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Top Stories (2026) - (1768 items)

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Jun 27, 2026	Nova Scotia raises illegal cannabis fines to $50,000, adds new offences Nova Scotia proclaimed higher fines and new offences under its Cannabis Control Act on June 25, targeting illegal cannabis sales and aiming to reduce youth access to unregulated products.
Jun 26, 2026	New study challenges widely repeated claim about cannabis As attitudes toward cannabis shift, the arguments against it do too. In the 1930s, anti-marijuana campaigns often portrayed cannabis use as a cause of violent crime. Nowadays, claims about cannabis being laced with the dangerous opioid fentanyl are circulated in many communities. However, a new study may have debunked this theory. The study, published in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, tested 118 cannabis samples for 16 illicit substances. This included LSD, methamphetamine, and PCP.
Jun 26, 2026	Canadian Cannabis Supplies Majority of UK’s Medical Market According to a new report from B2B platform Prohibition Partners, cannabis from Canada accounted for approximately 70–80% of the UK’s total medical cannabis supply in 2025. As the UK medical cannabis market expands, exports from Canada to the UK increased by 562% from 2024 to 2025, reaching 17.07 tonnes. In 2025, Canada accounted for 96% of the UK’s total annual import growth, driven by consistency, price, and positioning. The report draws much of its data from a UK Home Office FOI request and its own internal platforms.
Jun 26, 2026	Cannabis Remains Most Widely Used Drug Worldwide, New Report Reveals An estimated 256 million people worldwide used cannabis in 2024, outpacing opioids (63 million), amphetamines (32 million), cocaine (25 million) and ecstasy (21 million), according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Furthermore, the number of people using cannabis worldwide grew by 40% over the course of a decade, while the prevalence of its use increased from 3.8% of the population aged 15 to 64 in 2014 to 4.8% of the population in 2024, according to the UNODC World Drug Report 2026 that was released June 26.
Jun 26, 2026	The British medical cannabis market is expected to exceed 140,000 patients by 2026 The medical cannabis in the UK continues to expand, with the number of patients expected to exceed 140,000 by the end of 2026. According to the latest UK Medical Cannabis Market Update 2026 According to a report published by Prohibition Partners, imports, product availability, and patient access all reached record levels in 2025, further solidifying the United Kingdom’s position as one of the medical cannabis markets the fastest-growing in Europe, after Germany.
Jun 26, 2026	Massachusetts could become the first state to reverse marijuana legalization when it votes in November Massachusetts could become the first state to repeal its law allowing the sale of recreational marijuana after activists claimed to have secured enough petition signatures to force a referendum. Should the anti-cannabis movement succeed in getting the issue onto November’s midterm election ballot papers, the state could become the first to overturn legalization of the drug, which it voted in to allow in 2016.
Jun 26, 2026	Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance Urges Regulatory Overhaul to Boost Industry Growth The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA) is calling for a redefinition of “industrial hemp” to allow for higher THC limits up to 1%, and for modernizing and streamlining the licensing process for hemp farmers. The proposal is part of CHTA’s submission in response to Health Canada’s May 2026 call for feedback on streamlining aspects of Canada’s industrial hemp regulations as part of the government’s red-tape reduction efforts. The deadline for that feedback is Tuesday, June 30, 2026.
Jun 26, 2026	‘A Giant Ship With a Rusty Rudder’: What Six Weeks of Cannabis Rescheduling Has and Hasn’t Changed On June 29, 2026, one of the most consequential hearings in the history of US cannabis policy, the crucial DEA Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) hearing that could determine whether adult-use cannabis joins state-licensed medical cannabis on Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act, begins proceedings. The hearing, set to take place in Arlington, Virginia and run until July 15, will address ‘whether the remainder of marijuana, as defined in the CSA, should be transferred from its current place on Schedule I of the list of controlled substances to Schedule III.’
Jun 26, 2026	Second US cannabis company uplisted to NYSE to begin trading Tuesday Shares in California cannabis cultivation powerhouse Glass House Group will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, the company announced. The second U.S.-based plant touching marijuana company to list on the NYSE after Florida marijuana multistate operator Trulieve Cannabis Corp., Glass House recently restructured to become a medical cannabis-only company.
Jun 26, 2026	Ontario Cannabis Store workers secure gains in new collective agreement Workers at the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), OPSEU/SEFPO Local 553, ratified a new collective agreement on June 26 following a contract campaign in which they united together to press for improvements to their working conditions.
