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Trump privately committed to cannabis rescheduling, CEO says (Newsletter: August 4, 2025)
Senate vets marijuana vote; McConnell vs Paul hemp fight; NY gov on cannabis biz zoning fix; FL legalization; TX hemp ban vote; KY dispensary approved
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
President Donald Trump has privately committed to rescheduling marijuana “multiple times” since taking office this year, the CEO of Scotts Miracle-Gro Company said.
- “I think there’s one person who could change it, and he’s told me and others that he will, and that’s the president of the United States.”
President Donald Trump issued an executive order to prevent federal grants from supporting what he described as”so-called ‘harm reduction’ or ‘safe consumption’ efforts that only facilitate illegal drug use and its attendant harm.”
The U.S. Senate voted to allow Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to issue medical marijuana recommendations to their military veteran patients, following the House of Representatives’s approval of similar legislation in June.
- Senators also set aside a controversial proposal to recriminalize hemp-derived THC products that at one time was part of the appropriations package.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the Senate floor to call out his home state colleague Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) over hemp, saying he “derailed” a push to ban hemp-derived THC products.
The Texas Senate passed a bill to ban consumable hemp products with any amount of THC, sending it to the House of Representatives despite Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) recent veto of similar legislation.
The Florida Division of Elections reported that a marijuana campaign has now collected more than 75 percent of the valid voter signatures it needs to put a legalization initiative on the 2026 ballot.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) is asking the legislature to change a marijuana zoning law that threatens to shutter more than 100 licensed businesses, saying regulators’ error shouldn’t “be born on the backs” of cannabis entrepreneurs.
- “We’re not going to let anything happen to them… I don’t want them screwed.”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced that the state’s first medical cannabis dispensary has been approved for operations and is “expected to open its doors this fall.”
Delaware’s recreational marijuana market officially launched, with adult-use sales beginning through existing medical cannabis dispensaries.
NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano notes in a new op-ed that Saturday marked the 88th anniversary of federal marijuana prohibition, saying the policy “has been a fraud from the beginning” and it’s time to end “nearly a century of canna-bigotry.”
The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission will meet on Monday to discuss rule updates and “research on flavorings, effects of cannabis use during pregnancy and smoking,” among other issues.
Rural Texans are speaking up about how they see hemp as an economic and health lifeline as state lawmakers continue to advance legislation to ban consumable hemp products with any detectable amount of THC.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Sentencing Commission will hold a hearing on methamphetamine on Tuesday.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is promoting a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campaign on drugs and mental health.
/ STATES
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer (D) signed a bill making a technical correction to the marijuana industry background check law.
Nebraska’s attorney general sued a company over alleged unfair and deceptive practices related to sale of THC-containing products.
A former friend of Texas’s agriculture commissioner said he asked him to dispose of marijuana joints and gummies because he was afraid that the Drug Enforcement Administration might find them on his property, though the state official disputes the claim.
A Georgia representative is calling for marijuana charges against rapper GloRilla to be dropped.
A Pennsylvania senator tweeted, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we can save [the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority] and invest in public transit without raising taxes. Legalizing adult-use cannabis is a common sense plan that raises more than enough.”
California regulators announced a recall of marijuana products due to ingredients that have not been approved for inhalation by the Food and Drug Administration.
Michigan regulators signed a cannabis compact with the Bay Mills Indian Community.
Massachusetts regulators are now accepting applications for the cannabis social equity program.
Maine regulators published an overview of cannabis-related legislation considered this session.
Minnesota regulators published guidance on mushroom product safety.
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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.
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/ LOCAL
Dallas, Texas marijuana arrests declined sharply following voters’ approval of a local decriminalization law.
The Decatur, Illinois public school district enacted a new policy for students who smell like marijuana.
/ INTERNATIONAL
A German lawmaker cheered a court ruling allowing marijuana smoking in part of the English Garden in Munich.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study demonstrated the “anti-parasitic effect of a cannabis sativa full-spectrum extract on Echinococcus granulosus sensu stricto.”
A study of rats suggested that “CBD has anticonvulsant properties which was seen in the present study, supporting its potential as a safe and effective drug in treatment of epilepsy.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America is asking its supporters to urge President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance not to reschedule marijuana.
/ BUSINESS
C21 Investments Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $8.6 million and a net loss of $0.8 million.
Canopy Growth Corporation has a new managing director of European markets.
Washington, D.C. businesses sold $8.4 million worth of medical cannabis in June.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
