Even if we can’t easily spot changes to cannabis law on dispensary shelves, state policies are constantly in flux. As in years past, 2024 brings a slew of new policies that impact consumers and businesses alike, from coast to coast and in both adult-use and medical states.
Read on for a list of some of the most impactful and imminent changes, from revised employment rights for cannabis consumers, to revamped licensing policies and even a potential statewide unionization effort.
California
Residents have new and improved employment rights
Hippie Hill on April 20th, 2023. (David Downs/Leafly)
Folks, this is a biggie! Starting on January 1, 2024, thanks to state bill AB-2188, most employers in California will no longer have legal standing to refuse to hire, fire, or penalize an employee if they test positive for marijuana on a hair or urine test. The bill similarly ensures that an individual applying for a job cannot be required to divulge documentation of prior consumption. There are some caveats: Federal employees and Californians working in construction do not qualify for these protections (but folks in state or local law enforcement sure do!), and work sites remain drug-free places. Let’s celebrate the end of 50 years of unjust, unscientific marijuana urinalysis!
Florida
Could double its dispensaries
Thanks to an existing policy that stipulates that the state’s number of dispensaries operate in proportion to the number of registered medical cardholders, Florida officials have begun to review nearly two dozen new dispensary applications. If the state accepts all of those licenses, they would almost double the amount of existing medical dispensaries in the state (Florida refers to them as “treatment centers”). State Office of Medical Marijuana Use Director Christopher Kimball believes those dispensaries could open as early as summer 2024.
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New York
Will offer tons more licenses in Q1
Times Square visitors have a legal tested weed store in the neighborhood for the first time since legalization. (David Downs/Leafly)
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 union, which represents more than 30,000 individuals, hopes to expand into the cannabis industry in 2024 via a ballot measure that would facilitate cannabis workers’ union rights. They have until July to collect about 117,000 signatures to put it on the November ballot. If passed, the measure would “ensure that businesses licensed to sell or process cannabis enter into an agreement that allows their employees to organize and speak out without fear of retaliation.”
Pennsylvania
Expands medical patients’ purchasing power
Right at the end of 2023, on December 15, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) signed Senate Bill 773 into law. The bill allows the state’s ten independent grower-processors (as opposed to out-of-state companies doing business in Pennsylvania) to operate as retailers, and sell straight to the state’s medical marijuana patients. As Marijuana Moment points out, out-of-state companies have a near monopoly on the PA market, and this bill could give homegrown folks a real boost.
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Virginia
A pathway to retail sales opens up
OK, this one isn’t guaranteed, but it’s too exciting not to flag, Leafly Nation: Nearly three years ago, in early 2021, Virginia lawmakers voted to legalize adult-use cannabis, and planned on launching a rec market on January 1, 2024. Yet residents of the Old Dominion State still can’t actually buy it, and efforts to create a regulatory framework have failed due primarily to opposition from Republican lawmakers.
This November, however, Democrats re-took control of both houses of the state legislature (albeit by very narrow odds), re-igniting optimism that change could come soon. (Granted, any legislation would still need to clear the desk of cannabis-wary Republican governor Glenn Youngkin.)
“What Democrats controlling both chambers does is [create] a path to the governor’s desk for an adult-use retail sales bill,” JM Pedini, development director of NORML, told MJBiz Daily. Yet “without the supermajority required to overturn a veto, any serious legislation must be both pragmatic and palatable in order to succeed,” Pedini added.
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Washington State
Protecting job applicants from cannabis testing
Thanks to Senate Bill 5123, Washington employers will be prohibited from testing most job applicants for weed. The law contains more exceptions than its California counterpart: it does not apply to some first responders, some firefighting and law enforcement positions, the airline or aerospace industries, and more. But hell, let’s call it a victory all the same!
Did we miss any new 2024 weed laws in your state? Comment below and we’ll add them.
A staple of neighborhoods for meats, fresh vegetables and more – will California add in marijuana?
