Calif. officials acknowledge testing gaps – Newsletter 5/1/26
THE BIG IDEA
Hi all,
In the newsletter today, we’ve got a scoop from California and lots more color on the Trump administration’s move to reschedule MED.
I hope you find it valuable,
Alex
Send tips, press releases, concerns, feedback and criticism to hello@weedweek.com.
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FROM WEEDWEEK
SCOOP: Calif. officials acknowledge testing gaps in lab suit
In a March hearing, California Department of Cannabis Control experts testified to gaps in agency practices which could affect testing results for contaminants.
The March hearing stemmed from the 2025 closure of BelCosta Labs which owed at least in part to positive tests for the mold aspergillus. The lab had operated on a provisional license since 2018 when the California REC market opened.
Also in WeedWeek:
- Newsbrief: Missouri operator runs anti-competitive cartel, lawsuit
- Newsbrief: Nevada biz seeks thaw with gaming, report
QUICK HITS
Federal:
- Following news that the Trump administration is rescheduling medical cannabis, medical businesses are being asked to register with the DEA and answer questions about past drug trafficking. GreenState has more. MSO Trulieve, said it has already registered with the agency. It didn’t say how it responded to the drug trafficking question.
Cannabis Business Times - Some House Republicans are trying to block rescheduling.
Marijuana Moment - Rescheduling is “harder than it looks” lawyer and consultant Marc Hauser writes.
Cannabis Musings - The Los Angeles Times asks what, if anything, medical rescheduling will mean for cannabis justice reform.
- @civicscannabis put out a useful explainer on rescheduling.
- The House of Representatives passed the 2026 Farm Bill, keeping the November hemp ban in place.
Cannabis Business Times
Business:
- Cannabis-related pharma companies are bullish on rescheduling, Reuters reports.
- Online menu company Dutchie released a report on this year’s 420 sales.
- Lynn Gefen, chief legal officer for MSO TerrAscend, discussed her rescheduling strategy.
- Will automation and AI take cannabis jobs?
MJBiz - Adam Rosenberg, chair of the National Cannabis Industry Association, made the case for cannabis advocacy.
- Continuing its M&A spree, MSO Vireo Growth said it would acquire MSO Fluent, which does business in New York, Florida and Texas. Here’s more on Vireo’s arrival in California.
Cannabis Equipment News, WeedWeek - Leah Kollross, founder of hemp-derived beverage brand 23rd State, argues cannabis beverages have an evidence problem.
Marijuana Moment - Longtime cannabis journo John Schroyer announced he’s moving to Forbes, where he’ll be focused on the small business beat.
State and local:
- Rescheduling could trigger an obscure South Carolina MED research law, and catalyze legislative reform in North Carolina.
Post and Courier, WRAL - Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee(R) is pushing back at reform.
Cannabis Business Times - Maine is fighting over whether moldy product treated with radiation needs to be labeled.
Portland Press-Herald - Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) is signalling openness to reform.
News and Tribune
International:
- Cultivated reports on how MED rules killed Thailand’s REC market.
Fun and interesting:
- Conservative National Review complains about the smell of weed.
- A collection of rare Grateful Dead memorabilia went to auction in San Francisco.
SF Standard
CALIFORNIA HITS
State:
- The East Bay Express writes on cannabis reform as one of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “signature issues” as the 2028 presidential primary approaches.
Business:
- A lawsuit alleges pesticides in soil stirred up by a Sacramento construction project contaminated a nearby indoor grow.
Sacramento Business Journal
Local:
- The lights are flickering out across Mendocino County.
The Mendocino Voice - On a collision between weed and commercial real estate in Orange County.
LA Daily News - In June, Los Angeles residents will vote on controversial Measure CB to tax unlicensed dispensaries.
LAist - Sonoma County supes granted a tax break to legal operators.
The Press Democrat