Top Stories (2026) -
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| Jun 18, 2026 |
Minnesota cannabis store owners lament testing backlog: "It's getting frustrating for everyone involved" One of five cannabis testing sites in Minnesota is shutting down, citing exorbitant costs as the reason. William Drexler is moving product he has around as he waits patiently for more. He says customers who come into Grey Area, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, are looking for adult-use items, which he says are being held up by a backlog in testing. |
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| Jun 18, 2026 |
Massachusetts caps cannabis cultivation, expands retail
Massachusetts cannabis regulators recently moved in two directions at once, freezing one part of the market while opening another. As of June 16, the state Cannabis Control Commission has temporarily stopped accepting new applications for marijuana cultivation licenses, according to an agency bulletin. With an estimated 1 square foot to 1.2 square feet of licensed canopy per adult age 21 or older, Massachusetts has significantly more cultivation capacity per capita than nearby Connecticut, where prices are higher, according to the CCC. |
| Jun 18, 2026 |
Cannabis Stocks Pop As Another U.S. Company Applies to List on NYSE That was fast: California cannabis company Glass House Brands on Wednesday applied to become the second U.S. cannabis firm to list on the NYSE, following the path laid by competitor Trulieve last week. Glass House stock popped about 5% on Thursday and is up about 52% since January 1. Trulieve stock rose about 5% and is up about 16% this year. The AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF (MSOS) is up 4% Thursday and about 4% since January 1, though still about 90% below its 2021 all-time high. |
| Jun 18, 2026 |
Union Warns of Possible Ontario Cannabis Store Labour Action as Negotiations Continue
The labour union representing some workers at the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) is warning cannabis retailers across the province of a potential labour disruption that the union says could affect services. In a letter sent to cannabis retailers on June 15, 2026, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO) warns of ongoing negotiations and a possible labour disruption if union demands are not met following a final bargaining session with the OCS on June 22. The union represents approximately 200,000 members across Ontario, including employees at the OCS. |
| Jun 18, 2026 |
Plant-Derived Cannabis Formula Granted ‘Breakthrough’ Designation by FDA for Pain Treatment Regulators at the US Food and Drug Administration have granted ‘Breakthrough Therapy Designation’ to a proprietary cannabis extract (VER-01) containing 2.5 milligrams of THC and standardized percentages of CBD and CBG (cannabigerol). A press release issued by the product’s manufacturer, VERTANICAL, states that the designation “is intended to expedite the development and review of investigational medicines where preliminary clinical evidence indicates the potential for substantial improvement over available therapies.” The FDA’s decision follows the results of a Phase 3 clinical trial concluding that patients who consumed the cannabis extract experienced greater mean pain reduction than did those taking opioids. |
| Jun 18, 2026 |
Supreme Court Upholds Marijuana Users’ Gun Rights, Rejecting Trump DOJ Arguments In Major Second Amendment Case The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously sided with a man who was prosecuted for possessing a gun while being a regular consumer of marijuana, ruling that the government’s actions violate the Second Amendment. The opinion authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch is narrow in scope and does not entirely strike down the federal law known as 922(g)(3) that prohibits people who illegally consume controlled substances from possessing or purchasing firearms. |
| Jun 18, 2026 |
Illinois Senate candidate Juliana Stratton calls for federal cannabis legalization Cannabis policy is becoming a more prominent campaign issue for politicians across the country. Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, is leaning into her state’s industry success story in her run for office, telling the crowd at this week’s IgniteIt Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago that pot is a priority. “I would love to see us legalize cannabis on the federal level,” she said during the show’s keynote fireside chat. |
| Jun 18, 2026 |
More seniors are using cannabis. Utah and Colorado researchers want to know why Many older adults are turning to edible cannabis for the first time to find relief from age-related health issues. Researchers want to better understand their motivations. A new study out of the University of Utah and University of Colorado Boulder surveyed about 170 adults in Colorado over the age of 60 about why they wanted to purchase edible cannabis products. This cohort was primarily seeking to manage pain, sleep, or health concerns. |
| Jun 18, 2026 |
Ethan Zohn reveals he tried to get cannabis use approved for Survivor -Survivor champion and Kicking Back host Ethan Zohn reveals the reason he could not get cannabis use approved for the show, but he came close! -How would Survivor be different if cannabis was allowed? Ethan shares his take. -Ethan also names his all-Survivor soccer team. Who made the cut? |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
