CANNASWEEP

October & November 2025

OFW’s Cannabis Team regularly monitors cannabis news, legislation, regulation, and policy so our clients stay up-to-date on the latest developments impacting their business.

If you have any questions or would like more information about any of the items below, please contact us.

We also track cannabis-related legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress.  If you would like to learn more about our Congressional Bill Tracker, please reach out to Ben Dash. 

Cannabis Rescheduling/Descheduling

• GOP Support for Cannabis Legalization Dwindles to 40% Under Trump
• What the US Government Shutdown Means for Cannabis Reform

Executive Branch

• Vance, RFK, and Other Top Trump Admin Officials Attend MAHA Summit Featuring Psychedelics Session
• New amendments to federal sentencing guidelines will put less of an emphasis on the quantity of drugs someone was charged with, and give more consideration to the scope of their role in the overall drug distribution chain. The United States Sentencing Commission implemented the amendments on November 1.
• VA Expands Psychedelic Therapy Trials for PTSD Treatment
• President Trump’s Decision on Medical Cannabis Will Define His Legacy: Science or Marijuana Policy Stagnation (Commentary)

Hemp Provision in Continuing Resolution (CR)

• Trump Signs Bill To Recriminalize Hemp THC Products, Years After Approving Their Legalization
• Senators shot down an attempt by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to eliminate language in their shutdown-ending deal that the Kentucky Republican argues will destroy the booming hemp industry.
• House Committee Blocks Vote On GOP Lawmaker’s Amendment To Stop Hemp Ban, While Senator Floats Regulatory Alternative
• Hemp rule creates turbulence for Senate vote to end shutdown
• Congressional Commentary: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) Explains His Vote To Keep Hemp THC Products Federally Legal In Historic First Senate Roll Call On Cannabis; Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-2) tweeted, “Should we really be regulating this from the federal level? We’ve had the debate already in Texas. I’m sure we will continue to have it. Passing Paul’s amendment would allow states to keep having that debate;” House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris tells me he “would probably be a ‘yes’ vote” on Senate measure to end shutdown Says “one caveat” is Rand Paul pushing reversal on bill’s “intoxicating hemp” crackdown “If that provision is removed, I can’t support the bill,” Harris said
• Media Commentary: More than a dozen lawyers representing hemp businesses are slamming an “overbroad” and “disastrous” proposal to ban products with THC; More than 50 alcohol distributors have joined together to oppose efforts in Congress to ban intoxicating hemp products, stressing to lawmakers that as demand for alcohol has “shifted downward,” the cannabis market has helped sustain their industry; Congress Reopens the Government—and Reignites Prohibition (Cato Institute); Seth Rogen Says Push To Ban Hemp THC Drinks Shows ‘Someone Is Very Threatened’ By The Expanding Market; Bevan—who worked with then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to help draft the hemp language contained in the 2018 Farm Bill—said proponents of re-criminalizing intoxicating cannabinoid products “claim it’s about protecting children from dangerous products,” yet “simple age gating and responsible consumption resolve this;” Mitch McConnell Helped Usher in the Hemp Industry; Now He is Working to Effectively Kill It (Opinion); Say Goodbye to CBD: How the Looming Hemp Ban Could Crush a $46 Billion Industry (Opinion); Why Is Congress Moving To Ban The Hemp Products That Saved My Son’s Life? (Op-Ed)

U.S. Congress

• The real Farm Bill bait and switch: Dangerous ‘dope, not rope’ (Commentary)

