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GOP Congresswoman Says Medical Marijuana Helped Her Aunt Deal With Cancer Symptoms

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A GOP congresswoman says that while she’s concerned about “free-for-alls” with marijuana laws, she understands the importance of having a “robust” medical program—a position partly informed by her own aunt’s experience using cannabis to treat symptoms of cancer.

At a town hall event in Iowa on Wednesday, a constituent who identified as a Democrat spoke to Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) about the issue, while describing her personal friendship with a Republican, which she said has kept their relationship “exciting, to say the least.”

The woman added that she would like to see more Democrats elected so that “people like myself could use the marijuana for my paralyzed legs and my whole body to make it feel better.”

Hinson sympathized with the attendee, saying it’s “important” to maintain friendships and have have political conversations in a “civilized manner” despite disagreements, including around cannabis policy.

“I think what’s really important around the conversation around medical marijuana is making sure that it’s for medical use,” she said. “Iowa does have a program. I know we worked on it when I was in the state legislature. I think there have been some changes to it since I last reviewed that policy and looked at it.”


Congresswoman Ashley Hinson hosts town hall in Decorah, Iowa.

“My concern with free-for-alls around marijuana are that there are no tests right now for sobriety—for marijuana, unlike alcohol—where if you get in a car and you hurt or kill someone while you’re driving drunk, you can immediately be tested for how intoxicated you are as of right now,” the congresswoman said. “I don’t think there is the same test for marijuana, which I think could be helpful in making sure law enforcement could properly assess whether somebody did break the law or not.”

She went on to say, however, that she finds it important to “have a robust medical marijuana program, which we do here in Iowa.” And she shared a personal anecdote about why she holds that policy position.

“My own aunt had multiple myeloma. It’s been several years ago since she passed away, but she also took medical marijuana because she had that cancer, and it was the thing that allowed her to be able to eat and stay alive long enough to fight as long as she did,” Hinson said. “She lived 16 years with multiple myeloma— blood cancer—so I understand how important having that access to something that can make you feel better is and will happily, happily take a look at it as long as we can make sure the science backs it up on the legal arguments.”

In Congress, Hinson voted against a marijuana legalization bill but supported a separate measure aimed at making it easier to study cannabis. She also voted for a bill to increase marijuana businesses’s access to banks.


Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.


Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

Iowa’s medical cannabis program is relatively restrictive, preventing patients from buying marijuana flower and prohibiting home cultivation. But the law as revised in recent years is more expansive than what was initially enacted in 2014, and lawmakers introduced a bill this session that would allow for up to double the number of dispensaries operating in the state.

The legislature has continued to resist calls to legalize marijuana for adult use, however. And the state has faced lawsuits from industry stakeholders over a law enacted last year that restricts hemp-derived THC beverages.

Meanwhile, the Iowa House last month passed a bill to legalize the therapeutic use of psilocybin for patients with certain mental health conditions.

Marijuana Legalization Is Putting ‘Pressure’ On Alcohol Industry, CEO Of Jack Daniel’s Parent Company Says Amid Profit Losses

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High Times, RAW and hhemp.co Forge New Era of Pre‑Rolls, Vapes & Hemp Products

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What happens when a rebel media empire, the world’s most trusted rolling paper, and the manufacturer helping iconic cannabis brands cross over to hemp come together? You get more than a product drop. You get a seismic shift in cannabis culture.

Few collaborations hit the cultural gut like this: High Times, RAW, and hhemp.co. The magazine that wrote the rebel narrative, the rolling paper that defines ritual, and the secret manufacturer behind many iconic brands, are scaling cannabis labels into hemp across 45,000‑plus doors. Together, they’re lighting the fuse on a turnkey product portfolio slated for Q4 2025, giving retailers a story‑rich line that spans terp‑saturated pre‑rolls, live‑resin vapes, and collectible merch.