Listed: Cannabis Finally Cracks America’s Major Exchanges
Cannabis stocks have, for the last five years or so, represented one of, if not the worst-performing, niche categories on any exchange. Ever since the heady ‘Green’ IPO rush of the late 2010s and early 2020s, MSOS’ stocks tracked by New Cannabis Ventures have plummeted -87.1% in value, while the wider Global Index fell by -85.2% over the same period. Effectively banned from listing on US blue chip exchanges like Nasdaq, any US operators willing to fight their way onto the public markets have been limited to smaller platforms, offering limited access to institutional capital, poor liquidity, and leaving these stocks exposed to the volatility of sentiment-driven retail investors. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
Producers Weigh Cash Flow Risks of Alberta’s New Cannabis Consignment Model Alberta’s recent announcement that it is moving from its current wholesale model for cannabis sold and distributed in the province to a privately managed consignment model is being met with mixed reactions by the producers supplying that market. The memo, shared with the industry in early June, explains how Alberta’s cannabis regulator would, over time, more closely align the province’s wholesale cannabis handling with its wholesale alcohol distribution. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
Illinois Governor Signs Law Restricting Sales of Intoxicating Hemp Products Illinois has enacted new restrictions on intoxicating hemp-derived products, bringing them under rules similar to those governing recreational cannabis sales across the state. Governor JB Pritzker signed Senate Bill 3222 into law on Friday, establishing a minimum purchase age of 21 for products containing intoxicating hemp compounds. The measure targets products such as HHC, Delta-8 THC, THC-P, and Delta-9 THC, which have largely been sold outside Illinois’ regulated cannabis marketplace. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
NC Senate Democrats propose legalizing cannabis, but prospects hazy A new bill proposed by North Carolina Senate Democrats would put constitutional amendments to legalize recreational and medical cannabis on the ballot. But its odds of getting a vote in the Senate are not high, Republican leadership says. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
No soil, no problem: Arizona company pioneers aeroponic cannabis cultivation Inside a 66,000-square-foot facility nestled in an industrial neighborhood in Phoenix, thousands of cannabis plants grow with their roots hanging freely in the air, receiving only a mist of water. This is Aeriz’s approach to cultivation. The company is a growing operation, and according to Aeriz’s website, it uses 95% less water than traditional soil farming, in a state that desperately needs it. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
Major Restaurant Lobby Group Pushes Congress To Keep Hemp THC Drinks Legal As An Alternative To Alcohol An organization that represents the restaurant industry is calling on Congress to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC beverages that is scheduled to take effect later this year and replace it with a regulatory framework that “ensures consumer safety and supports restaurant operators serving these products” as an alternative to alcohol. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
Cannabis funded basic income scheme successful after first year, city leaders say A universal basic income scheme, funded by tax revenue from cannabis sales, is helping families thrive, according to leaders in the US city of Albuquerque. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
Fewer Employees Skip Work Days Where Medical Marijuana Is Legal, Especially For Manual Labor Jobs, Study Shows Legalizing medical marijuana appears to be associated with reduced rates of employees missing work—particularly in trades like manufacturing and agriculture where workers are more likely to experience symptoms such as pain that cannabis can help treat—according to a new study. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
Virginia adult-use cannabis sales to begin July 2027 under new deal Virginia will at long last launch the first regulated adult-use cannabis marketplace in the South next summer after all. Under a deal announced Tuesday that resolves a standoff between Gov. Abigail Spanberger and state lawmakers, the first sale in what’s expected to become a billion-dollar marijuana market will come July 1, 2027. The compromise between Spanberger, who had vowed to sign off on adult-use cannabis sales after years of delay before a shocking veto last month, and state lawmakers comes as part of the state’s budget process – the last chance that Virginia officials had to come to a compromise and start sales next year. Virginia had legalized adult-use cannabis in 2021 but did not allow sales, thanks in part to obstructionism from former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whom Spanberger was elected to replace last November. |
| Jun 17, 2026 |
Cannaleaks: Nearly One Million Cannabis Club Users’ Data Was Exposed
Nearly 985,000 cannabis club identity documents were reportedly exposed through public URLs linked to Cannabis Club Systems and PuffPal, raising serious questions about how the industry protects sensitive user data. The incident underscores why privacy is especially critical in cannabis, where leaked information can affect not only finances, but also employment, immigration, reputation, and legal exposure. |
