Top Stories (2026) -
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| Feb 26, 2026 |
Clinical Evidence vs. Food Law: Europe’s CBD Dilemma The CBD sector has had a turbulent few weeks on both sides of the Channel, with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) terminating four novel food applications, just days after announcing incredibly restrictive new safety limits. |
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| Feb 26, 2026 |
Virginia Tech Leverages Novel Way to Study Marijuana Effects on Driving As more states legalize cannabis, researchers are racing to understand what that shift means for road safety. While laws have changed significantly, scientific evidence on how cannabis influences behavior behind the wheel has lagged. A new study led by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute seeks to close that gap by tracking drivers in their everyday routines. |
| Feb 26, 2026 |
Alberta to eliminate 2% early payment fee for cannabis producers The Alberta Government announced on Thursday, February 26, 2026, that it will be getting rid of its 2% early payment fee for producers selling into the province as of April 1, 2026. The fee applies to payments from Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis (AGLC) to producers for their products sold in the province within 15 days, rather than the standard 60-day turnaround. |
| Feb 26, 2026 |
Legalizing Marijuana In Pennsylvania Would Generate Almost Half A Billion Dollars In Revenue By 2028 Under Governor’s Plan, State Analysis Finds Legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania under the governor’s latest budget plan could bring in nearly half a billion dollars in annual revenue by 2028, according to a new analysis from the state’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) that estimates a significantly larger cash windfall compared to projections from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) own office. |
| Feb 26, 2026 |
Standing on the Moon in Japan: Hemp, History, and the Long Game in Japan I arrived in Tokyo in November for the Japanese International Hemp Expo (JIHE) 2025 with a familiar mix of jet lag, curiosity, and professional reflex. After decades working at the intersection of cannabis, law, and global markets, I’ve learned that the plant reveals more about a society than almost anything else. Where it’s embraced, feared, regulated, or whispered about tells you volumes about culture, history, and power. |
| Feb 25, 2026 |
Mainstream Media's New Era of Reefer Madness For more than 50 years, NORML has been 'setting the record straight' on cannabis. Today, this job is more important than ever. You've no doubt seen the headlines. More and more, sensational claims about marijuana are going unchallenged in mainstream reporting. Fortunately, NORML is there to respond. |
| Feb 25, 2026 |
Union raises safety concerns as solo shifts introduced for BC Cannabis Store workers Some BC Cannabis Store staffers will be working solo for the first time since legalization, following a provincial policy change that is raising safety concerns for the union that represents store employees. |
| Feb 25, 2026 |
Colorado lawmakers to discuss proposal for more cannabis-friendly events Colorado lawmakers to discuss proposal at the Colorado State Captiol for more cannabis-friendly events to smoke marijuana in public. |
| Feb 25, 2026 |
New bill increases fines, enforcement powers for illegal cannabis in Nova Scotia The Nova Scotia government has tabled legislation to strengthen cannabis enforcement amid its crackdown on illegal dispensaries across the province. Justice Minister Scott Armstrong says his bill increases fines and allows peace officers like constables and conservation officers to enforce cannabis rules alongside police. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Tax hike crashed Michigan marijuana sales An unprecedented cannabis tax hike that took effect in Michigan on Jan. 1 significantly depressed legal sales, recent state data shows. Michigan marijuana retailers reported about $227 million in sales in January, according to state Cannabis Regulatory Agency data. That’s a nearly 16% decrease from the $270 million in sales recorded in December, according the CRA. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Florida Lawmakers Vote To Slash Medical Marijuana Fees For Military Veterans A Florida bill to significantly reduce the fee for military veterans to obtain medical marijuana registry identification cards has cleared another legislative committee. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Arbitrator kills cannabis suspension: positive urine test wasn't enough proof A workplace vehicle accident. A positive urine test. A 30-day unpaid suspension, mandatory drug assessments, and random testing — all thrown out. In a February 12, 2026, award, Arbitrator Graham J. Clarke ruled that Toronto Terminals Railway Company (TTR) had no just cause to discipline a signal maintainer who tested positive for THC metabolites after a workplace incident, because TTR failed to prove he was actually impaired on the job. For HR professionals relying on blanket cannabis prohibition policies, the message is clear: a positive urine test alone is not enough. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Health Canada provides updates on cannabis sampling rules for producers Health Canada is reminding cannabis production licence holders of the requirements for engaging in activities with cannabis samples, focusing on storage, distribution, documentation, and personnel. All cannabis used for the purpose of providing samples to cannabis retailers must be stored at the site specified in the licence. Storage is not permitted at any location other than the licensed site or at a dwelling-house, including permanent or temporary residences. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Germany's Medical Cannabis Boom: Data-Driven Insights for Investors Germany's medical cannabis market exploded in 2025, with prescriptions surging 3,300 percent from March 2024 to December 2025, per Bloomwell Group’s Cannabis Barometer. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Virginia Republican Lawmakers Explain Why They Voted To Legalize Marijuana Sales As Virginia lawmakers push ahead with an effort to legalize marijuana sales in the commonwealth, certain GOP members are finding themselves ideologically aligned with their Democratic colleagues, breaking with the majority of their caucus in support of creating a regulated marketplace for adults to purchase cannabis. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Key Congressional Committee Set To Vote On Delaying Federal Hemp THC Ban Next Week A GOP congressman is seeking to amend a large-scale agriculture bill to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products for one year as industry stakeholders work to identify a long-term solution to the pending recriminalization—and a key House committee is expected to consider the proposal next week. |
