Month: July 2026

A cannabis dispensary run by the municipality of Grand Rapids, Minnesota is slated to open by July 2027, KAXE reports. It would be the second city-run dispensary in the state after officials in Anoka opened the first dispensary operated by a municipality in Minnesota in February. 

City Administrator Tom Pagel told KAXE that the City Council is set to approve construction plans on August 24, with construction set for mid-October. 

Pagel said after an initial ramp-up period, he expects the dispensary to serve about 1,800 customers a month and spend about $100, equating to about $500,000 a year. If the dispensary sees 2,000 customers a month and each spend about $120, the dispensary could see about $1 million in revenues. The city would be free to use the money for whatever it wanted as long as it was approved by the council.   

“And it helps us get to things that we just can’t afford. And maybe it’s helping supplement the library. Maybe it’s, you know, TBD, to be determined. What’s nice is 100% of the profits stay in the community.” — Pagel to KAXE 

The city is expected to hire two full-time managers, six part-time budtenders, and three part-time clerks. 

In all, 11 other Minnesota municipalities have applied for a dispensary license including Blaine, Buffalo, Byron, Elk River, Lauderdale, Mounds View, St. Anthony Village, St. Joseph, Osseo, Owatonna, and

Read More Here...

Colorado’s first-in-the-nation workers’ compensation program evaluation reimbursing medical cannabis may represent more than an isolated state experiment. As federal officials move toward rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, the trial run offers an early look at how medical cannabis could eventually be integrated into traditional healthcare reimbursement systems.

Today, medical cannabis remains almost entirely a cash expense. Patients—even those with physician recommendations—typically pay out of pocket because federal prohibition prevents most insurers from treating cannabis like other prescription medications.

Rescheduling would not automatically require insurers to cover medical cannabis. However, by recognizing cannabis as a medication with accepted medical use under federal law, it would remove one of the largest legal barriers preventing insurers from developing reimbursement models. It would also expand opportunities for clinical research that insurers often rely on when making coverage decisions.

That shift could ultimately allow medical cannabis to follow a pathway more similar to other prescription therapies, with physician oversight, standardized dosing, insurance reimbursement and broader patient access. And a Colorado study published this spring gives a window into what that could look like, specifically for injured workers.  

A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine documented what researchers

Read More Here...

Police in Austin, Texas say they will treat possession of delta-8 THC products as a state jail felony as a statewide product ban takes effect on Friday, KUT News reports. Felony convictions under the law could carry a punishment of 180 to 2 years in jail and a fine up to $10,000. 

According to a Department of State Health Services (DSHS) notice, delta-8 THC products will be Schedule I drugs under state law if they contain more than 0.3% THC.    

Hometown Hero CEO Lukas Gilkey, who led the initial lawsuit challenging the ban, told KUT that the state’s strategy “is now to kill [the hemp industry] by death by a thousand paper cuts.” 

In November 2021, the plaintiffs in the case won a temporary injunction which blocked the state from treating manufactured delta-8 products as a controlled substance; however, in May the state Supreme Court overturned the injunction, allowing it to take effect. The court determined that the lawsuit could still proceed, but enforcement of the rules could commence.   

“I think they’ve realized a whole ban is highly unlikely, but if they keep taking certain parts of the industry from us at some point, it is just gonna wipe out a lot of the small shops.” — Gilkey to KUT News 

There are more than 14,000 retailers licensed to

Read More Here...

The new line brings STM Canna’s pre-roll fill technology to lower-volume producers, starting at $3,500. RollCraft will debut it in a free webinar on Aug. 5 and give one live attendee a machine.

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – STM Canna has launched RollCraft, a line of pre-roll automation equipment built for craft producers and newly licensed cannabis operators. The company will introduce the line in a free webinar on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, at 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern), and will give one attendee a RollCraft machine. Registration is free at rollcraft.co/start-a-pre-roll-line/.

The RollCraft line applies STM Canna’s pre-roll fill technology to compact machines designed for operators producing lower daily volumes. The line includes the RollCraft MRB, a $3,500 filling machine that fills and packs up to 10,000 pre-rolls per day with a single operator and no pre-weighing, using the company’s Particle Lock Vibration method. It also includes the RollCraft ATC, a $24,995 automated Dutch Crown closing machine, and a combined MRB and ATC fill-and-close line priced at $29,995. All RollCraft equipment is made in the United States in Spokane, Washington.

STM Canna designs and manufactures pre-roll automation used by high-volume producers, with systems that range into six figures. According

Read More Here...

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) last week introduced legislation that would establish a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for hemp-derived consumable products. The bill comes as federal reforms on hemp THC sales are set to take effect in November.  

The Lawful Hemp Protection Act seeks to establish a clear federal framework for the hemp industry by setting uniform standards for cultivation, manufacturing, testing, and labeling. The bill would also prohibit synthetic cannabinoids in finished hemp-derived products and only allow sales of hemp grown, cultivated, and packaged in the U.S. The legislation would also limit retail sales of hemp-derived consumer products to individuals 21 years of age and older and prohibits the marketing or advertisement of any hemp products towards children. 

In a statement, Barr called the legislation “a commonsense regulatory framework that allows this important industry to continue to grow while ensuring products are safe and kept out of the hands of children.” 

“Kentucky has demonstrated that hemp can be successfully regulated while supporting farmers and protecting consumers. This legislation builds on that success by creating a national framework that rewards responsible producers, eliminates bad actors, and ensures consumers have confidence in the products they purchase.” — Barr in a press release 

Last month, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russel T. Vought sent a letter to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) asking lawmakers to

Read More Here...