| Jun 16, 2026 |
Medical Cannabis Benefits Savings: A Note on the Government's Estimate
The Parliamentary Budget Officer was requested by MP Blake Richards (Airdrie-Cochrane) to examine the cost profile of the Budget 2025 measure to lower the maximum reimbursement rate for medical cannabis under the Cannabis for Medical Purposes program from $8.50 per gram to $6 per gram – as part of the Comprehensive Expenditure Reduction exercise for Veterans Affairs Canada. This measure will affect Canadian Armed Forces veterans and RCMP members by decreasing the maximum annual amount that most eligible veterans or members can claim by $2,737.50, from $9,307.50 to $6,570. From the latest usage statistics under the program, a veteran using the average amount per day and receiving the average reimbursement rate will incur an additional $2,668 each year due to the reduced reimbursement rate. |
| Jun 16, 2026 |
PBO Clarifies the Math Behind $4.4 Billion “Savings” from Veterans’ Cannabis Policy
The Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has provided additional information on the government’s estimate of savings from recent changes to the medical cannabis compensation program through Veterans Affairs Canada. Canada’s Budget 2025, released in November, included measures to adjust medical cannabis benefits for the RCMP and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC), to save the government $4.4 billion over four years. The move lowered the compensation rate from the federal government for cannabis for medical purposes for approved Veterans, from $8.50 a gram to $6 a gram, effective April 1, 2026. |
| Jun 16, 2026 |
Do cannabis products need standardized expiration dates? As cannabis flower, edibles and other finished products sit on store shelves, a thorny question follows: When does marijuana “expire,” and who decides? With no national standard, rules vary widely. Some states require expiration dates, others call for “best used by” dates. Many default to a blanket one-year mark that doesn’t account for how flower, edibles and beverages age, critics say. And some states allow operators to set their own standards — if they can find the justification. |
| Jun 16, 2026 |
Massachusetts High Court Allows Ballot Measure to End Adult-Use Cannabis Sales to Proceed The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court last week ruled that the ballot question seeking to roll back the commonwealth’s 2016 adult-use cannabis law will be put to voters, NBC Boston reports. The proposal had been challenged by some participants in the state’s social equity program who argued that Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s summary of the initiative left out key details and that she should not have certified the measure because it contains unrelated policy sections. |
| Jun 16, 2026 |
Brazilian researchers are studying hemp fibers to strengthen recycled paper Researchers at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil are studying whether hemp fibers could help improve the quality and lifespan of recycled paper products. Conducted in partnership with the startup Buds INC, the project focuses on fibers extracted from the stems, branches, and roots of Cannabis plants, with the goal of strengthening recycled paper, which typically loses its strength after several cycles of reuse. |
| Jun 16, 2026 |
Swiss canton St Gallen launches large-scale cannabis studySwiss canton St Gallen launches large-scale cannabis study For five years, around 3,300 people in the canton of St. Gallen in northeastern Switzerland will be able to buy cannabis legally. This is part of a nationwide study on cannabis use, which was presented on Tuesday by the Swiss Cannabis Research association. |
| Jun 16, 2026 |
Virginia Governor And Lawmakers Unveil Newly Negotiated Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales That’s Expected To Pass This Month Virginia’s governor and key lawmakers have announced the details of a plan to legalize recreational marijuana sales through budget legislation this month following the veto of a previous proposal to enact the reform. |
| Jun 15, 2026 |
Federal Cannabis Trafficking Cases Dwindle Amid State-Level Legalization Federal prosecutions tied to marijuana trafficking have dropped to their lowest level on record, reflecting a 95% decline that has unfolded over more than a decade, according to newly released figures from the U.S. Sentencing Commission. The commission’s data shows that fewer than 400 individuals faced federal marijuana trafficking charges in 2025. That marks the smallest annual total ever recorded and highlights the changing landscape of cannabis enforcement across the country. Marijuana-related cases accounted for just 2% of all federal drug trafficking prosecutions during the year. |
| Jun 15, 2026 |
A hidden cannabis problem sparked New York’s latest crackdown Despite strict supply-chain rules, many legal cannabis states struggle to keep unregulated products off the market. Illegal products aren’t limited to the illicit market or unlicensed smoke shops. They can also enter licensed dispensaries through a practice known as inversion. New York is taking aggressive action against the practice—but regulators still face significant enforcement challenges. |
| Jun 15, 2026 |
