North Carolina Officials Weigh Marijuana And Hemp Policies As Federal Law Remains In Flux

"We are not in any way convinced that we are definitely moving to be a marijuana-legal state. It could happen, but it may not." By Clayton Henkel, NC Newsline When members of the North Carolina House and Senate reconvene in November, they will be faced with having to decide how to regulate intoxicating hemp products. The two chambers were at odds in July over House Bill 328, which would ban hemp with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC and prohibit the sale of any hemp consumables, including CBD, to anyone under 21.

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Trump Releases More Federal Marijuana Prisoners As DEA Considers Rescheduling Cannabis

President Donald Trump has granted clemency to two people who are serving time for federal marijuana convictions as his administration advances the process of rescheduling cannabis. The president on Thursday commuted the sentences of Jerry Haymon IV and Kevin Harden, effectively ending their sentences and putting them on the path to being free. Haymon was given a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence in federal prison for his participation in a marijuana distribution conspiracy, and has been living in home confinement for the past year. Until now, he has had about a year left to go and has experienced difficulty getting approval for jobs.

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Texas Democratic Lieutenant Governor Candidate Campaigns On Support For Marijuana Reform At ‘Legalize It’ Rally

The Democratic candidate running to become Texas's next lieutenant governor is drawing a clear contrast with the Republican incumbent on the issue of cannabis. Vikki Goodwin, who is currently a state representative, will be holding what her campaign calls a "Legalize It" rally in Houston on Saturday. It will feature a performance from Grammy award-winning musician Kam Franklin and an update from an attorney helping to lead litigation against hemp THC product restrictions that were recently enacted by Texas officials. A press release from Goodwin's campaign calls out "pharmaceutical and alcohol industry donations" to her opponent, Lt.

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Nebraska Supreme Court Upholds Medical Marijuana Ballot Initiatives, Rejecting Legal Challenge

Republican elected officials had sought to invalidate the voter-approved medical cannabis legalization ballot measures. By Zach Wendling, Nebraska Examiner The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld Nebraska’s two voter-approved medical cannabis laws following a legal challenge to the 2024 petition effort. Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke, in a 7-0, 49-page opinion, sided against the lawsuit from former state Sen. John Kuehn of Heartwell, a longtime opponent of medical marijuana, as well as similar arguments from Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen (R) and Attorney General Mike Hilgers (R). The duo had alleged widespread fraud and “notarial malfeasance” in the petition process.

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Lawmakers Debate How—And Whether—To Regulate Hemp THC Products After Trump Signs Bill To Delay Scheduled Ban

Now that President Donald Trump has signed a bill that contains provisions to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that was scheduled to take effect in November, lawmakers are debating how—and whether—the crop's derivatives should be regulated as an alternative to prohibition. Several Republican lawmakers spoke to Marijuana Moment about the kinds of rules they would like to see enacted to keep hemp THC products legal, while one said he wants to ban them altogether. Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), who sponsoring a bill to keep hemp THC drinks legal while taxing and regulating them like alcohol…

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New Hampshire Should Legalize Marijuana And Stop Sending Money To Neighboring States, Democrat Running For Governor Says

A New Hampshire Democratic candidate for governor says the state should legalize marijuana and stop adding revenue to the coffers of its neighbors that have enacted the reform. "We do need an additional revenue source, and there's one sitting right out there: the legalization of cannabis," Cinde Warmington, the sole Democrat running for her party's nomination to challenge incumbent Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R), said at a town hall event on Wednesday. "There is no reason why the citizens of New Hampshire should be driving across state borders to pay taxes to Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine to purchase a product that they obviously have stated that they want to have access to in our state," she said.

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Trump signs hemp product ban delay (Newsletter: September 4, 2026)

ID lawmaker: Vote for anti-marijuana ballot measure; Study: Cannabis in dentistry; Future of hemp op-ed Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… BREAKING: Journalism is often consumed for free, but costs money to produce! While this newsletter is proudly sent without cost to you, our ability to send it each day depends on the financial support of readers who can afford to give it.

