CannabisLink.ca - Current Affairs 2026

(2026) - Chronological (1691 items)

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Oct 14, 2026	German Organizations Criticize Changes To Cannabis Flower Reimbursements This month, the Health Committee of the German Bundestag held a hearing to discuss the coalition’s proposed amendments to the Statutory Health Insurance (SHI) Contribution Rate Stabilization Act. The measure was approved before the Bundestag’s summer recess. The German Hemp Association (DHV) issued a statement leading up to the recent Health Committee hearing.
Oct 14, 2026	The Aurora Ménage à Trois: Three Shifts in Seven Days Curaleaf Holdings’ battle to acquire Aurora Cannabis has shifted in favour of the Canadian producer on multiple fronts over the last week. Not only has Curaleaf raised its hostile bid by 25% to an implied US$5.00 per share, but media reports suggest the BAT-backed (British American Tobacco) Organigram Global is now also in contention to merge with Aurora. Alongside the completion of a major expansion of its German EU-GMP facility expected to double its annual flower production, Aurora is now in a considerably stronger position than just a week earlier.
Oct 14, 2026	Cannabis prices down $1 to date in 2026 Cannabis prices hit a new low in September, falling to an average $6.57 per gram. Total sales in both the adult-use and medical markets also fell between August and September. The average price per gram of marijuana has fallen by just over a dollar in 2026. In January, marijuana averaged $7.63 a gram. Prices have generally fallen each month, except between April and May where the price per gram increased by nine cents. Marijuana prices peaked in March 2024, at an average $12.51 per gram and have largely fallen month-over-month since. The average price per adult-use product has also followed the same trend. In September, the average adult-use product cost $27.24, down from $28.09 the previous month.
Oct 14, 2026	Why Aurora Cannabis (TSX:ACB) Is Defending Its Medical Cannabis Strategy Against Curaleaf's Revised Bid Aurora Cannabis Inc. (TSX:ACB) is in the spotlight because it is defending against a hostile take-over bid from Curaleaf Holdings, Inc., which was revised in early October to an offer that Curaleaf values at US$5.00 per Aurora share. Aurora's board had said it would give a formal recommendation on the revised terms after its special committee reviews them. In the meantime it has told shareholders to take no action. The company's case for independence rests on a debt-free balance sheet, a growing international medical cannabis business and EU-GMP certified production capacity.
Oct 13, 2026	Puerto Rico Rolls Back Workplace Protections for Medical Cannabis Patients. Who’s Left Out? Puerto Rico’s new Act 204-2026 creates an exception to workplace protections for registered medical cannabis patients in certain safety-sensitive transportation roles. The law does not eliminate the medical cannabis program or protections for patients generally, but it gives employers a new legal basis for employment decisions involving covered workers.
Oct 13, 2026	Clinical Trials Begin in U.S. for First Cannabis-Based Medicine for Chronic Pain The first clinical trials in the United States for a cannabis-based medicine for chronic pain are getting underway. New York State has authorized a clinical trial of VER-01 in patients with chronic low back pain from lumbosacral radiculopathy, commonly known as sciatica. VER-01 was developed by Vertanical, a German biopharmaceutical company, and recently became available by prescription in Europe, where it is sold under the brand name Exilby. Exilby is a full spectrum extract derived from THC, CBD and terpenes found in cannabis sativa. Unlike other cannabis-based medicines already on the market, such as Epidolex and Marinol, which are used to treat epilepsy and improve appetite, Exilby was specifically developed to treat chronic pain.
Oct 13, 2026	Canadian cannabis company Organigram enters fight for Aurora The fight to acquire Aurora Cannabis may include a global tobacco giant. In a signal that Curaleaf Holdings’ hostile takeover bid could be undercut, Organigram Holdings, a Canadian licensed producer partly owned by British American Tobacco, is also interested in acquiring Aurora, cannabis newsletter Cultivated reported.