Jun 25, 2026	Health-Related Workplace Absences Decline Following Medical Cannabis Legalization Portland, ME: The adoption of state laws regulating medical cannabis access is associated with declining trends in workplace absences, according to data published in the Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health. Researchers from the United States and India assessed whether either medical cannabis laws or adult-use legalization laws are associated with changes in health-related workplace absenteeism.
Jun 25, 2026	Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Features Only Prohibitionists, Triggering Concern A forthcoming federal hearing on cannabis policy is facing criticism after the DEA approved participation exclusively from individuals and organizations that have voiced skepticism about marijuana legalization, leaving reform advocates and industry representatives out of the discussion. The hearing, set for June 29 in Virginia, will focus on issues tied to the federal classification of marijuana. The proceedings could influence future decisions affecting cannabis businesses, taxation rules, banking access, and broader regulatory policy across the country.
Jun 25, 2026	Cannabis Inherits Its Future: What the Eye Can’t See For most of cannabis history, the source of the drug was a black box. Everyone knew the sticky resin glands coating the flower — the trichomes — were where potency came from. But the process inside them — how the cells are organised, where exactly the chemistry happens, how raw materials move through the gland — remained unclear.
Jun 25, 2026	New York state launches center for cannabis care and health The state Office of Cannabis Management on Thursday announced the launch of its Center of Excellence for Cannabis Care and Health Equity, calling it a first-in-the-nation initiative designed to support healthcare as cannabis use becomes more common across New York. Announced in Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2026 State of the State, the new center will educate healthcare providers and public health professionals about cannabis. The center "brings together healthcare providers, public health experts and researchers to improve cannabis education and strengthen health outcomes," according to state's website dedicated to it.
Jun 25, 2026	B.C.’s cannabis industry has a new growth strategy—going global As taxes and competition squeeze cannabis margins at home, exports are becoming the provincial industry's most promising high.
Jun 25, 2026	Report: Cannabis Industry Jobs Fell 2.7% Year-Over-Year Employment in the legal cannabis industry fell slightly in 2025 – down 2.7%, according to Vangst and Whitney Economics’ annual U.S. Cannabis Jobs Report. The report ties the job losses to a 3.3% decrease in U.S. cannabis sales and price compression.
Jun 25, 2026	The Irish Parliament recommends decriminalizing all drugs A committee of the Irish Parliament, the Joint Committee on Drug Use (Parliamentary Committee on Drug Use) published its final report, setting forth 161 recommendations aimed at fundamentally transforming the way the Irish government approaches the use of psychoactive substances. At the heart of the document is the decriminalization of the possession of all drugs for personal use.
Jun 25, 2026	Cannabis Teamsters Launch ULP Strike (BARRY, Ill.) – Over 300 members of Teamsters Local 916 at Ascend Wellness have been forced out on strike over the company’s unfair labor practices (ULPs), which includes their refusal to bargain in good faith. It’s the first strike undertaken by Teamsters at a cannabis grow house.
Jun 24, 2026	Health Canada answers concerns about retail cannabis oversight Health Canada is defending its oversight of the cannabis industry after a recent study concluded there are gaps in the tracking of new products and a lack of uniformity in how product potency is displayed on packaging. These concerns were raised in a report prepared by Lakehead University researchers.
Jun 24, 2026	The Hidden Cost of Sin Taxes: High Taxes Undermine Goals of Cannabis Legalization A new study analyzing market factors in the US says a $1 increase in cannabis taxes leads to a $4–$6 increase in cannabis prices. Those higher prices can drive consumers back to the illicit market while reducing government revenue. The paper, published in the International Journal of Drug Policy, also looked at how taxes on cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and beer impact cannabis sales, given the elasticity of demand from consumers depending on total price.
Jun 24, 2026	Pennsylvania Voters Strongly Support Legalizing Marijuana—And They Blame Republicans For Blocking Progress, New Poll Shows A new poll shows that Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly support marijuana legalization—and that the largest share put the blame on Republican lawmakers for the fact that the state has not yet enacted the reform. The survey, conducted by Public Policy Polling this month, found that three out of four voters favor legalizing recreational cannabis. When asked whether “adults over 21 should have places to purchase non-medical cannabis products that are legal, and strictly regulated,” 55 percent said they strongly agree and 20 percent somewhat agree.
