An Idaho campaign seeking to put medical marijuana legalization on the state’s 2026 ballot is stepping up its efforts by recruiting paid petitioners to gather voter signatures to qualify the measure.

The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho (NMAI) says it is hiring for a “1099 independent contractor opportunity, ideal for motivated, people-oriented individuals who value flexible schedules and meaningful work.”

“Your pay is directly tied to your accuracy and effort, rewarding those who uphold the highest standards of integrity,” it said, adding that the opportunity will involve “meeting voters, attending community events, and visiting neighborhoods to collect valid signatures from registered Idaho voters.”

The campaign has also been hosting signature gathering petition drives at events such as sports games and an upcoming performance by the comedian Shane Gillis on Friday.

Idaho is currently among the minority of states without any form of marijuana legalization.

NMAI unveiled its recently certified initiative to put medical marijuana legalization on the ballot in October. The measure would provide patients with qualifying conditions access to marijuana from a limited number of dispensaries and provide a regulatory framework for the market.

Here are the main provisions of the Idaho Medical Cannabis Act:

Health practitioners would be

The post Idaho Medical Marijuana Campaign Steps Up Push For 2026 Ballot Initiative By Hiring Paid Petitioners appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A GOP senator and former top Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) official on Tuesday traded thoughts about the state and federal marijuana policy conflict, arguing that legalization laws are enabling foreign cartels to exploit the system in a way that threatens broader public safety.

The discussion took place at a Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing titled “Dirty Money: Chinese Organized Crime in Latin America.” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), chair of the panel, raised the cannabis issue and asserted that Chinese and Mexican cartels in particular using marijuana laws in states like Maine and Oklahoma to mask illicit drug trafficking activities.

Even as marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), “the federal government has turned its gaze elsewhere while states have allegedly passed state [legalization] laws—which I used to think were subject to federal supremacy, but only when the federal government actually enforces the law,” the senator said.

Cornyn asked Ray Donovan, former chief of operations at DEA, about the “consequences” of having foreign operators involved in the cannabis market, particularly under the guise of legitimacy in states that have enacted legalization.

Today’s Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control hearing on Chinese organized crime

The post State Marijuana Legalization Laws Shield Foreign Cartels And Threaten Public Safety, GOP Senator And Former DEA Official Claim appeared first on GrowCola.com.

As the cannabis industry matures and competition stiffens, some operators yearning for bygone “good old days” have to face an uncomfortable truth: they were doing it wrong all along.

Despite years of experience and access to more sophisticated equipment such as efficient lighting, many cannabis cultivators are losing money due to preventable mistakes, including hiring the wrong vendors and purchasing clones stricken with hidden pathogens, panelists at MJBizCon’s “Cultivating Success: Building and Scaling a Profitable Grow” session said.

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Hidden behind the nostalgia for higher prices and beefier margins is a creeping realization that errors in the grow room can no longer be hidden in mature, competitive markets.

“Fifteen years ago a lot of people built everything wrong,” said Cory Desloge, director

The post The secrets behind a profitable cannabis cultivation operation appeared first on GrowCola.com.

RFK’s psychedelics use; FL medical marijuana expansion bill; Study: AI can design new cannabis strains; VA legalization op-ed

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Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) filed a bill to replace a federal ban on hemp THC products that was signed into law by President Donald Trump with a regulatory regime limiting them to 5 milligrams of THC per serving.

The Congressional Research Service said in a new report that the ongoing marijuana conflict between the federal government and states could provide “guidance” for

The post Federal hemp regulation bill filed as alternative to ban Trump signed (Newsletter: December 11, 2025) appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Cannabis legally purchased out of state – or carried in a Ziploc bag – will be illegal in Ohio if recent changes to the state’s adult-use marijuana framework are signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine.

Senate Bill 56, which the state Senate approved on a 22-7 party-line vote on Tuesday, also limits hemp-derived THC to state-licensed marijuana stores and imposes new restrictions on THC beverages, according to the Ohio Capital Journal.

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The bill is both a response to the hemp THC situation, including the ban signed into law by President Donald Trump, as well as the fruit of a longstanding effort to curb Ohio’s voter-approved 2023 cannabis legalization law.

Can Ohio enforce a ban on out-of-state marijuana?

Under the bill, THC

The post Ohio moves to restrict hemp THC and criminalize out-of-state marijuana appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Stiiizy, California’s largest cannabis retail chain, has expanded its footprint with the $25 million acquisition of the now-defunct conglomerate Gold Flora.

The deal, finalized on Oct. 23, includes leases and licenses for 12 cannabis stores, according to SFGate.

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Stiiizy officially took over the stores on Dec. 9, bringing its total number of locations to 58 in California and three in Michigan, company President Tak Sato told SFGate.