| Feb 24, 2026 |
Organigram launches 10 SKUs in Australian medical cannabis market Organigram Global Inc. is introducing 10 product SKUs in the Australian medical market across its Edison and BOXHOT brands. The move marks the first time the company’s branded products will reach one of the world’s largest medical markets, although the Canadian cannabis company already supplies cannabis flower to the Australian market through existing B2B supply relationships. |
| Feb 23, 2026 |
South Dakota to Switch to Digital MMJ Cards South Dakota is moving toward a digital system for medical cannabis cards, a change that state health officials say will make access easier for patients and caregivers. |
| Feb 23, 2026 |
Scientists Reveal What Types Of Food The Marijuana 'Munchies' Make You Crave The Most Getting the "munchies" after using marijuana isn’t just in your head. It’s a real biological phenomenon that could hold important, real-world implications for people suffering from conditions associated with appetite loss, according to a new study that also identified some of the most commonly desired food items while high. |
| Feb 23, 2026 |
When Beer Beats Weed: Germany’s Cannabis Reform Backlash When Germany introduced the “Cannabis-Gesetz” (CanG) to partially legalize cannabis in April 2024, it faced criticism not only from conservatives but also from proponents of legalization, who argued it could not achieve its goals without a fully regulated adult-use market. The reform came in two phases: Pillar 1 legalized home cultivation and non-profit cannabis cultivation associations similar to cannabis social clubs in Spain, but without permission for a space for common consumption. Pillar 2 promised regional pilot programs for licensed retail sales. |
| Feb 22, 2026 |
Ottawa yanks 4,100 cannabis licences as legal pot industry struggles with debt and black market Federal health regulators have pulled more than 4,100 cannabis licences since legalization, citing risks to public health and safety — including concerns about marijuana being diverted into the black market — as the legal pot industry grapples with bankruptcies and mounting unpaid taxes. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
New Hampshire Senate Puts Off Cannabis Legalization Bill Before ‘Long’ Debate The New Hampshire Senate kept debate on an adult-use cannabis legalization bill on the back burner Feb. 19, when the body approved a special order to delay considering the House-passed legislation until next month. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Bill Would Let New York Liquor Stores Sell Low-Dose THC Drinks A newly proposed bill in New York would allow licensed off-premises alcohol retailers to obtain a permit to sell low-potency cannabis beverages. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Petition drive aims to overturn Ohio’s new marijuana regulations A new political battle is brewing in Ohio’s nascent adult-use cannabis market as a petition drive seeks to suspend and ultimately repeal the state’s updated cannabis regulations. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
New Hampshire Senate Puts Off Cannabis Legalization Bill Before 'Long' Debate The New Hampshire Senate kept debate on an adult-use cannabis legalization bill on the back burner Feb. 19, when the body approved a special order to delay considering the House-passed legislation until next month. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Maryland Senators Weigh Bill To Let Firefighters And Rescue Workers Use Medical Marijuana While Off Duty Maryland senators on Thursday took up a bill to protect firefighters and rescue workers from being penalized for off-duty use of medical marijuana. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Florida Supreme Court Considers Appeal to Put Marijuana on State Ballot Efforts to legalize recreational cannabis in Florida remain active as the state’s highest court weighs whether to take up a key appeal that could determine if voters see the issue on a future ballot. The Florida Supreme Court is reviewing a request from the Smart and Safe Florida campaign after roughly 71,000 petition signatures were thrown out. If the justices agree to hear the case and ultimately side with the campaign, the proposed constitutional amendment could move forward to the ballot in November. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
The penny shortage is a serious cannabis retail problem President Donald Trump killed the penny. Cannabis retailers need to prevent the coin's gradual disappearance from becoming a problem. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Poland Medical Cannabis Market Data Shows Full Post-Ban recovery, With a Catch Polish pharmacies dispensed nearly 5,450 kilograms of dried cannabis flower in 2025, a 12% increase from the prior year, according to new data obtained by Prohibition Partners. By October, monthly volumes had surpassed the pre-ban peak for the first time, reaching a new all-time high in December. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Recreational Cannabis Market Report 2026-2035: The recreational cannabis market is poised for growth due to increasing legalization, public acceptance, and demand for high-THC strains and innovative products like premium edibles and vape formats. Opportunities lie in product innovation, expanding digital retail, and capitalizing on changing attitudes toward cannabis use. