“A resolution is coming,” a spokesperson for the state treasurer said of the ongoing issue of unspent cannabis revenue.

By Henry Culvyhouse, Mountain State Spotlight

This story was originally published by Mountain State Spotlight. Get stories like this delivered to your email inbox once a week; sign up for the free newsletter at https://mountainstatespotlight.org/newsletter.

State Treasurer Larry Pack (R) has still not found a way to spend $34 million collected from the state’s medical marijuana program for substance abuse treatment, law enforcement training or research.

In October, Mountain State Spotlight reported the fund collected from fees, taxes and interest in the state’s medical marijuana program hadn’t been spent.

Under the law setting up the program, some of the money was to be used for research into the state’s medical cannabis program to determine whether it was working and where it could be improved.

However, due to marijuana’s long-standing classification as a Schedule I narcotic, the legal status of funds collected in the program has been in limbo. Narcotics with the Schedule I designation are deemed to have no acceptable medical use and are illegal.

That hasn’t stopped many of the 40 states with some kind of legalized market—whether recreational or

The post West Virginia Officials Still Haven’t Spent Medical Marijuana Revenue Amid Federal Concerns appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Short-term rentals like Airbnbs in Washington State would be able to offer guests complimentary marijuana prerolls under a bill introduced this week.

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Melanie Morgan (D), would create a new permit category for such short-term rentals, enabling them to apply to be able to provide guests over the age of 21 with a free joint with up to a gram of cannabis.

If enacted, there would be a $75 annual permit fee for the rental operators to offer the cannabis service.

Each adult guest could get a complimentary preroll “only after an operator or staff person of the short-term rental, who is present at the short-term rental property, verifies that each rental guest who will consume a prerolled useable cannabis product is age 21 or over by checking a valid form of identification of each such rental guest at the time rental guests arrive,” the bill text states.

“The rental guests must be informed the rental guests are being offered a prerolled useable cannabis product and that it is unlawful to open a package containing cannabis, useable cannabis, or cannabis products or to consume cannabis, useable cannabis, or cannabis products in view of the general public

The post Airbnb Guests Could Get A Free Marijuana Preroll At Short-Term Rentals In Washington Under New Bill appeared first on GrowCola.com.

The federal ban on gun ownership by marijuana consumers is nonsensical and unconstitutional—and it’s made all the more confounding by the fact that President Donald Trump recently directed the completion of federal cannabis rescheduling process, ACLU attorneys for a man at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court case say.

In a brief submitted to justices on Friday, attorneys for Ali Danial Hemani gave a comprehensive overview of their legal analysis in the case, U.S. v. Hemani. This comes just over a month before the court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the proceedings.

Hemani’s counsel with the ACLU are contending that the federal statute 18 U.S.C. §922(g)(3) that prohibits cannabis users from possessing firearms lacks adequate historical analogues, fails to clearly define who is considered an “unlawful user” of a drug and flies in the face of evolving marijuana policies at the state and federal level.

“Like tens of millions of Americans, respondent Ali Hemani owned a handgun for self-defense, keeping it safely secured at home,” the brief says. “Like many of those same Americans, he also consumed marijuana a few days a week.”

Stripping cannabis consumers of their gun rights under §922(g)(3) represents a “draconian” policy that violates

The post Trump’s Marijuana Rescheduling Move Shows Gun Ban For Consumers Is Outdated, ACLU Lawyers Tell Supreme Court appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Marijuana use appears to be more of a green flag, rather than a red flag, for Americans who are dating, according to a new poll.

Drug Rehab USA surveyed 1,000 people with recent dating experience to learn about how substance use in a potential partner is perceived.

It found that just one in four respondents consider marijuana use a “red flag” in dating. About four in five millennials—and seven in ten Gen Z adults—don’t mind if a partner consumes cannabis.