Jun 24, 2026	Nebraska Officials Approve First Legal Medical Cannabis Cultivator The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission on Monday unanimously approved the state’s first medical cannabis cultivator to begin operations, the Nebraska Examiner reports. The regulators’ sign-off on the official inspection of MahaMota Cultivation Company in Raymond paves the way for the state’s first legal medical cannabis crop.
Jun 24, 2026	Deep Green Guam receives island's first cannabis establishment operating permit Guam's Cannabis Control Board has approved its first permit to operate a cannabis establishment, granting unanimous approval to Guam Real Deal LLC, doing business as Deep Green Guam, on Wednesday, nearly seven years after the island legalized recreational adult-use marijuana in 2019. Revenue and Taxation Department director and board vice chair Marie Lizama says the permit represents the furthest any applicant has advanced since the board began accepting applications in 2022. Lizama says, "It's probably one of the harder hurdles to overcome."
Jun 24, 2026	Cannabis Inherits Its Future: Part 1, The Genetic Legacy Loop Cannabis is being asked to do two jobs at once, and the genetics that win one don’t necessarily win the other. As a recreational flower, it is judged on cultivar name, flavour, and other craft-flower aesthetics. As a regulated medicine, it has to deliver chemotype consistency, batch reproducibility, and a pharmacopoeial-grade monograph. The gene pool the modern industry inherited was bred almost entirely for the first job. It is being asked, now, to deliver the second.
Jun 23, 2026	Virginia to Start Retail Cannabis Sales in July 2027 Virginia leaders have reached an agreement on legislation aimed at establishing a regulated recreational cannabis market across the Commonwealth, a watershed moment in the state’s long-running debate over legal cannabis sales. Under the deal, licensed recreational cannabis sales would begin on July 1 next year. A statewide tax of 6% would take effect when the market launches, increasing to 8% two years later. Cities and counties would also have the option to impose an additional local tax ranging from 1% to 3.5%.
Jun 23, 2026	How Countries Legalise Cannabis Matters More Than Whether They Do, Lancet Review Finds Thirteen years ago, Uruguay became the first country on the planet to officially legalise cannabis for recreational (adult-use) purposes. In December 2013, state-controlled cannabis retail sales, home cultivation, and social clubs were fully legalised by President José Mujica.
Jun 23, 2026	Uruguay Wants to Integrate Medical Cannabis into Its Healthcare System Uruguay was the first country in the world to establish a legal framework for the entire cannabis industry. Yet, ten years later, medical cannabis still has not found its place in the healthcare system. Its exclusion from the Therapeutic Drug Formulary limits access to it, while the lack of training among healthcare professionals and the cost of treatment are hindering its development.
Jun 23, 2026	Alberta’s Cannabis Event Model Is Leading the Industry Not long ago, buying legal cannabis at a music festival in Canada was unthinkable. Today in Alberta, you can walk into a dedicated consumption space at a major outdoor event, browse a curated product menu, and spark up legally, all without leaving the grounds. The province has become the most progressive jurisdiction in the country when it comes to cannabis at public events, and the people who built that landscape say it has outperformed even their most optimistic projections. The question now isn’t whether the model works; it’s what comes next.
Jun 22, 2026	Homegrown Weed vs Dispensary: What Growing My Own Taught Me About Buying Bud The whole homegrown weed vs dispensary question never crossed my mind until I started growing my own. I’m not some legacy cultivator with a sealed tent and a spreadsheet of feeding schedules. I grow flowers. I grow vegetables. I’ve spent years babying tomatoes and marigolds, so this spring I figured it was time to branch out. Before I get into it, home cultivation laws vary by state. Some allow adults to grow a small number of plants for personal use. Others prohibit it entirely. Check your state’s rules before you plant anything. What’s legal where I am may not be where you are.
Jun 22, 2026	Cannabis producers give up trying to get Ottawa to stop smothering their business The Cannabis Council of Canada has announced it is suspending its advocacy operation, apparently because its member companies have given up hope that the federal government is prepared to listen to them. In a letter to Finance Minister François Philippe Champagne that foreshadowed this week’s announcement, outgoing council president Paul McCarthy said the country’s licensed cannabis producers have lost confidence that the government is committed to getting its tax and regulatory policies right.
