phoned Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) to explain why his administration is in favor of a proposed delay to the so-called hemp ban. Trump reportedly explained the White House is working on updates to federal cannabis policy and the November ban could “complicate” their plans.
Aug 6, 2026	New law allows for marijuana sales at farmer's markets & other community events SYRACUSE, N.Y. — On Thursday, August 6, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation designed to strengthen New York’s regulated cannabis market by offering more venues to legally sell and purchase products. The bill, S.10113/A.11217, ensures that licensed cannabis microbusinesses are eligible to fully participate in Cannabis Showcase Events (CSEs). These permits allow licensed operators to engage directly with consumers at approved pop-ups, farmers’ markets and public market events, while strengthening partnerships with local municipalities. The law recognizes the unique role microbusinesses play in New York’s cannabis marketplace and expands opportunities for them to participate in these community-centered events.
Aug 5, 2026	OCS and AGCO Among Agencies Facing Provincial Review This summer, the province will review operations at the Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation (OCRC) and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO). The OCRC operates under the public-facing brand name Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS). The AGCO regulates the private retail sale of recreational cannabis in Ontario. It licenses eligible store operators and managers, authorizes individual retail store locations, sets operational and safety standards, approves employee training, and enforces compliance rules across the province’s legal storefront network of nearly 2,000 private cannabis retailers.
Aug 5, 2026	Medical Cannabis for ADHD in the UK: How It Compares With Stimulants Ask any UK cannabis clinic which conditions bring people through the door, and ADHD will reliably be near the top of the list. Despite this demand, the published literature on what cannabis does for ADHD is strikingly thin. Currently, there is only one small randomised trial that missed its primary endpoint, a single uncontrolled case series, and a large volume of self-report. Stimulant medication, by contrast, has decades of controlled trials behind it. That imbalance is the starting point for any meaningful comparison, but the reason why so many patients are asking about cannabis lies elsewhere.
Aug 5, 2026	10 Things to Know About Terpenes The cannabis industry is abuzz over terpenes. Everyone in the know is claiming it’s “all about them terps brah,” but do you truly understand these magnificent compounds? Here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about the intoxicating aromas of cannabis. 1. Terpenes Are Everywhere
Aug 5, 2026	French Polynesia Is Finally Ready to Launch Its Medical Cannabis Pilot Program After Months of Delays After a delay of more than a year, the French Polynesia is finally set to launch its pilot program for growing medical marijuana. The authorities have confirmed that training for the nine selected farmers will begin in early August, while the decree authorizing cultivation is expected to be presented to the Council of Ministers shortly. If the final administrative steps are completed on schedule, the first harvests are now expected in April 2027.
Aug 5, 2026	Is hemp a thirsty crop? New research measures just how much water cannabis farming can use In South Africa, it’s been legal for several years for people to grow hemp (a type of Cannabis sativa with very low levels of the psychoactive compound THC), for personal use following changes to the law. There’s also been a growing interest in its medicinal and industrial potential for clothing, insulation and paper production. Many see it as a “green gold” opportunity for small-scale farmers. However, hemp needs water to grow, and South Africa has limited water resources. Planting more hemp could potentially reduce the water available in already dry areas.
Aug 5, 2026	UNLV launches cannabis career certificate programs LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — If you're hoping to make a career out of cannabis, you're in luck. The University of Nevada Las Vegas has just announced a new certificate program. The program is part of a partnership with Green Flower, a cannabis education company. There are more than 11,000 jobs in the state, according to the 2026 Cannabis Jobs Report.
Aug 5, 2026	GFL must pay after firing worker over single cannabis test A positive cannabis test was enough for one safety-sensitive employer to fire an assistant operator the same day. It was not enough, a labour tribunal has now confirmed, to prove the company had just cause for the dismissal. In a decision dated July 22, 2026, Vice-Chairperson Patricia Warwick of the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board dismissed GFL Environmental Inc.'s appeal of a wage assessment issued in the worker's favour by the Director of Employment Standards. The ruling confirmed an earlier adjudicator's finding and left GFL owing $5,958.19 in wages tied to the notice period.
