Forbes • 31st July 2026

Cannabis Use Climbs As Alcohol And Cigarette Use Decline, Survey Shows

Despite being still illegal at the federal level, cannabis use is growing among Americans while alcohol and cigarette use are declining, according to a new federal survey. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and published this week, shows past-month cannabis use rose from 13.2% in 2021 to 15.1% in 2025, while both alcohol and cigarette use declined over the same period, from 47.4% to 44.4% and from 16.0% to...

Forbes • 28th July 2026

Senate Introduces Bill To Shield Insurers Covering Cannabis Businesses

Two Senators have introduced a bipartisan bill that would provide a safe harbor for insurance companies that cover legal cannabis businesses, as insurers fear federal prosecution due to the federal illegality of the substance.Kevin Cramer, Republican Senator for North Dakota, and Rubén Marinelarena Gallego, Democratic Senator for Arizona, introduced last week the Clarifying Law Around Insurance of Marijuana (CLAIM) Act, a bill to protect insurance companies from covering cannabis-related busines...

Forbes • 19th July 2026

Curaleaf Becomes First To Supply Medical Cannabis Under Spain's New Law

Curaleaf has become the first cannabis company to provide cannabis preparation under Spain’s new medical cannabis law, giving the U.S. company a first-mover advantage in the country and positioning it more strongly in the European pharma medical cannabis market. The company announced this week that the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices approved the registration of two standardized THC-dominant and CBD-dominant cannabis preparations developed by Medalchemy, Curaleaf's Spanish manufa...

Forbes • 11th July 2026

Wyoming Opts Out Of Federal Medical Cannabis Rescheduling

Wyoming Attorney General Keith Kautz has determined that the medical cannabis rescheduling advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and implemented by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April won't apply to his state.In a press release published on July 7, Kautz said that “all marijuana products, including marijuana subject to a state medical marijuana license, shall remain on Schedule I of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act.”Wyoming is the latest state not to accept the...

Forbes • 9th July 2026

Cheap, High-THC Products Are Driving Germany's Medical Cannabis Market

Germany’s medical cannabis users are increasingly opting for the cheapest and most potent products available, according to a new study, raising questions about whether the system is meeting medical needs or enabling recreational-style use.In 2024, Germany legalized limited recreational cannabis for personal use and home cultivation, as well as cultivation through cannabis associations, but it still prohibits commercial sales. The reform also significantly expanded access to medical cannabis by r...

Forbes • 1st July 2026

German Courts Draw Line Over Cannabis Cuttings Amid Legal Uncertainty

German courts are clarifying a gray area left by the cannabis reform that entered into effect in 2024, which legalized personal use, cultivation, and associations, but left questions over the legal status of cannabis cuttings.A cannabis cutting, or clone, is a small piece cut from a mature cannabis plant. When this piece is cut off, it is rooted so it can grow into a new plant that is genetically identical to the original.Although the Cannabis Act (CanG), the cannabis law that partially legalize...

Forbes • 29th June 2026

Nearly 10% Of Americans Use Cannabis To Sleep. But Does It Actually Help?

For many Americans struggling to sleep, cannabis has become a bedtime ritual. A new National Sleep Foundation-funded survey found that nearly 10% of adults use it to help them sleep. But researchers continue to debate whether it delivers on that promise.The survey, published in the foundation's journal Sleep Health in June, found that 8.6% of 1,367 adults surveyed currently use cannabis to help them sleep, while 9.9% had done so in the past. Among those who had never used cannabis for sleep, abo...

Forbes • 26th June 2026

Cannabis Jobs And Sales Decline Together For The First Time Since Legalization

A new report reveals that both cannabis jobs and revenue have dropped for the first time since legal adult-use cannabis markets started expanding, amid price compression caused by oversupply in cultivation markets.The U.S. Cannabis Jobs Report 2026, published by the recruitment platform for the legal cannabis industry Vangst, in collaboration with cannabis consulting firm Whitney Economics, recorded an employment decline of about 2.7–2.9%, leaving 412,500 workers in early 2026, down from 425,002...

Forbes • 21st June 2026

Cannabis Tax Revenue Hits $28 Billion Since First Legalization

States that have legalized recreational cannabis have collected more than $28 billion in tax revenue over the past roughly 12 years, according to a new report from the cannabis policy reform group Marijuana Policy Project.It all started when Colorado and Washington broke ground as the first states to legalize recreational cannabis for adults 21 and older. Today, 24 states and Washington, D.C. have legalized it too, adding up to $28.4 billion collected in cannabis taxes so far. In 2025 alone, the...

Forbes • 19th June 2026

Supreme Court Backs Cannabis User In Major Second Amendment Gun-Rights Case

The Supreme Court has ruled that the government can’t automatically take away someone’s right to own a gun just because they use cannabis, with advocates for cannabis reform calling this a big win.On Thursday, the justices unanimously ruled in United States v. Hemani that federal prosecutors crossed the line when they went after Ali Danial Hemani, a U.S.-Pakistan dual citizen from Dallas area, simply for having a gun while being a regular cannabis user.This decision puts real limits on a federal...

Forbes • 31st May 2026

Three States Seek To Reverse Trump Administration's Medical Cannabis Rescheduling

Three Republican attorneys general are asking a federal appeals court to block the Trump administration's push to reschedule certain medical cannabis products amid the broader effort to reschedule cannabis at the federal level.The attorneys general of Nebraska, Indiana, and Louisiana filed a petition on May 22 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit challenging an order issued by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April. The order moved certain cannabis products fr...

Forbes • 29th May 2026

Some Cannabinoids May Ease Common Chronic Pain Conditions, Study Finds

A blend of non-intoxicating cannabinoids may offer relief for patients suffering from fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and knee or hip osteoarthritis, according to a new study, presenting a promising alternative to the undesired effects of THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis.The study, published earlier this month in the journal Clinical Therapeutics and led by researchers from the University at Buffalo, the University of Michigan Medical School and data and research technology co...

Forbes • 22nd May 2026

Why Virginia Governor Vetoed Retail Cannabis Bills

Virginia has once again failed to pass bills that would have regulated the sale of recreational cannabis.Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) on May 19 vetoed House Bill 642 and Senate Bill 542, which would have established a retail marketplace for cannabis products, citing concerns over the timeline, structure, and “resources needed for successful implementation.”Despite the vetoes, Spanberger said in a statement that she supports a safe, legal, and well-regulated cannabis retail market, and that “Virgi...

Forbes • 17th May 2026

Georgia Governor Signs Bill Expanding Medical Cannabis Program

Georgia governor has signed a bill that expands the state’s medical cannabis program, easing access to cannabis vapes and removing the THC potency cap.Signed this week by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, Senate Bill 220, known as the “Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act,” marks a further expansion of the state’s medical cannabis program.With the new legislation, the language that defines cannabis changes, with the replacement of the term “low-THC oil” with “medical cannabis.” The law also expands qu...

Forbes • 14th May 2026

France To Ban CBD Edibles Under Stricter Enforcement Of EU Novel Food Rules

France is set to restrict CBD edibles under stricter enforcement of EU Novel Food rules, a move expected to disrupt parts of the hemp-derived food market.The ban, according to AFP and other local news outlets, is taking effect on May 15 and will prohibit the sale of edible products containing CBD, the primary nonintoxicating compound found in hemp.The ban is not the result of new legislation but follows a strict interpretation of the European Union food agency’s establishment of safe consumption...

Forbes • 30th April 2026

Richard Branson Calls For U.K. Cannabis Reform As Public Support Grows

British billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson has called for cannabis reform in Britain, as the latest polls show growing support for legalization.With a net worth estimated at $2.8 billion, the founder of the Virgin Group said in a blog post on Wednesday that the UK should reform its cannabis and drug laws, arguing that current prohibition policies are failing and causing more harm than good.Branson argued that decriminalization alone is not enough to curb the harms of prohibition, becaus...

Forbes • 27th April 2026

Does Cannabis Legalization Spur More Innovation Than Medical Research?

The announcement of the rescheduling of medical cannabis products this week has been one of the most significant policy shifts in the U.S. cannabis industry and broader drug policy in years, which is set to potentially ease barriers for researchers who study cannabis.The Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration moved cannabis products approved by the Food and Drug Administration and products covered by qualifying state medical cannabis licenses to the Schedule III category u...

Forbes • 22nd April 2026

California Marks 10 Years Of Cannabis Legalization Amid Illegal Market Struggle

Almost a decade has passed since California legalized recreational cannabis, and Governor Gavin Newsom marked April 20, widely known as “4/20,” an informal holiday celebrating cannabis culture, by announcing that the state has curbed illicit activity worth about $1.2 billion over the years and cleared 215,000 past cannabis charges.“California has cleared records, seized illegal product, and built a legal market that works,” Newsom said in a statement. “As our work continues, we’re focused on str...

Forbes • 18th April 2026

New Bipartisan Bill Would Let States Opt Out Of Federal Hemp THC Ban

A new bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate this week aims to create a federal regulatory framework for hemp products containing THC that would give states and Indian tribes flexibility to set their own rules, opting out of the federal ban and effectively providing a lifeline for the hemp industry.The proposed legislation, filed by Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky, would give more authority to individual states and Tribal governments over how hemp and hemp-derived products are defin...

Forbes • 16th April 2026

Thailand Closes The Door On Recreational Cannabis

Thailand is tightening cannabis rules and restricting legal sales to medical use, effectively ending recreational cannabis sales.Retailers who wish to continue to sell medical cannabis products will have to obtain a license and convert into approved health-focused centers, such as clinics, pharmacies, or traditional pharmacies, and staff licensed healthcare providers. The shift marks a new phase in the country’s evolving stance on cannabis, following its 2022 decision to decriminalize recreation...