Sales representatives at The Botanist New Jersey last week voted to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360. In a statement, Abbey Perl, a sales representative with The Botanist, said joining the union “means ensuring that more of the workers who build these brands secure stable wages, fair benefits, and workplaces that respect our contribution to the bottom line.”  

The Botanist organizing effort is part of the UFCW Local 360’s Cannabis Workers Rising initiative. 

In a statement, Hugh Giordano, director of organizing for UFCW Local 360, said sales representatives are ambassadors for New Jersey’s cannabis industry. 

“They devote their time and energy to helping businesses succeed, supporting dispensary teams, and ensuring the hard work of cultivation and manufacturing employees reaches customers across the state. By choosing to unionize, they’re investing in themselves, their families and communities, and New Jersey’s cannabis industry. These workers recognize that strong partnerships between employees and employers create stronger businesses.” — Giordano in a press release 

Sam Ferraino, Jr., president of UFCW Local 360, added that “As New Jersey’s cannabis industry continues to mature,” the union is “seeing organizing spread into every corner of the business.” 

“From cultivation and manufacturing to retail and now statewide sales professionals, workers

Read More Here...

Multistate cannabis company Vireo Growth Inc. is set to acquire Planet 13 Holdings Inc., adding 36 dispensaries across Florida, Illinois, and Nevada. The deal also includes three active cultivation and production assets – one in Nevada and two in Florida – a distribution license, and a consumption lounge license. 

In a statement, John Mazarakis, Vireo CEO, said the merger “represents another significant milestone of [the company’s] disciplined growth strategy.”  

“These assets will deepen our existing footprint in Nevada and Florida, while complementing our developing platform in Illinois. Combined with our previously announced acquisitions, this transaction will further expand our scaled operating platform across attractive limited-license markets and reinforces our belief that disciplined consolidation can create long-term organic growth and meaningful shareholder value.” — Mazarakis in a press release 

Following the close of the deal, Vireo will become the second-largest dispensary network in Florisa, with 106 dispensaries along with about 329,000 square feet of cultivation and production capacity. In Nevada, the company will run about 17 dispensaries and about 150,000 square feet of active cultivation and production capacity. The deal includes just one dispensary in Illinois.  

Larry Scheffler, Co-CEO of Planet 13, said in a statement that the company believes “Vireo is the right long-term steward” for the business.  

Earlier this month, Vireo announced plans to acquire some

Read More Here...

Support for adult-use cannabis legalization in Nebraska is now 47%, according to the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey from The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Rural Drug Addiction Research Center. The level marks an increase from the 44% support measured by the survey in 2024. 

The survey also found 84% of Nebraskans backed medical cannabis reforms, up from the 80% measured by the survey in 2024, when 71% of voters passed a ballot initiative legalizing a medical cannabis program in the state. 

According to the survey, 15% of respondents said they had traveled out of state to purchase cannabis legally in another state in 2026, a 4% increase from the 2024 survey.  

In a statement, Patrick Habecker, research assistant professor with the center and co-author of the report, said he thought it was “interesting to see how many people were engaging in” obtaining cannabis products from out of state.  

“I think we’re in an interesting place right now, especially for Nebraska, in that there isn’t a legal recreational market, nor an operating medical market, but there are a lot of dispensaries who operate out of that farm bill loophole. If that loophole closes and those dispensaries can no longer operate in the same way, are we going to see more people move to an illicit market within the state? Are more people going to

Read More Here...

A bill to legalize cannabis federally has been reintroduced in Congress, led by Democratic Senators Cory Booker (NJ), Chuck Schumer (NY), and Ron Wyden (OR). The Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act would completely remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act and establish a Center for Cannabis Products to regulate production, labeling, distribution, sales, and other manufacturing and retail elements of the cannabis industry. 

In a statement, Booker said, if approved, the legislation would “dismantle the unjust and outdated federal marijuana prohibition, establish a federal regulatory framework to protect public health and safety, expunge past convictions for low-level cannabis offenses, and deliver restorative justice to the communities most harmed by decades of failed drug policy.” 

The measure seeks to instructing the Food and Drug Administration to establish labeling standards for cannabis products, including potency, doses, servings, place of manufacture, and directions for use; establish programs and funding to prevent youth cannabis use; and increase funding for comprehensive opioid, stimulant, and substance use disorder treatment. 

“The over-criminalization of cannabis has destroyed far too many lives, disproportionately harming communities of color. Our Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act is necessary and would correct historical wrongs while investing in safety, research, workers’ rights, and banking accessibility for industry. The movement is budding,

Read More Here...

Medical cannabis sales in Arkansas were down 2.6% during the first six months of 2026, compared to the same period the year prior, according to state Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) data outlined by Talk Business & Politics. During the first six months of this year, medical cannabis sales in the state totaled $140.3 million, compared to $144 million during the first half of 2025. 

DFA indicated it had collected $16.8 million in cannabis derived tax revenues through the first half of the year, which includes revenue from the 6.5% sales tax and 4% privilege tax on cannabis sales. Despite the decrease in sales from January through June, the tax revenues match the totals collected by the agency from cannabis sales during the first six months of 2025, the report says. DFA spokesman Scott Hardin told TB&P that the totals may be the same despite the lower sales “due to a large payment on an audit or another factor,” adding that “tax revenue doesn’t always align with sales data.” 

Natural Relief Dispensary in Sherwood led the state with 8.55% of total cannabis sales, followed by Suite 443 in Hot Springs with 8.02% of total sales; CROP Dispensary in Jonesboro with 5.33% of total sales; Harvest Dispensary in Conway with

Read More Here...