Icon Credentials

Each brand brings its own legacy and loyal audience:

  • Founded in 1974, High Times helped shape the language of cannabis long before legalization became a headline. Now, under the stewardship of industry veteran Matt Stang, the magazine is reclaiming its independent spirit and doubling down on community-first initiatives: revived Cannabis Cups, investigative reporting, and strategic partnerships that honor the plant’s counterculture roots. “High Times doesn’t need reinvention, it needs re-ignition,” Stang says, “and partnering with RAW and hhemp.co lets us turn decades of editorial credibility into tangible change.”
  • If High Times documented the culture, RAW defined its rituals. Founder Josh Kesselman built RAW on unbleached paper that championed purity at a time when few smokers asked how their rolling papers were made. His mission, “uplifting the world and bringing all of us to the triple next level,” evolved into global philanthropy, sustainability programs, and a cult‑like fan base. In this alliance, RAW serves as the cultural litmus test: if it doesn’t feel authentic, it doesn’t ship. “A rolling paper’s job is to create a positive, uplifting experience,” Kesselman notes. “By joining forces, we can amplify that ethos far beyond the cone.”
  • While High Times and RAW bring legacy cachet, hhemp.co provides the engine room. Helmed by “czar of formulation” Dr. Bao Le, the hemp manufacturer condenses R&D, compliance, and national distribution into a 60–90‑day sprint, already powering 45,000+ retail doors for celebrity and craft brands. Dr. Le’s credo of Made Clean. Made Right. Made Better™ turns high‑minded ideals into lab‑verified reality. “We remove friction so vision can flourish,” he says. “Working with High Times and RAW proves that rigorous science and counter‑culture values are complementary, not contradictory.”

Dr. Bao Le at his hemp farm in Oregon.

A Partnership Built on Principles

  • Authenticity Over Algorithms: Editorial integrity, ritual credibility, and scientific rigor converge to create offerings that feel lived‑in, not manufactured for trends.
  • Transparency as Table Stakes: From open-source rolling-paper specs to QR-linked COAs, no smoke and mirrors here.
  • Education as Marketing: High Times will fold storytelling, investigative journalism, and how‑to content directly into product ecosystems, bridging the gap between novice consumers and seasoned aficionados.

What This Means for Retailers and Consumers

Interstate THC restrictions continue to bottleneck growth; meanwhile, hemp‑derived THCa, THCp and rosin gummies create a compliant on‑ramp to national shelves. Retail buyers crave brands with built‑in trust signals, which is exactly what High Times and RAW deliver. hhemp.co’s vertically integrated facility collapses R&D, packaging, and multi‑state testing into one sprint, keeping per‑unit margin intact.

The counter‑culture has always advanced when unlikely icons join forces, and 2025 may prove a watershed year. High Times, the magazine that handed cannabis its first glossy megaphone in 1974, has just reclaimed its independent spirit. Determined to “hand the mic back to the culture and press record,” High Times is steering the storied brand beyond print and events into products that embody its rebel DNA.

RAW arrives at the partnership with unmatched ritual credibility. Guided by Kesselman’s creed of “uplifting the world and bringing all of us to the triple next level,” RAW’s unbleached, additive‑free papers have become the benchmark for smokers who care as much about purity as potency. Its cult‑like global following ensures that anything carrying the RAW watermark commands instant trust on the shelf. “A rolling paper’s job is to create a positive, uplifting experience. Partnering with High Times and hhemp.co lets that spirit roll far wider than we ever could alone,” said Kesselman. 

Josh Kesselman and Dr. Bao Le announced High Times collaboration at Champs Las Vegas

The products officially debuted last weekend at CHAMPS Las Vegas, drawing buzz from both wholesale buyers and cultural insiders. From RAW cones packed with THCa flower to High Times-branded live resin vapes, the launch marks the beginning of a broader movement. 

Retailers see immediate shelf credibility. Consumers get ritual, rebellion, and reliability in one. And the culture? It gets its mic back.



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Bill To Ban Hemp Products With THC Is Filed In Texas House, As Governor Continues To Call For Regulations Instead

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As Texas’s special legislative session enters its second week, a Republican House member on Monday filed companion legislation to a Senate bill that would ban consumable hemp products with any detectable level of THC.

Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who vetoed an earlier version of the ban during the state’s regular legislative session, is continuing to call for a compromise that would allow small amounts of THC in hemp products.

