CannabisLink.ca - Current Affairs 2026

(2026) - Chronological (887 items)

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Jun 9, 2026	Virginia Governor Touts ‘Productive’ Negotiations On Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales This Month Virginia’s governor says she is having “really productive” and “incredible” conversations with lawmakers about crafting a compromise approach to legalizing recreational marijuana sales that could pass as part of budget legislation this month. “I don’t want to get ahead of the process,” Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) said on Monday when asked about the fact that she has been holding meetings with legislators on the issue in recent days after vetoing an earlier proposal to enact the reform, as Marijuana Moment reported last week.
Jun 9, 2026	Legal Marijuana States Are Moving To Increase Possession Limits, Allowing Consumers To Carry More Cannabis Without Fear Of Criminalization Lawmakers in at least three states have passed legislation this year to significantly increase the amount of marijuana that adults can legally possess. These expansions of existing state cannabis legalization laws are advancing as part of broader legislation that addresses various aspects of marijuana regulatory programs that will change how licensed businesses operate within their markets.
Jun 9, 2026	Cannabis-Based Drug Receives First European Market Approvals for Chronic Back Pain After more than a decade in development, a full-spectrum cannabis extract has received market authorisation in Germany and Austria, with UK approval expected by the end of the year. Developed by German biopharmaceutical company Vertanical, Exilby® (also known as VER-01) will now be prescribed for the treatment of chronic lower back pain with a neuropathic component, and is expected to be eligible for reimbursement in line with national processes.
Jun 9, 2026	Chiang Mai's Cannabis Tourism Alarms Korean Authorities Chiang Mai's old town, located in the highlands of northern Thailand. On the 31st of last month, while walking around the historic Tha Phae Gate area, the smell of cannabis mixed with the aroma of mango sticky rice wafted through the air. Neon signs shaped like green cannabis leaves were visible in every alley, and inside shops, foreign tourists were selecting products after smelling them. In some alleys, songthaews (truck taxis) transporting tourists were lined up. A local cannabis farm official told this newspaper in an interview, "Korean tourists also visit steadily four or five times a month." Chiang Mai, a familiar tourist destination for Koreans, is recently being perceived as a 'cannabis tourism spot,' causing domestic drug control authorities to be on edge. As more countries legalize or relax regulations on cannabis, vigilance is weakening, but there are concerns that easily accessible cannabis products could serve as a gateway to stronger drugs.
Jun 9, 2026	Why Schedule III won’t solve one of cannabis’ biggest problems For years, the cannabis industry has viewed federal rescheduling as a finish line for operational normalcy. Brands, retailers, and other operators have hoped that moving cannabis to Schedule III would unlock mainstream banking access, open the door to major payment processors like Visa and Mastercard, and reduce the everyday headaches that have defined the industry for over a decade. That expectation is overly optimistic, especially when it comes to banking and payments.
Jun 9, 2026	Statistics Canada: Canadian Governments Earned $2.5B from Adult-Use Cannabis Sales During One Fiscal Year Federal and provincial governments earned $2.5 billion from adult-use cannabis sales during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, according to data from Statistics Canada. The total represents an 11.5% increase from the previous fiscal year. Simultaneously, governments earned $13.1 billion from alcohol sales, which marked a 4.2% decline and the largest annual decrease since the agency began tracking the figures in 2004-2005. During the fiscal year, adult-use cannabis sales increased 6.1% or $300 million from the previous fiscal year; however, the growth was down compared to the $5.5 billion increase in 2024-2025. In 2022-2023, adult-use cannabis sales in Canada were up 15.8% from the previous fiscal year, and in 2023-2024, sales increased 11.6%, according to Statistics Canada.
Jun 9, 2026	New Mexico built a successful cannabis market without the hype New Mexico is an oft-overlooked state, but the Land of Enchantment has a robust cannabis program that rivals that of neighboring Colorado or Nevada. At a time when states like Massachusetts are eyeing legalization rollbacks and federal changes are uncertain, New Mexico’s cannabis market is growing. It’s not flashy or headline-grabbing; it’s a steady climb to statewide success.
Jun 9, 2026	Cannabis market faces pressure from federal changes and oversupply Federal cannabis policy changes, market consolidation and difficulties with illicit-market enforcement remain among the biggest challenges facing Washington's legal marijuana industry, according to leaders of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.
Jun 8, 2026	Chicago Class-Action Lawsuit Alleges Deceptive Advertising of Medical Marijuana Products A newly filed federal class-action lawsuit is raising questions about how cannabis products are promoted in the U.S., with plaintiffs arguing that some of the industry’s largest companies have misled consumers about both benefits and potential health risks. The case, submitted in federal court in May, targets three Chicago-based cannabis operators: Verano Holdings, Cresco Labs, and Green Thumb Industries. Spanning over 300 pages, the complaint alleges the companies presented cannabis products as effective for a wide range of medical and psychological conditions while failing to adequately communicate possible adverse effects.
Jun 8, 2026	Creative Highs: Why So Many Artists Still Turn to Cannabis Few ideas are as deeply embedded in cannabis culture as the belief that weed makes people more creative. Whether it’s a musician in the studio, a writer staring down a blank page, or an artist chasing a new idea, cannabis has long been part of the conversation around creativity. The connection between cannabis and creativity has been around for generations. It’s woven into the histories of music, art, literature, and design, and it’s one of the biggest reasons many people still reach for cannabis today. One recurring expression of this belief shows up in conversations about weed and creative writing, where writers describe cannabis as a way to loosen thought patterns and get ideas flowing.
