Top Stories (2026) -
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| Mar 23, 2026 |
Medicare Could Cover $500 Per Year in CBD, THC Products Under New Proposal The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has detailed a new plan that could allow participants to have up to $500 per year covered for hemp CBD and THC products. The Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive (BEI) is an optional program in certain CMS Innovation Center models that allows for consultation with eligible beneficiaries about the possible use of eligible hemp products to improve symptom control. |
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| Mar 23, 2026 |
Canadian cannabis sales, licensed space up as extracts and edibles gain market share The latest sales and inventory figures from Health Canada indicate that total cannabis sales in the medical and recreational markets were up 21% in Q3 2025 (July-September) compared with Q3 2024. Dried cannabis continued to account for the largest share of total medical and non-medical sales at 48% (12,901,920 units), although its overall share continues to shrink from 50% in Q2 2025 and 51% in Q3 2024. The second largest cannabis product category after dried cannabis flower was cannabis extracts at 28%, which includes the fast-growing vape pen category. This was up from 25% in the previous quarter and 24% year over year. |
| Mar 23, 2026 |
Could Indiana be getting closer to legalizing cannabis? INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is reportedly addressing legalizing cannabis in Indiana for medical use. It's a topic he's spoken about before. "Apparently he's giving this issue some thought and consideration and I'm all on board with that," said Republican State Rep. Jim Lucas, reacting Monday to the governor's reported recent comments surrounding legalizing marijuana in Indiana. |
| Mar 23, 2026 |
Virginia Lawmakers Send Marijuana Sales Bill to Governor Virginia is on the verge of establishing a legal marketplace for recreational cannabis, five years after lawmakers permitted possession but stopped short of creating a system for sales. The General Assembly approved legislation that would set up a regulated retail structure, resolving a long-running gap in state policy. |
| Mar 23, 2026 |
Is Wisconsin losing millions to states where cannabis is legal?
Yes Cannabis isn’t legal in Wisconsin, so residents are purchasing it in states where it is, generating tax money for those states. Wisconsin borders three states with legal recreational cannabis: Michigan, which legalized it in 2018; Illinois, which legalized it in 2019; and Minnesota, which legalized it in 2023. |
| Mar 23, 2026 |
De-Risking the Future: What’s Holding Traditional Industry Back from Cannabis Investment? Nearly a decade after the inception of what we would now consider the ‘global cannabis industry’, Prohibition Partners forecasts its total worth to be around $40bn in 2025, already larger than the entire global recorded music industry. Yet despite this scale, cannabis remains one of the most structurally misunderstood growth sectors in the global investment landscape. |
| Mar 23, 2026 |
How US cannabis breeders can protect their IP before legalization Renowned cannabis breeder James Loud plans to spend the next several years developing cultivars specifically designed for pre-rolls and joints. Cannabis with enhanced shelf life better-suited for prepackaged products should be ideal for the market. The trick is ensuring nobody steals his ideas. And until cannabis is federally legal in the United States, operators have to get creative. |
| Mar 23, 2026 |
Request to pull cannabis working group debate A debate on whether Guernsey should explore legalising cannabis may be pulled after the politician leading the proposal said allegations had created a "risk" of undermining discussions. Home Affairs Committee President Marc Leadbeater confirmed he would ask the States to withdraw his requête, which called for a cross?committee working group to examine how a regulated cannabis regime could operate. |
| Mar 21, 2026 |
New Ohio Restrictions On Marijuana And Hemp THC Products Take Effect After Referendum Push Fails The changes made by Republican state lawmakers to Ohio’s voter-passed weed law have now taken effect, including new criminal charges, along with the state’s new intoxicating hemp ban—which includes THC and CBD beverages. Ohio Senate Bill 56 became law Friday after Ohioans for Cannabis Choice failed to get enough signatures to get a referendum on the November ballot for voters to block the law. |
| Mar 21, 2026 |