About 12% of people browse and potentially shop a Farmer’s Market on a regular basis. Usually they are pop-ups in a neighborhood with everything from local meat and fresh vegetables to vintage clothing and handcrafted products. Now the question is will California let marijuana be sold at farmers markets? A bill is going through the state legislature to allow small batch farmers and producers to sell at these venues. It could be an another step in fixing the chaos around their cannabis market.
The California cannabis industry has been struggling. With high taxes from state, regional and local governments, the businesses are burdened with high operational costs. Additionally, the state has done little or nothing to reduce the black market. This has lead some companies have gone under. Despite consumer use growing. While there has been lots of talk, this is one of the first major action. When legalization first started sweeping the country, California was the largest market. But with New York slowly getting their act together after chaotic rollout of recreational, they may lose out of being the top market.
This summer, the state legislature developed a bill to allow small producers to sell at local markets. This would be give some of the mom and pop more opportunity to reach consumers. They would only be allowed to see at markets in places like San Francisco where cannabis events are allowed by local governments. It would also cut overhead and the purchase price for customers, potentially reducing the huge black market in the state. The bill was forwarded to Governor Newsom, who is pondering whether or not to sign it and make it possible.
Governor Newson is a seasoned politician who is always looking to the future. This could be the first step in helping a popular, and for the state, profitable industry. Newsom was elected governor of California in 2018 and has stewarded the government’s action toward the industry, this could help provide some much needed relief.
Rejoice, my Cali smokers, we’re in a new era for the world’s most prestigious cannabis competition—the Emerald Cup. Now based in Oakland, a new venue means fresh blood; the leaderboard this year was a mix of newcomers, old favorites, and heady collaborations. Decibel Gardens made a splash with their own Roswell 47, a Jealousy cross. Huckleberry Hill Farms had a hand in multiple winners, from concentrates to prerolls to edibles. Rebel Grown’s Double OG Chem continues to dominate the Sungrown category, and Whitehorn Rose might be the strain of the year. That’s just scratching the surface.
From the best buds to edibles to what to put in your Puffco, here are the standout Emerald Cup winners and where you can find them in shops across California, all on Leafly.
Flower
Hundreds of buds pass through judges’ pipes, papers, and bongs every year. The 2024 Cup had four growing categories, and we’ve picked the creme de la creme from each.
Indoor
Roswell 47. (Courtesy Decibel Gardens)
Roswell 47 by Decibel Gardens is a cross of our 2023 Strain of the Year Jealousy crossed with their proprietary C-Note. It won the Indoor Flower Breeder’s Cup for its peppered berry terps. You can find it at Santa Cruz Naturals in Aptos, CA, LAXCC in Los Angeles, Jungle Boys San Diego in La Mesa, CA, and Pacabol in Chula Vista.
Runner-up Nameless Genetics stood out with their Mega Wellness OG, a Chemdog x OG Kush cross with an OG Kush male that dates back to 2002, which created a kush with intense earthy, hoppy, and petrol profile. You can find it at Buzz Wellness in San Diego, Jungle Boys San Diego in La Mesa, CA, and Purple Lotus Patient Center in San Jose.
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Golden Kiwi. (Courtesy Decibel Gardens)
Decibel Gardens takes third place with Golden Kiwi, a cross of Stardawg x Vanilla Kush that creates an energizing fruity and chemical canna-concoction. You can find it at Jungle Boys San Diego in La Mesa and Exhalence LA in Sun Valley, CA.
See also: Seven Alien Labs strains placed in the top 20 indoor flowers this year, and the top was the sticky and sweet Honey Bananas S1 at number four; BK Satellite and Area 41 made the top 10.
Farmer and the Felon-grown Double OG Chem. (Courtesy Farmer and the Felon)
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! The 2022 and 2023 Sungrown Flower winners, Farmer + the Felon and Rebel Grown, teamed up to take gold both and the Sungrown Breeder’s Cup with Rebel’s Double OG Chem. You can get it at Pacabol in Chula Vista and Padre Mu in Oakland.
Teamwork makes the weed work, as Magic Meadow Farms x Conception Nurseries x Humido win second place with Heir Heads, available at The Boulevard in Lemon Grove, CA and Purple Star MD in San Francisco.
