CannabisLink.ca - Top Stories

Top Stories (2026) - (1329 items)

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Aug 15, 2026	Marijuana reform is emerging as a midterm elections issue on both sides of the aisle Marijuana has had a history of highs and lows in the U.S. over the past century — legally, politically and culturally — teetering between vilification and acceptance. Since 1996, 40 states and the District of Columbia have legalized either medical or recreational adult-use marijuana. Yet cannabis, the leafy plant from which marijuana is derived, is still a federally illegal Schedule I drug as defined by the 1970 Controlled Substances Act.
Aug 14, 2026	Marijuana Legalization Boosts Agriculture Jobs In States That Enact It, New Study Shows States that enact marijuana legalization see jobs in the agriculture sector increase more than they would have without the policy change, according to a new economic analysis from researchers at Texas Tech University. The results, which were presented at the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association’s 2026 meeting last month, found a 9 percent uptick in agriculture sector employment in states that legalized cannabis—though wages did not increase proportionately due to factors that researchers determined are likely unrelated.
Aug 14, 2026	Cannabis N.B. looks to new strategy as sales fall and illicit-market competition grows Against a backdrop of strict regulation, declining sales and relentless competition from the illicit market, Cannabis New Brunswick is looking ahead to the next three years. The Crown corporation has begun developing a new strategic plan, expected to be released next February or March, according to CEO Lori Stickles. She said many of the goals from the first plan have yet to be achieved. "It was a lofty plan when we set it out," she said. "There are several things that did not happen as we had planned."
Aug 14, 2026	Why medical cannabis for seniors is surging Seniors are increasingly turning to cannabis to find relief from the suffering and medical indignities of aging. I see this every day in my primary care clinic. Whether it is the grinding discomfort of chronic pain, the anxiety associated with losing friends and abilities, or the soul-crushing misery of insomnia, older adults are discovering that medical marijuana can often do what many of our standard prescriptions cannot. They are finding that cannabis often provides genuine relief without a laundry list of debilitating side effects. Many of our elders are finding cannabis to be an exit ramp from the polypharmacy that almost inevitably comes with aging.
Aug 14, 2026	Certain cannabis-based therapies may help relieve spasticity in MS Certain cannabis-based therapies may provide relief from spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a review of data from 27 clinical trials involving more than 3,000 participants. Among the different therapies evaluated, those containing an equal mix of two of the main compounds found in the cannabis plant, primarily the oral spray nabiximols, showed modest but consistent benefits. The two compounds are delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
Aug 14, 2026	Right Chemistry: Reefer Madness marijuana allegations go up in smoke “You can grow enough marijuana in a window box to drive the whole population of the United States stark, staring, raving mad.” Those words appeared in the 1928 book Dope: The Story of the Living Dead by Hearst Publications journalist Winifred Black, who specialized in sensational stories. Hostility toward smoking marijuana, the dried leaves and flowers of the cannabis plant, had been brewing in the U.S. southwest since 1910, when the Mexican Revolution significantly increased migration to the U.S., giving rise to anti-immigrant sentiments.
Aug 14, 2026	THC in cannabis may reduce nightmares in people with PTSD The main psychoactive component of cannabis seems to reduce persistent and distressing nightmares in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The drug dronabinol – purified tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) oil extracted from cannabis plants – was more than twice as likely to lead to a complete cessation of nightmares in people with the mental health condition than a placebo. Although it is unclear why it has this effect, THC may suppress the stage of sleep when dreams are most likely to occur.
Aug 13, 2026	Why Low-Dose Cannabis Is Becoming The Industry’s Growth Engine The legal cannabis market is shifting from a focus on high potency to precision low-dose products, targeting new, cannabis-curious consumers. Industry leaders like ayrloom and Levia see low-dose beverages and gummies as the primary growth engine, making cannabis approachable and controllable. This strategy aims to destigmatize cannabis, attracting adults seeking wellness, social alternatives to alcohol, or stress relief, who previously avoided high-potency options. Low-dose products remove psychological barriers by offering predictable experiences, fostering confidence and allowing cannabis to integrate naturally into daily life. This move is expanding the consumer base beyond traditional users, paving the way for mainstream acceptance and normalization.
Aug 13, 2026	Historic Shift in the U.S.: Cannabis Use Surpasses Cigarettes and Alcohol The United States is undergoing an unprecedented cultural and social shift. For the first time in history, the number of Americans who use cannabis daily or nearly every day has surpassed both regular cigarette smokers and people who consume alcohol with the same frequency. This is not a temporary bubble, but a significant transformation in Americans’ behavior, driven by the gradual easing of state-level restrictions and a radically changed perception of risk.
