Fed hemp product ban; USDA marijuana & food stamps update; TX gov mum on hemp ban; ME psilocybin; OH ups cannabis purchase limits; Alcohol exec op-ed

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies unveiled a bill with provisions to ban most consumable hemp-derived cannabinoid products that were federally legalized during the first Trump administration.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued two back-to-back updates on the use of federal welfare benefits to buy cannabis foods or drinks—at one point singling out hemp-derived CBD as a prohibited item but then replacing that with broader language focusing on “cannabis/marijuana.”

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) endorsed marijuana legalization and issued an executive order forming a bipartisan Advisory Council on Cannabis to help craft a comprehensive plan for legal and regulated access, including for intoxicating hemp products.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) refused to reveal whether he will sign or veto a controversial bill to ban consumable hemp products with any amount of THC, saying it is “one of literally more than a thousand bills on my desk, all of which need my careful consideration and evaluation.”

The Maine Senate passed a bill to legalize possession of psilocybin, one day after the House of Representatives approved the psychedelics legislation.

New Ohio Division of Cannabis Control rules that took effect on Wednesday more than double the amount of marijuana that recreational consumers can purchase per day, after regulators concluded that “the market has demonstrated the ability to support both medical marijuana patients and non-medical consumers alike.”

Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America President and CEO Francis Creighton argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that “the alcohol industry’s time-tested, robust regulatory structure” is a good model for intoxicating hemp beverages.

/ FEDERAL

The Drug Enforcement Administration published an updated special surveillance list of chemicals, products, materials and equipment used in the manufacture of controlled substances and listed chemicals.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration is working with a contractor to continue the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health in the wake of the Trump administration’s staffing cuts.

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a press release decrying President Donald Trump’s budget proposal to continue a rider blocking Washington, D.C. from spending its own money to legalize recreational marijuana sales.

/ STATES

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) discussed plans to appoint the next member of the Medical Cannabis Commission.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) clarified that a sales tax holiday in August does not apply to marijuana products.

Kentucky’s state auditor discussed her ongoing investigation into regulators’ medical cannabis business licensing process.

The Oregon Senate passed a bill aimed at combating illegal marijuana cultivation.

A Pennsylvania representative said he doesn’t think marijuana legalization legislation will pass this session.

An Illinois representative spoke about ongoing efforts to craft hemp regulation legislation.

A Florida appeals court ruled that the smell of marijuana is enough to establish probable cause to search a vehicle in an area known for crime.

Delaware regulators filed proposed changes to rules on marijuana industry background checks and serving size information for cannabis beverages.

Connecticut regulators filed proposed recreational marijuana and medical cannabis rules.

Minnesota regulators published guidance for hemp-derived cannabinoid businesses.

California generated $237.4 million in marijuana tax revenue in the first quarter of 2025.

Washington State regulators posted a framework for implementing cannabis bills passed this session.

The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission rescheduled its Thursday meeting for June 12.

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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.
—

/ LOCAL

New York City’s mayor blamed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), who is challenging him in this year’s election, for problems with implementing the state’s marijuana legalization law.

The Albuquerque, New Mexico City Council passed an intoxicating hemp products ordinance.

A former Norfolk, Virginia firefighter who was fired over medical cannabis use has filed a grievance with the city.

/ INTERNATIONAL

A Philippine representative made a last-ditch appeal to the Senate to pass his medical cannabis legislation before the end of the session.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that “CBD oil treatment significantly improved behavioral abnormalities and lowered the oxidative stress in the autistic mouse model by acting as an antioxidant.”

A study concluded that psilocybin microdosing “may be an effective treatment to symptoms of anxiety.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Marijuana Policy Project and Students for Sensible Drug Policy are partnering to push back against myths about marijuana.

/ BUSINESS

Illinois retailers sold $146.6 million worth of recreational marijuana products in April.

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Colorado’s governor has signed several bills amending rules for the state’s regulated marijuana and psychedelics programs.

One of the measures approved by Gov. Jared Polis (D) on Tuesday would reduce certain regulatory restrictions on cannabis businesses.

Another empowers the governor to grant pardons to people who’ve been convicted of psychedelics-related offenses and also revises implementation rules and data-tracking provisions for the state’s 2022 voter-approved psychedelics legalization law.