Jun 22, 2026	Federal Cannabis Rescheduling 101 As the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) gears up for this month’s administrative hearing on the fate of federal marijuana legalization, we sat down with UNLV Cannabis Policy Institute (CPI) director Riana Durrett for the rundown on decades of debate surrounding the plant — and what giving the green light could mean for businesses, tourists, and residents in Las Vegas, the Silver State, and beyond.
Jun 22, 2026	Virginia Lawmakers Approve Bill To Legalize Recreational Marijuana Sales Virginia lawmakers have approved legislation to legalize recreational marijuana sales that was recently negotiated with the governor following her veto of an earlier proposal to enact the reform.
Jun 22, 2026	Is the US Hemp Ban Punishing the Wrong People? Uncertainty isn’t what hemp needs right now. Just as the market for legal hemp-derived cannabinoids is maturing, peer-reviewed research is flourishing, and serious brands are raising the bar, the upcoming federal ban threatens to kill the industry’s momentum. After the midnight passage of a policy rewrite that would eliminate 95% of the current market, we’re facing down the barrel of an entirely new landscape within six months. Worse, the vast majority of operators, farmers, and consumers are doing the right thing but finding themselves in the crosshairs of prohibition. This change punishes the wrong people and threatens to undo almost a decade of hemp progress.
Jun 22, 2026	Congressional Amendment Would Expand Marijuana Waivers For Military Recruits Who Test Positive For THC A Republican member of Congress has filed an amendment that would expand waivers for military recruits who’ve tested positive for marijuana. The amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) filed by Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) acknowledges that the Army and Navy have already “taken positive steps in their work to design and implement a waiver system that permits potential enlistees into the Armed Forces to reapply for enlistment following a positive toxicology test for tetrahydrocannabinol.”
Jun 22, 2026	DaySavers Launches Perfect Pack 2 Portable Joint-Filling Machine to Create Perfect Pre-Rolls On the Go RENTON, Wash., June 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DaySavers, the most innovative and transparent smoking accessories brand on the market from Custom Cones USA, today launched the latest model of their signature joint-filling machine, the Perfect Pack 2, a personal, made-for cannabis cone- and tube-filling machine that can perfectly pack a pre-roll in seconds from anywhere, thanks to a new battery mode and USB-C cable that works with power banks and even smartphones.
Jun 21, 2026	Cannabis Council of Canada Ends Active Operations The Cannabis Council of Canada (C3) is suspending its active operations as of June 22, 2026. In a press release, the organization says the board will now take time to consider the Council’s future and the role it can continue to play in advancing the sector’s policy priorities. The decision, says President Paul McCarthy, reflects the headwinds facing Canada’s licensed cannabis sector. “The Council is proud of the role it has played in advocating for a responsible, competitive, and sustainable legal cannabis industry in Canada,” read the organization’s farewell press release. “While it will not be operating in the same active capacity during this period, its work, records, and institutional knowledge will be preserved so that the progress made is not lost.
Jun 21, 2026	Cannabis Doesn’t Distort Reality. It Shows You the Director’s Cut. David Lenson, in On Drugs, isolates with rare philosophical precision a feature of cannabis consciousness that transcends the usual cliches about intoxication. He writes: “The cannabis user wants to take control of his or her consciousness, and what it contains at any given moment. The 1965 phrase of dismissal ‘Get out of my movie!’ expresses this heightened stewardship of internal life. What offends must be avoided, and what pleases can be enjoyed instant by instant with contemplative exactitude.”
Jun 21, 2026	Cannabis in Oncology Nursing: Reducing Polypharmacy and Managing Symptoms At the OneOncology APP Symposium, Morvarid Rezaie, DO, HMDC, FACOI, a palliative care physician at The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, addressed a key challenge for oncology nurses: managing the complex symptom burden of cancer patients while minimizing polypharmacy. In an interview with Oncology Nursing News, Rezaie explained how medical cannabis serves as a multimodal tool that can simplify care plans and improve patient outcomes.
Jun 21, 2026	How to Buy Weed in Las Vegas: Dispensaries, Strip Rules, and What Every Tourist Needs to Know Getting Las Vegas cannabis rules wrong can mean fines, buying from fake “hemp shops,” or missing the city’s legal cannabis scene entirely. Nevada runs a substantial regulated market, and tourists can buy with nothing more than a valid ID. The smart move is not avoiding cannabis altogether. It is understanding exactly where, when, and how to buy and consume legally as a visitor.