Oct 13, 2026	How Many U.S. Adults Consume Cannabis? A team of researchers affiliated with the U.S. National Institutes of Health recently conducted a study examining, among other things, the rate of cannabis use by adults in the United States. The study’s findings were published in the journal Addictive Behaviors. The study used data from the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey, which asked about past 12-month cannabis use. The survey also asked about which consumption method cannabis consumers used, such as smoking, vaping, dabbing, edibles, drinkables, and topicals. The study also asked about tobacco use. “An estimated 23.1% of US adults reported past 12-month cannabis use: 62.6% smoked, 57.6% consumed, 40.1% vaped, 15.2% applied lotion, and 12.4% dabbed, with over half (52.7%) endorsing >1 route of administration.” the study found.
Oct 13, 2026	U.S. Legal Marijuana Sales Reach $2.52 Billion in September, Bringing 2026 Total to $21.6 Billion Legal marijuana sales across the United States reached approximately $2.52 billion in September, bringing the estimated total for the first nine months of 2026 to $21.6 billion, according to an analysis by The Marijuana Herald. The September estimate was approximately 1.1% below the $2.55 billion reported for August, although daily sales were slightly higher at $84 million compared to $82 million. September’s sales were also around 8% higher than the $2.34 billion sold in September, 2025. The roughly $2.52 billion in sales brings 2026’s year-to-date total to $21.6 billion.
Oct 13, 2026	Cannabis Stocks in 2026: What Is Listed, What Is Next and How the Market Trades On April 22, 2026, US Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an order moving cannabis under a state medical licence and any FDA-approved cannabis drugs to Schedule III, formally recognising its medical value and unlocking DEA registration for commercial operators for the first time. While medical cannabis remained in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), a company whose primary business is growing and selling cannabis could not accurately state that it complied with federal law and thus couldn’t meet the listing requirements for both NYSE and NASDAQ. As such, until this change, cannabis operators have been effectively locked out of major US exchanges due to the federal illegality of cannabis. For the first time in the industry’s history, US cannabis operators had a path to list their stocks on blue-chip exchanges.
Oct 13, 2026	Colorado’s Weed Regulator Can Afford 84 of Its 158 Staffers: Four States on What Legalization Left Unfinished. Colorado’s cannabis regulator is authorized for roughly 158 staff positions. It has about 84 employees. The Marijuana Enforcement Division relies heavily on the application and licensing fees it collects from the industry it oversees, and as the state’s market has slowed, so has the money. Raising fees to close the gap, says Dominique D. Mendiola, the division’s senior director, “risks adding pressure to businesses already navigating a declining market.” It is the kind of problem nobody campaigned on. Legalization was sold as a finish line. More than a decade after the first adult-use sales, the governments running these markets describe it as the start of a job that keeps changing: fixing early decisions, catching up on equity, funding regulators and now bracing for whatever Washington does next.
Oct 13, 2026	Anti-Marijuana Attitudes In Sports Are Easing Up, But Ongoing Stigma Makes Athletic Trainers’ Jobs Harder, NFL-Funded Study Shows Long-held anti-marijuana attitudes in sports leagues are “evolving” as social trends are “driving more openness to cannabis” as an alternative to opioids for treating athletes’ pain—but ongoing stigma creates trust issues that makes it harder for medical staff to do their jobs, according to a new study funded by the National Football League (NFL). “Negative perceptions and longstanding stigma continue to shape how cannabis use is viewed among athletes, medical staff, and society, making open discussion difficult,” the study, published this week in the journal Sports Health, said. However, “medical professionals, particularly younger or research-focused staff, are increasingly seeing cannabis as a safer or more effective option than alcohol, opioids, or other prescription drugs.”
Oct 12, 2026	Cannabis Telemedicine in Germany: Navigating the Legal Landscape Key Points Remote medical cannabis treatment in Germany must meet medical safeguards, and advertising is subject to separate restrictions. EU cross-border telemedicine creates opportunities while leaving important questions about advertising and professional standards unresolved. Proposed changes to the Medical Cannabis Act would require in-person consultations for cannabis flowers and restrict mail-order dispensing; the amendments remain unadopted.
