President Donald Trump’s choices over his first 50 days in office, including appointments to lead the federal drug and health agencies, are sowing serious doubts that marijuana’s status under federal law will change anytime soon.

That’s the gloomy vibe lurking outside the U.S. Capitol and seeping into C-suites as the marijuana rescheduling process – begun in October 2022 by former President Joe Biden and put on indefinite hiatus in January – remains stuck in limbo.

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For those remaining hopeful, the belief is that the Trump administration might do something before the end of the year.

But skeptics wonder if the administration will simply cancel the process to downgrade marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3 of the Controlled Substances Act.

All in all, “so far,

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The rollout of Maryland’s social equity cannabis program has faced significant delays, with none of the businesses open nearly a year after they were awarded licenses.

Part of the issue is that it’s difficult to attract investors to a business and challenging to find real estate.

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Maryland’s cannabis regulations require that the original social equity applicant retain 51% ownership in the company. A separate social equity partner can own 14% of the company, leaving just 35% for a non-social equity investor.

Further complicating matters is that the original social equity licensee must hold the license for five years, a measure taken after witnessing social equity applicants in other states flipping their licenses soon after they were awarded.

“It can be challenging to entice

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Major cannabis vaporizer companies increasingly are moving manufacturing operations away from China, due in part to a 20% tariff enacted by the Trump Administration.

Now, some operators fear price compression accompanying the tariffs – now totaling 45% for goods manufactured in China – will prompt unscrupulous operators to purchase cut-rate vape cartridges and other inputs, potentially jeopardizing consumer health.

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Executives from many U.S.-based vape companies say the process of finding – and, in some cases, building – new manufacturing operations has been a years-long endeavor that is getting renewed attention because of the tariffs.

Shenzhen, China, is a well-known manufacturing hub located near Hong Kong, a financial and shipping powerhouse; together, the Special Economic Zone still is responsible for producing the majority of

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