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May 13, 2026	Stalemate over Virginia Adult-Use Cannabis Bill – Governor Faces May 22, 2026 Deadline The Virginia legislature and Governor Abigail Spanberger remain at a stalemate over a bill that would make the Commonwealth the latest state to approve an adult-use cannabis market.
May 13, 2026	Opponents File Lawsuit Challenging Federal Cannabis Rescheduling in U.S. Opponents of cannabis reform have initiated legal action to challenge the federal cannabis rescheduling of certain products in the United States. The lawsuit, filed by Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA), seeks to overturn the Trump administration’s Department of Justice decision to move specific cannabis products from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), as reported by Marijuana Moment. This legal challenge introduces further complexity into the ongoing regulatory discussions surrounding cannabis in the U.S., particularly concerning its medical applications and federal oversight.
May 13, 2026	UK Medical Cannabis Access: Disparity Between Private and Public Pathways In the United Kingdom, the pathway to legal medical cannabis access often depends on a patient’s financial capacity, creating a two-tiered system. Despite policy changes in 2018 that permitted specialist doctors to prescribe cannabis-based medicinal products, significant barriers remain for many patients, as reported by Mirage News. This disparity means that while medical cannabis is recognised for its therapeutic potential, its availability is largely restricted to those who can afford private treatment, leaving others to face potential criminalisation for similar therapeutic use.
May 13, 2026	Medicinal Cannabis Explored for Endometriosis Pain Management Medical experts are exploring the role of medicinal cannabis in addressing the chronic pain associated with endometriosis, a condition affecting approximately ten percent of women globally. This exploration comes as traditional pharmaceutical interventions often prove insufficient or lead to undesirable side effects for many patients.
May 13, 2026	2026 Elections Poised to Influence Federal Cannabis Reform More Than Individual Bills The trajectory of federal cannabis reform in the United States is more likely to be determined by the political landscape shaped by the 2026 elections than by any single piece of legislation, according to an analysis published by Marijuana Moment. Jordan Isenstadt of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) posits that while specific bills like the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act or proposals for rescheduling garner significant attention, their passage ultimately depends on the broader political environment.
May 13, 2026	Medical Cannabis Events Evolve: Cape to Cape for Cannabis Blends Clinical Education with Outdoor Engagement The landscape of professional development for the medicinal cannabis sector is seeing an evolution, with recent medical cannabis events moving beyond traditional conference settings. The inaugural Cape to Cape for Cannabis, held in Western Australia’s Margaret River region, offered a distinct format, blending clinical education with outdoor activities and networking opportunities.
May 13, 2026	Study Suggests Older Adults Prefer CBD or CBD/THC Combinations for Medicinal Cannabis A recent study exploring product preferences among first-time medicinal cannabis buyers aged 60 and older indicates a notable inclination towards products containing cannabidiol (CBD), either alone or in combination with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This research, recently published in JAMA Network Open, provides insights into how older adults approach medicinal cannabis use, as reported by Ganjapreneur.
May 13, 2026	The Telltale Spark: Spain Dismantled 1,850 Indoor Cannabis Grows by Tracking Illegal Power Hookups in 2025 Spain has increased penalties for electricity theft linked to indoor cannabis cultivation after Endesa reported a record number of illegal power hookups. In 2025 alone, the company detected 72,700 cases of fraud: about 200 daily—and dismantled nearly 1,850 illegal indoor cannabis grows.
May 13, 2026	Israeli ‘turbo cannabis’ breakthrough could reshape medical marijuana industry Company from Kibbutz Ruhama has developed medical cannabis seeds that produce nearly 20 times more yield, making it one of just four companies worldwide to do so, led by Dr. Silit Lazare, whose mother’s cancer battle inspired the breakthrough
May 12, 2026	Why Do Regular Cannabis Users Tend to Weigh Less? There’s a paradox surrounding regular cannabis use. Despite marijuana’s well-known appetite-stimulating effects, people who use it regularly tend to weigh less and have a reduced risk of developing diabetes. So what’s going on? New research published in The Journal of Physiology is offering some possible answers.
May 12, 2026	Georgia Governor Signs Bill To Expand Medical Marijuana Access By Allowing Vaping And Adding New Qualifying Conditions Georgia’s governor has signed a bill to expand medical marijuana access in the state. SB 220, which Gov. Brian Kemp (R) approved on Tuesday, will add new qualifying conditions for the program, allow patients to vaporize medical cannabis and change THC potency limits, among other reforms.
