Cannabis and hemp regulation news

September 26, 2026

D.C. Circuit Denies Stay of Schedule III Medical-Marijuana Order: What No. 26-1106 Does and Does Not Decide

A three-judge panel refused to pause the Attorney General's April order moving state-licensed medical marijuana to Schedule III. The merits fight now runs on a consolidated, joint-brief track the court itself set in motion — likely a year of status quo before any ruling on validity.

September 25, 2026

California's Pesticide Recall Chain Reaches Downstream Licensees: Three New DCC Notices and the Third-Party Biomass Problem

California's Department of Cannabis Control published three further adulteration recalls on September 14 and 15. One names a licensee that bought the cannabis from someone else — and that is the part operators need to read.

September 25, 2026

A $2 Million Fine for a Camera Pointed at a Wall: Michigan, Pennsylvania and the September Enforcement Record

A camera pointed at a wall cost a Michigan processor two licences and $2 million. In Pennsylvania, the gas-station THC channel is now a corrupt-organizations case.

September 24, 2026

Maryland's New Packaging Rules Are Live — and the Draft Behind Them Could Cost You a Conditional License. Comment Closes September 30

Two live obligations in one state — packaging rules already in force, and a draft that turns a missed MCA email into a lost conditional license. Comment closes September 30.

September 12, 2026

Nebraska's Supreme Court Ends the Fight Over Medical Cannabis: Kuehn v. Evnen, 7–0, and What the Commission Does on September 14

A notary's defect does not void a petition page. With that, the last legal cloud over Nebraska's medical cannabis program lifted — and the bottleneck moved to the Commission's fee rule.

September 11, 2026

FDA Opens a Botanical Drug Docket — the First Federal Invitation in Years for Cannabis-Extract Developers (Comments Due November 3)

The notice never says cannabis, but the botanical pathway is the one whole-plant extracts travel. Comments close November 3 — before anyone knows whether cannabis becomes Schedule III.

September 27, 2026

Is CBD Legal in Tennessee? The 2026 Rules for Hemp-Derived Cannabinoids, THCA Counting and Who Can Sell

Tennessee draws its line at detectable THC, not at the word CBD: THC-free isolate is unregulated, while full-spectrum oil, gummies and flower are ABC-licensed, 21+ products under a THCA-counting test. The state's head start on THCA does not protect it from the federal 0.4 mg per-container cap arriving December 11.

September 26, 2026

Are THC Gummies Legal in Texas? What Is Legal Today, What DSHS Is Seizing, and What Changes on December 11

Texas measures THC as a percentage of dry weight; the federal rule arriving December 11 measures it in milligrams per container. A gummy that is legal under one test fails the other by a factor of 25 to 30. Here is the product-by-product matrix, the enforcement posture, and the calendar.

September 24, 2026

Where Is Delta-8 Legal? All 50 States in 2026, and the Two Federal Dates That Change the Map

A state-by-state table of delta-8 legality in 2026 — plus the November 12 federal date, and why roughly half the states on the map may not follow it.

September 14, 2026

Is CBD Legal in Texas? 2026 Rules for CBD Oil, Gummies, Flower and Retail — and the Two Deadlines About to Narrow the Answer

Hemp CBD is legal in Texas under chapter 443, but the answer narrows on two dates: Texas already counts THCA toward total THC, and federal law counts total THC per container from December 11. Which SKUs are exposed.

September 13, 2026

THC-P vs THC: Potency Claims, Legal Status, and Which Federal Date Actually Applies (2026)

THC-P occurs naturally in trace amounts and is sold as a CBD-derived synthetic — and that combination puts it in a different federal bucket than most 'synthetics.' Here is how it compares with delta-9 THC on chemistry, law and testing.

September 6, 2026

Are Edibles Legal? The 2026 State-by-State Guide Built on Milligram Caps, Not Just Legal Status

Edibles legality turns on three variables — adult-use status, hemp-THC rules and milligram caps — and the per-serving cap usually binds before the legality question does. The state-by-state map operators actually need.

September 27, 2026

Sixth Circuit Voids Michigan Grower's $31.8M Verdict: Marijuana Contracts Unenforceable in Federal Court

A published Sixth Circuit opinion in Hello Farms v. GR Vending reverses a $31.8 million verdict against two Curaleaf subsidiaries. The April Schedule III order is not retroactive and, without DEA registration, does not make a cannabis contract lawful in federal court.

August 31, 2026

7 Delta-8 Compliance Trends Businesses Should Watch Before November 12

The 0.4 mg per-container cap is smaller than a single Delta-8 gummy. Seven trends operators should be tracking before the federal definition changes.

August 3, 2026

A Bill to Make Cannabis Insurable: The Cramer–Gallego Insurance Shield, Explained

Cannabis businesses pay surplus-lines prices for thin coverage because insurers fear federal exposure. A new bipartisan bill takes aim at exactly that.

Cannabis SOP Templates 2026: Cultivation, Processing & Retail Compliance Guide

Cannabis SOP templates for 2026 cover cultivation, processing, and retail, providing the documented procedures regulators require for licensing and inspections.

Incident Response for Seed-to-Sale SaaS Outages: A 72-Hour Regulatory Playbook

A 72-hour incident response playbook helps cannabis operators preserve seed-to-sale records and meet clock-based obligations during compliance SaaS outages.

Distributor Agreements for THC Beverages: Indemnity and Recall Cost-Sharing Templates

THC beverage distributor agreements need defined indemnity events, recall cost allocation, and communication control to manage product holds and withdrawals.

Fourth Circuit 2025: Maryland Licensing Scheme Survives—What the Ruling Means for Equity Preferences After Variscite

The Fourth Circuit in September 2025 upheld Maryland's social equity cannabis licensing scheme, splitting with the Second Circuit's Variscite residency ruling.

Maryland 2025: Appellate Court Upholds Hemp‑Derived Product Restrictions—Age‑21, Milligram Caps, and What Survives Legal Challenge

Maryland's Appellate Court in Moore v. Maryland Hemp Coalition on September 9, 2025 upheld age-21 limits, potency caps, and Cannabis Reform Act hemp rules.

After Variscite: The Second Circuit's 2025 Dormant Commerce Clause Bombshell for Cannabis Licensing

The Second Circuit's August 12, 2025 Variscite ruling struck down New York's in-state cannabis conviction preference under the Dormant Commerce Clause.

St. Louis’s September 2025 Hemp Showdown: City and County Moves to Classify Intoxicating Hemp as Marijuana

St. Louis City and County moved in September 2025 to classify intoxicating hemp as marijuana, putting general retail sales at risk via licensing and seizure.

The Impact of Reclassifying Hemp Products as Cannabis: A Farmer’s Story

In 2025, several US states began reclassifying hemp-derived products as cannabis, upending licensing, market access, and daily operations for hemp farmers.

Hemp Compliance Enforcement Roundup: Lessons from Recent Cases

Recent enforcement cases, including Planet Zaza's $4.93 million civil penalty in Connecticut, show how license-scope and youth-appeal violations trigger fines.