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The Next Few Months Will Determine If The Future Of Hemp THC Products Is Regulation Or Prohibition (Op-Ed)

"The coming weeks will show whether the one-month reprieve becomes a bridge to lasting regulatory clarity or simply a brief postponement of an existential deadline." By Matt Ginder, Greenspoon Marder For years, the hemp industry has occupied a unique and controversial space within the broader cannabis economy. What began as a niche agricultural market under the 2018 Farm Bill has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry spanning CBD products, THC beverages, edibles and more. Today, the hemp industry faces its greatest challenge yet: a federal restriction that many stakeholders warn will fundamentally reshape—or even eliminate—a large share of the market, raising urgent questions for thousands of businesses.

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Idaho Lawmaker Urges Voters To Approve Ballot Measure Restricting Their Own Ability To Legalize Marijuana

An Idaho lawmaker is urging voters to approve a measure on the November ballot that would restrict their own ability to legalize marijuana in the future. Sen. C. Scott Grow (R), who sponsored the proposed constitutional amendment to make it so that only lawmakers could legalize cannabis or other controlled substances, said the measure is a way to push back against the marijuana industry, which he claims is trying to make money off of addiction. "The reason that people push this—the marijuana lobby, whomever—is because there's money to be made, particularly when people become addicted," the lawmaker told Local News 8.

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Trump Signs Bill To Delay Hemp THC Product Ban, Giving Lawmakers More Time To Craft Regulations Instead Of Prohibition

President Donald Trump has signed a bill that contains provisions to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that was scheduled to take effect in November. The legislation, which passed the House of Representatives this week and was approved by the Senate last month, is intended to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations as an alternative to prohibition. The provision is part of a bill to keep the federal government funded through December 11—past the end of the current fiscal year on September 30. Now that it has been enacted into law, the effective date of the hemp product ban is also being moved to December 11.

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Integrating Medical Cannabis Into Dentistry Can Boost Patient Quality Of Life During Treatments, Study Finds

Medical marijuana has "promising therapeutic potential" in dentistry—including for treating conditions like orofacial pain, refractory periodontal diseases and burning mouth syndrome—according to a new scientific review. "Integrating cannabinoids into dental practice represents a significant path toward improving clinical outcomes and enhancing patients' quality of life during treatments," the paper, written by Brazilian researchers with the Health Department of the Federal District, School of Public Health of the Federal District and Higher Education Institute of Brasília, said. The review, which involved an analysis of 59 previously published studies, generally found "theoretical and scientific support on the potential therapeutic uses of medicinal cannabis in dentistry."

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Lawmakers turn focus to hemp THC product regulation (Newsletter: September 3, 2026)

CA gov touts marijuana revenue; Bill to legalize cannabis drive-thrus in CA shelved; Study: Cannabinoids for RLS; VA's focus on cannabis use disorder Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Free to read (but not free to produce)! We're proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we're happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen.

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Newly Released VA Records Raise Questions About How ‘Cannabis Use Disorder’ Diagnoses Are Affecting Veterans (Op-Ed)

"Diagnoses are sometimes entered into medical records without...meaningful consideration of medically authorized cannabis use." By Etienne Fontan, Veterans Action Council The 2013 release of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) introduced cannabis use disorder (CUD) as a new diagnosis, replacing the DSM-4 categories of Cannabis Abuse and Cannabis Dependence with a single, severity-based unified diagnosis. This change was framed as a modernization of psychiatric classification, but it has had significant implications within systems such as the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

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California Has Generated $8.4 Billion In Marijuana Tax Revenue, Governor Announces

California's governor is touting the state's large haul of marijuana tax revenue since voters legalized recreational cannabis in 2016, saying that the money "helps fund programs that benefit Californians, including childcare and early childhood development, youth substance abuse prevention, medical research and environmental recovery." Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Wednesday said that legal marijuana sales have generated nearly $8.4 billion in tax revenue for California communities. That includes almost $4.5 billion worth of cannabis excise taxes and nearly $3.4 billion in sales taxes. "We are building a legal cannabis market that generates billions for Californians, and going after the illicit operators who undermine it," Newsom said.

