Top Stories (2026) -
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| Feb 18, 2026 |
Cannabis jobs used to pay well. Now minimum wage is catching up. When it comes to paying her employees, Jasmine Johnson is one step ahead. Minimum wage in Florida, where the CEO of hemp-derived THC retailer Gud Essence opened her first location in Clearwater, will increase from $14 to $15 an hour Sept. 30. But Johnson already pays front-line employees significantly more – and people appear to have noticed. |
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| Feb 18, 2026 |
Arizona Senators Take Up Bills To Criminalize 'Excessive' Marijuana Smoke, Even On Private Property Arizona lawmakers are considering at a pair of measures that would make the act of creating "excessive" amounts of marijuana smoke a nuisance crime punishable by jail time, even if the person is using cannabis in compliance with state law in their own homes. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Costa Rica opens applications for medical cannabis, hemp permits Costa Rican companies and individuals interested in developing activities related to hemp for food and industrial use and psychoactive cannabis for medicinal and therapeutic use will now be able to manage permits digitally. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Two years of legal cannabis from specialized retail stores: Swiss pilot project shows positive effects For more than two years, the scientific pilot project "Grashaus Projects" has been underway in the Swiss canton of Basel-Landschaft. The study examines the regulated, legal sale of recreational cannabis to registered participants through licensed specialty stores, operating under clear legal requirements and providing individualized professional counseling. Implemented operationally by the Sanity Group under the scientific leadership of the Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF), the project is now delivering robust, up-to-date data on how controlled access to recreational cannabis can function in practice. The central findings: legal specialty stores can help push back the illicit market, strengthen consumer competence, and promote harm-reducing behavior - factors that are highly relevant both for Switzerland's ongoing legislative process on cannabis legalization and for Germany. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Partnership announced to introduce Japanese-quality medicinal cannabis to global markets Somai has partnered with Kiseki Plant Factory (Thailand) to support the global distribution of Kiseki's medicinal cannabis flower across Somai's international medical markets. Through this collaboration, Kiseki's medicinal cannabis products will become available for the first time in the UK, leveraging Somai's established regulatory infrastructure and pharmaceutical distribution network. This milestone represents one of the first introductions of a Japanese-origin cannabis brand into Western prescription markets. The partnership will continue to expand in phases, aligned with applicable market authorization processes and regulatory requirements. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Organigram to acquire German cannabis company Organigram Global has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire German operator Sanity Group GmbH. "Organigram's proven track record in executing highly strategic and complementary M&A is exemplified by our proposed acquisition of Sanity Group, a transaction that is both strategically significant and financially accretive. By combining our strengths as focused cannabis pure play companies, we will be well-positioned to deliver meaningful value for our shareholders and accelerate growth in key European markets. We are truly excited about the opportunities ahead with this acquisition as we are now poised to set a new standard in the global cannabis sector together," said Paolo De Luca, Chief Strategy Officer at Organigram. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
Nebraska medical cannabis at risk of federal raids before it begins Medical cannabis businesses in Nebraska, where patient access has not launched more than a year after voters legalized the drug, are on track to become the only state-sanctioned MMJ operators at risk of federal prosecution. That's because Nebraska is absent from a list of states in a federal spending bill finalized last month in which, for the past 12 years, Congress has blocked the Department of Justice from prosecuting state-legal medical cannabis operations |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
Hawaii Senators Take Up Marijuana Legalization Bills After Key House Lawmakers Signal Reform Is Dead For 2026 Session Hawaii senators have taken up a pair of bills to legalize marijuana — with one proposal contingent on federal reform or changes to the state Constitution and the other omitting provisions allowing for commercial sales. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
Illinois Still Struggles to Clear Old Marijuana Criminal Records For decades, a cannabis conviction from 1980 trailed Roosevelt Myles, lingering on his record long after he served his time. Myles, an Illinois resident, spent nearly three decades behind bars for a murder he maintained he did not commit. An appellate court later overturned the conviction, and a judge granted him a certificate of innocence after finding no physical evidence connected him to the crime. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
People who switched to cannabis drinks cut their alcohol use nearly in half Cannabis infused drinks could offer a new way for some people to cut back on alcohol, according to a small study led by public health researchers at the University at Buffalo. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
City staff oppose Iqaluit cannabis store's relocation An Iqaluit cannabis store is facing opposition from city staff over its proposed move to a new location before its current lease expires. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
Is Hemp the Future of Flooring?