The acquisition solidifies Stiiizy’s dominance in the California cannabis market, far outpacing its closest competitor Catalyst Cannabis, which operates 33 locations, according to Department of Cannabis Control records.

Stiiizy doubles down on California cannabis market

The acquisition of Gold Flora’s stores is a bold move in a challenging market.

California’s legal cannabis industry, still the largest

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A Florida Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill to expand the state’s medical marijuana program in a number of ways, including by allowing doctors to recommend cannabis to any patient who has a condition for which they have been prescribed opioids.

The legislation from Rep. Bill Partington (R), filed for the 2026 session on Wednesday, would also make it so medical marijuana registrations could last up to two years instead of the current 30 weeks, and it’d waive patient registration fees for honorably discharged military veterans.

Under the proposal, doctors would additionally be able to recommend medical cannabis via telehealth without a physical examination—expanding a current policy that allows renewals, but not initial certifications, to be conducted remotely.

There are also reciprocity provisions built into the measure, requiring regulators to create a process to issue medical cannabis registration cards to “nonresidents who are actively enrolled in the medical cannabis program of another jurisdiction recognized by the department within 1 business day.” It specifies that “a visiting qualified patient may engage in all conduct authorized for a qualified patient.”

Another section of the bill stipulates that doctors could certify patients to receive up to 10 70-day supply limits of smokable medical

The post Florida GOP Lawmaker Files Medical Marijuana Expansion Bill Allowing Patients To Qualify If They’ve Been Prescribed Opioids appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Democratic senators have introduced a new bill to create a federal regulatory framework for hemp-derived cannabinoids and allow states to set their own rules for products such as CBD.

The legislation, shared exclusively with Marijuana Moment ahead of its introduction on Wednesday, is being sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). It comes at a critical time for the industry, which is facing significant upheaval after President Donald Trump signed a spending bill last month that includes provisions to widely recriminalize consumable cannabinoid products.

The senators’ proposal would set THC limits on hemp products, allowing up to 5 milligrams per serving and a maximum of 50 milligrams per package across all types other than beverages. Hemp drinks could have up to 10 milligrams of THC per package.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would also be empowered to ensure that certain safety standards are met in the marketplace—including making sure that products aren’t marketed to children.

“There’s no question that more needs to be done to protect kids and consumers from unsafe, untested hemp products,” Wyden told Marijuana Moment.

“We learned from the failed war on drugs that a one-size-fits all approach that bans hemp products from

The post Hemp Products Would Be Federally Regulated Instead Of Banned Under New Senate Bill appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Major marijuana multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings will wind down its limited hemp THC operations ahead of next November’s federal ban, Chairman Boris Jordan told MJBizDaily.

Initially reluctant to participate in the hemp boom following the 2018 Farm Bill, Curaleaf in 2024 made “a strategic decision to enter the hemp market” that led to the company’s hemp-derived THC beverages sold at Total Wine & Spirits in nine states earlier this year.

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But that’s all ending following the redefinition of hemp under federal law, signed by President Donald Trump, that will outlaw most of the $28.3 billion U.S. hemp sector in November 2026.

“The rules are the rules,” Jordan said during an exclusive interview at MJBizCon.

“We’re a law-abiding company, and we’re going to play

The post Marijuana MSO Curaleaf to exit hemp THC market ahead of federal ban appeared first on GrowCola.com.

There’s significant uncertainty around how a pending federal hemp ban will ultimately be enforced, but “divergent federal and state marijuana laws may provide some guidance,” according to congressional researchers.

With the recriminalization of most consumable hemp products set to take effect next November after President Donald Trump signed a spending bill containing the cannabis prohibition, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has released a report outlining the policy’s potential impacts. And much of the analysis and considerations for lawmakers turn to existing marijuana policies.

“In recent decades, a number of states have enacted laws relaxing state controls on marijuana and regulating the use of the substance for medical or recreational purposes,” it says. “Marijuana remains a Schedule I controlled substance subject to stringent controls under federal law, and, notwithstanding changes to state laws, most activities involving medical and recreational marijuana violate” the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

“There are two key reasons why the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) does not comprehensively enforce the CSA with respect to marijuana,” the report—which includes a comprehensive analysis of the legislative history around hemp, a version of the cannabis crop that was federally legalized under the first Trump administration—says.

As was detailed in a separate

The post Ongoing Marijuana Conflict Between States And Feds Could Provide ‘Guidance’ On How New Hemp Ban Will Be Enforced, Congressional Report Says appeared first on GrowCola.com.

