The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service administrator last week sent a letter to all Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) retailers noting that cannabis-derived products are ineligible for purchase with SNAP. In the letter, Administrator James C. Miller said the clarification is part of the agency’s commitment to fighting “waste, fraud, and abuse.”  

“This letter serves as a reminder that it is a program violation to accept SNAP benefits for foods and drinks containing controlled substances such as cannabis/marijuana.” — Miller, in the letter 

The letter adds that “Retailers who commit program violations will face consequences which include disqualification from the ability to accept SNAP benefits, monetary penalties, fines and/or criminal prosecution.” 

The letter does not contain any information about what prompted it or the rate at which cannabis-infused food and drinks are purchased using SNAP benefits. 

The USDA website also lists CBD products on its ineligible list, alongside beer, wine, and liquor, cigarettes and tobacco, vitamins, medicines, and supplements, live animals, foods that are hot at point-of-sale, and non-food items. 

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The governor of South Carolina says there’s a “compelling” case to be made for legalizing medical marijuana in the state, despite reservations from law enforcement. And a key GOP lawmaker who’s championed the reform over multiple sessions says he’s eyeing 2026 as the year to finally get the job done.

Gov. Henry McMaster (R) said last week that he thinks supporters of the reform have a “very compelling situation,” despite the fact that “law enforcement, almost end-to-end, still have grave concerns.”

“I think what we need to do is study it very carefully, get as much information as we can and try to do the right thing,” he said.

Sen. Tom Davis (R), who has sponsored several bills to legalize medical cannabis cannabis described his legislation as “conservative.”

“It is strictly limited to medical conditions,” he said. “And really this is all about—let’s not forget what we’re after here—this is about helping patients.”

The office of House Speaker Murrell Smith (R) tempered expectations, however, saying in a statement to WSPA 7 News that the leader’s “previous statement on the medical marijuana bill holds true,” referencing his comments on insufficient support within the GOP caucus to advance the reform.

Davi said he intends to speak with Smith about the issue, claiming that he feels there’s enough support within the GOP-controlled House to advance it.

An earlier version of Davis’s cannabis measure passed the Senate last legislative session but was never taken up in the House. He filed a new version for the 2025 session last December.

“It requires doctors in patient authorization, doctor supervision,” Davis said at the time. “It requires pharmacists to dispense it. It is a very conservative bill, because that’s what South Carolinians want.”

As introduced, the legislation would allow patients to access medical marijuana from “therapeutic cannabis pharmacies,” which would be licensed by the state Board of Pharmacy. Individuals would need to receive a doctor’s recommendation for the treatment of certain qualifying conditions, which include several specific ailments as well as terminal illnesses and chronic diseases where opioids are the standard of care.

Among the public, medical marijuana legalization enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in the state, with a poll last year finding that 93 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of independents back the reform.

The state Senate passed an earlier version of the legislation in 2022, but it stalled in the opposite body over a procedural hiccup.

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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.
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When senators began debating the medical marijuana legislation last year, the body adopted an amendment that clarifies the bill does not require landlords or people who control property to allow vaporization of cannabis products.

As debate on the legislation continued, members clashed over whether the current version of the legislation contains major differences from an earlier iteration that the body passed in 2022.

Certain lawmakers have also raised concerns that medical cannabis legalization would lead to broader reform to allow adult-use marijuana, that it could put pharmacists with roles in dispensing cannabis in jeopardy and that federal law could preempt the state’s program, among other worries.

After Davis’s Senate-passed medical cannabis bill was blocked in the House in 2022, he tried another avenue for the reform proposal, but that similarly failed on procedural grounds.

The lawmaker has called the stance of his own party, particularly as it concerns medical marijuana, “an intellectually lazy position that doesn’t even try to present medical facts as they currently exist.”

Meanwhile, South Carolina’s hemp industry has been going through it’s own trials, with some businesses turning away from the crop amid disappointing returns on their investments into the market.

Colorado Governor Says Bill He Signed Allowing Psychedelic Convictions To Be Pardoned Marks A Step ‘Towards A Fairer Future’

[PRESS RELEASE] – TORONTO, June 11, 2025 – MediPharm Labs Corp., a pharmaceutical company specialized in precision-based cannabinoids, announced that the Superior Court of Justice – Ontario has fully dismissed the application (CV-25-00743454-00CL) issued by Apollo Technology Capital Corp. and Nobul Technologies Inc. (together, the “applicants”) against the company on May 16, 2025.

The applicants sought an order from the court, amongst other things, appointing a third-party independent chair to preside over the annual and special meeting of shareholders of the company on June 16, 2025. The applicants argued that MediPharm has a “design or plan to invalidate proxies” and that the company had acted improperly warranting the appointment of a third-party independent chair.

The court dismissed the application in full.

In doing so, the court found that a third-party independent chair was not required in the circumstances as there was no evidence or indication that MediPharm’s proposed meeting chair would act unfairly at the meeting.

Regarding the conduct of Apollo’s principal, Regan McGee, the court found:

“The evidence shows that Mr. McGee has threatened to release a draft press release which, among other things, compared [MediPharm CEO David] Pidduck to known serial killers. Press releases have also been issued by Mr. McGee or the applicants, which accuse MediPharm and the board of securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and running a corrupt election process to entrench themselves. Mr. McGee has threatened to sue the board by way of a derivative action for breach of fiduciary duty and associated damages because of the rejection of the $3.4 million offer and has commenced a lawsuit against MediPharm, two of its senior officers and directors, as well as the company’s external litigation firm (Tyr LLP) and counsel (James Bunting) which claimed $50 million in damages. Mr. McGee, repeated the allegations set out in the lawsuit in the dissident circular and then abandoned and withdrew the claim against Tyr LLP and Mr. Bunting, and agreed to terms of settlement that included a declaration by Mr. McGee that Tyr LLP and Mr. Bunting are not in a conflict of interest in acting for MediPharm, that they had not misused confidential information, that Mr. McGee would not disparage Mr. Bunting or Tyr LLP and provided a full release to Tyr LLP and Mr. Bunting.”

The company remains committed to a fair shareholder meeting process, in compliance with its constating documents and all applicable laws.

We encourage shareholders to please vote using ONLY the GREEN proxy or GREEN voting instruction card and to support each of the director nominees recommended by MediPharm’s Board of Directors and the other matters being considered at the meeting. To ensure your proxy is counted at the meeting, submit it well in advance of the June 13 proxy cut-off.

Vote for the Highly Qualified MediPharm Nominees

MediPharm urges shareholders to vote only using the GREEN proxy or GREEN voting instruction form in support of all of the company’s nominees and resolutions.

To ensure your vote is counted, shareholders are encouraged to proactively contact their broker to obtain their 16-digit control number associated with the GREEN management proxy. Once received, you can cast your vote by visiting www.medipharmlabsagm.com.

You may receive materials or outreach from the dissident—please disregard any such communications and vote only using the GREEN proxy in support of the company’s nominees.