The marijuana-focused measure from Reps. William Lindstedt (D) and Jenny Willford (D) as well as Sens. Julie Gonzales (D) and Robert Rodriguez makes it so any worker employed by a cannabis retailer with an occupational license could receive product samples on up to 20 days per month—an expansion of current law that stipulates = cultivators and manufacturers can only provide samples to managers of retailers for research and development purposes.

The measure would also revise reporting requirements for marijuana licensees, mandating that regulators adopt rules to ensure licensees maintain documents such as childproof packaging certifications, testing records, recall records, advertising records, standard operating procedures and more.

“If a license holder is required to maintain books and records in the seed-to-sale inventory tracking system, the license holder need not maintain duplicate copies of the books and records,” it says. “If a license holder is substantially noncompliant with regulatory requirements, the division may require the license holder to maintain additional records.”

The bill would also repeal current state law that makes it a class 2 misdemeanor for a person to have an undisclosed controlling beneficial ownership, passive beneficial ownership or indirect financial interest in a cannabis license or engage in transfer of ownership without prior approval.

The cannabis legislation was significantly amended during the legislative process, however, removing provisions that initially would have doubled the amount of marijuana adults could buy from licensed retailers and allowed cannabis shops to hold promotional events.

The psychedelics bill that the governor also signed on Tuesday, from Sen. Matt Ball (D) and Rep. Lisa Feret (D), authorizes Polis or future governors to grant clemency to people with convictions for low-level possession of substances such as psilocybin, ibogaine and DMT that have since been legalized for adults.

It would also require the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Department of Revenue (DOR) and Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) to “collect information and data related to the use of natural medicine and natural medicine products.”

That would include data on law enforcement activities, adverse health events, consumer protection claims and behavioral impacts related to psychedelics.

Prior to passage by the Senate, a committee amendment removed a government appropriation to pay for data collection and tracking, replacing a reference to “ongoing appropriations” with “appropriations or gifts, grants, or donations.” Ball said at the time that lawmakers have a letter of intent from the Psychedelic Science Funders Collaborative—a nonprofit that supports advancing psychedelic therapy—to fund the program for the entirety of its five-year duration.

The bill would earmark $208,240 in those funds for the governor’s office of information technology. “To implement this act, the office may use this appropriation to provide information technology services for the department of public health and environment,” the text version says.

The legislation would further amend rules around licensing and ownership of psychedelic healing centers. For example, it removes a requirement for fingerprint background checks for owners and employees of licensed facilities, making it so they would only be subject to a name-based criminal background check.

It additionally “requires the state licensing authority to adopt rules related to product labels for regulated natural medicine and regulated natural medicine products and permits the state licensing authority to adopt rules regarding the types of regulated natural medicine products that can be manufactured.”

The proposal overall has support from an array of advocates, including psychedelic medicine proponents as well as groups more skeptical of legalization. Public commenters at a hearing seemed to agree that the bill’s data collection provisions would help observers both inside and outside Colorado better understand the outcomes around regulated psychedelics.

Last week, Polis touted the fact that Colorado’s legal psychedelics program is “fully launched” now that regulators have issued licenses for each part of the psilocybin supply chain.

A third bill signed on Tuesday by the governor, from Sens. Jeff Bridges (D) and Barbara Kirkmeyer (R), along with Reps. Shannon Bird (D) and Emily Sirota (D), changes how marijuana tax revenue is allocated.

It would specifically remove requirements that certain cannabis funds by transferred to the University of Colorado Board of Regents and the public school capital construction assistance fund. The new law also means that a greater portion of marijuana revenue will be retained by the state, with less being sent to local governments.

—
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.
—

Earlier this session, the governor signed into law a bill that would allow a form of psilocybin to be prescribed as a medication if the federal government authorizes its use.

While Colorado already legalized psilocybin and several other psychedelics for adults 21 and older through the voter-approved ballot initiative, the newly enacted reform will make it so drugs containing an isolated crystalized version synthesized from psilocybin can become available under physician prescription.

Polis signed a bill to create the regulatory framework for legal psychedelics in 2023.

Separately in Colorado, a bill that would have limited THC in marijuana and outlawed a variety of psilocybin products died following the lead sponsor’s move to withdraw the legislation.

Pennsylvania Governor Is ‘Hopeful’ Lawmakers Will Send Marijuana Legalization Bill To His Desk By End Of This Month

Image element courtesy of Kristie Gianopulos.

