DEA & hemp company battle over HHC in federal court; TX Dems bash GOP candidate’s marijuana stance; Yale study on cannabis tax revenue
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission is proposing new rules that will allow medical cannabis delivery—including via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and private carriers like FedEx and UPS, a change officials say is made possible by the Trump administration’s move to federally reschedule marijuana.
A hemp company filed a federal court brief pushing back on the Drug Enforcement Administration’s stance that the synthetic cannabinoid hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) is an illegal Schedule I substance—with attorneys also sending a letter saying the agency’s action on a related petition undermines its arguments in the lawsuit.
The Texas Democratic Party is calling out Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, currently the state’s attorney general, for dodging a cannabis question—and Joe Rogan is warning the GOP that they will turn the state blue by pushing too hard to crack down on the availability of THC products.
- “Kids will turn on you if you tell them they can’t smoke weed. They know weed’s not killing anybody.”
A new Yale University analysis projects that federal marijuana legalization would generate $57.9 billion in new tax revenue over a decade—and that the total could reach $111.3 billion if all remaining states were to also legalize cannabis.
Virginia hemp businesses are calling on lawmakers to convene a special session to “address the gap in access” to products after a federal judge declined to block enforcement of new THC restrictions.
South Carolina lawmakers are allowing hemp THC products to stay legal and largely unregulated until at least next year by declining to pass legislation on the issue before adjourning for the rest of 2026.
/ FEDERAL
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Housing and Urban Development launched a toolkit on combating addiction and homelessness.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins discussed ongoing efforts to source ibogaine for use in research.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said that “voters across the country have made it clear they want cannabis legalized, and Trump’s half measures aren’t fooling anyone.”
Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) said his hemp regulation bill is a “work in progress.”
/ STATES
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) issued an emergency order restricting the sale of kratom.
The Virginia legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market met.
Illinois regulators published guidance on hemp vapes.
The Maryland Department of Service and Equity Management is recommending changes to the state’s cannabis social equity infrastructure.
New York regulators posted a reminder that marijuana businesses must submit an annual report tracking energy, water and waste data by August 31.
Vermont regulators are hosting several cannabis working group meetings over the coming month.
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/ INTERNATIONAL
Victoria, Australia lawmakers rejected a proposal to put a cannabis legalization referendum on the ballot.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “prevalence of past-year and past-month cannabis use among adults in California remained largely stable across the eight-year study period spanning the onset of retail availability of non-medical cannabis products.”
A study found that “most Δ9-THC edibles marketed as ‘hemp’ appear infeasible to manufacture using cannabis material containing ≤0.3% Δ9-THC by dry weight without exceeding the available product mass, even under highly conservative assumptions” and so “most appear to depend on marijuana as an ingredient, which has substantial regulatory and public health implications.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Americans for Tax Reform published a post criticizing “excessive and onerous” marijuana taxes in Michigan.
/ BUSINESS
IM Cannabis Corp. is selling I.M.C. Holdings Ltd. to Slil.com Holding Ltd.
/ CULTURE
Matthew McConaughey credited the Janet Jackson song “That’s the Way Love Goes” with his decision to stop smoking marijuana after he listened to it 24 times in a row while high and missed his own birthday party.
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