For decades, the flooring aisle has offered a familiar tradeoff. Natural wood brings warmth and longevity but at rising cost and environmental strain. Vinyl promises affordability and convenience, yet increasingly raises questions about what it introduces into the home. As homeowners, schools, and designers reconsider those choices, hemp is beginning to surface as a credible alternative. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
Cannabis regulators weighing licensing freeze Massachusetts cannabis regulators are considering a licensing freeze to address businesses that have been squeezed by falling marijuana prices. The Cannabis Control Commission voted Thursday to schedule a public hearing on a potential freeze of new cultivation licenses and a temporary moratorium on approving additional canopy capacity. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
Leading Cannabis Brand PAX Returns to Canada With TRIP All-in-One Vape TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PAX, a pioneering global cannabis brand, today announced its anticipated return to the Canadian market with the launch of TRIP, PAX’s All-in-One vaporizer in the brand’s award-winning Live Rosin with Diamonds line. Products are now available in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with further expansion to come. |
| Feb 17, 2026 |
Is Congress sabotaging Nebraska medical cannabis before it begins? Medical cannabis businesses in Nebraska, where patient access has not launched more than a year after voters legalized the drug, are currently the only state-sanctioned MMJ operators at risk of federal prosecution. |
| Feb 16, 2026 |
Canadian industry, healthcare providers split on regulations for CBD as a Natural Health Product Health Canada's latest "What We Heard Report" on regulating cannabidiol (CBD) as a Natural Health Product (NHPCC) highlights both numerous areas of agreement and deep divisions on the topic among stakeholders, including industry, healthcare professionals, and provincial governments. The report once again includes no concrete path forward for any such changes. |
| Feb 16, 2026 |
Cannabis Is Quietly Reshaping Mardi Gras Culture For generations, Mardi Gras in New Orleans has been synonymous with exuberant parades, bead throws, brass bands, and free-flowing alcohol. From the krewes rolling down St. Charles Avenue to the packed revelry of Bourbon Street, the Carnival season has long been fueled by hurricanes, hand grenades, and go-cups carried through the French Quarter. But as cultural attitudes shift and younger generations redefine celebration, cannabis is quietly reshaping Mardi Gras culture. Marijuana, hemp, cod and low-alcohol alternatives are quietly reshaping how people experience the greatest free show on Earth. |
| Feb 16, 2026 |
EHIA pushes for whole plant recognition and 1% THC threshold European Industrial Hemp Association has welcomed the European Commission's proposal to clarify that all parts of the hemp plant fall within the EU agricultural framework, while reiterating its call for a harmonized 1% THC threshold under the ongoing review of the Common Agricultural Policy and the revision of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 on the Common Organisation of the Markets. |
| Feb 16, 2026 |
Cannabis use associated with better decision-making skills in people with bipolar disorder A new study published in Translational Psychiatry suggests that chronic cannabis use may not be associated with cognitive impairment in people with bipolar disorder, contrasting with its effects on healthy individuals. The findings indicate that people with bipolar disorder who use cannabis moderately may possess better decision-making skills than those with the disorder who do not use the drug. This research offers a potential explanation for why many individuals with this condition turn to cannabis for symptom management. |
| Feb 15, 2026 |
B.C. court orders former U.S. cannabis CEO to pay $7.4M after offshore deal collapses B.C.'s Supreme Court has ordered a former cannabis company executive to pay more than $7.4 million after he engaged in a high-stakes financial workaround designed to bypass U.S. securities regulations. |