PA lawmakers on legalization chances; ME recriminalization initiative; TX hemp rules; OR marijuana labor lawsuit; VA consumer workplace protections

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Ohio lawmakers sent Gov. Mike DeWine (R) a bill to scale back the voter-approved marijuana legalization law by recriminalizing some cannabis activity and removing anti-discrimination protections for consumers while also also enacting new restrictions on hemp products

The chairs of the Pennsylvania House and Senate Appropriations Committees discussed the prospects for legalizing marijuana—with the Republican chair of the Senate panel saying cannabis’s ongoing federal Schedule I status is one reason the state shouldn’t act yet.

The Maine secretary of state’s office

The post Ohio bill to roll back cannabis legalization passes (Newsletter: December 10, 2025) appeared first on GrowCola.com.

New York’s top cannabis official abruptly resigned Monday amid the collapse of a major state investigation into alleged marijuana inversion involving millions of dollars’ worth of product.

Felicia Reid, who’d led the Office of Cannabis Management since June 2024, resigned at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s request, according to The Capitol Pressroom.

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Hochul asked for Reid and the head of a new investigative arm to step down amid the unraveling of a case OCM brought against a licensed processor.

Omnium Health allegedly smuggled illicit product into the state’s $1.8 billion market in a case that also touched major national brands.

New York cannabis shakeup as inversion investigation fails

Reid is now the second New York cannabis czar to be forced out under Hochul.

The post New York marijuana chief ousted as inversion investigation implodes appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A Michigan judge this week denied a request to halt the state’s newly implemented 24% wholesale cannabis tax, scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

The Michigan Court of Claims, led by Judge Sima G. Patel, rejected motions for a preliminary injunction filed by Holistic Research Group, the Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (MCIA) and PF Manufacturing, according to ClickOnDetroit.

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The court said the plaintiffs had not that the harm to their businesses outweighed the public benefit of funding critical to infrastructure projects.

A scheduling conference is set for Jan. 13 to determine the next steps in the case, which is expected to be appealed to Michigan’s high courts no matter what the outcome.

Michigan marijuana industry says tax would harm tumbling sales

The post Massive new Michigan cannabis tax to take effect Jan. 1 after court hearing appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Maine officials have cleared prohibitionist activists to begin collecting signatures for a proposed ballot initiative that would roll back the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law. The measure, if approved, would also revise the regulatory structure of the medical cannabis program by imposing product testing requirements.

The proposal—titled “An Act to Amend the Cannabis Legalization Act and the Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Act”—is a revised version of a marijuana initiative filed in September that was backed by a Republican state senator and a former top staffer to then-Gov. Paul LePage (R), a staunch prohibitionist.

The latest proposal, petitions for which were approved by the secretary of state’s office on Monday, would remove and amend multiple sections of current state statute—aimed at effectively repealing the legalization of recreational marijuana sales that voters approved in 2016.

Possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis by adults 21 and older would remain legal under the proposal, but a section of the law permitting home cultivation would be repealed. Medical marijuana sales and home cultivation would remain legal.

Madison Carey, who was listed as the chief petitioner of the original version of the repeal initiative and remains involved in the current campaign, told Marijuana

The post Maine Officials Approve 2026 Ballot Initiative To Largely Repeal Marijuana Legalization Law For Signature Collection appeared first on GrowCola.com.

The Ohio Senate has voted to concur with a House-amended bill to scale back the state’s voter-approved marijuana law and ban the sale of hemp products that fall outside of a recently revised federal definition for the crop unless they’re sold at licensed cannabis dispensaries.

The measure from Sen. Stephen Huffman (R) was substantively revised in the House last month, but the originating chamber voted 22-7 on Tuesday to accept those changes and send the legislation to Gov. Mike DeWine’s (R) desk.

The legislation now pending the governor’s signature would recriminalize certain marijuana activity that was legalized under a ballot initiative that passed in 2023  as well as remove anti-discrimination protections for cannabis consumers that were enacted under that law.

After the House revised the initial Senate-passed legislation, removing certain controversial provisions, the Senate quickly rejected those changes in October. That led to the appointment of a bicameral conference committee to resolve outstanding differences between the chambers. That panel then approved a negotiated form of the bill, which passed the House last month and has now cleared the Senate.

To advocates’ disappointment, the final version of the measure now heading to the governor’s desk would eliminate language in current statute

The post Ohio Lawmakers Pass Bill To Roll Back Voter-Approved Marijuana Law And Impose Hemp Restrictions, Sending It To Governor appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Pennsylvania is losing out on critical revenue by not legalizing marijuana, a key Democratic lawmaker says, but it’s up to the GOP-controlled Senate to make the next move. And one top Republican senator says there are “some significant concerns” to address before that happens—including the current federal classification of cannabis that’s under review by the Trump administration.

In interviews with PoliticsPA last week, the bicameral and bipartisan legislators were each asked about the prospects of adult-use legalization in the Commonwealth.