Five Years In: What New York Cannabis Got Wrong—and What’s Finally Going Right Five years after New York created the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), the state’s legal cannabis industry is still finding its footing. When New York created the OCM, it felt like the state had a chance to rewrite the cannabis playbook and address many of the harms created by the War on Drugs. With lessons learned from markets like Colorado and California, the hope was that New York could build an adult-use system that worked differently. |
| Mar 20, 2026 |
France: A Last Bastion of Cannabis Prohibition Paris, France: While the United States Supreme Court reviews landmark challenges regarding the rights of cannabis consumers and Germany establishes a robust framework for legal adult-use, France has taken a dark, regressive turn. The French approach serves as a significant case study of the consequences of maintaining strict prohibitionist policies amid a shifting global landscape. Despite early signs of reform, recent executive decisions have led to increased friction between the state and millions of cannabis consumers. |
| Mar 20, 2026 |
Idaho Medical Marijuana Initiative Exceeds Statewide Signature Count To Make November Ballot, Campaign Reports An Idaho campaign says it’s collected enough signatures for a medical cannabis legalization initiative to exceed the statewide threshold for ballot qualification. But because it’s unclear how many are valid and whether activists have met a separate requirement for regional distribution of petitions, the Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho (NMAI) is continuing to hold signature gathering events across the state to widen their coalition of supporters in the run-up to the May 1 submission deadline. |
| Mar 20, 2026 |
End of Cannabis Act funding accounts for significant Health Canada spending and staff reductions Health Canada’s 2026-27 Departmental Plan, released on March 13, 2026, outlines spending and employee reductions, with $87.8 million in reductions in 2026-27, $152.5 million in the following fiscal year and another $198.2 million in cuts in 2027-28. The planned spending reductions are anticipated to involve a decrease of 942 full-time equivalents (FTEs) by 2028-29. |
| Mar 20, 2026 |
Federal Agencies Retain Employee Marijuana Testing Guidelines The U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) announced that federal workplace drug testing programs will continue screening for cannabis metabolites, maintaining the current approach. The announcement comes despite a December 2025 executive order by President Trump which called for cannabis to be reclassified from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act as quickly as federal procedures allow. |
| Mar 20, 2026 |
Beyond the Abstract: What the Landmark Lancet Psychiatry Cannabinoid Review Shows A major new systematic review has concluded that the available evidence rarely justifies the routine prescribing of cannabinoids for mental health conditions and substance use disorders. |
| Mar 20, 2026 |
Meet Bloomwell, The Telehealth Company Growing Germany’s $900 Million Cannabis Industry Brother and sister duo Niklas and Anna-Sophia Kouparanis built Bloomwell to help patients get a prescription for medical marijuana—and have it delivered to their door. It’s a preview of what’s to come in Europe as they build the Amazon of pot. |
| Mar 20, 2026 |
Indiana Will 'Have To Address' Marijuana Legalization Because It’s 'Lagging' Behind Neighboring States, Governor Says The Republican governor of Indiana says the fact that four neighboring states have moved to legalize marijuana in some form means Hoosiers are “probably going to have to address” the issue, while also likening cannabis reform to sports betting. |
| Mar 20, 2026 |
Canadian Cannabis Sales Began 2026 with Growth Statistics Canada released January retail sales for the country, with cannabis sales decreasing from the December levels, down 8.4% to C$466.1 million from the all-time high monthly total. The sequential decrease was up the same 8.4% on a per-day basis more due to the equal number of days than in the prior month. December, originally reported at C$503.7 million, was revised slightly higher to C$508.6 million. The sales in December were up 6.4% from a year ago, down from the level in May at 8.3% and 7.5% in June but better than the prior lowest annual growth rate since legalization commenced of -0.9% in September 2024 and then -1.6% in October due to the BC strike. In December, growth was much slower at just 3.9%. In 2024, total sales increased 4.5% to C$5.39 billion, and they were up 4.1% in 2025 to C$5.62 billion. |
| Mar 19, 2026 |
Conservatives’ cannabis contradictions on full display in Rogan/Poilievre interview The surprising part, for Canadians who don’t have the political memory of a gnat, was Poilievre’s agreement with Rogan on the topic and principles of cannabis legalization. Despite Poilievre’s agreement with Rogan that the government should not be preventing people from consuming something like cannabis, cheeseburgers, or whisky, he and his entire party (save for one, who was punished for it) voted against legalizing cannabis in Canada. |