The States

• State AGs Seek Federal Ban on Intoxicating Hemp-Derived THC Products
• Arkansas: Arkansas medical marijuana sales hit $240M so far, $43M from breaking record
• California: California Firm Knocks Tax Code Restrictions on Marijuana Sales
• Colorado: Governor Polis will transfer any dollars remaining above the statutory reserve requirement in the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund (MTCF) at the end of each fiscal year to the State Education Fund; Colorado’s governor wants to legalize an African psychedelic, but there’s a conflict over where ibogaine is sourced
• DC: The District of Columbia’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board (ABCB) announced the adoption of its Ninth Emergency Rulemaking, which immediately implements critical portions of the Medical Marijuana Program Administration Amendment Act of 2020 (MMPA Act).
• Florida: Nearly 9 in 10 Florida voters say they should have the right to decide to legalize marijuana in the state, a new poll from a Trump-affiliated research firm shows as the fate of a 2026 reform initiative remains murky amid pending litigation; Former Rep. Gaetz tweeted, “I asked this [is marijuana safer than alcohol] question to a cop in FL-1. He said: ‘nobody ever beat the shit out of their wife after smoking weed all day…’”
• Hawaii: Hawaii medical cannabis newsletter – Using medical cannabis to manage cancer-related symptoms; Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) Office of Medical Cannabis Control and Regulation (OMCCR) is launching an outreach and education initiative to encourage voluntary compliance among hemp retailers and distributors, including online and out-of-state businesses.
• Illinois: The Division of Cannabis Regulation has resolved to discontinue the practice of recurring Background Checks for Cannabis Industry Principal Officers, Board Members, Agents-in-Charge, and/or Agents.
• Kentucky: Kentucky will soon have operating medical marijuana dispensaries, but some lawmakers are raising concerns about certain products looking too much like candy rather than medicine.
• Maryland: Maryland regulators are proposing major changes to the state’s cannabis rules, with a key focus on extending deadlines for conditional licensees; the Task force endorses a move toward natural psychedelics for clinical, recreational use
• Massachusetts: MCCC Chair Shannon O’Brien discussed her return to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, social consumption, and other policy issues before the agency and the regulated industry; Massachusetts lawmakers have advanced a bill that would require a study into legal barriers facing first responders who wish to use marijuana in compliance with state law.
• Michigan: Michigan cannabis sales for October fell from a year ago as they grew sequentially by 6.5%, which was +3.1% on a per-day basis. At $267.8 million, sales were down 0.3% from a year earlier:
• Minnesota: Closing Farm Bill ‘Loophole’ Would Help Hemp Industry ‘Thrive,’ Minnesota AG Says; Minnesota Hemp Businesses And Senators Say Federal THC Ban Will Hurt The State’s Economy; Minnesota hemp retailers challenge new ban on mail-order THC edible sales
• Missouri: Missouri “Hemp Hoax” Report Released; Griffith seeking to address unregulated marijuana products
• Nebraska: ‘Will of the People’: Nebraska’s apprehension in implementing medical cannabis; Nebraska medical cannabis commissioners maintain current regulations
• New Hampshire: New Hampshire’s Formella and 38 other state AGs ask Congress to ban hemp THC products
• New Jersey: United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 360 announced today that cultivation employees at FRESH Cultivation, in Somerset, NJ, have voted to unionize; With New Jersey voters electing U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) to serve as the state’s next governor, there’s now a decidedly clearer path to advancing a marijuana policy reform long awaited by consumers and advocates in the Garden State: A home grow option.
• New Mexico: AG sends notice that many products being offered for sale in NM retail shops that purport to be legal hemp may be illegal
• New York: Assemblyman Keith Brown (R, C-Northport) is urging immediate action to curb marijuana-impaired driving across New York state.
• Ohio: Ohioans are broadly supportive of having marijuana dispensaries in the state, with a majority saying the industry is positively impacting the economy, according to a new poll
• Oklahoma: Oklahoma expands impaired driving laws to include marijuana; Oklahoma activists have withdrawn a marijuana legalization initiative that they’d hoped to place on the state’s 2026 ballot.
• Oregon: Oregon Psilocybin Services (OPS) adopted new and updated administrative rules. 
• Pennsylvania: Workers at the Green Thumb Industries (GTI) subsidiary Rise have ratified their first Teamsters contract after a 45-day strike — the longest successful work stoppage in the history of the U.S. cannabis industry; Pa.’s Dave Sunday joins attorneys general in call for Congress to close the ‘delta-8 loophole’
• Rhode Island: The Rhode Island Department of Health announced the launch of Rhode Island Responsible, a public health campaign aimed at providing evidence-based information and practical resources that promote cannabis prevention among youth, pregnant individuals, and drivers, and responsible use across the state.
• South Carolina: S.C. bill aims to regulate sales of drinks, edibles containing THC
• South Dakota: Medical marijuana rift widens as oversight panel confuses and upsets industry with slate of motions
• Texas: FY25 Annual Analysis Final Enforcement Actions – Consumable Hemp
• Virginia: Virginia Senator Is ‘Very Optimistic’ About Legalizing Marijuana Sales Under New Pro-Reform Governor; Beginning December 1, 2025, practitioners will begin using the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority’s (CCA) new CCA Portal to issue written certifications for medical cannabis. This new online system replaces the need for paper forms and makes the certification process simpler, faster, and more secure; Spanberger, a former congresswoman, told Marijuana Moment ahead of the election that “as Virginia takes steps toward creating a legalized retail market for cannabis,” the commonwealth “needs a clear strategy to set up a market that is safe for consumers, transparent for businesses, and fair to entrepreneurs.”
• Washington: Topics and Trends Fall 2025 Cannabis Newsletter
• Wisconsin: A recent Milwaukee homicide involving two friends has sparked a renewed push from a Wisconsin lawmaker to ban THC products statewide; Licensed hemp processor may be prosecuted for controlled substance offenses without referral from administrative agency that regulates hemp industry; Legalize Marijuana To Fund Broadband Access Expansion, Wisconsin Democratic Candidates For Governor Say; State Sen. Testin’s Column: Why I’m trying to legalize medical marijuana

Cannabis Abroad

• Canada: Report on Canada’s cannabis legalization initiative: Funding, outcomes, and departmental spending; A federally funded study shows that youth marijuana use rates have declined after the country legalized cannabis—contradicting concerns voiced by prohibitionists.