Rep. Jordan Harris (D), who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, pointed out that his chamber has previously passed a version of the reform, consistent with what the governor has proposed as part of his recent budget requests.

“For me, I think we should have done it a while ago. I think most Pennsylvanians agree—most Americans agree that we should legalize cannabis—and many of the states around us have already done so,” he said, adding that he has friends in neighboring New Jersey who are “very happy that Pennsylvania has not legalized adult-use cannabis because they get to literally reap the benefits.”

“They get to reap the benefits of us not passing adult-use cannabis when so many people from

The post Marijuana’s Federally Banned Status Is One Reason Pennsylvania Hasn’t Legalized It, Top GOP Senator Says appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Oregon-based marijuana companies are asking a federal court to uphold a lower judge’s ruling that struck down a voter-approved law to require licensed cannabis businesses to enter into labor peace agreements with workers and mandate that employers remain neutral in discussions around unionization.

In a brief filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday, attorneys for two marijuana businesses—Bubble’s Hash and Ascend Dispensary—said the prior district court ruling was accurately decided, as the labor peace agreement requirement unconstitutionally infringed upon their freedom of speech.

This comes about two months after the defendants—Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D), Attorney General Dan Rayfield (D) and Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s (OLCC) Dennis Doherty and Craig Prins—urged the appeals court to review the constitutional challenge to the state law following their lower court defeat.

The plaintiffs initially filed a lawsuit in the district court challenging the implementation of Measure 119, and a federal judge sided with the plaintiffs, finding that the law unconstitutionally restricts free speech and violates the federal National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

“Although Defendants and Plaintiffs do not dispute that the NLRA applies to the cannabis industry, and do not dispute the Lower Court’s opinion regarding

The post Oregon Marijuana Businesses Urge Federal Court To Uphold Ruling Blocking Industry Labor Law Approved By Voters appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Texas officials have released a revised proposed rule to ban the sale of hemp THC products to people under 21.

After the governor issued an emergency order barring such sales, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) put forward temporary emergency rules to codify the policy change—and now it’s planning to adopt an amended regulation on the issue permanently after receiving public and stakeholder input.

“If ultimately adopted, the rules proposed now will replace the emergency rules,” TABC said in a notice published in the Texas Register on Friday. “The proposed rules are intended to prevent minors from accessing and using consumable hemp products (CHPs) that will negatively impact the health, general welfare, and public safety of minors in Texas.”

The main components of the proposal would largely align with what they initially implemented following Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) emergency order, with “some key changes,” the agency said. For example, TABC would be permitted to suspend licenses, rather than outright cancel them, for violations of the rule. That was among several contentions from stakeholders who felt the temporary rules were excessively punitive.

The proposed rule also provides “a licensee or permittee a defense to an enforcement action for failure to inspect

The post Texas Officials File Revised Rule Banning Hemp THC Sales To People Under 21 As State Expands Medical Marijuana Program appeared first on GrowCola.com.

As Virginia lawmakers prepare to resume efforts to legalize adult-use marijuana sales in next year’s legislative session, state officials have released guidance on a recently enacted law that provides employment protections for workers who use cannabis while off duty.

Virginia has a medical cannabis program—and recreational use and personal cultivation were legalized in 2021, but there’s not currently a system of regulated sales for recreational use. While legislators have already taken steps to enact further reforms to allow marijuana sales from licensed retailers, with a legislative commission putting forward a framework last week in hopes of advancing the issue in 2026, the Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) published a new document outlining workplace protections for cannabis consumers.

The guidance states that employers “should not take employment actions, including discipline or termination of employment, against an employee based upon the presence of cannabinoid metabolites in the individual’s bodily fluids in an employer-required or requested drug test without additional factors indicating impairment…unless the employer has established a drug free workplace based on its reasonable workplace drug policy.”

For medical cannabis patients specifically, the guidance from DOLI’s Virginia Occupational Safety and Health program stipulates that no employers may “discharge, discipline, or discriminate

The post Virginia Officials Publish Guidance On Marijuana Consumers’ Workplace Rights appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Shut out from most advertising channels, cannabis operators – and their marketing partners – are rethinking how to reach consumers in a highly competitive environment.

Instead of billboards and media buys, they’re turning to sharp search strategy, culture-rich content hubs and storytelling shaped by tracked and measured audience behavior to drive growth.

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Agency leaders and digital strategists tell MJBizDaily that successful advertising and marketing strategies depend on authenticity, owned assets and hyperlocal relevance rather than broad ad reach.

And instead of relying on fickle earned media or risking bans on social-media platforms, the shift also allows cannabis operators and brands to lean into channels they truly own.

These deliver the clearest return because they’re compliant, measurable and built on customer intent.

The rules

The post How cannabis brands win at advertising and marketing appeared first on GrowCola.com.