Jun 20, 2026	Idaho medical cannabis legalization campaign says it’s on track despite legal setback Supporters of a voter initiative campaign that seeks to legalize medical marijuana in Idaho say the effort remains on track. That’s despite a state judge’s recent ruling that thousands of signatures were submitted too late to count. The signatures arrived at the Minidoka County Clerk’s office at 5:05 p.m. May 1 – minutes after the close of business and the statutory filing deadline – when a contractor for the pro-MMJ campaign Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho tried to drop them off, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.
Jun 20, 2026	The Cannabis Debate Is Not Just About Legalization Anymore, It’s About Who Benefits Generations of activists have protested against cannabis prohibition, taking to the streets in cities around the world to lobby for legalization. But a major global review published this week, suggests this once-controversial conversation is no longer a question of whether cannabis should be regulated, but how— and what comes next.
Jun 20, 2026	Vermont Governor Signs Bill To Double Legal Marijuana Possession Limit And Allow Interstate Commerce Vermont’s governor has signed legislation that will allow adults over the age of 21 to legally possess twice as much marijuana as they could previously, enable interstate cannabis commerce and make other changes to rules for licensed businesses. Gov. Phil Scott (R) on Friday announced that he approved the large-scale cannabis regulatory reform bill, S. 278, which passed both chambers of the legislature last month.
Jun 20, 2026	Regulated, Untamed, and Built to Last: Inside Montana Cannabis How Montana built a legal cannabis market from a thin medical marijuana law, federal raids, ballot fights, and two decades of stubborn local pressure.
Jun 19, 2026	DEA Judge Issues Order Laying Out Process For Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Starting This Month A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) judge has issued an initial order laying out basic rules for a hearing about the Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling process that is set to start later this month. Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Derek Julius signed the 12-page order on Thursday, setting initial timelines for designated parties that will be participating—which under a separate announcement from DEA this week only includes opponents of cannabis reform.
Jun 19, 2026	DEA Judge Issues Order Laying Out Process For Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing Starting This Month A Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) judge has issued an initial order laying out basic rules for a hearing about the Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling process that is set to start later this month.
Jun 19, 2026	Health officials warn visitors that cannabis in Washington can be stronger than in other parts of US WASHINGTON — The Washington Department of Health is warning FIFA visitors about the strength of cannabis in Washington. The state health agency says potency varies by product and recommends that users start with a low dose and go slow. The Washington DoH posted the recommendation on its Facebook page on Friday, along with a claim that it has seen an uptick in cannabis-related emergency room visits.
Jun 19, 2026	April 2026 Cannabis Sales Data: Regional Trends and National Growth Cannabis sales in Canada in April 2026 were $482.6 million, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada. While cannabis sales have been showing signs of slowing, compared to exponential growth in the first few years of legalization, sales were still up 3% from April 2025 and up 5% from the previous month’s $466.8 million. Statistics Canada also updated its March 2026 sales figures, which were previously reported as $471.4 million. The country’s national statistical agency routinely adjusts these sales figures as new data comes in. Year-over-year and month-over-month increases were seen in every province except Newfoundland and Labrador, which showed a 2% decline compared to March, and Manitoba, which showed a decline of less than 1% MOM. Sales figures for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut were not available.
Jun 19, 2026	Cannabis Tax Revenue Hits $28 Billion Since First Legalization States that have legalized recreational cannabis have collected more than $28 billion in tax revenue over the past roughly 12 years, according to a new report from the cannabis policy reform group Marijuana Policy Project.
Jun 19, 2026	Health Canada Orders Ontario Cannabis Store to Remove Colourful Mural Health Canada has told a cannabis retailer about two hours north of Toronto that it must remove a large, colourful mural from the outside of its building. Treetz Cannabis, an independently run store in the community of Collingwood, had an artist paint a mural on the outside. The mural includes various characters painted in bright colours.
Jun 19, 2026	Fewer Colorado Teens Are Using Marijuana Now Than Before Legalization, State Study Shows, Refuting Opponents’ Core Argument Rates of marijuana use among Colorado teens continued to decline in 2025—and youth are also reporting significantly lower levels of access to cannabis—according to a biennial survey from state health officials.

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