LANTZ. (Courtesy Ridgeline Farms)
Ridgeline Farms has been building their reputation on their small stable of strains, and their proprietary Ridgeline Runtz is the leader. Runtz is available all over the country, and no two growers will have the same result. You can shop for another of their creations, LANTZ, which came in ninth, at Lemonnade in Union City, Cookies in Hayward, and Cookies Brentwood in Los Angeles.
See also: If you prefer a low-THC experience, or want some CBD-rich flower to mix in with your next bowl or joint, Heartrock Mountain Farm’s Love and Laughter, a, 18:1 CBD:THC hybrid, won the Breeder’s Cup for Alternative Cannabinoid Flower. You can get it at both Solful locations, in San Francisco and Sebastopol, and at Cornerstone Wellness in Los Angeles.
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Concentrates
Solventless
Huckleberry Hill Farms and their Whitethorn Rose are dominating the solventless categories, no matter their partner. In this collaboration with Ay Papi, their Whitethorn Rose ice water hash reigned supreme. You can find it at Klover in San Diego and Berkeley Patients Group in Berkeley. Ay Papi also took third place in the hash category with their team-up with Mattole Valley Sun Grown to produce Purple Papaya, available through DNA Delivery in Los Angeles. Have Hash’s Sour Bears took silver.
Have Hash achieved total victory on the live rosin side with their Royal Budline collaboration on Honey Bananas, on shelves (for now) at Cookies Brentwood in Los Angeles and Lytt in Pacifica, CA.
Moon Valley Cannabis, whose name you’ll see again later, came runner-up with their Panther Candy “dual consistency” rosin; they were also the fourth place hash winner, Neon Panther. An oldie but a goodie, Durban Lime, took third place thanks to Punch Extracts x Luma Farms.
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Solvent
No shame in the BHO game, we promise. Absolute Xtracts came in clutch with a 1-2 victory with Ghost Lemon and Original Z, shoppable at shops like The Chronic in Los Angeles and Nice Guys Delivery in San Rafael. Hot on their heels in third was some wax by a biblical roster collab of Holy Water x Happy Dreams Farm x Lemon Tree Farms with their Unholy Fez x Kiwi. You can find it at Airfield Supply Co – Redwood City.
Vapes
An Arcata Fire + Ridgeline all-in-one pen. (Courtesy Arcata Fire)
It’s hard to make vapes as appealing as straight flower or globby dabs, but these brands did it. Shoutout to Arcata Fire x Ridgeline Farms, who nabbed podium spots in both categories.
Holy Water and Happy Dreams Farms are back to dominate the live resin vapes lane with Lemon Pave.
Arcata Fire x Ridgeline Farms and their Grape Gas sauce cart took second.
ColdFire Extracts and a lost list of collaborators, Team Elite Genetics x Valley Grove x Lumpy’s Flowers x Green Dawg Cultivators x Blueprint x Booney Acres, took both third and fourth for BHO carts with Mimosa #3 and Grease Bucket.
ColdFire Extracts returned with Mountain Man Melts to take solventless vape gold with their Spritzer “ColdFire Juice Bar.”
Arcata Fire x Ridgeline round out the podium with two collaborations of live rosin syrup in LANTZ and Grape Gas.
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Prerolls
Infused
Holy Water shows out again with a group effort with Good Pizza x CGO for a Fugazi x Tractor Fuel hash hole in the Deluxe Joint category. Senior Editor David Downs predicted Tractor Fuel would be a hit this year, and he was right again!
Wedding Cake proves it’s still a hit with a first place infused preroll by Selfies.
Moon Valley Cannabis pops up again with Neon Panther for third place.
Non-infused
Moon Valley Cannabis gets gold and bronze for straight bud joints with Grape Gas and Hash Burger, respectively.
Hogwash Pharms x Huckleberry Hill Farms proves Whitethorn Rose is a winner in all forms.
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Edibles
Oui’d Confections x ST6R x Huckleberry Hill Farms bring the acumen of good food and good weed in the Sweet Category winners, Blackberry Limeade Soft Chew, followed by Emerald Sky’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Shop them here and here.
