Cannabis Business Times

01/16/2026

Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress are now fighting to keep intoxicating h**p products on the shelves until November 2028 in the name of allowing farmers time to prepare.

"Our challenge is, if we don’t get a two-year extension, I, as a farmer, can’t sell my current inventory that I harvested legally and planted legally in 2025.

The bipartisan legislation mirrors a bill that House members recently introduced to delay the forthcoming federal ban by two years.

01/15/2026

A pair of U.S. Republican senators is attempting to reinsert language into a federal spending package that would strip the Trump administration's cannabis rescheduling powers.

"Rescheduling ma*****na to a Schedule III substance and putting more money in the pockets of ma*****na companies is a shortsighted policy decision that will have detrimental effects on the health and safety of Americans, especially our nation’s youth."

The Republican duo submitted an amendment to reinsert language in a spending bill that would block the DOJ from reclassifying cannabis.

01/15/2026

As price compression, oversupply and regulatory friction continued to define most of 2025, cannabis executives and economists assess rescheduling, the h**p-cannabis divide, customer-convenient product formats and what it will take to grow in 2026.

"We expect undifferentiated flower to remain the most challenged area, particularly for brands without a clear value proposition or consistent quality. We also expect growing momentum in ready-to-consume formats and products that [offer] convenience for consumers, including pre-roll, edible and v**e innovations that reduce consumer pain points and offer more choice in terms of consumption methods."

Planet 13 Verano Brands UC Davis

As price compression, oversupply and regulatory friction continued to define most of 2025, cannabis executives and economists assess rescheduling, the h**p-cannabis divide, customer-convenient product formats and what it will take to grow in 2026.

01/14/2026

Maine signature gatherers are free to trick registered voters into signing a petition to repeal the state's adult-use cannabis program, including dispensary sales and home-grow rights, the secretary of state said.

"Unfortunately, petitioners have a First Amendment right to say whatever they want to say," she said. "There is a huge financial incentive to get those signatures, by hook or by crook.”

The secretary of state said the circulators are protected by First Amendment rights and can mislead voters into signing a petition to end cannabis sales.

01/13/2026

Five bipartisan lawmakers are attempting to throw the U.S. h**p industry an extended lifeline by delaying the federal intoxicating h**p product ban by two years (until November 2028).

“Planting and growing crops requires planning well in advance," Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind., said. “Congress created a regulatory environment in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed for certain investments, and farmers were operating within this environment."

The bill would give businesses an extra two years to plan for the ban that’s set to prohibit intoxicating h**p products with more than 0.3% total THC.

01/13/2026

How much does the average gram/ounce of cannabis flower cost at the dispensary in 2026? Here's the latest overview of pricing trends for 11 adult-use markets.

California and Michigan have some of the cheapest cannabis prices in the nation, but other states are trending quickly toward consumer-priced markets.

01/11/2026

When a California cannabis worker in his 20s, who worked as an inventory specialist at a processing facility, collapsed on the job and died from work-related asthma in 2020, there were no news headlines. There were no viral posts on social media. There were no federal health agency reports to alert the rest of the U.S. cannabis industry.

The 2020 death went unpublicized and unlearned from. Two years later, it happened again in Massachusetts.

Details of the California death didn't become public until a four-state study was published in 2025. Yet three California agencies – CDPH, Cal/OSHA and the DCC – have no records to provide the public.

Investigative reporting by CBT sheds light on how California and Massachusetts took two different approaches to tragically similar incidents, and what the industry can learn from each.

“We were very involved in the reporting on that case and trying to learn from it and create some prevention recommendations."

A California worker died of work-related asthma, but it went unpublicized and unlearned from. Two years later, it happened again in Massachusetts.

01/09/2026

After a product shortage, Kentucky's medical cannabis program is finally positioned to take off with all levels of the supply chain now licensed. Gov. Beshear predicted a "significant increase" in dispensary openings this quarter.

“I’m not satisfied. I want it to speed up,” he said. “We’re pushing for it, but the crop’s gotta grow. It’s gotta be processed. The restrictions inside the law were aimed at a very secure system, which is important, but that also meant it took a little more time than we would’ve liked. I expect it to pick up significantly, but I’m not going to be satisfied until we are at 100% capacity.”

Gov. Andy Beshear said the state can expect to see a ‘significant increase’ in the number of medical dispensaries with the supply chain now fully licensed.

01/07/2026

In the last 10 years, the cannabis industry has rapidly moved forward and evolved with inevitable changes. But in many ways, it is also the same industry that existed a decade ago.

Columnist Kenneth Morrow takes a look back at the past decade writing for Cannabis Business Times, what has changed, what hasn’t, and what he's grateful for.

"Did I think we would be further along in the industry’s development by now? Yes, absolutely."

A look back at the past decade writing for Cannabis Business Times, what has changed, what hasn’t, and what I’m grateful for.

01/06/2026

GOP lawmakers in Congress are no longer trying to block the Trump administration from rescheduling cannabis, as the majority of Senate and House Republicans remain silent on the president's executive order to loosen restrictions on the plant.

“This bipartisan, bicameral package reflects steady progress toward completing FY26 funding responsibly."

The House and Senate Appropriation committees removed language from a funding bill that would have blocked the DOJ from reclassifying the plant.

01/05/2026

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) can benefit cannabis companies, business owners, and employees, but downsides exist, and the rules are intricate, Fox Rothschild LLP's Meeren Amin and Vijay S. Choksi explain.

Employee Stock Ownership Plans can benefit cannabis companies, business owners, and employees, but downsides exist, and the rules are intricate.

01/05/2026

This sativa-dominant cross between Blueberry and Haze was the best-selling cultivar for the third consecutive year in California, capturing 1.8% of the flower market, 3.8% of the pre-roll market, and 3.5% of the v**e pen market. Headset

https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/trending/news/15775150/the-top-10-bestselling-flower-strains-in-california-in-2025