Business, Banking, Insurance

• New Spectroscopy Method Offers Rapid, Reliable THC Classification for Cannabis Samples
• “Trump effect” sparks new bets on US cannabis retail – A late-September push for senior CBD use and talk of looser US marijuana rules have revived investor interest, from shop profits to spots on mainstream shelves.
• Industrial hemp (IH) improved rumination behavior in cattle by maintaining optimum rumen pH. Furthermore, IH increased the antioxidant status as well as the reduction of oxidative stress biomarkers, suggesting that IH supplementation could improve the health and welfare of Angus cattle.
• Charlotte’s Web Reports Q3 2025 Results
• Canopy Growth Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results
• Curaleaf Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results: Solid Growth and Robust Cash Generation
• Trulieve Reports Third Quarter 2025 Results Demonstrating Operational Discipline and Cash Flow Strength
• Aurora Cannabis Announces Fiscal 2026 Second Quarter Results
• Safe Harbor Financial Regains Compliance with Nasdaq Listing Requirements and Raises $6.8 million in New Capital While Eliminating Substantially All of the Company’s Debt

Research

• Study: Cannabis use is not uniformly harmful to cognition in older adults. Past use was associated with better performance and slower decline in certain cognitive domains. However, specific usage patterns, such as longer duration, were associated with poorer outcomes in other domains.
• The theory that marijuana use can negatively—and potentially permanently—rewire the brain up until a person reaches the age of 25 is based on misleading science that neglects to account for key factors in cognitive maturity, according to a new research paper.
• A new scientific review published by the American Medical Association (AMA) shows that use of psilocybin has “surged” in the U.S. in recent years amid the decriminalization movement and in light of “promising clinical trial results” on its therapeutic potential.
• A new study of adults who drink cannabis-infused beverages has found more evidence of a “substitution effect,” with a significant majority of participants reporting reduced alcohol use after incorporating cannabinoid drinks into their routines.
• Study: more frequent simultaneous cannabis and alcohol (SCA) use is positively associated with depression symptoms in college students. Although SCA use was also linked to higher anxiety and stress among males but not females, these sex differences were not significant.
• Study: Cannabidiol is effective in reducing seizure frequency in children with developmental and epileptic encephalopathies.
• Study: Living near cannabis stores linked to more frequent use and less heavy drinking
• Study: Women who frequently use marijuana report greater satisfaction in their romantic relationships, according to a new study. But for men, the opposite appears to be true for reasons that are not immediately clear.
• Study: CBD-rich cannabis treatment over 6 months was associated with reduced family accommodation (FA) and parental distress in families of autistic children.
• Study: Topical and intraoral CBD formulations had beneficial effects in reducing pain, muscle tension, gingival inflammation, bacterial load, and aphthous ulcer symptoms.
• Study: The potential of hemp-derived natural products, particularly stigmasterol, is showing promise for the development of antiviral agents against JEV infection.
• Rethinking Alzheimer’s: Harnessing Cannabidiol to Modulate the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) pathway and the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) pathways for Neuroinflammation Control
• Is the Association of Cannabis Use and Stroke Frequency-Dependent: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the NIH All of Us Research Program
• Cannabinoids show promise in managing BPSD in dementia, with good tolerability and safety. Further studies could solidify these findings
• Marijuana is a gateway drug to tobacco for teens, young adults (UC San Diego study)

Other Noteworthy Updates

• Mayo Clinic: What are the benefits of CBD — and is it safe to use?
• As more patients turn to medical marijuana, doctors and lawmakers remain divided
• The Many Risks of Cannabis and High-Dose THC Use – Brain and behavioral effects on teens and young adults are of special concern. (Psychology Today)
• The Majority Of Americans Still Back Marijuana Legalization—Despite Big Drop In Republican Support Under Trump, Gallup Poll Shows
• Marijuana is losing favor because it is a truly harmful substance (The Hill – Opinion)
• Tylenol in pregnancy is not the problem. This drug is. Many expectant moms are unaware of the dangers of cannabis use. (Washington Post – Opinion)

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If you are interested in exploring commercial opportunities in the cannabis space, we would be happy to assist you in any of your cannabis law questions, comments, or concerns. Please contact our cannabis team (Tish Pahl, Kyla Kaplan, Ben Dash, Denise Calle, and Michael Goodman) for assistance.