Aug 13, 2026	Relaunched Cannabis and Hemp platform connects research with real-world impact From cannabis-based medicines to sustainable farming solutions, a relaunched research platform is creating new opportunities across one of South Africa’s fastest-growing industries. The Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) Cannabis and Hemp Research and Innovation Platform combines scientific expertise, advanced technology and industry collaboration to support innovation, product development, skills growth and entrepreneurship across the cannabis and hemp value chain.
Aug 13, 2026	Can Jamaica’s New Cannabis Permits Deliver for Legacy Growers? The Cubans have cigars, and Jamaicans have ganja. So why have the traditional farmers behind Jamaica’s most celebrated crop struggled to find a place in its legal cannabis industry? In April 2026, Jamaica’s Cannabis Licensing Authority launched two special permit programs intended to bring traditional and small-scale ganja farmers into the regulated market. The permits lower some of the financial and technical barriers that have kept growers outside the system, while giving them access to support and legal buyers.
Aug 13, 2026	Tribal cannabis industry transforms Minnesota's poorest communities In Mahnomen, Minnesota, an $8.5 million potato chip factory that sat empty for over a decade on the White Earth reservation is now home to Waabigwan Mashkiki, a tribally owned cannabis company that has become a major supplier in Minnesota's recreational marijuana market. While the chip plant was projected to bring 45 jobs, the cannabis operation now employs 200 people.
Aug 13, 2026	End the Grey Zone: Why Mexico Must Regulate Cannabis Now In business, nothing is more expensive than uncertainty. Those of us leading companies in highly complex sectors, such as cannabis, know that a market in the shadows only exacerbates speculation, contraband, and illegal imports. On the other hand, the extreme of an over-regulated market yields benefits solely for massive international capital, fostering a broad grey market. True value and maturity are achieved when social benefit-centered regulation aligns with the market's capacity to expand under the protection of the law.
Aug 13, 2026	This Big Upcoming Change for Consumers Could Boost Cannabis Stocks The cannabis sector is about to see some dramatic changes over the next few quarters, which could push sector stocks significantly higher, predict four of the key CEOs in the space. “Buckle up,” said Green Thumb (GTBIF) CEO and founder Ben Kovler in his company’s second-quarter earnings call on August 4. “We think the next six months could potentially be the most significant in the cannabis landscape in the last 12 years.”
Aug 13, 2026	Data is Becoming Cannabis’ Most Valuable Crop For more than a decade now, the world’s largest retail conglomerates have been quietly building their consumer data empires. Today, their consumers’ data is perhaps more valuable to these brands than the goods they want to sell them.
Aug 12, 2026	Vaping and cannabis hit record highs among young adults in 2025: Survey Young adults’ use of vapes and cannabis hit all-time highs last year, according to the results of a large new national survey conducted at the University of Michigan. The percentage of young adults who said they’d used nicotine vapes in the past 30 days reached the highest levels since the question was first added to the survey in 2017, more than tripling to 19%. For cannabis, 29% of young adults between the ages of 19 and 30 said they’d used the drug in the past 30 days — just slightly below the all-time high of 30% the previous year. A record high of 12% reported daily cannabis use.
Aug 12, 2026	Inhaled cannabis reduces premature heartbeats in habitual users Habitual cannabis users experienced about 9% fewer premature heartbeats on days they inhaled cannabis compared with days they abstained, a counterintuitive finding that adds to the complex and evolving understanding of how cannabis affects the heart, new UC San Francisco-led research found.
Aug 12, 2026	Global Cannabis Use Up 40% Over Last Decade as Reform Spreads, but Overlap With Illicit Market Growing Use of cannabis across the globe has grown by 40% over the last decade, with 256m people now reported to have used cannabis over the past year in 2024. That growth, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime‘s World Drug Report 2026 (WDR26), follows a ‘continuum of gradual normalisation’ towards cannabis use, which in turn has helped drive a fragmented, but expanding wave of policy liberalisation.
Aug 12, 2026	Rwanda: A New License Revives the Country's Ambitions in Medical Cannabis Le 24 juillet 2026, le gouvernement rwandais a approuvé un accord de concession avec InipasvalleyRw Ltd pour le projet baptisé High-Value Therapeutic Crops. La décision a été prise lors d’une réunion du Conseil des ministres présidée par Paul Kagame.
Aug 12, 2026	Village Farms launches easy-pour cannabis pouches Village Farms International has introduced a new pouch design for its Super Toast cannabis brand, bringing an easy-pour format to Canada’s milled flower segment. The company described this as the first use of this type of packaging in the category in the Canadian market.

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