May 12, 2026	Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club fighting seizure of two properties The Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club (VCBC) says the province has filed civil forfeiture documents aimed at seizing its 1625 Quadra St. location. “This is the first time a property has been seized from the landlord by the government because a medical cannabis dispensary was operating without a licence,” VCBC said in a May 11 email.
May 12, 2026	Most Ohioans See Marijuana As ‘Safe’ And ‘Acceptable,’ New Poll Shows As State Officials Launch Campaign Highlighting Risks Of Use Ohio officials are launching a public education campaign about the risks of marijuana use—an effort that involves partnering with an organization behind a new poll that shows widespread support for legalization and broad acceptance of cannabis use among the state’s residents.
May 12, 2026	How Cannabis Creators Beat Social Media Censorship — One ‘Broccoli’ at a Time Social media platforms have become the new censors of cannabis culture. Josh Kesselman posts at 2am India time. Edible Dee rewrote four books. Riley Cannabichem puts on a metaphorical white coat. Here’s how the sharpest minds in cannabis content are surviving the algorithm — and what they’ve learned the hard way.
May 12, 2026	B.C. cannabis sales losing its buzz as novelty fades Data hints that buying legal weed in B.C. may have lost the cache of being an exciting novelty. Overall cannabis wholesale sales and volume in the province in the first quarter of this year was down slightly, following years of significant growth. The trend coincides with a decline in consumer eagerness to join cannabis protests, or celebrations.
May 11, 2026	Congressional Researchers Explain Limitations, Implications of Marijuana Reclassification A new report from congressional researchers is shedding light on what the Trump administration’s move to reclassify cannabis could mean for the industry, while also outlining the limits of the policy shift under federal law. The analysis, released recently by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), examines the DOJ’s decision to move medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA. The report explains that while the change could offer legal protections to some patients and licensed medical cannabis operators, it does not fully legalize cannabis businesses at the federal level, particularly those tied to recreational sales.
May 11, 2026	Cannabis compounds may improve metabolism and reduce diabetes risk A University of California, Riverside preclinical study is shedding light on a long-observed but poorly understood phenomenon: chronic cannabis users tend to have lower body weight and a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes, despite the drug's well-known tendency to increase appetite.
May 11, 2026	Potential push for cannabis regulation and legalization RALEIGH, N.C. — Cannabis is a controversial substance in North Carolina that Modern Apotheca owner Eric Stahl is trying to destigmatize. “North Carolina, more than any other state in the nation, has really perfected the art of taking a consumable crop, creating a regulated marketplace, and selling it not just nationwide but worldwide. Right. Because we've been doing that with tobacco since the 1800s,” Stahl said.
May 11, 2026	Membertou forges ahead with own cannabis law while seeking federal recognition Membertou First Nation is pressing ahead with its own cannabis law, amid a Nova Scotia crackdown on unlicensed retail outlets and federal government indifference over self-government rights. Retired Canadian senator Dan Christmas, appointed to engage his home community of Membertou on a proposed new cannabis law, said it's time the federal government fulfilled its promise to include Indigenous authority over marijuana in its legislation.
May 11, 2026	Spain diversifies as Czechia and Malta emerge alongside Portugal in Europe's cannabis supply chain With all the turmoil going on in Portugal cannabis over the last year, some other countries have been trying to seize the momentum and get part of Portugal's market share. Spain has been indicated as one of the spaces that will come out on top of Portugal. "The short answer to that is no," says Arnau Valdovinos, founder and analyst at Cannamonitor. "At the same time, the situation is much more nuanced than a simple 'no'."
May 11, 2026	Casino Weed Ban Costing State Revenue The separation of Nevada’s legal marijuana industry and casinos has potential state revenue going up in smoke, according to a new report from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Cannabis Policy Institute. Banning weed usage in the gaming sector has deprived the state of significant revenue from additional sales of cannabis. The situation also helps fuel the illegal cannabis market, according to the study. “Today, the separations act as severe constraints on capital mobility, tourism synergy, and public-revenue growth, without any corresponding economic, public health or safety, or risk benefits to market participants in either market,” the UNLV study noted.
