Proposed hemp ban collides with shutdown — Newsletter 10/31/25
THE BIG IDEA
Happy Halloween all,
Don’t forget to register for our next WeedWeek Wonks virtual event, with consultant and lawyer Leah Heise discussing Growth in a Tight Market.
In the newsletter:
- Proposed hemp ban collides into shutdown
And so much more,
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ALSO NEW IN WEEDWEEK:
- SCOOP: Stiiizy pulling product from Catalyst stores
- “System error” sends California operators scrambling
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Proposed hemp ban collides with federal shutdown
Intoxicating hemp companies are sounding the alarm that Congress could wipe out their $30B industry as part of a deal to end the monthlong government shutdown. The largely unregulated hemp industry has proven a formidable and often resented competitor to state-licensed cannabis operators since hemp companies sell similar products unburdened by the taxes and constraints plaguing the legal industry.
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QUICK HITS
Federal:
- The Ventura County Star reports on the bleak confinements and deportations following the July ICE raid on Glass House Farms in California. Two more anti-ICE demonstrators have been criminally charged in connection with their activity during the raid.
Pacific Coast Business
Business:
- A 45-day strike, apparently the longest strike in cannabiz history, ended with employees of a Rise dispensary in York, Pa. declaring victory. (Rise is owned by MSO Green Thumb Industries.) A strike at an Herbal Wellness Center in Columbus, Ohio could soon break the record.
MJBiz - California-based Highway Cannabis acquired Michigan-based Pleasantrees.
- Also in MJBiz, MSOs Vireo Growth and Verano settled a lawsuit stemming from an abandoned merger.
- An affiliate of MSO Jushi sued DoorDash, retailer Total Wine & More and distributors in Virginia over their sale of hemp-derived products.
The Maine Wire - Industry watcher Seth Yakatan praised MSO Curaleaf‘s newly expanded credit facility.
- Veteran weed beat journo Debra Borchardt reports on the hidden shortcut to launching a brand.
High Times - Bon Appetit teases that THC drinks can’t decide “if they belong at parties or pilates class.“
- Alcohol decline watch: Wine Enthusiast has a story on alcohol free wine for fine dining.
State and local:
- Maine recalled a vape product due to the presence of pesticide chlorfenapyr.
Maine Public Media - Michigan’s industry seeks an injunction against the state’s new tax.
- Hemp bars are thriving in Wisconsin, which hasn’t legalized.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Idaho activists want MED on the 2026 ballot.
Marijuana Moment - A New Jersey state senator proposed eliminating the state’s regulator.
Politico - Hemp sales are legal in Ohio until December.
WOUB - Talking Joints Memo‘s Chris Faraone says the activists trying to re-prohibit weed in Massachusetts are cheating.
- U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she would investigate a tribal REC program in North Carolina.
Asheville Citizen Times
Fun and interesting:
- Michigan’s 15 weirdest strain names.
The ‘Gander - Food creator @natashahasthemunchies takes five edibles and explores LA’s mom and pop restaurants.
LA Taco - UMiami party girl Nikki Pindor is sober.
USA Today
CALIFORNIA HITS
State:
- Speaking at an IgniteIt event, state treasurer and lieutenant governor candidate Fiona Ma said the state market has failed.
High Times - After several fatal overdoses in LA County, the state Public Health Department reminded Californians that kratom and the derivative opioid 7-OH are illegal.
Local:
- In a win for the industry, against determined opposition, Sonoma County supes determined cannabis should be governed as agriculture.
Press-Democrat - A single bust accounts for Monterey County claiming the top spot for seized illegal weed in Q3.
Monterey County Now - Humboldt County supes zeroed out the weed tax, citing industry woes.
Lost Coast Outpost - New restrictions are complicating the hemp-industry for Emerald Triangle growers.
Redheaded Blackbelt - Berkeley is requiring pot shops to donate product to the poor.
Reuters
Upcoming:
- CalPoly Humboldt is hosting Nov. 6-7 screenings of locally made 1987 film Ganjasaurus Rex.