Cannabis shoppers in Ohio can now purchase up to two and a half ounces of cannabis flower from licensed dispensaries under a rule change announced last week by the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC).

Previously, cannabis purchases were capped at a single ounce for flower to prevent product shortages during the adult-use industry’s launch last year.

“Since non-medical cannabis sales began in August 2024, the market has demonstrated the ability to support both medical marijuana patients and non-medical consumers alike,” the agency wrote in a guidance published last week.

The rule change took effect immediately on Wednesday, but while the purchasing limits for cannabis flower products have increased, the regulations on other cannabis products remain unchanged. Outside of cannabis flower, Ohio state law sets a 15,000mb total THC cap on adult-use cannabis purchases — dispensaries are expected to honor the limit by tallying up the total THC content being bought by consumers, including cannabis concentrates, edibles, beverages, and vaporizers.

Licensed cannabis dispensaries in Ohio conducted nearly $400 million in adult-use sales during the first seven months of the legal market.

In March, lawmakers were accused of withholding more than $10 million in adult-use cannabis tax revenue that was supposed to be earmarked for local governments that had opted to allow cannabis businesses.

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers have more recently been pushing to scale back the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization law through at least two different proposals: one to cap THC limits in cannabis concentrates and impose other limits that were left out of the voter-approved bill, and one to cut back on the number of home grow plants allowed under state law.

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With news of a reported Bigfoot sighting in Michigan making headlines nationwide, a local marijuana dispensary is doing its part to help solve the mystery by offering customers a free joint for any photographic proof of the mythological creature.

The alleged sighting took place last month, with a father and son who were out fishing reporting that they witnessed a large animal fall to the ground and begin to approach them before their dog scared it away. The account, documented by the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), quickly made rounds in the media.

Uniq Cannabis, evidently invested in the lore, leveraged the moment and posted a sign outside its cannabis shop in Monroe that says, “Bring photo proof of Bigfoot for a free pre-roll.”

According to the BFRO report, the creature appeared to be the size of a bear but resembling a gorilla-type animal. The father and son didn’t capture a photo of the creature, but Uniq Cannabis is providing an incentive for anyone who does, as WTVG reported.

This comes more than 30 years after another cannabis-related Bigfoot story reportedly occurred in northern California, as depicted in the TV docuseries Sasquatch, which recounts an unsubstantiated story about three cannabis workers being killed by such a creature.

Beyond offering deals for evidence of a mythological creature, marijuana companies have sought to gain publicity in a number of creative ways.

For example, Rolling Derby, a group founded by a group of cannabis industry veterans, announced last month that they have organized a series of “speed-rolling” tournaments, where adults 21 and older can compete against each other virtually or in person to see who can successfully fashion a joint the fastest.

Late last year, Toker’s Guide—which offers an online directory of dispensaries in several jurisdictions—listed series of job listings seeking experienced cannabis consumers in states across the U.S. to sample and review marijuana products.

Also last year, the rolling paper company DaySavers announced they’d pay $4.20 to volunteers willing to smoke two free pre-rolled joints and provide feedback on their smokability.

DaySavers separately launched a campaign last March to hire for what it calls the “ultimate stoner dream job,” seeking a content creator to “get paid to smoke weed.” The full-time social media creator and event marketer job pays $70,420 with perks including cannabis product testing and all expenses paid travel to marijuana events.

Some other high-profile clients have also offered to pay people for rolling joints–for example Snoop Dogg, who said several years ago that he pays someone $40,000 to $50,000 per year to have blunts readily available.

Meanwhile, although it won’t feature a speed-rolling tournament, the California State Fair will once again feature a cannabis exhibit and competition at this year’s event, with expanded award categories meant to showcase the diversity of the state’s market.

First-Ever Marijuana ‘Speed-Rolling’ Competition Launches, Turning Cannabis Culture Into A ‘Spectator Sport’

A leading alcohol industry association is calling on Congress to dial back language in a House committee-approved spending bill that would ban most consumable hemp products, instead proposing to maintain the legalization of naturally derived cannabinoids from the crop and only prohibit synthetic items.

Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), which has backed federally legalizing marijuana and regulating hemp products, said on Friday that it generally supports the effort to ban synthetic cannabinoids such as delta-8 THC that have proliferated since the federal legalization of hemp under the 2018 Farm Bill.