Jun 8, 2026	AGLC Announces Phased Move to Consignment Distribution Alberta’s cannabis regulator will be moving from its current wholesale model for cannabis sold in the province to a privately managed consignment model over the coming years. This approach would, over time, more closely align the province’s handling of whole cannabis with its wholesale alcohol distribution. Currently, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) buys cannabis directly from federally licensed producers, takes legal ownership of the inventory, and warehouses it before selling it to private licensed retailers. Producers receive payment from AGLC for their products within about two weeks of sending an invoice, rather than when retailers purchase them
Jun 8, 2026	Will rescheduling revive medical cannabis? It depends on the state Federal marijuana rescheduling has given the industry something it hasn’t had in years: a plausible argument that medical cannabis could matter again after declining in states that launch adult-use programs. But whether it gets a real second act now may depend on whether operators return to treating it like medicine.
Jun 8, 2026	PoliticsFederal Marijuana Prosecutions Hit Another Record Low In 2025 As State Legalization Expands, Government Report Shows Federal marijuana trafficking cases fell to another record-low in 2025, with a new report from the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) revealing a continued trend amid the expanding state-level reform movement that has given consumers more places to buy legal cannabis. A recently published USSC fact sheet on drug prosecution trends shows just 383 federal cannabis trafficking cases in the last fiscal year. That marks a decline from the 471 cases reported in 2024.
Jun 8, 2026	Idaho Lawmakers Approve Ballot Language For Measure To Block Voters From Legalizing Marijuana Idaho lawmakers have approved ballot language for a proposed constitutional amendment that would prevent voters from ever being able to decide to legalize marijuana via an initiative. The Legislative Council, a bicameral group of lawmakers, voted on Thursday to sign off on a statement of meaning and purpose for the measure, as well as arguments for and against it. If approved in November, the proposal would make it so only lawmakers could legalize cannabis or other controlled substances.
Jun 8, 2026	Bahamas: CBA Chairman warns of banking barriers for cannabis sector Clearing Banks Association chairman Gowon Bowe has warned that Bahamian commercial banks will struggle to provide services to cannabis-related businesses under existing banking rules, particularly those tied to the United States and the United Kingdom. Mr Bowe said major US banks prohibit transactions with financial institutions involved in the marijuana industry. He said that creates a serious hurdle for The Bahamas, whose banking system relies heavily on US correspondent banks for international transactions. "The United States, which is the largest clearing jurisdiction for The Bahamas because most of our transactions clear in the United States dollars, really has not changed the federal law relative to marijuana, and therefore is considered an illegal substance," he noted yesterday.
Jun 8, 2026	Alcohol Sales See Historic Decline While Cannabis Sales Rise Sales of alcohol and cannabis in Canada are on opposite trajectories, according to data from Statistics Canada, the national statistical agency of the Canadian government. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, sales of adult-use cannabis products increased 6.5 percent. By contrast, alcohol sales revenue declined by 1.6 percent. Canadians purchased $5.5 billion worth of cannabis products in the last fiscal year, with sales of herbal cannabis products comprising approximately 60 percent of all sales. Canada legalized the adult-use marijuana market in 2018.
Jun 8, 2026	The WNBA has removed cannabis from its list of banned substances The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has officially removed cannabis from its list of prohibited substances following a new collective bargaining agreement negotiated with the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).
Jun 8, 2026	Green goes gray: Older folks trying weed in record numbers for help with pain, sleep Willie Nelson excepted, it’s probably not an old dude’s face that pops to mind when you’re thinking of a typical marijuana user. But perhaps it should — older Americans have been getting into weed in record numbers in recent years. “We know that cannabis use is increasing in most age groups. But interestingly not in adolescents. It’s pretty flat with adolescence, and that tracks (with usage rates among this cohort with) other substances” such as alcohol,” University of Colorado psychology and neuroscience professor Angela Bryan told BizWest. “… So use is increasing among adults — and it’s increasing fastest among adults over 60.”
Jun 8, 2026	The fateful day Bob Dylan introduced The Beatles to cannabis Bob Dylan thought The Beatles were already getting high. They weren't – but after the night he spent with them at the Delmonico Hotel, that was about to change.
Jun 7, 2026	Over 140 Therapeutic Cannabis Products Produced in Morocco ohamed El Guerrouj, Director General of the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC), emphasized that Morocco has reinforced its position in the regulated therapeutic cannabis sector. He made his remarks on Saturday during the first scientific day on the therapeutic use of cannabis. ANRAC organized the event in partnership with the Moroccan Society of Medical Sciences (SMSM). El Guerrouj said more than 140 cannabis-based products have been manufactured by the Moroccan industry and officially registered with the Moroccan Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AMMPS). The products are also available in over 600 authorized points of sale.

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