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Four More States Advance Bills To Allow Medical Marijuana Access In Hospitals Lawmakers in multiple states are advancing bills meant to provide patients with access to medical marijuana in health care facilities, with lawmakers from Virginia to Hawaii making the case this week for a policy change they say is necessary to ensure patients have a full range of treatment options at their disposal. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Emotional Zombies: How Weed Can Teach Us to Feel (Again) Never before in human history have we been exposed to so many sensory stimuli at once, and never, ever, have we felt so little. We live perpetually overloaded with screens, multitasking, demands for constant performance, and hyperproductivity. Thus, the mind remains permanently switched on, without the possibility of taking restorative breaks. And from so much noise and so little substance, a kind of permanent mental chatter arises that pushes us toward a progressive disconnection from our most basic emotions. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
OCS issues recall for Cannabis Cartel QUADS’ Dubai Inspired Chocolate
The Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) has issued a recall for Cannabis Cartel QUADS’ Dubai Inspired Chocolate. The OCS says the recall is being conducted as a “precautionary measure following an aflatoxin result identified in the non-cannabis, un-dosed chocolate ingredient.” The products were packaged on September 30, 2025 and November 27, 2025 with the UPC#: 00846067004731. |
| Feb 20, 2026 |
Canadian Cannabis Sales Bounced to a New Record Level in December Statistics Canada released December retail sales for the country, with cannabis sales increasing from the November levels, up 5.3% to C$503.7 million, a new record monthly total. This sequential increase was up 1.9% on a per-day basis more due to the higher number of days than in the prior month. November, originally reported at C$477.9 million, was revised slightly higher to C$478.4 million. The sales in December were up 2.9% from a year ago, down from the level in May at 8.3%, from 7.5% in June and the 6.2% in September. This was also down from the 20.3% August 2023 growth rate and 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, and it was down substantially from the December 2024 growth of 9.1%. The prior record level in August was only 1.8% above the year-earlier level. 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. |
| Feb 19, 2026 |
Medical Cannabis Products Provide Improved Sleep Outcomes for Patients With Insomnia London, United Kingdom: Patients diagnosed with insomnia experience sleep-related improvements following their use of medical cannabis preparations, according to long-term observational data published in the journal PLoS Mental Health. |
| Feb 19, 2026 |
Massachusetts Considers Freezing Issuance of Marijuana Cultivation Licenses Cannabis stores across Massachusetts are moving more product than in previous years as the number of licensed businesses reaches a record high in what has become a $1.6 billion annual industry. Even so, regulators are weighing a temporary halt on new cultivation licenses as growers grapple with falling wholesale and retail prices. |
| Feb 19, 2026 |
Satiety Bypass: How Cannabis Overrides the Brain’s "I’m Full" Signal Summary: The urgent, ravenous onset of "the munchies" after cannabis use is no longer just a cultural trope—it is a measurable cognitive phenomenon. A collaborative study has pinpointed exactly how THC overrides the brain’s natural "I’m full" signals. |
| Feb 19, 2026 |
Marijuana Legalization Is On The Ballot In Texas During The Primary Election That’s Happening Now Texas voters who go to the polls for the primary election that’s currently underway have the opportunity to weigh in on whether marijuana should be legalized in the state—at least if they select a Democratic ballot. |
| Feb 19, 2026 |
BC's cannabis scene navigates a market built for bigger players British Columbia has the highest per capita growers in all of Canada, with a cannabis culture that spans decades. There's a whole constellation of small, craft, local growers that have morphed their old ways into the new legal ones, and the quality old clients were used to can now be partially found in licensed retailers. Holly and Cam met because of, or perhaps thanks to, cannabis, and their union gave birth to Sassy Weed, a micro processor-cultivator based in BC. |
| Feb 19, 2026 |
Cannabis: What Is the Profile of Adults at Low Risk of Dependence? A new study led by Marie-Pierre Sylvestre, professor at the Université de Montréal School of Public Health, examines cannabis use 4 to 5 years after Canadian legalization by adopting a different perspective: rather than focusing solely on at-risk cases or those associated with problems, it identifies the socio-demographic, mental health, and lifestyle profiles of those who present a low risk of cannabis use disorder (CUD). |
| Feb 19, 2026 |
Hunting for the world's most mythical cannabis: Big Sur Holy Weed California is racing to save iconic cannabis strains before legalization kills them |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
RCMP shares "blunt truth" about organized crime and the Canadian cannabis market The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have shared a new document about how organized crime groups exploit the cannabis market as part of its online section dedicated to federal policing and organized crime. |
| Feb 18, 2026 |
Virginia Cannabis Sales Bill Moves to Senate Floor for Consideration Virginia legislators have moved closer to creating a legal retail cannabis market, advancing a revised Senate proposal. The updated bill cleared the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee on a 7 to 5 vote, sending it to the full Senate for debate. Meanwhile, House members are preparing to debate their companion bill. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
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