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The Fight For Cannabis Reform Must Focus On Medical Patients—Not Taxes And Banking—In Order To Win (Op-Ed)

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4 months ago

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“Without medicine at the center, the Federal reform loses its moral compass and its political lever.”

Cannabis Businesses and Professionals Unity for the National Medical Kannabis

It is clear that the opposition against cannabis is nourished by the narrative of moral panic, disinformation and “large marijuana”. Without strategic contracting for well-being, we risk losing the land we have earned.

Last week, the HOUSE’s paving committee exceeded the version of the Budget of the Department of Justice. FY2026 Trade, Justice, Science and Related Agency (CJS) would include provisions that will allow the administration of drug enforcement administration (DEA) again in the states of cannabis programs.

CJS Budget Bill was the language that would also want Prevent President Donald Trump to make efforts for determination in cannabis programming. This should turn off alarms in our community. And yet the loudest push came from business, but from patients, with our uncompromise, farms, allies.

Our most valuable asset

The coverage coverage coverage for Kannabis was a promise to produce “determination” for a few weeks. But there was a real bearer What he said about Kannabis: “great thing about medicine” listens.

These words catch true in Washington, DC: Cannabis doctor remains the most politically feasible policy for federal policy reform. If you currently face cannabis businesses and professionals, we cannot ignore the truth.

Bank and tax relief will not come with a great reform of cannabis

Despite the flood of new State laws, new businesses and new participants, Washington barely made.

It has been more than a decade to secure access to Secure access (ASA) to ensure the fire interference in the Medical State of Congress. Bank reform, tax fairness and state trade are still not available. Patients remain access to stigma, discrimination and patches.

Corporate Kornabis seemed to be supported by the medical expansion and cannabis business, who walks far from the patient’s narrative. It was the descendant of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Cannabis “admits that he currently supports” medical use “and will lead to the III program.

Instead of taking a return of victory for medical cannabis, the cannabis community was based on tax deductions.

This pivot has been able to provide short-term growth and attention, but he actually canceled the proven path that has moved Congress: patients. The result is a decade of Washington.

Without a medical cannabis in the center, the Federal reform loses its moral compass and a political lever.

Including the “big things” about medical cannabis

Medical cannabis is the strongest counterpoint. It saves lives, reduces health costs and undergo public support during the political spectrum.

Consider the numbers:

  • Chronic pain: Almost 30% of chronic pain patients use cannon to relieve, often reduce or replace opioids. More than 68 million Americans live with chronic pain.
  • Cancer: More than 40% of cancer reports the symptoms such as pain, anxiety, sleep and hunger.
  • Older adults: One of the five adults now uses cannabis now. In the medical states, many advantages made by many arthritis, sleep and quality of life. It is the fastest increase in Kannabis users.
  • Veterans: About 22 percent of veterans use PTSD, chronic pain and sleeping incidents, still facing stigma and federal obstacles.
  • Opioids: Washington Post recently mentioned the study County with dispensers will be seen reducing 30 percent of the dead Opioido overdose over time.

Pay page

If you entered the Kannabis space in the last five years or 10 years, you may not know how we arrived.

Patient advocates have been working on strategies for decades for the National Medical Canavy Program.

For years, the cannabis supply chain programs, cannabis supply chain products, the World Cannabis Organization (UN) and the United Nations, and the United Nations, recommends patients for medical professionals.

White House This year decreased these protections, Asa called the organizations of national patients and encouraged Congress to restore them. And HHS can Cannabis “use medical use” at this time? Reflects more than two decades established by patient defenders.

Not to choose zero sum

Helping Medical Kannabis does not mean against adult use. In fact, focusing the doctor strengthens the whole market.

Patients bring credibility with politicians, their stories create support for bipartisan and their experiences cannot be divided into quarter sales figures.

President Trumpen comments – “Great things about doctors” – they are not just a note. In the policy of Kannabis, they reflect coherent thread in administrations, festivals and decades: the medical cannabis has had power.

If we become “great things”, we can change the conversation, go back and finally, we will finally get comprehensive federal realms of patients.

Patients have a plan; They need our help

As a creative founder of safe access, Steph Sherer described the last marijuana at the moment. “It’s time for the congress to create a federal path for medical cannabis accesses” The next phase of access is a comprehensive federal legislation. History has shown us that the doctor must first come.