Eight years after legalization, South African cannabis is still waiting for its legal market Nearly eight years after the Constitutional Court’s ruling authorizing the cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use, South Africa is still struggling to establish a coherent regulatory framework for its industry. While the market continues to grow in a legal gray area, companies that have invested in authorized sectors are criticizing the lack of clearly defined legal avenues for their products. |
| Jun 15, 2026 |
Ukraine Issues First Medical Cannabis Prescriptions, Two Years After Legalisation
On Thursday, 11 June, the first medical cannabis products were prescribed by neurologists at the Vinnytsia Regional Clinical Psychoneurological Hospital to Lyudmila Monastyrska, a patient with multiple sclerosis, and Yaroslav Yurchuk, a veteran who lost his leg a year ago while fighting in the Pokrovsk area. |
| Jun 15, 2026 |
Morocco's medical cannabis industry continues development Five years after the adoption of Law No. 13-21 , Morocco continues to develop its legal cannabis sector. The country announced that it has registered more than 140 cannabis-based products , manufactured by Moroccan pharmaceutical laboratories and approved by the Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AMMPS) . |
| Jun 14, 2026 |
How to Buy Weed in Medellín (2026): Colombia’s Cannabis Laws & Decriminalization Explained Buying weed in Medellín is not legal: there are no recreational dispensaries, and cannabis sales remain illegal throughout Colombia regardless of nationality. Possession of up to 20 grams has been constitutionally protected since 1994 under Colombia’s “dosis personal” framework, and the personal cultivation of up to 20 plants for personal use has legal support from a 2015 Supreme Court ruling. An informal gray market operates through expat and social networks, but no licensed recreational retail exists. Colombia does not currently have a confirmed national legal framework for recreational cannabis social clubs; adult-use regulation has been debated in Congress but not enacted. |
| Jun 14, 2026 |
The First U.S. Marijuana Stock Is Now Trading on the NYSE. Here's What That Means for Every Cannabis Investor. Last week, Trulieve Cannabis (TCNNF +0.00%) (NYSE:TRLV) became the first U.S. cannabis operator to list on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock is now trading under the symbol "TRLV." Although a publicly traded company moving up to the NYSE is not uncommon, it is in the cannabis industry. |
| Jun 13, 2026 |
Opinion: Cannabis, medicine and the crisis of public trust Following multiple surgeries, years of chronic pain, trauma-related symptoms and a growing collection of prescription bottles, I found myself asking a question I never expected to ask: Why are we so quick to trust a pill but so slow to trust a plant? |
| Jun 13, 2026 |
Fake Marijuana News: What the Cannabis Media Isn't Telling Investors About the D.C. Circuit Rescheduling Challenge WASHINGTON, June 13, 2026 (Newswire.com) - In the rush to celebrate marijuana rescheduling, much of the cannabis media has abandoned journalism for advocacy. The latest example came after MMJ International Holdings, National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA), Smart Approaches To Marijuana (SAM) and other petitioners filed a motion in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit seeking a stay of the federal marijuana rescheduling order. Within hours, industry commentators were assuring investors that the challenge was merely a "speed bump," that the legal arguments were "weak," and that rescheduling was essentially inevitable. There is only one problem. That is not what the court filing actually says. (see attached court filing) |
| Jun 12, 2026 |
Study Documents Marijuana’s Protective Effects Against Diabetes New research from the University of California, Riverside, has shed light on a long-standing question surrounding cannabis use and metabolic health. While marijuana is widely known for stimulating appetite, regular users have frequently been found to have lower body weight and a reduced likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes compared with non-users. |
| Jun 12, 2026 |
Kentucky to End Conditional Pardons for Medical Cannabis Users Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced that, as medical cannabis is now legal in the commonwealth, and Team Kentucky has launched every step of the medical cannabis process, his 2022 executive order providing conditional pardons to Kentuckians suffering from eligible conditions who purchased medical cannabis out of state will end on July 1, 2026. |
| Jun 12, 2026 |
Tribal cannabis stores hit record expansion across the US Sovereign Native American tribes continue to develop cannabis retail businesses, with a record number of cannabis stores opening in 2025. As of April 30, there are 93 tribally owned cannabis retail outlets in 10 states. |
| Jun 12, 2026 |
Gillian Vandermeirsch is helping redefine the cannabis consumer experience
Gillian Vandermeirsch wants us to think about cannabis the same way we think about wine. When buying a bottle, consumers typically don’t fixate on alcohol percentage—they might consider the grape, the region, the flavour profile and the overall experience. Cannabis consumption, she argues, deserves the same level of sophistication. |
| Jun 12, 2026 |