Compared to marijuana, significantly more respondents (38 percent) said smoking cigarettes is a red flag in dating. “High-risk” illicit drug use was the biggest turn-off, at 73 percent, followed by misused prescription drugs (60 percent).

The only substance that carried less of a stigma than marijuana is alcohol, with 22 percent saying they don’t consider drinking a red flag.

Additionally, 68 percent of those polled said that they don’t believe their relationships would be stronger if their partner stopped using marijuana. Ten percent said such cessation could actually lead them to grow apart.

The survey also found that 22 percent of those who are dating say their partner consumes cannabis daily, which rises to to 35 percent for Gen Z

The post Marijuana Use Isn’t A ‘Red Flag’ In The Dating Scene, Three In Four Americans Say In New Survey appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A top federal health official is again touting the therapeutic “promise” of psychedelics such as psilocybin and MDMA—though she says the drugs’ Schedule I status remains a research barrier to scientifically validating their efficacy.

In a blog post this month, National Institution on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Director Nora Volkow said the “potential use of psychedelics in the treatment of various mental health conditions has made these drugs a hot area of scientific research, as well as growing public interest.”

NIDA, as well as other agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have been particularly interested in tapping into the therapeutic potential of ketamine, psilocybin and MDMA—each of which are undergoing trials that could pave the path to their broader accessibility to patients with serious mental health conditions.

These psychedelics “represent a potential paradigm shift in the way we address substance use disorders,” Volkow said, caveating that “there is much we still do not know about these drugs, the way they work, and how to administer them, and there is danger of the hype getting out ahead of the science.”

The director said the “promise of psychedelic compounds likely centers on their ability to promote rapid neural rewiring,” which

The post Top Federal Drug Official Touts Therapeutic ‘Promise’ Of Psychedelics And Slams Schedule I Research Barriers appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A Democratic congresswoman is pushing the federal government to consider “relaxing” strict drug testing rules for transportation workers that punish people for marijuana use outside of work hours that doesn’t actually lead to being high on the job.

Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA) told colleagues at a hearing this month that current policy is impeding efforts to ensure there’s a “robust workforce” to staff ferries that are a popular form of transportation in her home state of Washington.

The congresswoman, who is a co-chair of the Congressional Ferry Caucus, said lawmakers need to be open to “creative solutions” to the problem.

“Federal regulations require drug testing for some maritime employees in safety-sensitive positions, including ferry workers,” she said. We could consider relaxing the rules around recreational marijuana use in states where it’s legal, as long as it’s not used on the job and outside a certain window before their shift.”

“Right now, you could drug test positive for a month or longer after using legal recreational marijuana in Washington and be unable to work as a ferry operator,” Randall said at the the “member day” hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

Randall is cosponsoring legislation to federally

The post Feds Should Consider ‘Relaxing’ Marijuana Drug Testing Rules For Transportation Workers, Congresswoman Says appeared first on GrowCola.com.

New hemp regulation bill in Congress; MA anti-marijuana campaign challenge fails; Bipartisan lawmakers talk psychedelics; SD cannabis in hospitals

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House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) filed a bill to federally regulate consumable hemp products—offering a potential alternative to the THC ban that President Donald Trump recently signed into law.

The Virginia Senate Rehabilitation & Social Services Committee and a House General Laws subcommittee both approved bills to legalize recreational marijuana sales, building on the state’s current law that allows personal cannabis possession and home cultivation.

The Massachusetts State Ballot Law Commission rejected a challenge claiming that a campaign seeking to roll back marijuana legalization used misleading

The post Virginia cannabis sales legalization bills advance (Newsletter: January 26, 2026) appeared first on GrowCola.com.

“Some licensees believed they were permitted to bring in clones or tissue cultures as well as seeds on an ongoing basis.”

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent

At least seven marijuana cultivation facilities in Missouri have been fined over the last year for breaking what’s known in the industry as the “immaculate conception rule.”

Marijuana can’t pass over state lines because it’s still federally illegal, and state law mandates that all marijuana must be grown within the state.