| Mar 19, 2026 |
Study Finds That Marijuana Legalization Lowers Crime Rates A new study suggests that marijuana legalization may be linked to changes in crime patterns over time. Researchers found that allowing cannabis for recreational use among adults appears connected to gradual declines in violent offenses, while laws permitting medical marijuana are associated with decreases in property-related crimes. |
| Mar 19, 2026 |
Tilray Medical Announces Major Expansion of Medical Cannabis Portfolio in Australia (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tilray Medical, a recognized global leader in medical cannabis and a division of Tilray Brands, Inc. ("Tilray") (Nasdaq: TLRY; TSX: TLRY), today announced its largest portfolio expansion in Australia to date. The expanded medical cannabis offering reinforces Tilray Medical’s long-term commitment to the Australian market and supports increased patient access to regulated, clinically supported medical cannabis products. |
| Mar 19, 2026 |
Japan: Consumer products containing cannabis-derived CBN to be banned starting June Japan’s health ministry announced Wednesday that it has classified cannabinol (CBN), a compound derived from cannabis, as a “designated drug,” banning its manufacture, import, sale and use starting June 1, except for limited medical purposes. |
| Mar 18, 2026 |
Georgia House Approves Bill Easing Medical Marijuana Program Access The Georgia House of Representatives has approved medical marijuana legislation designed to broaden patient access. The proposal cleared the chamber with strong bipartisan support, passing 138 to 21. The measure, Senate Bill 220 by Senator Matt Brass, proposes expanding the number of medical conditions that qualify for treatment, revising possession limits, and allowing patients to use vaporized cannabis products. |
| Mar 18, 2026 |
DEA’s New 'Drug Quiz' Admits That Youth Marijuana Use Is Declining As Legalization Expands The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is acknowledging that, even as more states have legalized marijuana, youth cannabis use has "declined" over the past several decades. |
| Mar 18, 2026 |
Where Does Marijuana Grow Naturally in the U.S.?
Marijuana does not grow naturally in the U.S. as a native species, but feral cannabis populations can still be found today—primarily in Midwestern states where historic hemp farming allowed the plant to naturalize. |
| Mar 18, 2026 |
‘Equal representation’: cannabis advocates push for public pot zones There are hookah lounges and smoking zones — and now, advocates are pushing the provincial government for public places to consume weed. The Cannabis Business Association of Manitoba is calling on Premier Wab Kinew to green-light public cannabis consumption spaces. |
| Mar 18, 2026 |
Celebrity cannabis brands continue to perform, but there’s a secret behind the success It’s no longer enough to slap a celebrity’s name and face on a generic jar of cannabis for operators to sit back and watch sales soar. Over the past three years, brands linked with famous personalities who also evoke cannabis culture have gradually but steadily outsold other celebrity cannabis brands, national sales data shows. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
Compliance Check Data From Legal States Confirms That Licensed Retailers Don’t Sell Cannabis to Minors Licensed cannabis retailers are in strict compliance with their state’s minimum age requirements and nearly always deny access to underage patrons. That’s according to compliance check data provided by regulators in California, Colorado, Washington, and several other states. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
N.S. RCMP issues more cannabis tickets as crackdown on First Nations stores continues Nova Scotia RCMP say they issued two summary offence tickets at what they say were illegal storefronts in First Nations communities in the province. RCMP say they conducted inspections at two stores in the Cape Breton communities of Whycocomagh and Eskasoni on March 12 and 13. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
UK fights to keep selling more potent cannabis products in EU ‘reset’ talks The UK is fighting to keep more potent cannabis products on the market after any “reset” trade deal with the EU, complicating talks between the two sides. The country wants to continue allowing drinks and food supplements that contain up to 10mg of marijuana or hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD), five times the EU safe limit of 2mg per day, to preserve a competitive advantage. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