Ay Papi and Huckleberry Hill Farms team up with ST6R for a Whitethorn Rose live rosin gummy in third place. P&B made a splash with a Cucumber Melon hash gummy.
If you prefer a bev, you need Blaze Mota x Cheech’s Stash’s Cheeche’lada.
Planning on working next weekend? You’re doing it wrong.
Summer officially ends with the Labor Day weekend—which means barbecues, hikes, parades, concerts, and some serious seshing.
Labor Day and the fall season make for superb occasions to rip the vape. THC vape carts and pods get you lit in a low-profile way—that means no stink-eye from judgy parents or nosy neighbors. You just sip it and rip it to get lifted on the tastiest terps legal weed has to offer.
Here are some of our favorites.
California
Arcata Fire Rosin Syrup Disposable
Arcata Fire + Ridgeline LANTZ all-in-one pen. (Courtesy Arcata Fire)
A brand that’s made a big splash with its cartridge lines, Arcata Fire has multiple awards for its vape flavors. They produce a killer 510 threaded live rosin and live resin selection, but for those looking for that top-shelf experience, track down one of their AVD hardware Rosin Syrup disposables, especially the Lantz flavor they made together with Ridgeline Farms. At Hash Week in San Francisco, they held a sneak peek at some upcoming flavors and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them taking home another trophy next year. (Matt Jackson)
Suprize Suprize Live Resin Carts
Part of Royal Key, one of the best living soil producers on the West Coast, Suprize Suprize is their art department, releasing collabs not just between them and farmers but artists as well. These full-gram 510 cartridges and all-in-one disposables are made from fresh frozen flower only and have flavors like Apricot Cherry Chill and Midnight Sapphire. We recommend searching out the Fuel Z, a ((Sunset Sherbet x (OGTT) x (RS11 x Geist)) No.186. Featuring the same batch of Live Resin they use in their super popular jars of frosting, just split into two formulations for the vape smokers in their audience. (Matt Jackson)
Shasta Hash Co. Rosin Disposable
A newer name to some of you Cali smokers living outside the central area, Shasta Hash Co. has been pumping out disposable rosin pens that are lighting up consumers as well as the Reddit threads. They have a massively tasty Grape Gas right now that’s a big score if you can find it, or try the Ambrosia which combines that with some strong Orange Terps. Shasta Hash Co. uses O2 vape hardware which seems to be the biggest hit with small-batch hash makers who are trying to get the best terp expression from their work. The vape world keeps moving to ‘solventless’ and away from volatile solvents like butane. (Matt Jackson)
Located in Eugene, Oregon, this small-scale, family farm holds the title for best pod/cartridge from the Oregon Grower’s Cup in 2023 and previously won their Master Grower title in 2020. Fenario Farms runs a bunch of gear from noteworthy breeders like Symbiotic Genetics, Archive Seed Bank, and Masonic Seed. Their half-gram, disposable rosin pods feature iKrusher hardware and, along with a great Papaya, the flavor lineup right now has a couple of extra notable hitters on deck like the Grape Fanta and Super Boof. (Matt Jackson)
Entourage works with a number of incredible partner farms throughout Oregon. They recently released a full-gram live resin all-in-one which carries enormous clouds of flavor but we want to focus on their outstanding selection of live resin 510 threaded cartridges. For smokers looking for something classic or that they’ve never had the chance to try before, Entourage has flavors like Caffeine x Gold Moonshine, Lebanese Spice, and Portofino #13. We highly recommend lighter smokers check out their Nightmare Cookies, which despite the name actually carries a 2:1 CBD to THC ratio. (Matt Jackson)
Washington
Pacific & Pine Live Rosin Cartridge
Residing in the eastern high plains of Washington, this farm specializes in native soil-grown cannabis and is proudly family-owned and operated. They have a line of half-gram, solventless, single-source, ceramic AVD 510 cartridges that are a big hit. You can also get them in an all-in-one version. Check out Guava Wookie or the Orange Fruit Snax. (Matt Jackson)
Blush Velvet Rosin Disposable
The female-owned hash brand Blush Velvet has a great lineup of rosin disposables that they’ve put out on the market including Gelato Mintz and Birkinz. These feature O2 Vapes rechargeable hardware and represent some of the best top-shelf options for Washington’s solventless vape fans. (Matt Jackson)
Colorado
Green Dot Labs Live Rosin Carts
Colorado’s mile-high altitude and arid air can be brutal on fresh flower, but it’s perfect for making hash. Colorado’s leading concentrate brand Green Dot Labs gets the terps flowing with their “Blue Label” line of single-source, live-rosin carts. The plant never touches butane or other volatile solvents. They do it all with ice, water, screens, heat, and pressure. Green Dot’s hardware is high-end, too. They use borosilicate glass and stainless steel—so there’s no plastic mixing with the oil. The 510-thread carts work best with their variable-voltage battery for a super-low-temp ‘sesh mode.’ Strains right now include Red Froot, Blu Froot, Holy F#@k, and Thunderdome.
