On May 15, the U.S. Justice Department took the latest step needed to reschedule cannabis federally from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance. President Joe Biden announced his support to reclassify cannabis in a video posted to his official X account. “This is monumental,” Biden said. “It’s an important move towards reversing long-standing inequities. … Far too many lives have been upended because of a failed approach to marijuana, and I’m committed to righting those wrongs. You have my word on it.” The Biden administration has been signaling that it would try to reschedule marijuana fro ..read more

Over 38,000 commercially licensed truck drivers failed federally mandated drug screens for marijuana in 2023 and many are not reapplying for work within the industry, according to data provided by the US Department of Transportation. Additionally, nearly 13,000 drivers in 2023 failed to show up for their required drug tests – the highest number of refusals ever reported by the agency. Federal law mandates commercially licensed drivers to undergo random marijuana urinalysis testing, which detects the presence of the inert carboxy-THC metabolite. This non-psychoactive metabolite is detectable i ..read more

Arizona-based lifestyle cannabis brand Timeless has announced its 2nd annual Shred for the Cure campaign in partnership with skateboarder, brain cancer survivor and cannabis advocate, DJ Stewart, in an effort to raise funds for the Head for the Cure Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the battle against brain cancer. Coinciding with Brain Tumor Awareness Month, from May 15th – June 15th consumers in Arizona can visit Trulieve, Zen Leaf and Health For Life dispensaries to purchase a limited-edition Timeless flip case and battery combo designed by artist John F. Malta in which all pro ..read more

Through the first quarter of 2024, states have reported a combined total of more than $20 billion in tax revenue from legal, adult-use cannabis sales, according to a new report from Marijuana Policy Project. Arizona saw $67,164,023 in cannabis sales tax revenue from January through March 2024. The state’s total tax revenue from cannabis sales in 2023 came to $635,617,878. Twenty-four states have legalized cannabis possession for adults 21 and older. All but one of them — Virginia — have also legalized, regulated, and taxed cannabis sales. In two legalization states — Delaware and Ohio — sales ..read more

Sol Flower is opening a dispensary in Tempe, Arizona. The immersive new dispensary, located at 2424 W University Drive in Tempe, will kick off operations with a grand opening celebration filled with giveaways from Saturday, May 4th through Sunday, May 5th. In celebration of Star Wars Day, the grand opening celebrations will kick off with Star Wars-themed giveaways on Saturday, May 4th, followed by Cinco De Mayo-themed giveaways on Sunday, May 5th. The grand opening celebration event will feature deals on the company’s own Copperstate Farms and Jukebox brands. The event follows the launch of f ..read more

The DEA has reportedly proposed rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I to Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act. Before taking effect, the DEA’s proposal must undergo review by the White House Office of Management and Budget. “This is a positive step forward for federal cannabis policy, however it is a rather modest step given the strong support among American voters for comprehensive cannabis reform,” said Matthew Schweich, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. “It is important to acknowledge that this rescheduling would not affect the criminalization of m ..read more

LeafLink, the leading wholesale cannabis platform, released its annual Wholesale Cannabis Pricing Guide, providing wholesale market data from 14 US cannabis markets in five product categories – flower, cartridges, concentrates, edibles and ingestibles, and pre-rolls. The Guide offers an analysis of sales performance for the five categories and year-over-year market differences. For this year’s guide, LeafLink analyzed $5 billion of wholesale orders across 385,000 SKUs placed in 2023. Markets included in this report were Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Michigan ..read more

Floridians will get to vote on adult-use cannabis legalization this November. The Florida State Supreme Court ruled 5-2 to advance the legalization initiative to the November ballot. If passed, the initiative would take effect six months after Election Day. The initiative would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of cannabis flower and five grams of concentrate. Medical cannabis dispensaries would be permitted to sell cannabis to adults over the age of 21. The legislature would retain the ability to issue more licenses in the future. The initiative does not include expungemen ..read more

Patients suffering from chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and other conditions report sustained improvements in their symptoms following the use of cannabis, according to observational data published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology Reports. British investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of plant-derived cannabis products (either oils, flower, or a combination of both) in a cohort of 1,378 patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. Participants possessed a doctor’s authorization to access cannabis products. (Since 2018, healthcare specialists have been permitted to ..read more

There’s not much that goes together better with cannabis than great food and the hypnotic rhythm of rasta tunes. So, to celebrate National Cannabis Day, which happens to fall on a Saturday this year, Mint Cannabis is setting out to prove there’s only one dispensary to love with a two-day celebration. On Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20, the operator’s six dispensaries in Arizona will host rasta-themed celebrations chock-full of food, fun, prizes, giveaways, and plenty of great music, of course, for customers 21 and older. Throughout the two-day celebration on 4/19 and 4/20, customers w ..read more