BudDigest

One little packet addressed to my son arrived in the mail one summer day along with a large envelope containing his senior portraits. I opened the senior portraits and saw my son in a black tux — clean-cut, smiling and handsome. My son — let’s call him Liam — opened the other package and we found three tiny black cannabis seeds called Northern Lights, “because they are specifically designed to grow well in cool climates like ours,” my son explained.

As parents, my husband and I hadn’t come to our decision to allow the pot growing lightly. Mostly we worried about what Liam would do with the pot if it grew successfully. Would he be tempted to sell it? Would we inadvertently be turning him into a drug dealer? And what about the whole “gateway” theory? Would this lead to experimentation with other more dangerous drugs? We knew Liam smoked pot from time to time and we accepted that. But would this setup turn him into a “wake and bake” guy?

Liam’s persistence and curiosity convinced us. Ever since we gave him the green light to grow pot, he had been studying the most effective methods for planting and harvesting

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The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Council on Cannabis called for legalizing adult-use cannabis in an interim report issued last week, and Gov. Josh Stein (D) has endorsed the advisory group’s proposal.

North Carolina is one of the last remaining states in the U.S. without any form of cannabis legalization.

Notably, while most states have followed a trend of legalizing medical cannabis before adopting adult-use reforms, the advisory group has suggested jumping straight to full legalization, as standing up and regulating a single industry is much easier than two, and that a medical-only program “could fuel an already robust illicit market, without regulation to ensure consumer safety.”

The advisory committee was appointed last year by the governor, who compared the state’s illicit cannabis market to the “Wild West” and endorsed the committee’s plan over the weekend, calling for a “safe, legal, and well-regulated market for adults.”

“Last year, I charged this group with developing a comprehensive solution to the unregulated sale of cannabis that is grounded in public health and public safety, with a special focus on keeping young people safe. This report provides the General Assembly with guidance and makes clear that a well-regulated market,

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Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) last week introduced a bill that would allow local breweries to partner with licensed medical cannabis manufacturers to produce cannabis-infused beverages. 

“This is an opportunity to support two local industries and to keep business in DC. We have fantastic local brewers and distillers in our city, we have a robust medical cannabis market, and this is a new opportunity for those two markets to collaborate and create a safe and smoke-free alternative for patients in DC.” — Bowser in a press release 

The proposal would also allow a license endorsement for breweries and distilleries to manufacture cannabis-infused products and an endorsement for medical cannabis manufacturers to import non-intoxicating cannabinoids for use in production. 

Under the plan, all products would be subject to mandatory testing and would be alcohol-free. The products would only be sold at licensed dispensaries and would be available only to registered medical cannabis patients.  

In a statement, Fred Moosally, director of the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, said the proposal “makes sense.”  

“Providing a legal pathway for our local breweries and distilleries to utilize their expertise in beverage production is the logical next step in maturing DC’s medical cannabis marketplace and supporting our local business ecosystem,” he said.  

According to the legislation fact sheet, the beverages would be subject to a 6% sales tax,

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Nebraska lawmakers last week approved a bill to allow the state Medical Cannabis Commission to set fees and raise revenue, the Nebraska Examiner reports. The legislation is the first-ever bill related to the voter-approved medical cannabis to be approved by state lawmakers. 

Crista Eggers, executive director of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, told the Examiner that the bill’s passage is “one very small step” but “something to celebrate.” 

“Still so much that has to be done to turn this into a program patients can actually access. And until we see that day, we cannot call it success.” — Eggers to the Examiner 

Lawmakers are currently considering another bill that is important for the state’s medical cannabis program to function. LB 933 would pay medical cannabis commissioners $12,500 for their work; create a fund to collect fees gifts, grants, and other monies collected by the commission; authorize the commission to set medical cannabis industry application fees, with a $50,000 cap; and require medical cannabis license applicants to submit to background checks. 

LB 933 passed the first round of debate 30-7 on March 20 and needs to pass two more rounds by April 17. The bill requires at least 33 votes to become law. 

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Multi-state cannabis firm The Cannabist Company announced last week that it is selling off all of its ownership interests in its subsidiaries and seeking to enter Chapter 15 bankruptcy. 

The Massachusetts-based company said it had already sold its stake in Virginia’s Green Leaf Medical to Parma for $130 million in a deal that closed in February. 

On March 23, the company said it had entered into an agreement with Holistic for the sale of its Ohio holdings, which includes: Columbia Care LLC; Columbia Care OH, LLC; Corsa Verde, LLC; Cannascend Alternative, LLC; Cannascend Alternative Logan, LLC; Green Leaf Medical of Ohio II, LLC; CC OH Realty, LLC; and Green Leaf Medical of Ohio III, LLC. The deal is worth $47 million, including $34.5 million in cash and a $12.5 million promissory note from Holistic, and is expected to close during the third quarter of the year. 

In a separate March 23 agreement, Cannabist agreed to sell its Columbia Care Delaware, LLC subsidiary to Parma for $16.5 million in cash. That deal is expected to close during the second quarter of this year. 

The company said it is still finalizing deals for its assets and subsidiaries in Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and West Virginia. In connection with the bankruptcy, Cannabist has ceased all of its New York operations and is in the process of shutting down its Pennsylvania operations. 