May 11, 2026	White House National Drug Control Strategy Presents Conflicting Stances on Medical Cannabis Policy The White House’s recently published National Drug Control Strategy outlines a comprehensive approach to addressing the nation’s drug and addiction crisis, yet it presents several internal inconsistencies, particularly concerning medical cannabis policy. The 195-page document, released on May 4, sets ambitious public health goals that some experts contend are undermined by the administration’s concurrent actions.
May 11, 2026	Saskatchewan Introduces On-Reserve Cannabis Refund Program The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced a new program to share cannabis tax revenue with First Nations that operate provincially licensed cannabis stores. The On-Reserve Cannabis Refund Program will share half of Saskatchewan’s share of tax revenue from on-reserve sales at qualifying stores with interested First Nations. The province receives 75% of every dollar of federal cannabis excise duty, which is applied on wholesale sales of cannabis in the province.
May 10, 2026	New Calif. study finds evidence cannabis could treat obesity, diabetes The munchies are one of marijuana’s most famous effects, with countless movies playing up the trope that smoking weed leads to uncontrollable hunger. But a new study is showing that cannabis could actually have surprising effects on your waistline. Researchers at UC Riverside gave cannabis to obese mice and found that not only did the rodents lose weight, but when given a concentrated cannabis oil, the mice also saw striking benefits in their metabolic function. Nicholas DiPatrizio, a UC Riverside professor and the lead author of the study, said he thinks the work could lead to cannabis-based diet therapies.
May 10, 2026	Most people don’t realise that the munchies aren’t the whole story — regular cannabis users consistently weigh less than non-users, and the reason has nothing to do with willpower or the bag of chips they finished at midnight The assumption arrives before the conversation does. Someone mentions they smoke regularly, and somewhere in the listener’s mind a picture assembles itself: the couch, the late-night snack run, the family-size bag of something orange and salty gone before midnight. It is one of the more durable images in American popular culture — stoner, munchies, consequence. The logic feels airtight. You get hungry, you eat, you gain weight. Cause, effect, end of story.
May 9, 2026	Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana And Hemp Regulation Bill Sets The State Up For Broader Recreational Legalization, GOP Senator Says A state Senate committee has advanced a bill to create a Cannabis Control Board that would allow more oversight of the existing medical marijuana program. It would also regulate hemp-derived products, which contain intoxicating cannabinoids and are currently sold in head shops and gas stations around the commonwealth.
May 9, 2026	Times Square has become ‘cannabis destination’: dispensary A dispensary operating in Times Square says the area is becoming a “cannabis destination.” Chris Thompson, the director of operations and marketing at The Daily Green, joins “Weekends on 1” to discuss the neighborhood’s place in the local cannabis industry.
May 8, 2026	Medical Marijuana Could Expand as Feds Reschedule the Drug A recent federal decision to reclassify medical cannabis is reshaping the outlook for licensed operators, prompting renewed attention from businesses and regulators across the country. The change, introduced under an order signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, moves state-approved medical cannabis to Schedule III of the CSA. That adjustment carries significant financial implications, particularly when it comes to taxation.
May 8, 2026	The fastest-growing demographic for cannabis use? People over 60, CU study finds BOULDER, Colo. — A new study found that more and more people over the age of 60 are starting to turn to cannabis products to help with health issues.
May 8, 2026	Greece Moves to Ban Hemp Flower Sales, Despite Government Advisory Body Warning of ‘Conflict’ With EU Law Last week (April 27), the deadline for Greek industry stakeholders to have their say on a controversial new hemp ban expired. The proposed legislation would impose a blanket ban on the sale of CBD flowers across the country, placing yet another European Union member state on the front lines of the perpetual ‘Hemp Wars’.
May 8, 2026	The Mothers Building Cannabis Cannabis has long been spoken about in feminine terms: the Green Goddess, lunar cycles, pot girls, and canna-moms. Cannabis growers speak about the “mother plant,” the living genetic anchors from which entire harvests emerge. A healthy mother plant is not rushed. She is protected, tended to carefully, relied upon for consistency, resilience, and future growth.
May 8, 2026	Older Adults Turning to Cannabis Edibles Cannabis use is increasing faster among adults over 60 than in any other demographic, yet research is only beginning to understand the motivations behind this trend. A new study by researchers from University of Utah Health and University of Colorado Boulder revealed that many older adults start using cannabis to manage sleep disturbances, chronic pain, or mental health concerns, according to data published in JAMA Network Open.