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California Bill To Legalize Marijuana Dispensary Drive-Thru Windows Is Put On Hold By Its Sponsor

A California lawmaker is putting her own bill to legalize marijuana dispensary drive-thru windows on hold for now, she tells Marijuana Moment. The legislation from Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D) had passed the full Assembly this session and advanced through a Senate committee, but the sponsor said she wasn't sure it had enough support to get through the full chamber and onto the governor's desk this year. "California cannabis retailers lack a common and accessible transaction path for consumers afforded by so many other retailers in California, including fast food, pharmacies, banks, to-go alcohol sales at restaurants and a limited number of liquor stores," Pellerin told Marijuana Moment.

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Cannabis Has ‘Therapeutic Promise’ For People With Restless Leg Syndrome, Scientific Review Concludes

Cannabis and its components appear to play a role in alleviating the symptoms of restless leg syndrome (RLS), according to a new scientific review. RLS is a neurological disorder that involves an urge to move the legs and that sometimes involves sensations like tingling or aching. "Cannabinoids—particularly CBD—may hold therapeutic promise in RLS through multi-system neurobiological effects," the study, published in the Annals of Indian Academy of Neurology, said. Researchers at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences conducted a comprehensive search of previously published studies on the issue, ultimately deciding to include seven papers in their review.

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Bipartisan Lawmakers Turn Focus To Regulating Hemp THC Products Now That A Federal Ban Is Being Delayed

House and Senate lawmakers from both major parties say it's time for Congress to get to work crafting regulations for hemp THC products now that legislation to delay a scheduled ban on them is poised to be enacted. Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that redefined hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container would remain legal after November 12.

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Hemp ban delay passes Congress, heads to Trump’s desk (Newsletter: September 2, 2026)

CA gov signs marijuana labeling bill; 10 states made over half of cannabis arrests; Study: THC can produce psychedelic-like effects; Hemp seed op-ed Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Free to read (but not free to produce)! We're proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we're happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen.

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GOP Hemp Opponents Fail To Derail House Agenda In Protest Of Delaying THC Product Ban

A handful of congressional Republicans threatened this week to upend their leadership's agenda in protest of legislation to delay the scheduled federal recriminalization of hemp THC products from taking effect. Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that redefined hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container would remain legal after November 12.

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House Passes Bill To Delay Hemp THC Product Ban, Sending It To Trump’s Desk

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that contains provisions to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that is currently scheduled to take effect in November. The legislation, which has already been approved by the Senate, is intended to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations as an alternative to prohibition. It now heads to President Donald Trump's desk. The provision is part of legislation, which cleared the House in a 370-48 vote on Tuesday, to keep the federal government funded through December 11—past the end of the current fiscal year on September 30.

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Hemp Seeds Could Be Banned As A Side Effect Of The Fight Over THC Products (Op-Ed)

"American hemp farmers deserve to know their seed supply is not about to become collateral damage in a fight that was never about them." By Jessica Wasserman, American Seed and Innovation & Growth Alliance On November 12, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could become the primary regulator of America's hemp seed supply. Not because Congress debated and decided it should be, but because of a single sentence, tucked into last December's FY2026 appropriations bill. If Section 781 of that legislation takes effect as written for seed, it will pull DEA into the regulation of hemp seed, reclassifying it as a potential Schedule I substance subject to destruction.

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These Ten States Were Responsible For More Than Half The Marijuana Arrests In The U.S. Last Year

A recently released FBI report shows that more than 200,000 people were arrested marijuana-related offenses in the U.S. last year—and more than half of those cannabis busts were made by police in just ten states. Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Georgia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Indiana, Louisiana and Alabama police carried out more than 131,000 marijuana arrests in 2025, according to a new analysis of the federal data from NORML. That's about 60 percent of the nationwide total. Texas alone saw more than 29,000 cannabis arrests last year—accounting for about 14 percent of the nation's marijuana busts—with 98 percent of those being for possession alone.