However, there is one year after a licensee passes a commencement inspection when the state essentially closes its eyes and puts its hands over its ears on how a cultivation facility starts its inventory.

It’s called the immaculate conception rule, and six facilities were fined up to $500,000 from breaking it last year.

A spokesperson for the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation said regulators “discovered some licensees believed they were permitted to bring in clones or tissue cultures as well as seeds on an ongoing basis. However, this practice is a violation of seed-to-sale tracking regulations.”

To keep up with customers’ preferences and demand, these companies had been bringing in clones, or starter plants, and tissue cultures, which is a form of in-vitro

The post Missouri Marijuana Businesses Fined For Bringing Clones Across State Lines In Violation Of Rules appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A committee had advanced the bills without a recommendation to pass them.

By John Hult, South Dakota Searchlight

State senators voted against discussions on banning hemp-derived consumables and kratom on Thursday at the South Dakota Capitol in Pierre.

Separate bills to ban the use, possession, sale or consumption of those intoxicating substances advanced out of a Senate committee on Wednesday, but the committee voted to send them to the Senate floor with no recommendation, rather than a recommendation to pass them.

By Senate rules, bills that land on the full chamber’s calendar without a recommendation need the support of a majority of senators before they’re eligible for a debate, and ultimately for a vote.

Sen. Kevin Jensen, R-Canton, moved to put the bills on the Senate’s calendar for Monday. He said both bills had drawn spirited debate and survived attempts by some committee members to defeat them.

On the bill to ban hemp-derived intoxicants for anyone without a medical marijuana card, Senate Bill 61, Jensen said there are amendments in the works to address its opponents’ concerns.

He offered similar comments, without referencing possible amendments, when he moved to place Senate Bill 77’s ban on kratom products on the Senate calendar.

“It’s

The post South Dakota Senate Rejects Debate On Banning Intoxicating Hemp And Kratom appeared first on GrowCola.com.

“The people have spoken. I’m proud to see this funding distributed across Ohio and look forward to seeing the ways these funds will benefit local communities.”

By David Beasley, The Center Square

For cities and towns in Ohio that have allowed recreational marijuana dispensaries, it’s payday time.

A 10 percent tax on cannabis products, approved by Ohio voters in 2023, goes to cities and towns with dispensaries at 36 percent rate of the tax revenue, according to state law.

This month, cities and towns with dispensaries are receiving their first checks, a total of $33 million.

The city of Piqua is one of those, with a check for $438,000, which it plans to use for park improvements.

“Local governments—including Piqua—decided to allow recreational marijuana sales within their communities based on the understanding that funds would come back to local control to best serve the individual needs of the community,” city manager Paul Oberdorfer said in a statement.

A small town called Seven Mile Village, which has a population of only 712 people and an annual budget of about $75,000, received a check for $400,000, State Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, told The Center Square.

Huffman, a medical doctor, opposed legalizing

The post Ohio Cities Begin Receiving Marijuana Revenue To Support Local Programs And Services appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Janet Jackim (Courtesy photo)

(This is a contributed guest column. To be considered as an MJBizDaily guest columnist, please submit your request here.)

President Donald Trump’s Dec. 18 executive order directed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to take “all necessary steps” to move marijuana to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act. It also encouraged medical marijuana research, testing and use.

For healthcare providers and legal marijuana businesses, federal marijuana rescheduling marks a potentially significant shift in how medical cannabis may be researched, regulated, prescribed, and commercialized at the federal level.

But medical is the key word here. Near-term federal policy changes are expected to apply only to cannabis used for legitimate medical purposes, not adult use.

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President Trump’s kind words for

The post Does federal marijuana rescheduling only apply to medical cannabis? appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Hemp-derived products containing CBD – the non-intoxicating cannabinoid President Donald Trump proposed covering via Medicare last month – would be regulated under federal law for the first time if a bipartisan bill introduced in Congress on Thursday passes.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would set cannabinoid limits for hemp-derived products under the Hemp Enforcement, Modernization and Protection (HEMP) Act, sponsored by Republican U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith of West Virginia and Texas Democratic U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey.