“We want to make sure adults still have the liberty to be able to have access to non-intoxicating hemp-based products,” Abbott said in an interview with The Texan last week.

He said, however, that “as long as

are below three milligrams of THC content, they are non-intoxicating.”

Under SB 5, which a Senate committee unanimously advanced last week and is set to be taken up by the full chamber in coming days, consumable hemp products with any amount of THC would be illegal. Even mere possession would be punishable as a Class B misdemeanor, carrying up to 180 days in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Only products with two specific cannabinoids—CBD and CBG—would be allowed under the Senate proposal.

Reform advocates have hoped that, as happened during the regular session this year, House lawmakers might revise SB 5 to regulate, rather than ban, hemp products containing THC.

While that could still happen, Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R) on Monday introduced HB 5, which is effectively identical to SB 5. It had not yet been scheduled for a hearing as of Monday afternoon. VanDeaver chairs the House Committee on Public Health.

Heather Fazio, director of the Texas Cannabis Policy Center, told Marijuana Moment that the group was “surprised to see Chairman VanDeaver introduce HB 5, which appears to be a carbon copy of SB 5,” emphasizing that the proposals don’t align with Abbott’s stated goals for hemp regulation.

“Both of these bills strictly ban and criminalize any amount of THC and nearly all non-impairing cannabinoids. This means even full spectrum CBD oil would be off the market,” Fazio said. “These bills are unreasonable and do not reflect the governor’s position. Governor Abbott has called on lawmakers to regulate THC. He recently reiterated this position and called for low THC limits, but he confirmed that he does not support an outright ban.”

(Disclosure: Fazio supports Marijuana Moment’s work via a monthly Patreon pledge.)

SB 5, meanwhile, was on the Senate calendar for Monday but the body convened and quickly adjourned without taking action on any bills. Senators are next scheduled to meet on Wednesday.

Ahead of the special legislative session, Abbott specifically asked lawmakers to prioritize hemp regulatory issues. He reiterated his opposition to enacting a blanket prohibition on hemp products, which he called “a lawful agricultural commodity,” and called on the legislature to make two chief reforms.

One of Abbott’s requests was that lawmakers pass legislation “making it a crime to provide hemp-derived products to children under 21 years of age.”

Another sought a measure “to comprehensively regulate hemp-derived products, including limiting potency, restricting synthetically modified compounds, and establishing enforcement mechanisms, all without banning a lawful agricultural commodity.”

In his interview with The Texan last week, Abbott reiterated his opposition to an outright ban on consumable hemp products.

“I’m not in favor of a total ban,” he said, adding that he does support restrictions on synthetic cannabinoids and youth access to hemp products.

“I am, to be clear, in favor of a ban for those under the age of 21,” the governor explained. “I am in favor of a ban of any type of synthetic that can be added to these products that would make the product more dangerous. I am in favor of a ban of any hemp-based product that reaches an intoxication level, and that is more than three milligrams of THC.”

As Abbott has done in other interviews around the hemp bill, he again gave a somewhat confusing explanation of what he views as allowable THC limits in hemp, variously saying there should be a “three percent” or “three milligram” cap, which is a meaningful difference.


Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.


Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

He said in a separate recent interview with FOX 4 that “every law enforcement official I’ve talked to has said the same thing, and that is, they don’t have the resources to regulate it,” but added that “If they’re measuring the hemp product not based upon the current methodology, 0.3 percent THC, but on the milligram basis, it’s a whole lot easier to be able to measure it.”

At last week’s Senate committee hearing on SB 5, most law enforcement speakers said they supported an all-out ban on hemp products containing any THC rather than attempts at regulation. Some later added, however, that they felt the state’s limited medical marijuana program, known as the Texas Compassionate Use Program (TCUP), should be expanded to ease access by patients—especially military veterans—who could benefit from therapeutic cannabis.

Notably, Abbott in June signed a bill into law that expanded the state’s list of medical cannabis qualifying conditions, adding chronic pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases, while also allowing end-of-life patients in palliative or hospice care to use marijuana.

SB 5 and companion HB 5 are among a small handful of bills introduced for the new special session to address consumable hemp products.

