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A Look Inside The White House’s First Cannabis Products Enforcement Policy Meeting

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The White House has done the first a series of scheduled meetings with cannabis industry and research stakeholders To discuss a new enforcement policy for CBD products.

Representatives from the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) under the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) spoke with Panacea Plant Sciences CEO David Heldreth on Wednesday to learn more. Awaiting Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review of cannabidiol.

Marijuana Moment caught up with Heldreth shortly after he finished attending the remote meeting, which is one of several discussions on the topic that OIRA has organized after last month’s release of a memo on the FDA’s policy review.

“Members of the FDA were present, but they were not identified other than the host. They opened the meeting by not revealing anything about the policy or when it’s going to come out and essentially not going into detail,” he said. “Then they opened the floor to me.”

Heldreth said he raised questions about the legality of a new one Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) initiative to cover certain hemp-derived CBD and THC products It was launched on Wednesday.

“Current FDA policy is that CBD cannot be a food additive or supplement (which is generally recognized as safe), and therefore all CBD products are technically illegal outside of vaping and smoking,” he told federal officials. “I told them they were putting the cart before the horse. This current CBD policy needed to be updated before we started a legal CBD reimbursement program.”

“Then I argued that if the policy changes it should be more than CBD isolate,” Heldreth said.

“Recent federal legislation set a THC limit of 0.4 mg per container/serving for cannabinoid extracts, but rather than the 0.4 mg THC limit for oral consumption of stem, seed, and hemp microgreens or leaves that is maintained at industrial hemp’s 0.3 percent THC level. I believe FDA policy for CBD should adopt this and define hemp leaves and microgreens as foods and as food additives. should include a policy that supports them.

He said that as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, he expects officials to follow federal laws to make detailed inquiries about the tribes.

“I’m glad the White House held the meeting, but I don’t think there’s going to be much in this process,” Heldreth said, noting that he attended similar meetings with FDA officials in 2020 about CBD policy and “nothing changed” at the time.

“The reality is without congressional action to address the drug exclusion law, it’s difficult to legalize CBD,” he said. “However, I think items like hemp leaf will be out there and provide options.”

OIRA will also meet with Trent Woloveck of multi-state cannabis operator Jushi Holdings on Wednesday, as well as Mackie Barch of Story Cannabis and Iowa hemp farmer Earl Ramey on Thursday, and Brett Goldman of OCan Group, LLC next week.

All of this comes less than a month before changes to federal hemp laws are set to significantly shake up the industry, with a ban on most consumable cannabinoids containing THC taking effect in November. As part of the original law, the FDA was responsible for publishing a list of known cannabinoids, however He missed a deadline set by the congress to fulfill this obligation and it is not clear when that list will finally be issued.

Some have speculated that the enforcement policy guidance OIRA is reviewing is related to the executive order President Donald Trump signed in December to move marijuana from Schedule I to III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which also included provisions to create a pathway for CMS CBD health care coverage.

CBD oriented plan—which A coalition of anti-cannabis groups led by Smart Approaches to Marihuana (SAM) now wants to block it in federal court—will also allow a certain amount of THC in the products, but the agency has said the planned rules could change if federal hemp policies change, under the law now set to take effect in November.

Participants would have to ensure that the CBD comes from a “law-compliant source and high-quality farm,” prepared as an oral solution, and tested for cannabinoid content, so that available products contain no more than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC by dry weight and a total of 3 milligrams of THC per serving.

CMS said that centers participating in one of three models that receive substance access beneficiary engagement incentives (BEI) “will be able to consult with eligible beneficiaries about the use of eligible hemp products to improve symptom control.”

Details about the rules for the CBD pilot program came weeks after a co-founder of the Charlotte’s Web hemp company, which has partnered with CMS, had already told the agency. ended federal health insurance plans for cannabidiol.

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While CMS issued a previous final rule this past April specifically stipulating that marijuana, as well as CBD derived from federal law hemp, are ineligible For coverage of the Medicare Advantage program and other services, the agency is revising that policy.

CMS already announced some changes as part of a rulemaking process filed late last year, It affects “marketing and communications, drug coverage, enrollment processes, special needs plans and other programming areas.” for the insurance programs it oversees. One of these changes concerned the coverage of cannabidiol.

Meanwhile, regarding the marijuana components of Trump’s December executive order, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered a quick end to the cannabis redistricting proposal, which would not federally legalize it, but would remove some barriers to research and allow state-licensed marijuana businesses to take federal tax deductions known as the Internal Revenue Service (2S)80E Service. This proposal to reconsider, however, is still pending.

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Cannabis operators report mixed results as rescheduling reshapes the financial outlook

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May 14, 2026

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The rescheduling came mid-quarter and rewrote the tax math for each medical sales operator, but the underlying revenue picture remained uneven in early 2026, with acquisitions driven at one end of the scale and continued top-line compression at the other.

