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Federal Health Agency Moves To Allow CBD Coverage Under Medicare, As Promoted In Video Trump Posted

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6 months ago

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A federal health agency wants to soon allow health insurance coverage for CBD under some Medicare programs.

The policy change has been unfolding for about a month from US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. President Donald Trump shared a video over the summer after meeting with the head of an organization behind it. claimed the therapeutic potential of the cannabinoid. That video specifically called for Medicare coverage for seniors who want to use CBD as an alternative treatment.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), under HHS, will publish a notice in the Federal Register on Friday about “marketing and communications, drug coverage, enrollment processes, special needs plans and other programming areas” for insurance programs it oversees. One of these changes concerns the cannabidiol coating.

CMS earlier implemented the 2026 final rule in 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.

The proposed 2027 rule would change the regulation, which currently states that “cannabis products” cannot be covered. The new policy would “prevent coverage of cannabis products that are illegal under applicable state or federal law, including the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.”

Because hemp and its derivatives like CBD are federally legal, the change suggests that patients in states where these products are legal can make valid insurance claims to pay for alternative treatment options, as long as the product is federally legal.

That said, recent changes to federal hemp law that will take effect next year—and a growing push by states to limit the sale of consumable cannabinoids—could significantly limit the types of products that patients can access. The way the law is written will allow limited concentrations of THC, where most growers and manufacturers say the idea of ​​a split for CBD is unfeasible. And for companies that market non-intoxicating products, this could spell doom, or at the very least force them to take on the significant additional cost of extracting CBD isolates in order to avoid running afoul of the law.

CMS he said In the filing to be published this week, “Hemp and hemp-derived cannabis products that meet the current 2018 definition are not federally controlled substances until November 11, 2026, and those that meet the amended definition after November 12, 2026, are not federally controlled substances after that date.”

“If such products comply with all other applicable federal laws, including the definition of hemp and the applicable provisions of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), they are not illegal under federal law,” he said.

The revised language examines eligibility for coverage of legal cannabis products at the state and federal level, but the agency specifically stated that the rule would allow Medicare Advantage to offer “hemp seed, hemp seed protein powder, and hemp seed oil,” given that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already deemed the materials safe by the RAS (Generally, the RAS has approved a review).

The CMS policy change regarding cannabidiol was detailed in a Bloomberg brief reviewthe news organization reported, the document suggested an early version of the plan could focus on oncology and palliative care for the elderly, though it’s unclear to what extent the report is based on the latest Federal Register release, which it did not cite.

But the proposed rule is also taking about a month for Kennedy — the HHS secretary who previously approved granting access to cannabis and psychedelics for therapeutic purposes — to discuss the issue with Commonwealth Project CEO Howard Kessler, according to Bloomberg.

Kessler’s organization produced a Trump-promoted Truth Social video in late September promoting the health benefits of cannabis, suggesting that CBD coverage under Medicare would be “the most important senior health initiative of the century.”

“It’s time to educate physicians on the endocannabinoid system, provide Medicare coverage for CBD, and provide millions of seniors with the care they deserve,” he said.

The video Trump posted also featured a Fox News clip describing the economic benefits of legalizing medical marijuana, saying that “$64 billion would be saved annually if cannabis were fully integrated into the health care system.”

The Commonwealth Project also participated in the stalled hearings on the marijuana deregulation process initiated by the Biden administration. He filed a comment in the federal filing arguing the “historic” proposal “provides greater, but not complete, certainty for seniors, researchers and physicians to participate in research or health care pilot projects exploring the benefits and distribution of medical cannabis.”

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Bountiful Farms goes best in New England at NECANN Cup

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7 hours ago

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May 25, 2026

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Bountiful Farms placed first and second in the licensed solvent-free concentrate division at this year’s NECANN Cup, then also won the mixed licensed and unlicensed division to win best overall, putting the Massachusetts operator in the running for best in show with the highest-scoring product in New England.

© Bountiful Farms

NECANN is the largest B2B cannabis event in New England and the second largest in the country, attracting over 9,000 attendees. Everything is unbranded. Licensed and unlicensed operators in the six New England states compete only in product. Zachary Taylor, Director of Agriculture at Bountiful Farms, says the win for Maine’s craft growers means a lot to him and his team. “Whenever you compete against Maine, with its regulations and the craft culture of the caretakers, to be considered a craft on our scale is the greatest honor. When you look at cups across the nation, you see cups of culture, and Maine is always well represented. To be recognized on the same playing field and to excel at this scale is very difficult, and I don’t think that’s what people mean.”

Of course, rosin isn’t given more forcefully to Bountiful Farms. But Zach in a clean way© Bountiful Farms he says, “A good raisin doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It comes from the flower.” The award-winning genetics were bred by Crystal Rose, and built around a high-resin, terpene-rich expression.

“The buds come in within 15 minutes of harvest, it’s like a timer,” Zach says. “Then we move them to a chest freezer, before moving them to an aisle freezer, where they’ll sit until they’re cleaned. All the rosin is pressed by hand in a hydraulic press.” At its scale, Bountiful Farms must use automation to achieve consistently high quality. “But we have very practical components,” he said. “The backlash of the press tells you how hard it is to go. Same approach with agitation, for example. The flower heads themselves, how we maintain the integrity of the trichome, the rise time of the wash, the temperatures: everything is handled like a small-scale race.”

