Cannabis on the ballot

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Voters head to the polls today for a consequential midterms. Cannabis is on the ballot in Massachusetts: Question 8, if passed, would repeal legal cannabis sales in the state. 

We reported on the slippery statistics weaponized by the campaign pushing the repeal. We spoke to Ryan Dominguez, who’s leading the fight against the ballot measure. And we reported on the Massachusetts growers, organizers, and operators who are pushing back.

In Texas, Senate candidate James Talarico endorsed legalization and vowed to protect consumer access to THC. It could help him win a closely contested race with Republican Ken Paxton, an opponent of cannabis reform. 

We also spoke to Rep. Vikki Goodwin, the Democrat who’s running for Lieutenant Governor against Dan Patrick, a key architect of the state’s hemp THC ban, about her support for cannabis.  

And broadly speaking, if the Democrats do indeed take both chambers, expect some federal cannabis bills to take on new life. 

We’ll find out more tonight.

Some Republicans are starting to treat cannabis like any other small business, Jeremy said on Friday’s This Week in Cannabis Live.

It’s a further sign of normalization:

Virginia is staffing up. Two new openings tied to the state’s cannabis regulatory buildout lead this week’s People Moves:

We’re also tracking a notable move out of New York: Alana Hans-Cohen, most recently Associate Counsel in the Trade Practices Bureau at the New York Office of Cannabis Management, has moved into private practice at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP.

That’s just a taste.

The full list of moves and open roles, with states and provinces included, is available now for Cultivated Members.

Become a member to read this week’s People Moves →

For four straight months, New York’s top three didn’t budge.

In October, Lit Alerts’ New York Brand Power Rankings show that streak is over.

Ruby Farms climbed to #3 and MFNY rose to #4, while Off Hours slid two spots to #5 after holding the podium since June. Camino pushed into the top ten at #10, bumping Fernway down to #11. Stiiizy and Jeeter, meanwhile, stalled just outside the gates.

Then there’s the value story.

Herb debuted at #36, one month after bulk-flower challenger Zips! entered at #32. Buyers are clearly rewarding price-accessible flower.

The takeaway: the top ten is a high-velocity defense, and no spot is safe.

See the full October Brand Power Rankings on Lit Alerts »

Lobbyists for Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors and Diageo urged state attorneys general to sign an August letter asking Congress not to delay the federal hemp THC ban, reports Politico. Thirty-five state and territorial AGs signed, and most of the ban is set to take effect Dec. 11 unless Congress steps in.

The Houston Chronicle editorial board endorsed cannabis legalization and urged Texans to vote for candidates who support it. Hemp has become a live issue in Texas races, from lieutenant governor candidate Vikki Goodwin, who told Cultivated Live she’d roll back the state’s hemp rule, to Senate candidate James Talarico’s bet on hemp to win swing voters.

Fall River, Mass., countersued Northeast Alternatives, which wants $4.6 million in impact fees refunded, claiming the dispensary stopped paying what it owed. The fees stem from a 2018 deal signed under former Mayor Jasiel Correia II, later convicted in a federal cannabis-related case, and state regulators have since flagged parts of it as noncompliant.

Jeremy joined CBS6 in Albany to chat about his reporting on the Smart Approaches to Marijuana-backed effort to repeal cannabis sales in Massachusetts. He and host Tom Eschen discussed the campaign, its funding, and what it says about the broader debates about legalization. Watch the segment here:

Tilray will close Redecan’s original facility in Fenwick, Ontario, by Jan. 31, 2027, shifting cultivation to its Masson, Quebec, greenhouse, which it once used to grow cucumbers, and pre-rolls to Cayuga, Ontario. The company expects about $10 million in annual savings by fiscal 2028. $TLRY ( ▲ 0.79% )

Trulieve said it received DEA registrations for medical cannabis dispensaries in the agency’s first batch. $TRLV ( ▲ 7.98% )

Medical cannabis did little or nothing better than placebo for sleep quality, duration or daytime functioning across nine trials and 537 adults, according to a review in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The authors said the evidence is too weak to show whether cannabis works, which is not the same as showing it doesn’t.

Massachusetts Ballot Question 8 seeks to reverse marijuana legalization | Reason