Catalyst shares proposal for Calif. Metrc reform – Newsletter 7/24/26

Hi all,

In the new WeedWeek Wonks, I had a great conversation with drug historian Emily Dufton about the DEA’s rescheduling hearings and what happens next. I don’t typically make predictions, but I might have broken the rule this time.

Read up,

Alex

FROM WEEDWEEK

SCOOP: Catalyst shares proposal for DCC Metrc reform

California retailer Catalyst Cannabis provided a judge with recommendations for how the California Department of Cannabis Control(DCC) should configure its software to crack-down on diversion.

Read the story…

Also in WeedWeek:

• WW Wonks: What happened at the rescheduling hearings?
• Newsbrief: U.S. Senate Democrats file bill to legalize REC.
• Newsbrief: Bipartisan bill aims to block hemp ban.
• Newsbrief: California state fair celebrates cannabiz progress.

Send tips, press releases, concerns, feedback and criticism to hello@weedweek.com. Sensitive material to share? Contact Alex on Signal.

QUICK HITS

Federal:

• As he seeks Senate confirmation, acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to say if he supports rescheduling REC.
  Marijuana Moment
• A bipartisan bill aims to protect industry insurers.
  Cannabis Business Times

Business:

• Acquisitive MSO Vireo Growth is acquiring 25 more shops from bankrupt MSO The Cannabist. With operations in 15 states, Vireo says it now has the country’s second largest dispensary network.
  Cannabis Equipment News
• A California federal judge granted preliminary approval to a $7.5M settlement to end claims that Yelp of cannabis Weedmaps inflated a key user metric after going public.
  Law360
• MSO Fluent said it had reached an agreement to sell its New York operation, formerly known as Etain.
• Señorita, a brand affiliated with MSO Green Thumb Industries, will be the first THC beverage available at the Lollapalooza festival, which kicks off in Chicago this month.
• MJBiz profiles Jason Vedadi who sold Harvest to MSO Trulieve for $2.1B and now runs Story Cannabis.
• If it goes through, the federal hemp ban would create challenges for the cannabis genetics market.
  MJBiz
• Straight Arrow News asks if bars can survive a crackdown on THC beverages.
• A story at natural products site New Hope argues cannabis and psychdelics have reshaped the language of wellness.
• Tourism from the World Cup boosted sales, tech shop Treez reports.
• Patrick Rea, with investment firm Poseidon, is hosting a group for AI First cannabis founders.

State and local:

• Georgia’s MED market has been growing fast since an expansion took effect July 1.
  11Alive
• The Massachusetts initiative to repeal REC legalization cleared the final hurdle to qualify for the November ballot. It will be Question 8. Here’s more from Axios.
  CommonWealth Beacon
• A new Oklahoma law designed to prevent kid-friendly labels is sowing confusion.
  KOSU (NPR)
• Nebraska is moving forward with MED licensing.
  Nebraska Examiner

Health and science:

• The Washington Post reports on the new science of cannabis and sleep.

Psychedelics:

• Eli Lilly, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company by market cap, said it would buy psychedelics company AtaiBeckley for $2.8B. The company is developing drugs based on DMT and MDMA.
  CNBC

Fun and interesting:

• In High Times‘ 50th anniversary issue, Steve DeAngelo remembers the magazine’s early days.

CALIFORNIA HITS

State:

• In a win for the Department of Cannabis Control(DCC), a judge tentatively ruled against non-profits disappointed in their revenue from pot taxes.
  Courthouse News Service
• California is conducting the first major study of cannabis impaired driving in nearly 40 years.
  ABC (Sacramento)
• State treasurer Fiona Ma(D) is hosting a Wednesday hearing on banking issues.
  Marijuana Moment

Business:

• Brand portfolio MM Brands announced a partnership with Statehouse to expand in California.
• Lawyer Jared Schwass joined Harris Sliwoski, the firm which publishes Canna Law Blog.
• Bill Maher said pot taxes are crushing the business he owns with Woody Harrelson.
  MediaIte

Local:

• After years of decline, Humboldt leaders say the industry is stabilizing.
  Redheaded Blackbelt
• How La Mesa became “the Amsterdam of San Diego.“
  Times of San Diego
• Lake County supes are considering whether to revoke two cultivation permits.
  Lake County News
• Mendocino grower Casey O’Neill has a dispatch from the state fair, where his Happy Day Farms won four cannabis medals.
  The Mendocino Voice
• In what police are calling a burglary, a vehicle crashed into a Sacramento grow.
  KCRA (NBC)

Crime:

• The Mendocino sheriff’s office identified the woman found fatally shot at an unlicensed grow.
  SF Chronicle
• A jury found a former UC Davis student guilty of two involuntary manslaughter charges after he claimed he was suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis.
  CBS

Upcoming:

• Independent professional baseball team the Oakland Ballers are hosting what they describe as a family-friendly cannabis night on July 31.
  FOX