Oct 12, 2026	Cannabis Policy Again Overlooked in Fall Elections Despite Economic Impact As provincial and municipal elections unfold across Canada this fall, cannabis policy remains largely sidelined by broader political issues, even as the legal sector drives significant economic activity. Some provincial and municipal elections have touched on cannabis issues, but for the most part, cannabis continues to take a back seat to issues like the economy, crime, and housing. In British Columbia, the cannabis industry faces a snap election with no major party platforms addressing its concerns, though advocacy groups are pushing for economic reforms and retail regulations. In Quebec, a CAQ defeat could mean future changes to the province’s strict regulations, but that remains to be seen. In Manitoba, communities are split over local plebiscites on cannabis retail, and Ontario towns like Aurora grapple with local implementation challenges, retail task forces, and public safety debates.
Oct 12, 2026	Uganda Launches a Cooperative Dedicated to Medical Cannabis Uganda continues to structuring its medical cannabis industry with the launch of a national cooperative bringing together producers, investors, and stakeholders in the medical cannabis and hemp industries. Chaired by the minister Justine Kasule Lumumba, this new organization aims to support the sector’s development, facilitate access to markets and investments, while ensuring compliance with a strict regulatory framework.
Oct 12, 2026	Veterans call on government to reimburse medical cannabis costs Armed forces veterans are calling on the UK government to reimburse the cost of prescribed medical cannabis, with a new parliamentary petition seeking support similar to that available in Canada and Australia. The campaign, launched by Wellford Clinics in partnership with veterans, comes alongside a Veterans Access Scheme that offers free lifetime appointments and waives prescription fees for eligible former service personnel. The clinic says the scheme could save patients up to £240 a year.
Oct 12, 2026	Medical Marijuana Improves Cancer-Related Symptoms And Helps Reduce Use Of Opioids, Federally Funded Study Shows A new federally funded study shows that “most cannabis users reported that it improved their cancer-related symptoms”—including pain, appetite, mood and insomnia—while also serving as a substitute for opioids for nearly a third of them. Researchers with the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Penn State Cancer Institute and Fox Chase Cancer Center surveyed 186 patients, about a quarter of whom (26 percent) had used cannabis since their diagnosis.
Oct 12, 2026	Overseed: France's First Medical Cannabis Biotech Company Overseed is one of the startups aiming to make France a producer of medical cannabis—rather than just a market supplied by imports from Canada or the Netherlands. Founded in Orléans in 2021 by Hugues Péribère, one of the first biotech companies approved by the ANSM for R&D in pharmaceutical cannabis production, the company is patiently building the value chain that would one day enable France to have its own domestically produced 100% cannabis-based medications.
Oct 12, 2026	California Cannabis Dispensary Launch First RFID-Powered Technology Perfect Union Northside dispensary in Sacramento has become the first licensed cannabis retailer in California approved by the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) to launch RFID-powered self-checkout technology through EXO, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of cannabis retail. Following a successful observation and review by state regulators, Perfect Union Northside received confirmation that the EXO self-checkout system could remain on the sales floor and continue operating while maintaining compliance with California cannabis regulations.
Oct 10, 2026	Pipedream? Africa’s cannabis licensing push outpaces evidence of commercial returns Africa’s regulated cannabis industries are expanding through cultivation projects and processing investments, but growth in licences and production has yet to be matched by clear evidence of sales revenue, export earnings or profitability. The emerging businesses fall into distinct markets: industrial hemp, medicinal and pharmaceutical cannabis, and regulated cannabis-derived consumer products such as cosmetics and food supplements. Recreational cannabis is a separate category, governed by different rules on possession, cultivation and sales. Each market has its own customers, regulatory requirements and commercial prospects.

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