UK Hemp Industry Has Everything It Needs Except the Law The UK’s industrial hemp sector, and its potential, have been raised in Parliament nearly as many times in the first three months of 2026 as the entirety of 2025. In the House of Lords alone, peers have pressed the government in three separate exchanges in as many weeks, questioning whether current restrictions on hemp cultivation should be lifted, how much the UK is exporting, and how hemp can contribute to the country’s net-zero targets in construction. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
IRS Clarifies Post-Rescheduling 280E MSO Marijuana Tax Arrears Several large cannabis companies operating across multiple U.S. states collectively owe over $1.6 billion in unpaid federal taxes, according to information disclosed in recent corporate filings. The outstanding balances stem largely from disputes over Internal Revenue Code Section 280E, a provision that significantly limits the deductions marijuana businesses can claim. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
Newsom Declares That ‘Cannabis Is Now Legal’ After Trump Mistakenly Calls Him ‘President Of The United States’ California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) didn’t waste much time seizing on President Donald Trump’s latest slip-up, when he mistakenly called the Californian “president of the United States” during Oval Office remarks in which the incumbent otherwise disparaged the Democrat. Playing into the gaffe, Newsom said legalizing marijuana was among the "many big announcements" his White House was making. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
How Weed Nuns Helped Shape Paul Thomas Anderson’s Oscar-Winning DiCaprio Epic When renowned US film director Paul Thomas Anderson and production designer Florencia Martin visited the Sisters of the Valley farm in California’s Central Valley, they were stunned. They were scouting locations and finding inspiration for their new film, and that work, the lush greenery, those open landscapes, those distant mountains… all that timeless mystique remained etched into their retinas. |
| Mar 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. Hemp-based flooring sits at an unusual intersection. It is neither synthetic nor traditionally timber. Instead, it relies on the fibrous stalk of Cannabis sativa, a plant historically grown for rope and textiles, now reimagined for the built environment. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
A Well-Known Beverage Company is Joining the Cannabis World A legacy alcohol powerhouse is testing its instincts in a market that rewards nerve, timing, and a willingness to unlearn the old rules. Known for Samuel Adams beer, Twisted Tea, Angry Orchard cider and Truly hard seltzer, the storied Boston Beer Company has applied decades of beverage expertise to a market that is both nascent and notoriously complex. |
| Mar 17, 2026 |
Canadian cannabis exports: Balancing global demand and domestic branding International cannabis markets have become an important outlet for Canadian producers in recent years, offering access to growing medical markets in Europe and beyond. But as global demand expands, so too do the risks. These include everything from ever-changing regulations and supply chain disruptions to the rise of domestic cultivation in overseas markets. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
Federal Court overturns cannabis security clearance refusal from Health Canada The Federal Court of Canada recently overturned a decision by Health Canada’s Controlled Substances and Cannabis Branch that refused a security clearance for an Alternate Quality Assurance Person at a licensed producer based on a social media connection. The applicant, who works with Pur Botanicals Ltd., had their application for a security clearance denied in December 2024. This refusal came despite the Executive Director of Health Canada accepting the applicant’s explanations for prior cannabis-related law enforcement issues from 2013 and 2014, deeming those concerns "alleviated" |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
FDA Submits New Cannabis Products Enforcement Policy For White House Review The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has submitted a proposed cannabis products enforcement policy to the White House for review that concerns regulatory issues specifically related to CBD. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
N.S. First Nation creates own law around cannabis control
A Nova Scotia First Nation has now created its own law around cannabis control. It’s called the Sipekne’katik Cannabis Control Law and according to the Chief and Council it gives the First Nation the right to govern itself, make its own laws and manage its own affairs. It means that Sipekne’katik has "exclusive jurisdiction" over how all cannabis-related activities are dealt with. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