Cannabist indicated it has appointed SierraConstellation Partners LLC as chief restructuring

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In this episode of The Ganjapreneur Podcast, host TG Branfalt speaks with Dr. Gil Fanciullo, a longtime physician specializing in pain management and palliative care, about his early experiences recommending cannabis to patients well before it was legally accepted. Drawing from decades in medicine, including his work at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Fanciullo reflects on the risks physicians once faced, the patient-driven origins of medical cannabis adoption, and how attitudes within the medical community have evolved over time.

This interview explores the gaps that still exist in cannabis research, the complexities of cannabinoids and the so-called “entourage effect,” and the role cannabis could play in reducing reliance on pharmaceuticals like opioids. Fanciullo also discusses physician education, regulatory barriers, and what federal rescheduling could mean for both medical practice and the broader cannabis industry. Listen to the full episode below, or wherever you get your podcasts!

Listen to the episode: Read the transcript:

TG Branfalt (00:06):

Hey there. I’m your host, TG Branfalt, and this is the Ganjapreneur.com podcast where we try to bring you actionable information and normalize cannabis through the stories of entrepreneurs, activists, and industry stakeholders. Today, I am joined by Dr. Gil Fanciullo. He’s Professor Emeritus Dartmouth Medical

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The Missouri General Assembly last week sent a bill to Gov. Mike Kehoe’s (R) desk that seeks to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp products starting November 12, First Alert 4 reports.

The proposal, House Bill 2641, seeks to align state law with an incoming shift in federal policy pushed by Republican lawmakers and signed into law by President Trump last year. Those changes, implemented as part of a spending bill to reopen the federal government, were designed to kill the burgeoning national marketplace for hemp-derived THC and other cannabinoids.

The bill sets a new definition for industrial hemp that excludes “cannabinoids that are not capable of being naturally produced” by cannabis, and “cannabinoids that are capable of being naturally produced … but that were synthesized or manufactured outside the plant.”

The proposal also prohibits retailers from calling themselves “dispensaries,” noting that the term is reserved for licensed cannabis retailers.

Under the bill, retailers will still be allowed to sell products that contain less than 0.4 milligrams of THC.

Lawmakers approved the bill with bipartisan support in both chambers.

Meanwhile, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway last month sent cease and desist letters to 33 different retailers that were allegedly selling

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Adult-use cannabis retailers in Minnesota have surpassed $50 million in total sales since the market’s launch last September.

State data shows that medical cannabis outpaced adult-use sales during the market’s first month, but adult-use sales have exceeded or matched the medical market during every month since. January was the industry’s busiest month, with licensed retailers recording $10.3 million in adult-use and $8.8 million in medical sales.

Meanwhile, hemp-derived THC products are also regulated and available in Minnesota. Between hemp products and the new adult-use market, the state saw about $210 million in adult-use THC sales in 2025.

Eric Taubel, executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), told CBS News that he expects adult-use monthly sales to increase with time.

Additionally, the majority of the approximately 180 businesses holding adult-use cannabis licenses are microbusinesses, which Taubel said has created ”a unique market that’s oriented towards craft,” which provides “an opportunity for small businesses to compete.”

“The challenge is that that kind of intentional building of a market takes a little bit more time. But we’re really in the place where I think cannabis consumers have more options, they have product available, and it’s only going to get better

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The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority has posted nearly a dozen new job openings as Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) considers signing a bill to legalize adult-use sales, Marijuana Moment reports.

The agency posted 11 full-time, salaried positions, including several director and administrative roles essential to launching a new industry.

The General Assembly passed a conference bill last month to legalize adult-use cannabis sales starting January 1, 2027, sending the proposal to Gov. Spanberger for her consideration.

Virginia’s previous governor, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), vetoed multiple attempts to establish an adult-use cannabis market.

But Spanberger said during last year’s gubernatorial campaign that she would sign a cannabis sales proposal as governor if one came across her desk.

The CCA job listings include:

Compliance and Enforcement Director Licensing Director Chief Licensing and Compliance Officer Cannabis Equity Business Loan Administrator Compliance and Enforcement Manager Compliance and Enforcement Inspector Senior Licensing Associate Licensing Associates Impact Business Support Specialist Impact Business Support Team Manager Talent and Acquisition Specialist

The listings also include a pool of adjunct instructors in agriculture and hospitality.

The governor has until April 13 to sign the bill, allow it to become law without her signature, or veto the proposal.

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Four Massachusetts cannabis operators have filed a legal challenge against the ballot initiative seeking to repeal the state’s adult-use marketplace this November, Bloomberg Law reports.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the Supreme Judicial Court, claims the ballot measure violates the state constitution by combining multiple issues into a single ballot question and because of its “failure to present a unified statement of public policy to the voters.”

The ballot measure, titled the “Act to Restore Sensible Marijuana Policy,” was approved for this year’s ballot in January despite allegations that the reform campaign used fraudulent signature-gathering practices, including bait-and-switch tactics and lying to signatories about the petition’s purpose.

The lawsuit names Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Secretary of State William Galvin as defendants for their roles in allowing the petition to advance. The complaint requests “that this Court quash the Attorney General’s certification of the Petition and enjoin the Secretary of the Commonwealth from placing the Petition on the ballot for the 2026 general election.”

If approved by voters, the ballot initiative would repeal adult-use cannabis sales and the state’s home grow provisions. Instead, the initiative contains language to decriminalize the possession of up to two ounces of cannabis.

A poll

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