Patients created a moral and political basis for cannabis reform. Today they remain the strongest motor. But only patients cannot carry this fight. If we want to move Washington, we need to put patients and their needs behind our efforts.

Cannabis businesses and professionals united for the national medical cannabis It is safe access to access security (ASA) interested business, professionals and investors who believe in cannabis medicine and are willing to end the patients.

Marijuana is possible with the help of readers. If you are based on journalism to defend cannabis, consider the commitment to Patreon every month.

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Michigan cannabis industry appeals 24% wholesale tax as job cuts loom

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11 hours ago

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December 30, 2025

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as reported by Crain’s in DetroitMichigan’s cannabis industry is ramping up its legal battle over the 24% wholesale tax that will take effect on January 1st. The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (MICIA) filed an appeal in the state appeals court on Tuesday, challenging the decision of Court of Claims Judge Sima Patel, who denied the group’s request to block the tax.

MICIA spokeswoman Rose Tantraphol told Crain’s that she “doesn’t think the Claims Tribunal made the right call” and that the case is “an exceptionally strong case on the merits.” The association says the wholesale tax violates the 2018 voter-approved cannabis law, the Michigan Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTMA), and “we will not back down from fighting for the will of the people in court,” it said.

A tax passed by lawmakers in late October to fund road repairs is already making waves in the state’s cannabis market. Ann Arbor-based C3 Industries is closing its 35,000-square-foot growing facility in Webberville, cutting 62 jobs, according to a state Workforce Adjustment and Retraining notice. CEO Ankur Rungta told Crain’s that the business “cannot operate the Michigan production facility profitably with the new wholesale tax.”

Marquette-based Higher Love, which runs ten dispensaries along with growing and processing operations, announced it will lay off nearly 30 percent of its workforce, citing tax reasons, though the exact number of workers affected is unclear.

MICIA’s legal challenge argues that the Legislature lacked the supermajority needed to change the voter-approved law and may have sidestepped the rules by introducing a toll road funding bill without a public hearing. Judge Patel disagreed that the tax violated the law, but left the door open for further review, and that courts should consider whether the 24% wholesale tax undermines the intent of the MRTMA’s original 10% retail excise tax, which aims to keep legal marijuana affordable and curb the illegal market.

With the new tax set to go into effect within days, MICIA is asking the Court of Appeal for a quick ruling to stop the wholesale levy before it takes effect.










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Florida Marijuana Campaign Sues State Over Invalidation Of 71,000 Signatures With Turn-In Deadline Weeks Away

Published

12 hours ago

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December 30, 2025

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A Florida campaign seeking to put marijuana legalization on the state’s 2026 ballot has filed a new lawsuit against state officials, alleging they improperly directed the cancellation of about 71,000 signatures as the filing deadline quickly approaches.

Smart & Safe Florida has fought several legal battles this cycle to ensure its initiative can be put on the ballot.

The latest lawsuit, filed Monday in Leon County courts, alleges that Secretary of State Cord Byrd (R) ordered county election officials to invalidate about 42,000 signatures from so-called “inactive” voters and about 29,000 signatures collected by out-of-state petitioners.

This comes after another court upheld a previous decision to strike with around 200,000 signatures, which the state said were invalid because the petition did not contain the full text of the proposed initiative. The campaign challenged the legal interpretation, but declined to appeal the decision, confident it had collected enough signatures to settle the dispute.

Now, about a month away from submitting 880,062 valid signatures by the Feb. 1 deadline, Smart & Safe Florida points out that additional cancellations could jeopardize their chances of getting on the ballot. Currently, the state has validated 675,307 signatures.

“Time is of the essence,” the new lawsuit says. according to Florida News Service. “Florida’s Secretary of State has issued two illegal directives that, unless stopped, will invalidate citizen initiative petitions signed by more than 70,000 registered voters.”

As for “inactive” voters, the term refers to those who are registered but marked as undeliverable, resulting in their addresses being considered unconfirmed. This group can remain unregistered if they do not vote in two consecutive general elections.

“The absurd result of the Secretary’s directive is that ‘active’ voters can vote for the proposed amendment, but cannot count their petitions to vote to place the proposed amendment on the ballot,” the lawsuit states.

