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Indiana Lawmakers Approve Bill To Restrict And Regulate Hemp THC Products

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4 months ago

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“In India, we would like some certainty about these products so that those who manufacture and sell them know what our laws are.”

By Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle

Indiana lawmakers want state legislation to join the recently enacted federal ban on intoxicating and synthetic hemp products to counter the growing delta-8 industry.

Lengthy and complex legislation would also regulate less potent products that pass statutory muster.

But, “there will be no demand” for products below the proposed threshold, said Justin Swanson, representing the Midwest Hemp Council and 3Chi, a THC products retailer.

THC is the active ingredient in marijuana.

Sen. Aaron Freeman, R-Indianapolis, admitted to the committee that he would prefer to “wipe all these things off the planet, period,” but that his proposal is “whatever is possible.”

His Senate Bill 250 would mimic Congress’s shutdown of what Freeman described as the “Farm Bill loophole,” referring to 2018 legislation that defined legal hemp as any part of the plant that contains less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC by dry weight. That definition allowed products containing delta-8, THCA and other intoxicating cannabinoids to proliferate, including in Indiana.

A federal funding law passed in November specifies that all types of THC count. It also limits THC products to just 0.4 milligrams per container, and completely bans those made in labs.

“I think (that’s) what the federal government wanted when they passed the Farm Bill in 2018; I think that’s what everybody had in mind when they copied that language here in Indiana,” said Chris Daniels, chief traffic safety resource attorney for the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council. “The target was very low potency THC.”

An industry group supported the changes.

“It is imperative that Indiana act to align with federal policy in the 2026 legislative session,” said Cory Harris, representative of the American Cannabis and Hemp Trade Association. “Failure to do so means that Indiana’s policy will be stricter than federal law, making Indiana a legal cannabis market.”

The federal provisions will go into effect in November. Freeman’s bill repeats those provisions, but puts them into effect four months earlier, in July.

“It’s sweet that Indiana codified a federal law that will decimate an entire industry in the state,” Swanson said. “The landscape is still unsettled.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Baird — a Republican representing Indiana — introduced a proposal to push the effective date of the federal ban to 2028. President Donald Trump also signed an executive order to expedite the reclassification of marijuana as a less dangerous and less restricted drug.

Swanson said his clients support a “responsible regulatory framework,” and told lawmakers that “the status quo is not acceptable to anyone.”

Freeman’s invoice spends dozens of pages specifically regulating low-THC “hemp-derived cannabinoid products” that would be legalized, primarily with a long-standing 21-and-over requirement.

It also puts the Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission in charge of regulating the rest of the industry, establishing four types of licenses for manufacturers, distributors, retailers and carriers. They would be prohibited from advertising within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds and others, with retailers prohibited from operating within the same radius.

Retailers would not be able to deliver products or allow customers to consume them on the spot. Selling the products online would also be illegal, another sticking point for advocates.

Dave Colt, CEO and co-founder of Sun King Brewery, said his homegrown company spent months and more than $100,000 on equipment, research and development for its THC seltzer. Amid declining alcohol sales nationwide, seltzers have allowed Sun King to retain its employees and even grow.

“We also make products for at least a dozen Hoosier small businesses. Without that additional revenue, we would be forced to lay off people and reduce our business significantly,” Colt stated. “We believe the industry wants clear regulations to meet consumer demand.”

Other provisions relate to packaging, labeling and testing.

A fiscal impact study by the nonpartisan Service Agency estimated a financial impact of half a billion dollars annually for ATC to administer and enforce the proposal. The agency will have to hire at least one excise officer in each of the six districts plus Marion County to investigate complaints related to the new regulatory framework.

There will be additional costs for law enforcement training, procurement and online databases, the analysis noted.

The costs could be offset by the permit and other fees collected. The measure would allocate 70 percent of the proceeds to ATC administrative efforts, 20 percent to enforcement, 5 percent to the state’s 988 suicide and crisis hotline and 5 percent to the general fund.

If all tobacco sales certificate holders applied for a retail permit, for example, their application fees would generate $2.1 million. If all are approved, the state would earn an additional $4.6 million, according to LSA’s analysis.

The state seed commissioner would handle licensing for hemp growers and handlers.

Freeman also included a sentence that prevents the Indiana code from immediately reflecting the federal reclassification of marijuana, if that goes forward.

“This bill simply says that we’re not going to automatically follow what the federal government does, that we, the 150 of us, would make that decision, not the federal government for us,” Freeman told his colleagues.

The Senate Commerce and Technology committee also approved an amendment to eliminate an excise tax, as all revenue-raising provisions must be initiated in the House.

The revised legislation passed on a 7-2 party line vote, but the next bill must pass through the Senate Appropriations Committee before going to the House floor.

Previous efforts to ban and regulate intoxicating hemp products have failed.

Asked about his chances this year, Senate Republican Leader Rodric Bray told reporters, “I don’t have that crystal ball,” but added, “I think the bill is in pretty good shape right now.”

“I think in Indiana, we would like some certainty about these products, so that those who manufacture and sell them know what our laws are,” he continued, “and, most importantly, to build in some really meaningful protections for our young people across the state.”

This story was first published by the Indiana Capital Chronicle.

Brendan Cleak’s photo.

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Cannabis operators report mixed results as rescheduling reshapes the financial outlook

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13 hours ago

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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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13 hours ago

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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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2 days 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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