Arizona
Connected live resin cartridges
Arizona is awash in vape carts—with nearly 700 cartridge options in Phoenix alone. The Copper State is still getting up the learning curve on live rosin, but they’ve got plenty of live resin and distillate carts on tap for the pool party. Standing out—Connected brand live resin carts of Lemonatti (Gelonade x Biscotti)—a chill, flavorful hybrid. Connected has been leading the cannabis game since the medical era in California.
See also: MPX Melting Point Extracts Triangle Kush sauce cart; the Select BRIQ all-in-one 2-gram Clementine; nugrun live resin all-in-one Forbidden Fruit, Canamo all-in-one live resin Blue Dream. More top vape brands in Arizona: Stiiizy, MFused, Select, and Canamo.
Michigan
Element live resin disposables
Michigan legalization has resulted in intense competition and even bigger savings and quality for consumers. One-gram vape carts start at just $7—versus $70 in command economies like New York. All the big brands play in The Mitt—including Select, ROVE, Airo, Stiiizy, and Timeless vapes. So what’s good? Check out the Element brand live resin all-in-one (aka ‘disposable’) vape in strains like Peanut Butter Breath. The cart hits crazy strong and tasty, with 81% THC and 9.65% terpenes. The multi-cannabis cup-winning brand avoids distillate and sketchy additives like non-cannabis flavorings. Other strains include Gorilla Cherry, Island Paradise, Rainbow Belts, Strawberry Cream Cake, Moby Grape, and Granny’s Apple Fritter.
Ohio
Select BRIQ Elite
Ohio’s legal weed regime is less than a month old and sales are hot, hot, hot. Run, do not walk to the limited supplies of legal, tested vapes—and avoid sketchy vapes sold on the streets and head shops. Popular national brand Select brings its all-in-one device the BRIQ to recreational smokers in the hot strain Bubblegum Gelato. The 2-gram unit runs $75. See also: Timeless Vapes, and Vapen.