Aug 5, 2026	The science of THCV Cannabis research has historically concentrated on THC and CBD, and for good reason. These two ‘major cannabinoids’ dominate the cannabinoid profiles of almost all cultivars available to medical cannabis patients around the globe. But recently, there has been a shift towards interest in the distinct pharmacological properties of comparatively rare cannabinoids, THCV in particular. James Duckenfield, CEO of Glass Pharms®, explains why the emerging evidence is compelling, while cautioning that scientific promise should not be taken as outright clinical evidence.
Aug 5, 2026	Cannabis farms are drying up California's mountain streams Some streams in California’s Emerald Triangle have flowed every day of every year since long before anyone was measuring them. A new study suggests that’s starting to change, and not for any of the reasons you’d expect. No drought hit hard enough to blame on its own and nobody diverted the water outright.
Aug 5, 2026	The States Looking To Turn Cannabis Facilities Into Data Centers A growing number of states and provinces are exploring an unusual solution to two very different economic trends: Converting struggling cannabis cultivation facilities into data centers. As demand for AI and cloud computing infrastructure surges, developers are searching for sites that already have the power, cooling and security systems needed to support server operations. At the same time, following years of falling wholesale cannabis prices and chronic oversupply in many state markets, some cultivation facilities have closed or become underutilized, leaving a stock of power-intensive industrial buildings available for redevelopment.
Aug 5, 2026	Enrollment jumps after lawmakers ease access to Georgia’s medical cannabis program Georgia’s medical cannabis program experienced an unprecedented surge of new registered patients over the past month after the law changed significantly to ease access. The patient registry grew from 36,595 patients in late June to 44,854 on Monday, an increase of more than 22% in just over a month. The increase of over 8,200 active patients marks a significant change of pace for a decade-old program that grew sluggishly under the previous law.
Aug 5, 2026	Medical cannabis compound alleviates nightmares associated with PTSD Nightmares are among the most agonizing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – a condition that can develop after exposure to severe traumatic experiences, such as disasters, serious accidents, acts of violence, or wartime experiences. Individuals affected relive the events intensely at night, as if they were real, time and time again. This results in extreme sleep deprivation and fear of going to bed. Existing pharmacological treatment approaches often fail to adequately relieve these nightmares. Researchers at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin investigated whether a prescription medication containing THC – one of the active compounds of the cannabis plant – could help. As they report in Nature Medicine, more than half of the participants responded to treatment, while more than a third experienced a complete disappearance of nightmares.
Aug 5, 2026	Cannabis-Related Driving Fatalities in Canada See Downward Trend Post-Legalization Cannabis’ connection to driver deaths has been steadily decreasing in the years following its legalization in Canada. Although a new report from the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), an independent road safety research institute, shows a rise in drug-related road fatalities across Canada, cannabis’ contribution to driver deaths was lower in the last three years of the study, from 30.4% in 2020 to 25.2% in 2023 (h/t Driving.ca).
Aug 4, 2026	They Were Arrested for Cannabis. Now California Gives Activists Medals and Home Growers Golden Bears. Thirty years after Prop 215, the California State Fair crowned its first home-grow champion and hung medals on the people who made growing legal in the first place. Some of them had been arrested for it.
Aug 4, 2026	Israel to Again Reopen Anti-Dumping Investigation Into Canadian Medical Cannabis Israel is planning to again investigate claims of Canadian cannabis companies “dumping” low-cost products into the Israeli medical cannabis market, making it difficult for local producers to compete. In a formal notification from the Israel Ministry of Economy, dated August 2, 2026, and addressed to Jean-Denis Dufour of the Embassy of Canada, Israel’s Commissioner of Anti-Dumping and Safeguards Measures says it will again move forward with an investigation.
Aug 4, 2026	More Americans Report Daily Use of Cannabis than Cigarettes and Alcohol Data from the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicates there are now more daily cannabis consumers in the U.S. than daily cigarette smokers and drinkers, according to a FOX News Health report.