That level of attention comes from the team. Matt Bearup, now a solventless QC manager, started growing and built the hash lab from the ground up all by himself. There are currently eight hash makers, all passionate about complex genetics and terpenes. Strains include not only the main terpenes, but also tasting notes and effects. Using the SC Lab framework, limonene as the current focus. “There’s not a lot of that in the hashish sector in particular. Several growers are moving in that direction.”

© Bountiful Farms

“There’s not a lot like it. Several breeders are moving in that direction.”

Bountiful Farms has been producing rosin since 2021, when the category had little traction© Bountiful Farms in Massachusetts. Since then, the company has expanded into a high-end cultivation center to produce even more rosin. They operate two production rooms and processes not only for themselves, but also for other clients including Native Sun, Breathe Free and u4ea. They have recently opened two new dispensaries, allowing them to expand into recreational retail from 2021. Another limited release of the full melt is planned, along with a dual-cartridge solvent-free pen developed with O2 Vapes, two flavors in one device.

“When you bring award-winning companies together, you get products that represent the industry at its best. Massachusetts deserves its place among the leaders in this industry. When we win, the industry wins.”

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Federal Drug Testing Rule Will Require ‘Directly Observed’ Urine Collection From Truck Drivers

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7 hours ago

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May 25, 2026

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“A month that goes by without an oral fluid test is another month when federal employees with paruresis face anxiety, discrimination, and barriers.”

By Kastalia Medrano, Filter

The Department of Transportation will require “directly observed” urine drug testing in federal employment situations where saliva testing is required but not possible. The clarification of DOT drug and alcohol testing procedures is the latest development in a years-long push by the trucking industry. oral fluid testing as an alternative to urine testing.

The new rule was published in the Federal Register on May 11, and will go into effect on June 10.

Truck drivers, who are subject to a large number of federal regulations, do not choose the method of drug testing, while DOT-regulated employers do. The campaign to implement oral fluid testing has been led by the American Trucking Association (ATA), which believes it is necessary to “keep drivers with disabilities off the road and maintain the trucking industry’s commitment to safety.”

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) approved lab-based oral fluid testing in 2019, and the DOT finalized its regulations in 2023 allowing employers to choose this as an alternative to urine testing. But the actual implementation requires at least. Two laboratories approved by the Food and Drug Administration to process tests—one for the initial analysis and another to confirm the results. There are currently zero.

Oral fluid testing is attractive to many employers for a number of reasons, one of which is its effectiveness in detecting drug use within hours compared to urine drug testing. While the trucking industry has become the public face of the campaign, the regulations also affect federal workers in the commercial aviation, railroad, public transportation and pipeline sectors.

One of the main concerns expressed by the trucking industry has been that urine drug screens are not visible, making it easier to avoid oral fluid testing. Another concern is paruresis, commonly referred to as “shy bladder” syndrome: if a driver can’t urinate when they need to, they’re stuck for a three-hour wait, which obviously affects their arrival time. And if they still cannot produce urine during this period, they are considered to have refused to take the test and are removed from their duties. To return, they must “pass” a urine test watched by a same-sex observer.

New DOT the rule also updates existing terminology by replacing the word “gender” with the word “sex” in accordance with President Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order “Defending Women from Gender Ideological Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

“A month that goes without an oral fluid test is another month when federal employees with paruresis face anxiety, discrimination and professional barriers,” Dr. Steven Soifer, co-founder of the International Paruresis Society, said in March. “We have been working on this issue since our inception (30 years ago). Our members ask the same question every day: When will the federal government finish the work it has already approved?”

In April, at the request of ATA, six members of Congress he wrote Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services citing FDA regulatory hurdles as the reason why laboratories in the United States are not certified to process oral fluid tests.

They cited an analysis by Quest Diagnostics that showed a 370 percent increase in “replaced” urine specimens from 2022 to 2023. Quest has its own laboratory-based oral fluid collection method, Quantisal™, and has therefore been an ardent supporter of the campaign.

On May 1, the FDA a notice with the intention of considering revising the requirements for toxicology studies. That same day SAMHSA a the list It confirms that currently certified laboratories, which will probably be updated in the future, but are not available at the moment.

However, at the end of the day, HHS handles oral fluid testing in a similar scenario to hair follicle testing. The department promised to create guidelines for hair testing in 2015, but has yet to do so.

This the article originally posted by The filteran online magazine that deals with drug use, drug policy and human rights from a harm reduction perspective. Follow Filter on Bluesky, X or Facebookand sign up for their newsletter.

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TSA clarifies that cannabis policy has not changed

Published

1 day ago

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May 24, 2026

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Over the past week, many news organizations have been running exaggerated headlines about a supposed change by the federal government to allow marijuana to be brought into airports and airplanes. But it’s not true, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) tells Marijuana Moment.

“TSA’s policy on medical marijuana has not changed,” a TSA spokeswoman said in an email Wednesday.

“According to the TSA website: If any illegal substance or evidence of criminal activity is found during the security screening, TSA will refer the matter to law enforcement,” they said. While it’s true that the agency’s list of medical marijuana “What can I bring?” section of its website was updated on April 27, there were no major changes in policy.

Currently, the website says “Yes,” passengers can carry medical marijuana in carry-on and checked bags with special instructions. But the TSA cannabis policy has said “Yes” to medical marijuana, with the same caveats, since 2019.

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