Vireo Growth: Back on $106 million deal
Vireo Growth Inc. reported Q1 GAAP revenue of $106.2 million, up 333.5% year-over-year, driven almost entirely by recent acquisitions rather than organic growth. The company completed the Schwazze acquisition in March, adding 45 dispensaries and two manufacturing facilities in Colorado and New Mexico. At the end of the quarter, it closed Eaze and Hawthorne Gardening, FLUENT Corp. announced an acquisition agreement and executed a California dispensary joint venture with Glass House Brands. Treating all acquisitions as closed on January 1, 2025 on a pro forma basis, revenue was $210.2 million and adjusted EBITDA was $42.2 million. The company ended the quarter with $137.8 million in cash.

John Mazarakis, CEO of Vireo, said: “Performance in the first quarter met our expectations and we are excited to welcome Schwazze, Eaze and Hawthorne to Vireo. We are focused on integration and optimization across the platform, while remaining opportunistic regarding growth opportunities associated with further acquisitions.”

Cresco Labs: $151 million, 280E relief and Texas license
Cresco Labs reported Q1 revenue of $151 million, down from $165.8 million in Q1 2025. Adjusted gross margin was 50.7% and adjusted EBITDA margin of $33 million was 21.7%. Cash at the end of the quarter was $67 million against a $310 million secured term loan. The company was conditionally granted a Texas Compassionate Use Program license after the quarter ended and opened two new dispensaries in Ohio.

Management said, “Moving the state’s legal medical cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III is the most impactful reform this industry has seen, and it validates the work we’ve been executing for years. We’ve built the operational foundation and balance sheet discipline to reap the immediate benefits of rescheduling, and position Cresco to take advantage of the broader path to normalization.”

Jushi Holdings: 4% growth, 460 basis point margin expansion
Jushi Holdings reported first-quarter revenue of $66.4 million, up 4% year-over-year, with gross profit margin up 460 basis points to 45%. Adjusted EBITDA was $11.4 million, up 17.2%. The margin improvement was driven by higher production volumes in Ohio, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and the performance of grower processors. Jushi brand products accounted for 58% of retail revenue in vertical markets. The company refinanced $132.3 million in debt during the quarter, providing $160 million in new debt through 2029.

Jim Cacioppo, president and CEO, said: “The recent scheduling of state-licensed medical marijuana for Schedule III is an important milestone for the industry, eliminating 280E tax limitations for medical operations and supporting a more favorable long-term operating environment.” Medical sales accounted for about 60% of Jushi’s 2025 revenue, making this material relief.

iAnthus Capital: Revenue falls to $33.5 million
iAnthus Capital reported first-quarter revenue of $33.5 million, down $4.6 million from 2025’s first quarter. Gross margin was 47.5%, up 477 basis points from the 2025 quarter. The company did not provide a management comment in the press release.

Country farms: international export record, fourth consecutive quarter of net income
Village Farms International reported first quarter consolidated net sales of $50.2 million, up 27% year-over-year, with net income of $2.9 million and adjusted EBITDA of $9.9 million, up 118% year-over-year. International export sales increased 171% to a record $14.6 million, driven by demand for EU-GMP compliant products in Germany. Pure Sunfarms had the top Canadian market share in dried flowers for the 15th consecutive month. The company started planting the first half of its Delta 2 greenhouse expansion and expects its Phase II facility in the Netherlands to reach full capacity by the end of 2026, which would quadruple Dutch production.

Michael DeGiglio, President and CEO, said: “Our first quarter results reflect a strong start to the year and continued momentum in our largest markets, with adjusted EBITDA growth of 118% year-over-year, significantly outpacing revenue growth of 27%, driven by our international business and continued leadership in Canada.

Cronos Group: Record revenue, $822 million in cash
Cronos Group reported Q1 net income of $45.2 million, up 40% year-over-year and a record quarter, with net income of $15.7 million and adjusted EBITDA of $5.1 million. Israel led growth PEACE NATURALS grew 53% for ninth consecutive record quarter. In Canada, the Spinach brand took first place in vapes with a 9.8% share of the national market, and maintained its top spot in edibles at 20.8%. The company ended the quarter with $821.9 million in cash and authorized a new $50 million stock repurchase program. The deadline to close the acquisition of CanAdelaar, one of the ten licensed growers in the Dutch Controlled Cannabis Supply Chain Experiment, has been extended to September 9, 2026 to allow time for regulatory approvals.

Mike Gorenstein, chairman, president and CEO, said, “Cronos achieved net earnings and gross profit in the first quarter as we continue to execute against our unlimited product strategy and the additional supply from Cronos GrowCo’s expansion fuels the next phase of our growth.”

Org chart: Revenue down 9%, Sanity Group acquisition closes after quarter
Organigram Global reported fiscal second quarter net income of $59.8 million, down 9% year-over-year, with adjusted EBITDA of $0.9 million, down 82%. Lower vape and pre-infusion sales drove the decline, along with a $5.8 billion dent in the U.S. hemp business. The company achieved a record quarterly harvest of over 32,000kg at its Moncton facility, up 56% year-on-year, and launched 10 SKUs in Australia targeting over 4,000 pharmacies. At the end of the quarter, Organigram acquired Sanity Group, one of Germany’s leading cannabis companies, and updated its 2026 guidance to net revenue of more than $350 million.