Aug 4, 2026	NEPAL:Gandaki legalises cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial use Gandaki becomes country’s first province to legalise regulated cannabis cultivation for medicinal and industrial use, introducing strict licensing, monitoring and compliance requirements.
Aug 4, 2026	Cannabis Dispensaries Taking Dinner Reservations On July 23, Mayor Daniel Lurie signed an ordinance that gives San Francisco a legal framework for what supporters are calling “Amsterdam-style cannabis cafés.” It takes effect at midnight on August 23, and 66 qualifying cannabis retailers will be able to apply for a new café permit that lets them serve food and nonalcoholic beverages and even host live entertainment.
Aug 4, 2026	Flash Survey Reveals More Employers Are Testing Applicants for Cannabis Than Two Years Ago Employer hesitation to test applicants for cannabis appears to have slowed in the past two years, according to the results from our latest FP Flash Survey. 60% of employers now test job applicants for cannabis, up from 52% when we asked the same question in 2024. And part of the reason appears to be that the hiring market will permit a stricter approach: employers that test are now less likely to report trouble finding qualified candidates than they were two years ago. Those are just a few of the surprising findings from the latest FP Flash Survey, conducted between July 20 and July 31, gathering responses from over 600 businesses across the country
Aug 4, 2026	Thailand Presses Medical-Only Cannabis Bill Toward Cabinet as Enforcement Drive Widens Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health is pressing ahead with a draft Cannabis and Hemp Act that would restrict its liberal cannabis market to purely medical and research use cases. As the act edges closer to cabinet under the prime minister who decriminalised cannabis three years earlier, it is preemptively being enforced on the ground.
Aug 3, 2026	Federally Funded Study Finds High Marijuana Taxes Boost Black Market A newly released federally-funded study suggests that states with higher taxes on legal cannabis may be unintentionally encouraging consumers to purchase cannabis from illegal sellers instead of licensed retailers. The research examined the buying habits of 1,525 Americans aged 21 and over who had used recreational cannabis within the previous month. Researchers analyzed how pricing and taxation influence purchasing decisions in both regulated and unregulated markets.
Aug 3, 2026	The Contradictions of Cannabis Law: From the United States to International Treaties Cannabis law has never been more contradictory. In the U.S., federal and state governments often regulate identical products under completely different legal frameworks. Hemp and marijuana can produce the same intoxicating effects, yet lawmakers treat them as fundamentally different. Medical marijuana now occupies a unique place under federal law while adult use marijuana remains prohibited. Internationally, countries continue to expand legalization, despite treaty obligations that appear to prohibit it.
Aug 3, 2026	Cannabis NB’s $2 Pre-Rolls Seek to Compete with Black Market as Sales Cool New Brunswick sold $25.4 million in cannabis in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2026-2027, which ended June 28, 2026, for a gross profit of $12 million and net income of $4.6 million. Product sales represented a 2% decline year-over-year compared to Q1 2025, gross profits were down 3.9%, and net income was down 20.4%. There were 433,000 transactions in the first quarter, with an average basket size of $53.67, representing a YOY increase in transactions but a decline in average basket size compared with 411,000 transactions with an average basket size of $58.77 in the same quarter in the previous year.
Aug 3, 2026	Beyond the THC Number: How Cannabis Retail Can Make Room for Quality For much of Canada’s legal cannabis market, one number has carried an extraordinary amount of weight: THC percentage. It appears prominently on product labels, retail menus and purchasing spreadsheets. Consumers use it to compare products, budtenders rely on it when sensory information is limited, and buyers use it to assess anticipated demand. Over time, this has helped create a self-reinforcing market in which higher THC is often treated as shorthand for stronger effects, better quality and greater value.
Aug 3, 2026	B.C. has a craft cannabis advantage — now it needs a strategy British Columbia has built a global reputation around craft: wine, beer, cider, local food, small farms and tourism experiences that connect products to the people and places behind them. Craft cannabis should be part of that story. B.C. is home to one of the world’s most respected cannabis cultures, with more than 230 licensed producers, nearly 500 independent retailers, more than 5,000 jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenue. Yet provincial policy still treats legal cannabis more like a regulatory file than an economic sector to grow.