FIFA demands pot shop stop selling bong resembling World Cup trophy A Toronto cannabis shop selling bongs that resemble the World Cup trophy has been given a red card from the tournament’s organizer. Cosmic Charlies co-owner Sean Kady said a law firm representing FIFA sent a letter Friday to both of his stores demanding he stop selling the golden bongs because they infringe on the organizer's copyright. |
| Jun 12, 2026 |
Would you like gummies with that? Drive-thru marijuana proposal moves forward In certain parts of the U.S., you can buy a surprising number of things other than food from a drive-thru window: Guns in Texas, weddings in Nevada and margaritas in Florida, to name a few. And if one Assembly bill becomes law, marijuana could be on drive-thru menus in California. The state Senate’s committee on business, professions and economic development earlier this week passed a proposal that would allow licensed retailers to sell cannabis via drive-thru windows. Currently, cannabis retailers can provide curbside pickup services. But by also allowing drive-thrus, the legal market can gain a competitive edge over the illegal cannabis market, said Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a Santa Cruz Democrat and bill author. |
| Jun 12, 2026 |
Ukraine’s First Legal Medical Cannabis Products Have Been Dispensed To Military Veterans And A Woman With MS Ukraine’s Ministry of Health has announced that the country’s medical cannabis program is officially operational, with the first prescribed products being purchased by a handful of patients on Thursday. The THC capsules were dispensed at a pharmacy in the city of Vinnytsia to two veterans suffering from chronic neuropathic pain and phantom limb pain following amputation and a woman with multiple sclerosis. |
| Jun 12, 2026 |
Rise in adulterated cannabis in France, as edible CBD ban shakes industry France's illicit drug market is becoming increasingly unpredictable, with users unknowingly ingesting substances that are not what they thought, according to a report released by the French Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (OFDT). Sounds like a good argument for legalization |
| Jun 11, 2026 |
Police say one person dead in Garden River First Nation after consuming what they thought was cannabis The Anishinabek Police Service has issued a drug alert for Garden River First Nation after two suspected overdoses — one of which was fatal — occurred on the reserve just east of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., last week. According to a release issued Wednesday night, police say there were two incidents where “a number of people” at a residence consumed what they believed to be cannabis from a bong. |
| Jun 11, 2026 |
SQDC Reports $809.5 Million in Sales in 2025
For the fiscal year ending March 28, 2026, the Société québécoise du cannabis (SQDC) recorded total sales of $809.5 million, with net income of $132.4 million and a total contribution of $331.3 million to the Quebec government. Total sales were up 9% compared to the previous fiscal year, while net income increased by 12%. Contributions to the Quebec government also increased 12% YOY. |
| Jun 11, 2026 |
Cannabis: what tips the balance for teens to start consuming? Having friends who use cannabis isn't enough on its own: it's their influence combined with the perception of easy access to the substance that multiplies the risk of initiation among teens. Led by Marie-Pierre Sylvestre, a professor at the School of Public Health at the Université de Montréal, the researchers draw on Quebec data from COMPASS, a pan-Canadian longitudinal study on the health behaviours of secondary-school students. |
| Jun 11, 2026 |
Massachusetts Anti-Marijuana Campaign Fires Signature Gatherer Amid Accusations Of Misleading Voters A Massachusetts campaign working to put a measure to roll back marijuana legalization on the November ballot has fired a signature gatherer it says was shown appearing to engage in “wholly unacceptable” conduct in a recent video. |
| Jun 11, 2026 |
FDA Grants Breakthrough Therapy Designation to Cannabis-Derived Drug for Chronic Back Pain The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last month granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to VER-01, a cannabis-derived, full-spectrum drug for chronic low back pain produced by German company Vertanical. The designation follows two randomized, controlled Phase 3 trials, which demonstrated significant pain reduction, a favorable tolerability profile, and no evidence of dependence. |
| Jun 11, 2026 |
New Zealand raises the THC limit for hemp to 1% New Zealand raised the legal THC limit in hemp from 0.35% to 1%. These changes repeal the 2006 Industrial Hemp Regulations and replace a licensing framework with a simpler notification system. Farmers no longer require the permission of health authorities to grow hemp. They must now simply notify the police and the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) of their intention before proceeding with planting. |
| Jun 11, 2026 |
Maine issues recall over moldy cannabis flower The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy issued a recall Tuesday for adult use cannabis flower produced by Green Trap, which was sold at retail stores in Eliot, Berwick, Lebanon, Oxford, Rockland and Bangor. The strain “Drip Burger” sold between April 29 and June 8 was found to have unsafe levels of yeast and mold during audit testing conducted by the office. The recall includes products sold in an eighth of an ounce and half of an ounce of flower |
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