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The bill does not regulate cannabis.

While draft language appears to empower the health secretary to set THC limits, the bill’s intent is limited to CBD, according to a statement from Griffith’s office.

That’s still good news for the U.S. hemp sector, which

The post Bipartisan proposal could fulfill President Trump’s promise for CBD Medicare coverage appeared first on GrowCola.com.

As predicted, Arkansas medical marijuana operators reported record-breaking sales in 2025.

Dispensaries rang up $291.1 million in sales in 2025, surpassing the previous record of $283 million set in 2023, according to data from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.

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That’s a $15 million increase over the prior record of $275.9 million set in 2024 and signals a rebound for the state’s medical cannabis industry, which launched in 2019,

Arkansas medical cannabis sales recover after 2024 stumble

“The industry certainly rebounded in 2025 with a new sales record, following a decrease in sales the previous year,” Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, said in a statement.

Arkansas has recorded $1.6 billion in sales since the

The post Arkansas medical cannabis sales hit record $291 million in 2025 appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers are stressing the importance of strategically advancing psychedelics reform in a way that mitigates bureaucratic conflict and the influence of outside interests. Even just one misstep could threaten to upend the movement, they say.

At a public forum in Washington, D.C.—hosted by the Psychedelic Medicine Coalition (PMC) and Mission Within Foundation (MWF) last week—Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA), Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) spoke about the work ahead to provide access to psychedelics for patients.

Much of the focus centered around the need to give military veterans alternative treatment options for serious mental health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Psychedelics like MDMA and ibogaine could help fill that gap, the legislators said.

Luttrell said a key challenge supporters are up against is the inaccessibility of data from private research institutions that could demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of psychedelics—something that he argued would likely move the needle for members who are on the fence on the issue.

The congressman said he and colleagues have pressed agencies such as the Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about the problem.

“How do you get

The post Bipartisan Lawmakers Warn That Even One Mistake In Push For Psychedelics Access Could Derail Progress appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Bipartisan congressional lawmakers have filed a new bill to regulate consumable hemp products—offering a potential alternative to the outright THC ban that was included in a spending bill President Donald Trump signed late last year.

House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Chairman Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) introduced the Hemp Enforcement, Modernization, and Protection (HEMP) Act on Thursday as the future of the market sits in limbo.

The proposal would affirmatively allow the sale of consumable hemp products to adults 21 and older. That includes edibles, beverages and inhalable items. Certain provisions have been amended since the GOP sponsor first circulated a discussion draft of the legislation in August.

“Despite raising repeated concerns about the ongoing confusion regarding the safety, consumption and sale of CBD-containing products until a discussion draft of this bill was circulated, I believe we have yet to see meaningful progress at the federal level,” Griffith said in a press release.

“I am proud to lead the effort in the House along with Representative Veasey to present a path forward for the federal regulation of CBD products,” he said. “After discussions with stakeholders, federal officials and other relevant authorities, I believe the HEMP

The post New Bipartisan Congressional Bill Would Regulate Hemp Products, In Contrast To Ban Trump Signed appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Virginia senators have advanced a bill to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana sales—one of several reform proposals under consideration as the 2026 session gets underway.

The Senate Rehabilitation & Social Services Committee on Friday took up two marijuana sales legalization measures. After amending one of the proposals from Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D) with a substitute version, it passed the panel in a 8-7 vote.

The bill largely aligns with recommendations released last month by the legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market.

Since legalizing cannabis possession and home cultivation in 2021, Virginia lawmakers have worked to establish a commercial marijuana market—only to have those efforts consistently stalled under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who twice vetoed measures to enact it that were sent to his desk by the legislature.