FDA Submits New Cannabis Products Enforcement Policy For White House Review The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has submitted a proposed cannabis products enforcement policy to the White House for review that concerns regulatory issues specifically related to CBD. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
Yukon leads the country in cannabis sales per capita, says StatsCan Newly released data from Statistics Canada shows the Yukon is the country's new cannabis capital. Between April 2024 and March 2025, the average Yukoner of legal age spent $384 on cannabis — a full $100 more than any other province or territory, according to sales data the agency released on March 5. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
Looming hemp THC ban forces US farmers to guess and gamble The clock is ticking for hemp farmers like Ryan Eakes. The chief operating officer of Montrose, Colorado-based Typhoon Farma is preparing to plant 220 acres of CBG-dominant hemp – but with the hemp industry in a state of uncertainty ahead of a change in federal law, he still hasn’t secured a buyer. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
Using Marijuana Is More Morally Acceptable Than Gambling And Abortion, Americans Say In New Poll More Americans say using marijuana is morally acceptable—or not a moral issue at all—than those who say the same about gambling, watching pornography, having an abortion, being gay and more, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center. The survey also shows that people with lower levels of education are more likely to have moral concerns about cannabis. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
Two Economies, One Plant: South Africa’s Cannabis Divide The road into the Mzintlava River Valley is not on any investment map. It bends past a school with a broken bell, past two spaza shops, and then the tar gives up. What follows is dust, goats, and small fields that look untidy to anyone trained by brochures. This is where South Africa’s cannabis story lives. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
Germany's medical cannabis imports cross 200 tons Germany's medical cannabis imports crossed 200 tons in 2025, according to new data published by BfArM, the country's federal medical cannabis authority. Total flower imports for the year reached 201,094 kg, nearly tripling the 72,706 kg recorded in 2024. The growth has been consistent across quarters: from 37,686 kg in Q1, to 47,707 kg in Q2, to a peak of 59,076 kg in Q3, before a slight dip to 56,625 kg in Q4. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
Virginia to Launch Adult-Use Dispensary Sales in January 2027
Pending a governor’s signature, Virginians 21 and older can have their cannabis and buy it, too. Senate and House lawmakers voted March 13 and 14 to adopt a conference committee report for competing bills to legalize adult-use cannabis dispensary sales starting Jan. 1, 2027, sending the finalized legislation to Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk. |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
Canopy Growth Completes Acquisition of MTL Cannabis Creating Canada’s Leading Medical Cannabis Business By Revenue SMITHS FALLS, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy Growth" or the "Company") (TSX: WEED) (Nasdaq: CGC) and MTL Cannabis Corp. ("MTL Cannabis" or "MTL") (CSE: MTLC) (OTCQX: MTLNF) today announced the completion of the previously announced arrangement (the "Arrangement"), whereby, among other things, Canopy Growth has acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares of MTL (the "MTL Shares"). |
| Mar 16, 2026 |
San Francisco leaders plan to roll out new ordinance for cannabis cafes San Francisco may be ready to turn over a new leaf when it comes to cannabis cafes. Cannabis cafes exist across California after state legislation opened the door for food service over a year ago. That legislation, authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney, expanded what cannabis lounges can legally do across the state, including allowing cannabis retailers to prepare and service non-cannabis food and beverage inside consumption areas. It also allows lounges to sell tickets for live music and other performances. |
| Mar 15, 2026 |
Anti-Cannabis Group SAM Says New York Weed Is Failing. The Data Says Otherwise. Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) has released another report criticizing legal cannabis—this time focused on New York. As with past publications, the report relies heavily on selective data points and narrow timeframes to advance conclusions that do not fully reflect the broader body of available evidence. |