May 7, 2026	Marijuana Reclassification Eases Some Industry Hurdles Cannabis rescheduling in the U.S. could reshape scientific research and parts of the industry, though key questions remain about how the change will be carried out. Under a final rule issued by the Office of the Attorney General, federally approved drug products containing marijuana would be placed in Schedule III of the CSA. This represents a significant change from the current Schedule I status, a category reserved for substances considered highly dangerous and lacking accepted medical use. Moving cannabis into Schedule III places it alongside drugs such as ketamine and codeine, signaling recognition of its therapeutic potential.
May 7, 2026	Harvard Doctor’s New Book Reframes Cannabis As A Senior’s Way Out Of Pharmaceutical Overload Dr. Peter Grinspoon’s new book “Aging Well with Cannabis” reframes the plant as what one geriatrician calls an “exit drug”: a tool for helping older Americans reduce their reliance on the prescription medications stacking up in their medicine cabinets. With 60 million Americans over 65 and twice that over 50, the book targets the fastest-growing cannabis demographic in the country.
May 7, 2026	Health Canada’s directive on tours leaves industry questioning what’s still possible Health Canada’s recent reminder to licensed producers about the rules governing facility visits hasn’t introduced new regulations, but it has shown that possibilities for meaningful compliant tours may be far narrower than previously assumed. For years, tours have served as a tool for producers to build brand equity, attract investors, and demonstrate quality in a highly regulated market. But the latest guidance appears to shift how the regulator interprets who should be allowed inside a cannabis facility and why.
May 7, 2026	California Bill To Allow Drive-Thrus At Marijuana Dispensaries Advances To Assembly Floor Vote A bill that would allow California marijuana stores to offer drive-thru windows to serve customers is heading to a floor vote in the state Assembly. The measure, which cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee in a 13-1 vote on Wednesday, says that licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses with storefronts could sell marijuana products “to a customer in a motor vehicle in a drive-through located on the premises.”
May 7, 2026	‘Mutant Marijuana’ Is Changing How Weed Is Grown. It’s Not What You Think. For outdoor growers, pollen is the enemy. One rogue male, one stressed hermaphrodite at the wrong moment, and an entire field seeds up. Premium sinsemilla becomes something you can barely move. The industry has tried feminized seeds, aggressive male elimination, tight protocols. The threat never fully disappears. Triploid cannabis offers a different answer: a plant so genetically scrambled it can barely reproduce at all.
May 7, 2026	Cash Crop: The Extractive Cannabis Industries Of the Global South For the past couple of years, many Global South nations have sought to capitalise on the global cannabis boom, reforming their drug laws just enough to allow for domestic cultivation industries to blossom, yet maintaining usually harsh systems of criminalisation. In late 2025, Sri Lanka’s President Dissanayake opened the country up to medical cannabis investments, and the national investment board selected seven international unnamed firms to cultivate cannabis for medical oil production. Cultivation is set to be highly controlled, with police and Special Task Force monitoring and the explicit guarantee that cultivation is “permitted solely for export, with strict assurances that the crop will be used only for pharmaceutical production and testing.” Its purpose is solely to generate “significant foreign currency inflows”, whilst assuring “no part of the plant… may enter the domestic environment”. Government forces continue to consider cannabis as a highly dangerous drug, and legislation remains unaltered to reflect this.
May 6, 2026	Appeal court orders trial for Montrealers who had cannabis case stayed three years ago The Quebec Court of Appeal has ordered that a trial involving four Montrealers charged with growing cannabis illegally and conspiring to produce it proceed while reversing a judge’s decision that halted the case in 2023.
May 6, 2026	Looming Federal Ban Causes Colorado Bill Regulating Hemp THC to Fail Efforts to expand where hemp-derived THC beverages can be sold in Colorado stalled this week as lawmakers were unable to gather enough support to move the proposal forward. SB 164 sought to open the door for these drinks to be offered in restaurants and bars, rather than limiting sales to licensed marijuana dispensaries. However, the measure was withdrawn by its lead sponsor after it became clear that it would not secure the votes needed to pass.