James Yamanaka, CEO, said: “Q2 reflected our poor performance in vaporizers and temporary challenges in pre-infusion production, compounded by slower industry growth. We have acted quickly to address these issues, and the operational changes and product improvements we have implemented are already beginning to stabilize performance.”

Greg Guyatt, Chief Financial Officer, said: “The financial impact of the competitive and operational challenges encountered earlier in fiscal 2026 is believed to have materialized in the first half of the year, and we are now beginning to stabilize performance. We expect to resume a trajectory of margin expansion and improved profitability during the second half of the year, supported by positive revenue and international sales growth. The Sanity Group.”

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Medical Marijuana Helps Pain Patients Reduce Use Of Opioids, New Study Shows

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May 14, 2026

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As opioids continue to cause overdose deaths, a new study suggests that making medical cannabis available and affordable could help patients reduce their use of prescription painkillers.

“Although cannabis has historically been characterized as a potential ‘gateway drug,’ it may also serve as a harm reduction tool for some patients seeking to reduce their reliance on higher-risk opioid medications,” researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine found.

The study, a prospective observational trial at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, followed 29 adults over five months. All had been living with chronic pain for years—an average of 11 years—and were already taking opioid medications, but struggled to taper off of them despite other treatments.

The study is unique in its focus on cost as a factor in access to medical marijuana, with the researchers describing their work as “the first prospective observational study evaluating medical cannabis as an alternative to opioids in a setting where cost was removed as a major barrier.”

Participants were recruited from a university outpatient chronic pain clinic and then completed monthly pain assessments using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS). The researchers measured daily opioid use, measured in milligrams of morphine equivalents (MME).

“Seven patients (24%) were able to completely discontinue opioid therapy at the end of the study, five of whom did so by the second month. Pain levels also decreased over time,” the authors wrote.

Notably, “there was a statistically significant reduction in mean pain scores experienced over the five-month study period,” says the paper published in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science.

“There was also a reduction in average opioid consumption of about 32 MME per day, which remained the same throughout the follow-up. In addition, seven patients were able to completely discontinue opioid therapy during the study.”

“Mean daily opioid consumption decreased from 46.8 MME/day at baseline to 16.2 MME/day at one month and remained low during the five-month follow-up period,” the researchers found.

What set the new study apart was not just the inclusion of medical cannabis, but the deliberate removal of cost as a barrier. Participants “consistently identified cost as a major barrier to initiating medical cannabis” before enrolling in the study, the document says.

Noting the novelty of the study, they added their hypothesis: “Improving access to medical cannabis will allow a subset of patients, especially those with a high cost barrier, to reduce or discontinue opioid use while maintaining adequate pain control.”

“These results suggest that medical cannabis may be a useful adjunctive therapy to reduce opioid use, relieve chronic pain, and improve health-related quality of life,” they concluded.

“The findings of this study add to the body of literature supporting the safety profile and potential therapeutic role of cannabis.”

The studies the authors are cautious in their conclusions, warning of limitations and the need for further research. “The sample size was small and derived from a single clinical site, and there was no control group.” And because “patients self-titrate cannabis products, leading to variability in dosage and frequency of use,” the findings are not standardized.

But the authors concluded that “when used under appropriate medical supervision, medical cannabis may be an effective adjunctive strategy to reduce opioid use among patients receiving long-term opioid therapy.”

This study follows a Recent research shows that using medical marijuana helps people reduce their use of other drugs, including opioids.sleep aids and antidepressants. They also experience fewer negative side effects after switching from prescription drugs to cannabis, according to a study involving more than 3,500 patients.

It also comes from behind President Donald Trump says marijuana ‘can make people feel a lot better’ and serves as a “substitute for addictive and potentially lethal opioids.”

Last month, the Trump administration announced it moving forward with federal reclassification of marijuana medicinal cannabis is classified under Schedule I to III of the Controlled Substances Act.

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Livermore Falls debates cannabis licensing fees

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1 day ago

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May 13, 2026

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Existing medical cannabis licensing fees will be temporarily applied to recreational marijuana businesses, the Select Committee decided on May 5. Board members agreed 4-1 to the temporary change, as long as officials say the fees are higher than necessary and accurately reflect the town’s oversight costs.

Bryce Cobb, Livermore Falls’ code enforcement officer, plumbing inspector, health officer and E-911 dispatcher, said voters approved the amended cannabis ordinance on April 28. Cobb said the amended ordinance allows recreational marijuana businesses and the next step was to establish a fee schedule. Recreational cannabis businesses operating in town would require local licensing approval under the ordinance.

Asked if he had fee schedules from other towns to compare, Cobb said he did not. Additionally, the town’s fee schedule specifically mentions medicinal cannabis.

“So it could be medical and adult use,” Cobb said when discussing whether the existing fee structure could apply to recreational businesses.

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