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- This Week in Cannabis News | May 23, 2025
This Week in Cannabis News | May 23, 2025
Key cannabis news stories from this week
Welcome to our new Friday program, This Week in Cannabis News, powered by Dutchie.
Each Friday at 10 a. m. Eastern, we'll deliver an overview of this week's cannabis news.
We will be quick, we'll be comprehensive, we'll send you into the weekend as a more informed cannabis professional, and it's all made possible by our friends at Dutchie.
It turns out neither coast dominates illegal weed, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration's 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment report. According to the DEA, Oklahoma accounts for 66% of all illicit cannabis that was seized by the federal government in 2024. The Sooner State was followed by California, Missouri, Indiana and Maine.
The Texas House of Representatives passed a comprehensive hemp ban this week. Lawmakers have been trying to regulate hemp for the last few months, and the latest amendment to what’s known as Senate Bill 3 criminalized possession and banned the manufacture and sale of hemp products that contain any amount of THC or THCA. The bill is now expected to land on the governor’s desk and hemp advocates are hoping for a veto from the Governor before they resort to legal action.
New York announced the timeline for full integration with seed-to-sale inventory tracking system, BioTrack. Starting August 1, licensed cultivators will need to use BioTrack. Then on September 1, that extends to licensed processors and distributors. Licensed retail dispensaries must be on the system by October 1. Some blame the lack of proper track-and-trace protocols in the state for product ‘inversion’ or illegally selling out-of-state products in New York.
Industry professionals understand the dominant position that flower has in cannabis markets. But this week, our Official Insights Partner at Lit Alerts wanted to dive deeper to see how dominant flower’s position was among key markets on the East Coast. Here’s a look at flower’s share of East Coast total units sold, from January through April this year, including flower and pre-rolls:
An interesting note: Massachusetts, the most mature market of this cohort, has the most dominant share of flower products. It begs the question: Will the other East Coast markets follow this trend as the quality of flower improves? Or is this an interesting regional preference shaking out? Time will tell — so stay tuned.
In case you missed it
Earlier this week, Jeremy and Jay chatted with The Boston Beer Company’s Head of Cannabis Paul Weaver a Cultivated Live episode. Weaver probably has the most enviable job title in the industry. The Boston Beer Company is most famous for Sam Adams lager. But it’s also been one of the most innovative beer giants when it comes to cannabis — the company hired Weaver in Toronto and launched TeaPot, its line of cannabis-infused iced teas in the Canadian market. And now, the company is looking toward THC drinks in the US — if, or when, federal regulations are ready.
“It is a loophole that allows these products to exist,” Weaver said, of hemp-derived THC products in US. “Personally, I’m quite bullish on the category. But as a responsible, publicly traded company, Boston Beer would really like to see some kind of federal acknowledgment regarding the long-term viability of this space.”
Here’s another clip from that conversation about the evolution of cannabis at Boston Beer Company: