Forbes • 23rd August 2025

UK Government May Ban Semi-Synthetic Cannabinoids Like HHC

The UK may be the latest European country to ban semi-synthetic cannabinoids like HHC amid concerns over their safety. In a response letter sent to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACDM) on August 20, UK Minister of State for Policing and Crime Dame Diana Ruth Johnson said that she accepts the recommendation to ban a number of semi-synthetic cannabinoids and will implement them when parliamentary time allows.“I recognise the significant health and social harms that hexahydrocannabino...

Forbes • 22nd August 2025

Medical Marijuana Users Shouldn’t Lose Their Second Amendment Rights, Court Rules

A federal appeals court has handed medical marijuana patients a major victory, ruling that the government hasn’t shown that banning them from owning guns lines up with America’s long-standing traditions of firearm regulation.In a ruling issued this week, a three-judge panel of the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a lower court’s dismissal and said the plaintiffs had plausibly claimed a violation of their Second Amendment rights. The dispute focuses on federal provisions that ban “unla...

Forbes • 12th August 2025

Trump Says Marijuana Rescheduling Will Be Decided Within Weeks

In rare comments on marijuana since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would decide on marijuana rescheduling in the coming weeks. During a White House press conference on Monday, Trump said his administration was “looking at it,” and they will make a decision “over the next few weeks,” calling it a “very complicated subject.” This marks one of Trump’s rare public comments on marijuana rescheduling since he took office on Jan. 20, and comes a few days after the Wall Street Journa...

Forbes • 26th July 2025

Turkey Legalizes Medical Cannabis Sales In Pharmacies

Turkey has passed a landmark bill that legalizes the sale of cannabis products for medical use in pharmacies, marking a step forward in expanding patient access to such treatment. The Turkish Parliament this week approved a bill that allows the sale of cannabis-based products in pharmacies with a prescription.The bill, introduced by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, published in the Official Gazette yesterday, regulates access to medical cannabi...

Forbes • 24th July 2025

Cannabis And Psychedelics Seen As Effective For Eating Disorders, Study Finds

A new study has found that cannabis and psychedelics are perceived to be the most effective drugs that help alleviate eating disorder symptoms. A group of researchers from the University of Sydney has conducted a survey on over 6,000 people suffering from eight eating disorders, such as bulimia, anorexia, and binge-eating disorder, and found that most of them rely on cannabis and psychedelics to help alleviate their symptoms.Published on JAMA Network Open-Psychiatry this week, the study tried to...

Forbes • 19th July 2025

Czech President Signs Bill To Decriminalize Recreational Cannabis For Personal Use

The President of the Czech Republic has signed a bill that decriminalizes recreational cannabis for personal use and home cultivation, but not its sale. President Petr Pavel signed several laws on July 17, including one that amends the Criminal Code to ease restrictions on recreational cannabis, allowing possession and home cultivation.Under the new regulations, adults over the age of 21 can legally grow up to three cannabis plants per person and possess up to 100 grams of cannabis flower, with...

Forbes • 18th July 2025

U.S. House Committee Advances Spending Bill That Would Block Cannabis Rescheduling

A House subcommittee has approved a spending bill that includes measures to block the Department of Justice from moving forward with cannabis rescheduling. The Republican-led House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and Related Agencies on July 15 approved a spending bill in a 9-6 vote that includes a provision that would prevent the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using funds to reschedule cannabis.The move would further stall the process of reviewing cannabis init...

Forbes • 12th July 2025

Senate Committee Approves Ban On Intoxicating Hemp To Take Effect In One Year

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the FY2026 Agriculture-FDA spending bill, which includes a provision banning intoxicating hemp products, but implementation would be delayed for one year. The committee approved the FY26 Agriculture-FDA spending bill on Thursday by a 27–0 vote. The bill provides $27.1 billion in annual funding for agriculture programs for the coming fiscal year. It also includes an amendment redefining hemp, which “closes the hemp loophole that has resulted in the...

Forbes • 26th June 2025

Thailand Moves To Ban Recreational Cannabis After Three Years Of Decriminalization

Thailand is planning to reintroduce a ban on recreational cannabis use, limiting consumption to medical purposes only, after three years of decriminalization that saw a rapid expansion of the recreational market. The move follows Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin’s signing of a new directive this week to regulate cannabis, allowing its use strictly for medical purposes and banning unlicensed cannabis sales. Under the proposed changes, reported by local news outlet Khaosod, individuals see...

CannIntelligence • 18th June 2025

CBD shops in Italy vow to remain open despite government ban on hemp flower | CannIntelligence

A security decree banning the sale of hemp flower in Italy has come into effect, but many business operators say they intend to continue their activities.The decree, initially approved in April, passed the Senate on 4th June and came into force on 9th June following its publication in the Official Gazette. A security decree banning the sale of hemp flower in Italy has come into effect, but many business operators say they intend to continue their activities. The decree, initially approved in A...

Forbes • 18th June 2025

Aurora Cannabis Faces Class Action Over Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Risk

Aurora Cannabis is facing a class action led by a Canadian military veteran, who alleges that the company didn’t adequately warn consumers about Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS), a condition the plaintiff says was caused by its products. The class action was certified last month in Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice and is being brought by Canadian law firm Sotos Class Actions. It seeks to represent all individuals in Canada who purchased Aurora Cannabis products between February 2015 and Ma...

Forbes • 12th June 2025

German Court Rules Inmates Can Legally Possess Cannabis In Their Cells

A German court has ruled that prisoners who possess up to 50 grams of cannabis are not committing a criminal offense or administrative violation, as prison cells qualify as a ‘habitual residence’ under the country’s cannabis law. The Berlin court has recently ruled that a defendant serving a two-year and three-month prison sentence was not criminally liable for possessing 45.06 grams of cannabis resin in his cell, as it was intended for personal use. The court stated that the prison cell qualifi...

Forbes • 7th June 2025

Republican-Led House Committee Passes Bill To Ban Hemp Products With THC

A Republican-led House committee has approved a spending bill that includes a measure to ban all hemp products with THC nationwide, a move that could upend the entire U.S. hemp industry. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies approved on June 5 the fiscal year 2026 spending proposal in a 9–7 vote, sending it to the full Committee. The bill covers a wide range of issues, including hemp. One section of the bill wo...

Forbes • 6th June 2025

U.S. Seniors Nearly Double Cannabis Use In Just Two Years, Study Finds

U.S. Seniors are turning to cannabis more than ever, with use nearly doubling in the past two years, a new study shows. Published this week in JAMA Internal Medicine, four researchers from the University of California and NYU Langone Health found that monthly cannabis use among adults aged 65 and older increased from 4.8% in 2021 to 7% in 2023, resulting in a 45.83% increase. The reasons for this increase are attributed to several factors, including greater access to cannabis. As of today, medic...

Forbes • 5th June 2025

Czech Republic To Decriminalize Cannabis As Legalization Plan Stalls

The lower house of the Czech Republic has approved an amendment that would decriminalize cannabis for personal use at a time when the process of full legalization is stalled. The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic passed an amendment last week with an overwhelming majority of 142 out of 159 votes. The amendment would modify the Criminal Code to ease restrictions on cannabis possession and cultivation, and it is part of a broader series of changes aimed at introducing alternative punishmen...

Forbes • 28th May 2025

Germany Issues First Tax Stamp For CBD Flowers

A German CBD company is the first to receive a tax stamp from Customs for its THC-free CBD flowers, marking a breakthrough that shows Germany recognizes such products can be legally marketed as industrial hemp. Announced by the CBD wholesaler Sanaleo and confirmed by the German Cannabis Business Association this month, the issuance of the tax stamp sets a precedent that could potentially redefine the legal and tax framework for CBD flowers in the European country. CBD in the European Union is ca...

Forbes • 27th May 2025

U.S. Cannabis Employment Declines Amid Strategic Staffing And Growing Sales, Report Finds

Jobs in the cannabis industry went down by 3.4% in 2024, even though retail sales went up by 4.5%, signalling that companies are changing the way they approach hiring, focusing more on strategy than expansion, according to a new report released this month by cannabis hiring platform Vangst along with consulting firm Whitney Economics. The 2025 Cannabis Jobs Report showed that by early 2025, 425,002 people were working in the legal cannabis sector in the U.S., a 3.4% drop compared to the year bef...

Forbes • 22nd May 2025

Far-Red Light Boosts THC In Some Cannabis Strains And Lowers Energy Use, Study Suggests

Far-red lights can improve yield and the quality of specific cannabis strains, and reduce energy costs and carbon emissions amid energy-intensive cannabis cultivation, according to a new study. Published in Nature this week, this Australian government-funded study, conducted by researchers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and Southern Cross University, analyzed whether the daily light period to which cannabis plants were exposed could be shortened from 12 to 10...

Forbes • 20th May 2025

Ukraine Launches Its Largest Industrial Hemp Processing Plant

Ukraine is making a bold entrance into the European hemp market with the launch of its largest industrial processing plant, aimed at revitalizing a once-thriving sector and signaling resilience through innovation. Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy announced last week that the Ma’Ryzhany Hemp Company has begun operating what is now the country’s largest hemp processing facility. The plant is located in the Ma’Ryzhany industrial park in the Zhytomyr region of the war-torn country. The company has turn...

Forbes • 14th May 2025

Texas Lawmakers Approve Bill To Expand Medical Cannabis Program

A new bill has been approved by Texas lawmakers to broaden the state’s medical cannabis program, which would increase the number of qualifying medical conditions and allow the prescription of vaping cannabis products. The Texas House on Monday approved a bill aimed at expanding the list of conditions that make patients eligible for the state’s medical cannabis program. Backed by Representatives Ken King (Republican) and Penny Morales Shaw (Democrat), the bipartisan measure advanced through commi...