“In 2021 Virginia became the first southern state to legalize adult use cannabis, and five years later, Virginia has yet to implement the marketplace we originally envisioned,” Aird said. “Each year that we go without a marketplace, the illicit market grows and health and safety concerns rise for our citizens.”

“The legislation establishes a market, once and for all, that will protect consumers, protect

The post Virginia Senators Approve Bill To Legalize Marijuana Sales Under New Pro-Reform Governor appeared first on GrowCola.com.

A South Dakota legislative committee has rejected a bill that would have allowed terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in hospitals and hospices.

The House Health and Human Services Committee voted 12-1 on Thursday to defer the measure to the 41st day of the session, effectively killing it.

Rep. Eric Emery (D), the sponsor of HB 1053, said it is a “narrow and carefully constructed bill that addresses one specific issue: ensuring that terminally ill patients who are already legally authorized to use medical cannabis under South Dakota law may continue the treatment when they enter the hospital or a hospice facility.”

“Under the current law, a patient may legally use medical cannabis at home with their approved practitioner. But once that same patient is admitted into a hospital or hospice facility, that access is abruptly ended—and not because the doctor has changed their mind, but because the facilities’ policies vary widely across the state,” he said. “For terminally ill patients, this disruption can mean unplanned pain, nausea, anxiety or even loss of appetite when care is no longer focused on the cure but comfort and dignity.”

“I’ve seen firsthand the pain and the suffering that often accompany… this

The post South Dakota Lawmakers Reject Bill To Let Terminally Ill Patients Use Medical Marijuana In Hospitals appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Massachusetts officials have rejected a challenge to a ballot initiative that seeks to significantly roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law by repealing regulated sales.

Weeks after cannabis activists filed a complaint with the State Ballot Law Commission under the Secretary of State’s office—alleging that petitioners with the anti-cannabis campaign used misleading tactics to convince voters to support its ballot placement—the body on Thursday overruled the objection.

The commission said advocates who challenged the ballot measure raised “unsupported allegations” about the propriety of the signature gathering process that they said warranted official scrutiny.

The claim “rings hollow given that absolutely no admissible evidence has been presented or offered supporting the allegations made,” the commission’s ruling said.

“With this decision, the certification of this round of petitions has now formally ended, and all eleven initiatives are now before the Legislature,” Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin (D), who chairs the commission, said, referring collectively to all ballot petitions advancing in the state this year including on other unrelated issues. “If the Legislature chooses not to pass any of the initiatives, the petitioners will have the opportunity to begin the final round of signature gathering in May.”

This represents a setback for

The post Massachusetts Officials Reject Challenge To Marijuana Legalization Rollback Initiative Amid Allegations Of Deceptive Petitioning Tactics appeared first on GrowCola.com.

NH legalization hearing; WA medical marijuana in hospitals; Alcohol coalition on hemp drinks; Study: 10M Americans microdosed psychedelics in 2025

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The New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a bill to legalize marijuana, with the sponsor saying President Donald Trump’s federal cannabis rescheduling order means it’s time for the state to act.

The Washington State House Health Care & Wellness Committee approved a bill to allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes and

The post MA voters regret signing anti-cannabis ballot petition, poll shows (Newsletter: January 23, 2026) appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis market may finally be taking off after a slow and challenging start.

Since the September launch of non-tribal adult use sales, Minnesota cannabis stores reported more than $31 million in revenue from 466,000 transactions through the end of December, according to the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management.

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In that time, medical cannabis sales totaled $31.7 million, according to OCM data. December was the first month that adult-use sales outpaced MMJ sales, with $9.4 million in adult-use compared to $8.8 million for medical.

The growing pains that slowed Minnesota cannabis sales

Among the problems hampering Minnesota’s launch was a lack of licensed cultivation space that left many retailers with bare shelves.

Then, after cultivators kicked into gear, a lack

The post Minnesota adult-use cannabis sales hit $31 million since September launch appeared first on GrowCola.com.