But the hemp provision of the spending bill that cleared the the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies on Thursday is a bridge too far, the association said.

“WSWA supports the subcommittee’s action to eliminate synthetic, unnatural cannabinoids that are a threat to public health and safety,” WSWA President and CEO Francis Creighton said in a press release. “But prohibition of all cannabinoids is not the answer—it risks sweeping up state regulated and Farm Bill compliant hemp-derived products that have driven a new and dynamic market.”

“Under attempted complete prohibition, bad actors dealing in potentially harmful products will continue to operate and thrive in the shadows, while state regulatory structures that protect public safety will be put in conflict with Federal law,” Creighton said.

WSWA put forward a policy recommendations for lawmakers to consider—namely removing the a provision redefining hemp in a way that’d prohibit products with any quantifiable amount of THC so that the federal government could instead “preserve state authority, protect compliant businesses, and ensure clarity for consumers and regulators.”

The consumable hemp product crackdown isn’t exclusive to the federal government, as multiple states—from California to Florida to Texas—have moved to ban intoxicating cannabinoids in recent months.

“States have stepped up to fill the regulatory vacuum, and Congress must be careful not to undermine their progress,” Creighton said.

Shawn Lederman of the Florida-based Greenlight Distribution said the company has “invested in jobs, infrastructure, and compliance to bring accountability to this space—efforts that would be wiped out overnight, handing the market to unregulated bad actors. We urge Congress to respect our business and citizens. A total ban would be devastating.”

John Giarrante, president of Show Me Beverages in Missouri, said the committee’s “proposal to ban naturally occurring hemp-derived products like Delta-9 will undermine the legitimate and responsible work we’ve done to meet consumer demand while prioritizing public health and safety.”

“We’ve built a compliant, transparent business to bring structure and legitimacy to this fast-growing market,” he said. “This action would not only undo that progress but also have a harmful economic impact—putting jobs at risk and handing the entire category over to unlicensed, unregulated actors with no regard for safety or accountability.”

Members of WSWA also met with lawmakers and staffers in April to advocate for three key policy priorities that the group says is based on “sound principles of alcohol distribution.” They include banning synthetic THC, setting up a federal system for testing and labeling products and establishing state-level power to regulate retail sales.

In an op-ed for Marijuana Moment this month, Creighton echoed that point, reiterating the organization’s position that regulation is superior to prohibition.

This is also consistent with WSWA’s earlier message to House and Senate Agriculture Committee last session, where the association implored congressional leaders to create a regulatory framework for hemp-based intoxicating cannabinoids—rather than impose an outright ban.

Meanwhile, key GOP congressional lawmakers—including one member who supports marijuana legalization—don’t seem especially concerned about provisions in a new spending bill that would put much of the hemp industry in jeopardy by banning most consumable products derived from the plant.

Under the measure that’s being contested, hemp would be redefined under federal statute in a way that would prohibit cannabis products containing any “quantifiable” amount of THC or “any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals” as THC.

The provisions in the bill now heading to a full committee vote would effectively eliminate the most commonly marketed hemp products within the industry, as even non-intoxicating CBD items that are sold across the country typically contain trace amounts of THC. Under current law, those products are allowed if they contain no more than 0.3 percent THC by dry weight.

Hemp industry stakeholders rallied against that proposal, an earlier version of which was also included in the base bill from the subcommittee last year. It’s virtually identical to a provision of the 2024 Farm Bill that was attached by a separate committee last May via an amendment from Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), which was also not enacted into law.

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Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, told congressional lawmakers in April that the market is “begging” for federal regulations around cannabis products.

At the hearing, Rep. James Comer (R-KY) also inquired about FDA inaction around regulations, sarcastically asking if it’d require “a gazillion bureaucrats that work from home” to regulate cannabinoids such as CBD.

A report from Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) last year called cannabis a “significant threat” to the alcohol industry, citing survey data that suggests more people are using cannabis as a substitute for alcoholic beverages such a beer and wine.

Last November, meanwhile, a beer industry trade group put out a statement of guiding principles to address what it called “the proliferation of largely unregulated intoxicating hemp and cannabis products,” warning of risks to consumers and communities resulting from THC consumption.

New Hampshire House Advances Bills To Reduce Psilocybin Penalties And Legalize Medical Marijuana Homegrow By Patients