Illinois
Daze Off Jokerz #31 + Dante’s Inferno
Chi-town comes down from a raucous Democratic National Convention this week—good thing there are over 300 vape options in the city. The brand Daze Off clearly understands the assignment with a brilliant lineup of new cultivars in vape form. Other strains include Crossbreeze (Cap Junky + Jungle Lava), French Inhale (YUZU Sorbet + Jokerz 31), Alternate Reality (Durban Poison + MAC 1), Power Stone (Jokerz 31 + Florida Oranges), Arc Reactor (Durban Poison + NF-1). Daze Off comes from the grower making Aeriz products. See also in Illinois: Rhythm, Cresco,
New York / New Jersey
Luci Live Rosin AIO
New York’s market is young, but their operators remain dedicated to the grind of staying on trend. Luci made a splash this past year with their 2-gram hash hole joints, and now they’re rounding out their product line with dabbables and vapes. For optimal discretion and optimal terps, their live rosin all-in-one half-gram disposables deliver, with a range of fruit forward strains like Strawberry Parfait. These run a pretty penny, ($60 for half a gram) but the pairing of potency and pungent flavor make them well worth it for terpheads. We recommend the classic Blueberry Muffin. (Amelia Williams)
Massachusetts
Suncrafted Cannabis live rosin vapes
We already gave Suncrafted Cannabis a shoutout for their award-winning rosin gummies, but their accolades don’t stop there. Their in-house live rosin vape cart placed fourth at the 2024 Boston NECANN Cup, for good reason. Their options run the terp spectrum, from Mandarin Cookies to Garlic Butter, and offer high-CBD options for those who need an alternative to THC. (Amelia Williams)
Beboe Downtime Vape Pen
Massachusetts’ legal cannabis market keeps improving this fall. Boston alone has 246 legal, tested vape options—crazy considering its Puritan roots. One unique national standout—the Beboe Downtime vape pen. It’s classier, effect-based, and lower-THC for a more mature crowd. The pen comes “socially dosed” at 60% THC, which is plenty. Additionally, it has 15% CBD to prevent anxiousness. The ‘downtime’ effects also come from a custom blend of minor cannabinoids CBN, CBG, and CBDV. See also in Massachusetts: The Clear, Airo, Sanctuary Medicinals, and Fernway.
Maryland
SunMed Labs live resin carts
SunMed Growers is one of Maryland’s biggest cultivators, but their sister brand SunMed Labs handles the extracts and vapables. You can get disposables and distillates, if that’s your thing, but their live-resin 510 carts maintain the integrity of their greenhouse flower strains, and run the gamut of classics and new flavors. We recommend the immutable Maui Wowie, Lemon Berry Tart, and Kush Cake. (Amelia Williams)
Maine
Third Shift Resin live rosin carts
Maine has no shortage of heady hash, but not everyone can transfer that solventless integrity from the jar to the cart. Third Shift Resin, however, have managed to package their beloved line of rosin into vape pens in over a dozen strains. Exotic, little-known flavors are their specialty, with options like Pineapple Kiwi, Dole Whip, and Piegasm Punch. Just make sure your medical card is up to date, as they are for patients only, but offer reciprocity for patients from 28 states, plus D.C. See also: Maine Craft Cannabis (Amelia Williams)
Missouri
The Clear Blue Raz 2-gram distillate cart
Missouri has 100% legal cannabis and it’s awesome. Kansas City, MO alone has 126 vape options for pickup and delivery. On the top shelf, The Clear brand distillate carts like Blue Raz. The fat tank contains 2 grams of potent oil that tests at 85% THC and other cannabinoids. Blue Raz tastes bright, sweet, and jammy—juicy and sweet enough to have you think about the last time you had a slushie. The Clear uses food-grade glass tanks, stainless steel posts, and ceramic heating tech—as opposed to cheaper plastic. The Clear brand helped pioneer legal extracts all the way back in 2012 in California. Other cultivars include Grapevine and Lime Sorbet all-in-one. See also: BRIQ, The Clear, ROVE, Timeless, Airo.
New Mexico
ghost. Blue Dream 2g All-In-One’
One of the southwest’s newest legal weed states, New Mexico gets up to speed on national trends this fall. For example, the brand ghost. offers a 2-gram ‘all-in-one’ ready-to-use vape in the most popular flavor of the US—Blue Dream. Ghost started in 2019, and the all-in-one has this small, innocuous form factor that won’t attract attention. Other cultivars in the solid lineup include Black Mamba, Apple Jacks, GMO, Slurricane, Guava, and Horchata. See also in New Mexico: Dime, O.pen, Airo.
Pennsylvania
Standard Farms All-in-One rosin vape
Don’t write off the medical-only states. Standard Farms have products in multiple states, but only Pennsylvania have their new rosin vapes, available in both 510 and disposable form. Your best bet at finding flavors like Biscotti Pie and Blue Slushie are at Rise dispensaries throughout the state. (Amelia Williams)
And that’s 15 states of tasty vapes for Labor Day 2024 and beyond. There’s even more so take a spin around Leafly.
