Author: admin

The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) this week revoked the license of cannabis vape manufacturer K.U.S.H. Collective and ordered product recalls for the 12 brands associated with the company. Regulators said “the licensee failed to demonstrate that cannabis products attributed to being manufactured on the licensee’s premises were in fact cultivated, processed, manufactured, packed, or held in a [duly licensed] location,” and that there was “probable cause to believe the products included in this notice of embargo may be adulterated or misbranded, posing a potential risk to consumers.” The recalled products include vape cartridges and integrated vaporizer products from…

Ukraine’s medical cannabis legalization policy took effect last Friday, August 16, the Kyiv Independent reports. The change in cannabis policy comes as the country continues to defend itself against Russia, which launched an invasion against its neighbor Ukraine more than two years ago. Under the policy, military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and cancer patients are allowed to purchase and utilize medical cannabis so long as it is prescribed by a doctor. Experts say that about 30% of soldiers in Ukraine may be impacted by PTSD and the Ukrainian Electronic Healthcare System (EHS) indicates a significant increase in the…

The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) on Tuesday sent a letter to the Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requesting guidance for cannabis businesses as the federal government moves to reschedule cannabis from a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act to a Schedule III. Under the reforms, state-approved cannabis businesses would no longer be subject to section 280E of the tax code.  In a statement, Melanie Lauridsen, vice president of tax policy and advocacy for the AICPA, said that “Since the beginning of the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana across a growing number of states, cannabis…

North Dakota’s tax commissioner estimates that adult-use cannabis taxes in the state could reach $7.281 million every two years based on a 5% sales tax rate, the Associated Press reports. The proposed ballot measure does not include a tax rate – a decision that will ultimately be left to lawmakers.  During a discussion last week with Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus and a panel of lawmakers, Steve Bakken, who is leading the initiative to legalize cannabis in the state, presented estimates for tax revenue, based on data from six other states, extrapolated for North Dakota. He estimated annual revenues between a low of…

Since January, California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force (UCETF) has seized more than $191 million worth of illegal cannabis across 13 of the state’s counties, with $70.7 million of that total occurring since July.  In a statement, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) said that the task force has seized more than 42,000 pounds of cannabis since the start of the year.  “Through the UCETF, California continues the charge in cracking down on the illicit cannabis market for the safety of consumers and the support of the legal cannabis industry.” — Newsom in a press release  Bill Jones, chief of the California…

The National Football League (NFL) has reached an agreement with its players union to further reform its marijuana policies, significantly reducing fines for positive tests while increasing the allowable THC threshold for players. About four years after NFL ended the practice of suspending players over cannabis or other drugs as part of a collective bargaining agreement, the league has again revised its Substances of Abuse Policy and Performance Enhancing Substances Policy as the state-level legalization movement continues to expand. Effective Friday, the THC limit constituting a positive drug test will increase from 150 ng/ml to 350 ng/ml, the NFL Players…

The Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA) and Wisconsin Tribal Task Force on Cannabis on Tuesday announced the launch of its Wisconsin Wellness campaign, aimed at legalizing medical cannabis in the state, according to a Daily Cardinal report. Wisconsin is the only Upper Midwest state without some form of cannabis legalization.  During a press conference on Tuesday, Wisconsin Tribal Task Force on Cannabis Founder Michael Decorah noted that there’s currently no legislation in Wisconsin seeking to enact the reforms. Decorah added that those in need of medical cannabis often have to travel to nearby states – such as Michigan and Illinois,…

A newly published report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) finds that psilocybin-assisted therapy in a group of frontline clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic “resulted in a significant, sustained reduction of symptoms of depression.” “In this randomized clinical trial, we aimed to investigate whether psilocybin therapy could improve symptoms of depression, burnout, and PTSD in clinicians who developed these symptoms from frontline clinical work during the pandemic,” authors wrote in the new report, adding that their findings “establish psilocybin therapy as a new paradigm of treatment for this postpandemic condition.” The study, published on Thursday in the…

The Maine Office of Cannabis Policy (OCP) has expanded a recent recall of cannabis products sold at retail stores statewide due to the presence of harmful bacteria, yeast, and mold. The recall initially began on October 11, 2024, focusing on the strain “Frosted Cookies,” produced by Massachusetts-based Nova Farms. The contaminated products were sold at 14 adult-use stores between September and early October. As of October 24, 2024, the recall has grown to include more stores and products, including a second strain, “Frozay.” The recalled products include pre-ground flower, pre-rolls, and blunts, which failed microbial testing for bacteria and mold.…

Brittney Griner, the WNBA star and Olympic gold medalist who spent 10 months in a Russian detention center after bringing two marijuana vape cartridges into the country, is set to speak at a cannabis industry event next year, organizers have announced. Griner, who was released from detention two years ago as the result of a government-negotiated prisoner swap, will be the keynote speaker in February at the Women Grow 2025 Leadership Summit, the group said this week. The event will be held in National Harbor, Maryland, not far from Washington, D.C. Women Grow, which supports female leadership in the cannabis…