A new study exploring the impacts of adult-use marijuana legalization on the hospitality industry finds that “hotel revenue increases by 25.2% (or $63,671 monthly) due to dispensary legalization, with the effect continuing to grow even six years after legalization.”

The research article, published in the journal Production Operations and Management (POMS), draws its inferences from a review of data from Colorado, which authors say saw “a 7.9% increase in room night bookings and a 16.0% rise in daily room rates,” though impacts varied based on a number of factors.

“These findings are relevant for professionals in marketing, operations management, hospitality, tourism, and public policy,” the study says, noting that the “rapid expansion of the marijuana business presents both opportunities and challenges for the hotel industry.”

“On the one hand, recreational marijuana dispensaries could become attractions that entice travelers to visit places they might not otherwise explore. For instance, around 12% of US tourists have reported positive experiences with marijuana-related travel… On the other hand, the lingering social stigma surrounding marijuana could negatively affect businesses, including hotels, located near these dispensaries. This concern is underscored by a Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT 2019) report, which found that about 10% of US leisure travelers view Colorado as a less desirable destination because of recreational marijuana.”

Despite the apparently polarized feelings around traveling to jurisdictions where marijuana is legal, the study found that hotels seemed to perform better following the policy change.

Comparing hotels in Colorado to hotels in New Mexico, where cannabis was illegal during the study period, the team’s analysis found that “on average, monthly hotel revenue increases by 25.2% upon the legalization of recreational marijuana dispensaries, which is equivalent to a substantial increase of $63,671 per hotel.”

“However, hotels do not benefit equally,” the report notes. “Hotels that are closer to retail dispensaries, have been operating for shorter periods, and belong to a higher class obtain more positive effects. The type of location also plays a crucial role, with hotels in resort areas benefiting the most from retail dispensary legalization, followed by those in urban, airport, suburban, interstate, and small-town locations.”

What’s more, “chain hotels operated by corporate entities experience more positive treatment effects than franchised chain hotels and independently operated ones,” the paper adds.

Researchers—from the University of Central Florida, Virginia Tech and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—also concluded that “the positive effect on hotel revenue strengthens over time, showing no signs of slowing down six years after the statewide recreational marijuana legalization.”

For hoteliers, the report says, “the positive and growing treatment effects on hotel revenue highlight the potential long-term economic advantages of recreational marijuana,” though it cautions that “legalization does not guarantee financial gains.”

For policymakers, the study continues, the findings underscore the economic benefits and “positive spillover effects on hotels when crafting regulations, ensuring that zoning laws promote synergy between dispensaries and hotels.”

“City planners could strategically place dispensaries in resort, urban, and airport areas, where their presence provides the greatest benefits to hospitality businesses,” the study suggests. “They might also consider tax incentives or support programs to help lower-class and independent hotels capitalize on marijuana tourism opportunities.”

A separate 2020 study also found that Colorado hotel room rentals increased considerably after the state began legal marijuana sales. Washington State also saw increases in tourism after legalization, that study found, though the effect there was more modest.

By comparing hotel room rentals in Colorado and Washington to states that did not change their legal status of marijuana from 2011 through 2015, researchers found that legalization coincided with a significant influx of tourists and a rise in hotel revenue. The impact was even more pronounced after the start of retail sales.

Last year, meanwhile, the governor of Illinois noted that travelers from nearby states were visiting specifically to buy legal cannabis.

“People from Indiana, people from Iowa, people from Wisconsin, Kentucky, drive across the border and buy something in a dispensary in Illinois. Now, they’re not supposed to drive back over the border to their home states, so I assume they’re just staying in Illinois,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said at the time.

Last September, however, a report by Colorado legislative analysts said that part of the reason the state is seeing declining cannabis tax revenue is due to “falling demand as other states across the country legalize marijuana,” making sales from cannabis tourism “less pronounced.”

“Prices for marijuana fell as pandemic-induced demand waned, marijuana tourism became less pronounced, and as the market matured,” that report said. “Tax revenue from marijuana is falling across most states where recreational marijuana is legal due to declining demand after the pandemic, but states that legalized marijuana early—like Colorado, Washington, and Oregon—are seeing the biggest declines in sales.”

New York Movie Theaters Could Sell Marijuana And Allow Consumption During Films Under Forthcoming Licenses, Official Says