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High Doses Of THC From Cannabis Can Produce ‘Psychedelic-Like States,’ Study Shows

High doses of THC from marijuana may have psychoactive effects that are hard to distinguish from those caused by the psychedelic psilocybin, according to a new study. The results, researchers said, could have implications for future clinical trials of psychedelics by helping to address the problem of "unblinding" where participants are able to tell whether they have received the drug being tested, a place or a comparator substance. That issued could potentially be avoided by administering cannabis products to participants in the non-psychedelic control group, the new paper indicates. The study, conducted by researchers with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, involved four adults who underwent three or four sessions during which they were given either 25 milligrams of psilocybin, 25 milligrams of THC, 50 milligrams of THC or a placebo.

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DEA’s list of cannabis questions for businesses seeking rescheduling protections (Newsletter: September 1, 2026)

House vote on hemp ban delay; KY gov pushes Congress not to ban THC products; LA marijuana penalties; Study: Medical cannabis for people with cancer Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Free to read (but not free to produce)! We're proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we're happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen.

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California Governor Signs Bill Restricting Marijuana Packaging That’s ‘Attractive To Children’

California's governor has signed a bill to more clearly define the types of marijuana packaging and labeling that is prohibited due to appealing to children. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) gave final approval to the legislation from Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D) on Monday, about two weeks after it passed the Assembly in a vote of 69-1 and cleared the Senate 38-0. "When voters legalized adult-use cannabis, they also made clear that California must protect children and ensure cannabis products are sold in a tightly regulated marketplace," the governor said in a press release.

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Louisiana Governor Asks Schools To Publicize New Marijuana Penalties That Will Jail People For Smoking Near Campuses

Louisiana's governor is asking schools to publicize a new law he signed that threatens to send people to jail for up to one year if they smoke marijuana within 2,000 feet of a school property—including a college campus. The legislation that Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed in May applies to people who violate drug laws "while smoking, vaping, or otherwise abusing such controlled dangerous substance while on any property used for school purposes by any school, within two thousand feet of any such property, or while on a school bus."

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Federally Funded Cancer Study Highlights Need To Cover Medical Marijuana Under Insurance, Researchers Say

A new federally funded study sheds light on cancer patients' use of medical marijuana and how symptom relief differs based on the THC and CBD content of the cannabis products they are using. Researchers said that the results, which also shed light on barriers to access such as high costs, underscore the "need for insurance coverage of medicinal cannabis." "Cannabis use conferred therapeutic benefits for several health issues commonly encountered by cancer patients," the paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, said. "Common benefits reported across the cohort of patients included pain relief, improved sleep, physical relaxation, emotional regulation, and reduction of concomitant medication."

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House To Vote On Delaying Hemp THC Ban This Week, Giving Lawmakers More Time To Craft Regulations To Keep Products Legal

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to consider a bill this week that contains provisions to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that is currently scheduled to take effect in November. The legislation, which has already been approved by the Senate, is intended to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations as an alternative to prohibition. The Senate-passed provision is part of legislation to keep the federal government funded through December 11, past the end of the current fiscal year on September 30. If enacted into law, the effective date of the hemp product ban would also be moved to December 11.

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There Are ‘Positive Uses’ Of Hemp And Congress Shouldn’t Ban It, Kentucky Governor Says

The governor of Kentucky says that hemp is "important" to the state, and voters shouldn't reelect any members of Congress who are seeking to ban it. "Hemp is really important to Kentucky. It supports a lot of Kentucky farmers, and there are positive uses of hemp," Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said at a press conference on Thursday. "Do we need to make sure that children are protected from the delta-8 or other products? Yes, but we, as a government, ought to be able to do that." Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office.

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DEA Has A List Of Questions For Marijuana Businesses That Register For Federal Rescheduling Protections

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) wants to know whether medical marijuana businesses seeking federal protections in line with the Trump administration's cannabis rescheduling process plan to order cannabis from other states, what types of products they offer and who their suppliers are. That's according to a list of 26 questions obtained by Marijuana Moment that agency officials are sending to businesses in Colorado that have filled out a DEA registration form for medical marijuana dispensaries. Once cannabis operators submit the form, DEA personnel stop by to inspect their facilities and generally have a number of follow-up questions that businesses need to submit answers to.

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