Hemp ban caught in D.C. drama – Newsletter 8/7/26
Hi all,
Happy Friday! Let’s get to it.
Alex
FROM WEEDWEEK
Hemp ban caught in D.C. drama
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The hemp industry got some welcome news this week when a Senate committee endorsed delaying the federal hemp ban, set to take effect in November, by 30 days. But hemp’s complex politics, which don’t fit the familiar red/blue divide, and a personal pro-hemp intervention by President Donald Trump, have turned the issue into a political football.
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Also in WeedWeek:
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QUICK HITS
Federal:
- The Guardian has a long report on the July 2025 ICE raid on Glass House facilities in California. The family of a worker who died during the raid has sued the federal government for negligence.
Law360 - Thirty five state AGs support the federal hemp ban taking effect in November.
Cannabis Business Times
Business:
- Earnings season rolled on with leading MSOs Green Thumb Industries and Curaleaf sounding bullish on profitable quarters.
Cultivated - Acquisitive MSO Vireo Growth announced a 4-deal transaction to arrive in Ohio with eight stores.
- Verdant Capital Partners closed its deal to acquire 15 Native Roots dispensaries in Colorado.
- Leading MSO Trulieve has cultivated relationships in the Trump administration, but faces pushback at home in Florida, the New York Times reports.
- Dispensary POS system Sweed launched an AI survey feature designed to help stores with online and local visibility.
- Energy costs are reshaping the industry, banking exec Peter Su writes.
- The Plain English podcast discussed why America is “switching from booze to weed.“
State and local:
- Delaware’s first year of REC taxes came up short of projections.
Bay To Bay News - New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill enabling microbusinesses to participate in farmers’ markets.
Cannabis Business Times - More than 300 workers at an Ascend Wellness Holdings grow in Illinois ratified their contract, ending what the Teamsters union called the largest strike in industry history.
- The Boston Globe asks what the ballot measure to repeal legal REC could mean for equity operators in Massachusetts.
- Virginia hemp companies sued to stop a state ban.
RVA Mag - Enrollment in Georgia’s MED program is surging.
WABE (NPR) - MSO Verano challenged New Jersey’s pro-union law in federal court.
Bloomberg Law - With industry leaders in Raleigh, North Carolina’s House delayed a vote on a hemp ban until after the November election. Gov. Josh Stein (D) has called for REC legalization.
NC Newsline
Fun and interesting:
- Afroman strikes back.
Cannabis & Tech Today - Two decades ago, Michael Jordan made clear he wasn’t cool with cannabis use in the NBA.
Basketball Network
CALIFORNIA HITS
State:
- A court ordered the Department of Cannabis Control(DCC) to overhaul its usage of track and trace system Metrc. Retailer Catalyst, which filed the 2021 lawsuit, also plans to ask the state to reimburse it for about $250,000 in legal fees and $15,000 in expenses, Catalyst’s lawyer Jeff Augustini told WeedWeek. He said he expects the DCC to appeal the ruling.
Cannabis Industry Journal - Leaf Magazine has a dispatch from the California State Fair.
Business:
- MSO Leef Brands engaged lawyer and consultant Hirsh Jain as a strategic advisor.
- With rescheduling afoot, lawyer Jared Schwass posted on how and when to split REC and MED licenses.
Canna Law Blog
Local:
- Southern Humboldt community Whitethorn celebrated its back to the land legacy. The event honored pioneering activist and entrepreneur Bob McKee.
Times-Standard, KymKemp.com - Mendocino’s sheriff and growers agree: Legalization stacked the rules against legal operators.
The Mendocino Voice - The Oakland Blazers took the field for a cannabis themed night.
Bay City New Service - SLO County growers are pushing for lower taxes.
The Tribune