The out-of-state petitioner lawsuit, on the other hand, is about enforcement of a law passed earlier this year that prohibits the collection of signatures by non-Florida residents. Among the legal challenges, a federal court ordered its enforcement blocked for about two months before another judge lifted that order.

Smart & Safe Florida is arguing that the signatures collected during the mandate window should not be invalidated because they were obtained legally while the law was not in effect.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Florida’s attorney general asked the state Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of the legalization initiative. The court granted the request and set a schedule for state officials and the cannabis campaign to file briefs next month.

The campaign said last month it had collected more than a million signatures to put the cannabis measure on the ballot, but it’s not. He has sued state Supreme Court officials for delaying the certification processarguing that the review of ballot content and summary should have gone ahead several months ago when the initial signature threshold was reached. The state then he agreed to proceed with the processing.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) campaigned hard against an earlier version of the proposed legislation, which won a majority of voters last year but fell short of the 60 percent threshold needed to pass a constitutional amendment. Former Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) unsuccessfully challenged the earlier initiative in court.

In March, two Democratic members of Congress representing Florida asked the federal government to investigate What they described as an “illegal diversion” of millions in state Medicaid funds through a group with ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The money was used to fight a popular ballot initiative the governor vehemently opposed that would have legalized adult marijuana.

The lawmakers’ letter alleges that a $10 million donation from a state legislative settlement was misappropriated to the Hope Florida Foundation, which later sent the money to two political nonprofits, and sent $8.5 million to the anti-Amendment 3 campaign.

The governor said this in February The latest measure to legalize marijuana is in “big trouble” with the state Supreme CourtHe announced that it will be blocked from going before the voters next year.

“There are a lot of different views on marijuana,” DeSantis said. “It shouldn’t be in our Constitution. If you feel strongly about it, you have a legislative election. Bring back the candidates you think will be able to deliver what you think about it.”

“But when you put these things in the Constitution, and I think, I mean, the way they were written, there’s all kinds of things going on here. I think it’s going to have a lot of trouble getting passed by the Florida Supreme Court,” he said.

the last the initiative It was introduced to the secretary of state just months after initial versions failed in the November 2024 election, despite President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

The revised version of Smart & Safe Florida is expected to be successful in 2026. The campaign — which received tens of millions of dollars from cannabis industry players in the last election cycle, notably from multi-state operator Trulieve — introduced some changes in the new version that address criticisms of opponents of the 2024 push.

For example, it now specifically states that “smoking and vaping marijuana in any public place is prohibited.” Another section states that the legislature should adopt rules governing the “time, place and public manner of consuming marijuana.”

Last year, the governor accurately predicted this The campaign’s 2024 cannabis measure would survive a legal challenge From the state attorney general. It’s not entirely clear why he thinks this version will face a different outcome.

Although there is uncertainty about how the state’s highest court will navigate the measure, a poll released in February It showed the overwhelming support of a bipartisan voter for reform— 67% of Florida voters support legalization, including 82% of Democrats, 66% of independents and 55% of Republicans.

—
It’s Marijuana Time tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelic and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters by pledging at least $25/month, you’ll get access to our interactive maps, charts, and audio calendars so you never miss a development.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracking and become a Patreon supporter to gain access
—

In hindsight, a recent survey by a Trump-linked research firm found that Nearly 9 in 10 Florida voters say they should have the right to decide whether to legalize marijuana in the state

Meanwhile, a pro-legalization GOP state lawmaker has just introduced a bill to change state law code that the public use of marijuana is prohibited.

Rep. Alex Andrade (R), the sponsor, said earlier this year Passing cannabis reform is a way for the Republican Party to get more votes from young people

Separately, there are medical marijuana officials in Florida actively expunging the records of patients and caregivers with drug-related criminal records. The policy is part of the sweeping budget legislation that DeSantis signed into law earlier this year. The aforementioned provisions address the State Department of Health (DOH). void the records of medical marijuana patients and caregivers if convicted of drug offenses, or pleaded guilty or no contest.

Mike Latimer’s photo.

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Happy Holidays!

Published

1 day ago

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December 29, 2025

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Next publication on January 5, 2026






We are officially closing for the holidays. MMJDaily will be back on January 5, 2026, a little more rested.

Thank you for staying with us until 2025. Go enjoy your vacation, eat too much, sleep too little and try not to set anything on fire. See you next year!

© Mirthe Walpot | MMJDaily.com



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