Aug 3, 2026	Alabama may opt out of federal marijuana rescheduling. What happens next? Alabama’s official objection to the Trump administration’s federal medical marijuana rescheduling push is raising questions about 280E tax relief, interstate shipping rights and whether a state can simply say no to a federal scheduling change. The answer, according to legal experts, is complicated. However, the issue shouldn’t affect the ongoing rollout of Alabama’s medical cannabis market.
Aug 3, 2026	US Hemp Industry Wins a Stay of Execution as Senate Delays Ban Until December The US hemp industry has successfully bought itself some additional time to find a permanent solution to the incoming federal ban. Senate leaders moved to include a short delay to the sweeping hemp ban into a must-pass spending bill, giving some, but not all hemp-derived products until December 11 rather than November 12 before they’re pulled from shelves.
Aug 2, 2026	NEPAL: Inside Gandaki’s new cannabis law: Who can grow it, where, and under what rules Gandaki Province has formally opened the door to the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and industrial use after its province chief authenticated a landmark law that establishes one of the country’s most comprehensive regulatory regimes for the crop.
Aug 2, 2026	Is Green Thumb the Safest Cannabis Stock to Own Right Now? The cannabis industry has taught investors a painful lesson over the past five years: Revenue growth means very little if a company can't generate cash. Dozens of operators expanded too quickly, took on excessive debt, or repeatedly diluted shareholders to stay afloat.
Aug 2, 2026	Good Times, Less Waste: Can Cannabis Clean Up the Vape Problem? Vape hardware is one of the cannabis industry’s most persistent waste problems. Fernway launched the first take-back program in 2022, and this summer opened its dropboxes to any brand’s device.
Aug 2, 2026	‘Free up the ganja’: Rastafarians in Kenya fight to decriminalise marijuana Marijuana plays a sacred role among Rastafari followers and they say criminalising it violates their rights
Aug 1, 2026	Smell of cannabis can trigger a police search if it’s not the only factor, court rules An odor of marijuana is not normally sufficient cause for police to conduct a search, but it can be if police determine that the occupants of a car are minors and thus prohibited from possessing cannabis, according to a new court ruling.
Aug 1, 2026	The Cannabis Industry Built on Schedule III. Federal Courts Are About to Decide Whether That Foundation Holds WASHINGTON, D.C. / ACCESS Newswire / August 1, 2026 / The cannabis industry has largely treated the Attorney General's April 2026 Marijuana Rescheduling Order as a settled foundation for future growth. The federal courts have not yet decided whether that foundation is lawful.
Aug 1, 2026	Marijuana brand launches ‘senior-targeted’ cannabis kiosk at retirement community An Arizona retirement community is getting a senior-focused cannabis kiosk, giving residents an easier way to purchase marijuana products without traveling to a dispensary.
Jul 31, 2026	RECALL: Edible cannabis products recalled due to allergen, packaging and quality concerns Health Canada says not to consume specific edible cannabis products that were sold by the thousands in Ontario and Saskatchewan, as they are labelled with incorrect cannabinoid values and could contain allergens. The health agency says the recall is for certain Sweet Vengeance edible cannabis products due to undeclared milk and hazelnut, as well labelling issues.
Jul 31, 2026	DEA Hearings on Cannabis Rescheduling Conclude Last month, the Drug Enforcement Agency concluded its hearings related to the reclassification of Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. Analysis as to how it went is limited by restrictions that prohibited live streaming, cell phones, recording devices, or cameras in the hearing room gallery, which only had 20 seats. Hearing transcripts and audio recordings have not yet been released by the Feds.
Jul 31, 2026	Largest strike in cannabis industry ends at MSO-owned Illinois cultivation operation More than 300 workers are back on the job at a cannabis multistate operator’s cultivation operation in southern Illinois after the resolution of a monthlong strike that union organizers said was also the $30 billion national industry’s biggest-ever strike.

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