Among other proposals are measures to require extensive product warning labels and limit how hemp products are packaged.

Two other newly introduced bills are HB 160 from Rep. Charlene Ward Johnson (D) and SB 39 from Sen. Judith Zaffirini (D).

The former would require a number of warning labels to be carried on hemp products with any more than trace amounts of THC, cautioning that the products can cause “cannabis poisoning that can be life-threatening to children,” harm brain development in youth, increase “risk of mental disorders like psychosis and schizophrenia” and lead to anxiety, depression and substance abuse disorders.

SB 39, meanwhile, would prohibit hemp products from being packaged or marketed “in a manner attractive to children,” limiting packaging shaped like humans, animals, fruit, cartoons or “another shape that is attractive to minors” as well as packaging that looks similar to legal products already marketed to children, for example candy or juice. It would also outlaw misleading product packaging. Violations would be a Class A misdemeanor, carrying up to a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Separately, last week Rep. Nicole Collier (D) introduced a one-page bill, HB 42, designed to protect consumers in the state from criminal charges if what they believed was a legal hemp product turned out to contain excessive amounts of THC, making it illegal marijuana. It would prevent the criminalization of someone found in possession of a product that’s labeled as hemp but is determined to contain “a controlled substance or marihuana.”

In order for the person to obtain the legal protection, the product would need to have been purchased “from a retailer the person reasonably believed was authorized to sell a consumable hemp product.”

Another bill—HB 195, introduced on Thursday by Rep. Jessica González (D)—would legalize marijuana for people 21 and older, allowing possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, with no more than 15 grams of that amount being in concentrated form.

Yet another proposal would order state officials to conduct a study on testing for THC intoxication.

As for what Texans themselves want to see from their representatives, proponents of reining in the largely unregulated intoxicating hemp industry in Texas shared new polling data on Wednesday indicating that majorities of respondents from both major political parties support outlawing synthetic cannabinoids, such as delta-8 THC.

The survey also found that respondents would rather obtain therapeutic cannabis products through a state-licensed medical marijuana program than from a “smoke shop selling unregulated and untested hemp.”

Ahead of the governor’s veto last month of SB 3—the earlier hemp product ban—advocates and stakeholders had delivered more than 100,000 petition signatures asking Abbott to reject the measure. Critics argued that the industry—which employs an estimated 53,000 people—would be decimated if the measure became law.

Image element courtesy of AnonMoos.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.

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Chicagoland Cookies Dispensary Opens in Illinois

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[PRESS RELEASE] – BOLINGBROOK, Ill., July 26, 2025 — International cannabis and lifestyle brand Cookies officially opened the doors of its newest location: an experience-driven dispensary, Chicagoland Cookies, in the heart of Bolingbrook, Ill.

Founded by Taylor Gang rapper and entrepreneur Berner, Cookies is known for creating a culture-first approach rooted in music, fashion and community. Through the new 6,000-square-foot flagship location, the brand has leveraged its signature style to service an untapped market just outside Chicago.

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At the July 26 grand opening celebration, the Chicagoland Cookies team introduced the community to its full menu of offerings, including proprietary cannabis strains, exclusive streetwear and merchandise, entertainment and live product on the floor.  

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“Chicagoland Cookies is so much more than a dispensary,” said Amanda Hernandez, general manager of Chicagoland Cookies. “We’ve created a space that blends top-tier cannabis, culture and hospitality in a way that will meet the needs of any customer. We’ve been thrilled to receive an incredible welcome from the local community and are proud to provide a destination that welcomes everyone, whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or exploring cannabis for the first time.”

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Located in a repurposed Bank of America building, the dispensary features a “store within a store” concept, which includes a full merchandise and clothing section, lounge seating, arcade games, live DJ sets, open chess boards and more.

The Chicagoland Cookies team commemorated the official opening of the dispensary with remarks from Bolingbrook Mayor Mary Alexander-Basta, Bolingbrook Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Melissa Boltz, and Hernandez. Hundreds of local neighbors and cannabis enthusiasts from across the region also attended the day-long grand opening celebration. 

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Learn more about Chicagoland Cookies at https://bolingbrook.cookies.co/



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