May 6, 2026	Arizona Activist Drops Bid To Repeal Legal Cannabis The sponsor of a proposed ballot initiative to repeal recreational marijuana legalization in Arizona has abandoned the effort, saying he has “adjusted my viewpoints on the threat to kids.” Sean Noble told reporters that he is dropping his planned ballot measure, which would have repealed the 2020 initiative that legalized the possession, sale and use of cannabis by adults aged 21 and over. Noble, the founder of the conservative organization American Encore, told Capitol Media Services that the legalization repeal initiative was not aimed at medical marijuana. Instead, the effort was focused on the legalization of recreational cannabis and perceived abuses by the industry, including the marketing of marijuana products to children.
May 6, 2026	Hard to predict results of raising legal age to purchase cannabis, says expert The P.E.I. government is considering raising the legal age to purchase nicotine pouches and cannabis to 21. CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin speaks to a pediatrician and researcher from Quebec, where the legal age to purchase cannabis is already 21.
May 6, 2026	America’s CBD Industry Now Faces Same Evidential Battle Europe Has Been Fighting for 8 Years The long and arduous journey to regulate cannabidiol (CBD) in Europe, which began in 2018 with the European Union’s classification of CBD as a ‘novel food’, is now playing out in the courtrooms of the United States. On 1 May 2026, a federal judge in Washington heard oral argument in a pivotal court case set to determine whether a US government programme to introduce hemp-derived CBD into Medicare-funded care should be halted.
May 6, 2026	Target Is Launching Hemp THC Drink Sales In Three Of The U.S.’s Most Populous States Major retailer Target is deepening its involvement in the hemp-derived THC beverage market by launching sales in three more states—significantly expanding beyond a pilot program it rolled out in Minnesota last year—even as a federal law is set to ban the products later this year. Last year, the company began a pilot program involving sales of cannabis drinks at 10 select stores in Minnesota. It later applied with state officials for licenses to sell THC beverages at all 72 of its stores in the state, where the company is headquartered.
May 6, 2026	Cannabis Stocks Are Going Nowhere Quickly The New Cannabis Ventures Global Cannabis Stock Index has rallied slightly in May, rising 1.1% to 5.76. It is down year-to-date by 12.6%. The index, which was rebalanced as of the end of Q1, has rallied 9.9% so far in Q2, which is behind the S&P 500’s gain of 12.8%. Here are the returns of the 23 names currently in the index (SMG was removed as of the end of April subsequent to its sale of Hawthorne Gardening):
May 6, 2026	PEI considering raising the cannabis age of access to 21 Prince Edward Island is considering raising the age of access to cannabis from 19 to 21 years of age. As part of an effort to raise the age of access to nicotine pouches, PEI Health Minister Cory Deagle told CBC News that he supports the effort to also raise the age of access to cannabis products.
May 5, 2026	Experts Say Partial Marijuana Rescheduling is Causing Confusion While the Trump administration has taken a partial step toward rescheduling marijuana, the move has left many in the industry uncertain about what comes next. Acting AG Todd Blanche recently signed an order moving certain cannabis-related products out of the most restrictive federal category. Specifically, products sold through state-licensed medical cannabis programs, along with those approved by the FDA, will move from Schedule I to Schedule III.
May 5, 2026	North Carolina Voters Could Decide To Legalize Marijuana At The Ballot In November Under New Senate Bill North Carolina senators have filed a new bill that, if enacted, would allow voters to decide whether to legalize marijuana for personal or medical use at the ballot box this November. The legislation, filed by Sens. Kandie Smith (D), Caleb Theodros (D), Paul Lowe Jr. (D) and Joyce Waddell (D), seeks to place two separate cannabis questions before voters.
May 5, 2026	Cannabis 2016–2026: The Green Rush Fizzled. What Came Next Is More Interesting Over the past decade, cannabis has shifted from taboo to a regulated global industry, with expanding legalization, medical adoption, and economic impact. Yet in 2026, early “Green Rush” expectations have given way to a more complex reality shaped by bureaucracy, uneven policies, and ongoing cultural and political debate.
May 4, 2026	How to Grow Cannabis: From Planting to Harvest The Old Farmer’s Almanac: Cannabis grows much like other warm-season garden crops, such as tomatoes—but timing and plant type matter more than with most backyard plants. Knowing when and where to start is the key to success. In most climates, seeds are started in late winter or early spring, with harvest in late summer or fall.

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