Cannabis News

Ohio Governor Signs Bill To Recriminalize Some Marijuana Activity, Vetoing Provision To Allow THC Drinks For A Year

Published

4 months ago

December 19, 2025

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“Frankly, the easiest thing to do is to stop now rather than go until the November date set by federal law.”

By Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a bill into law on Friday bans intoxicating hemp products and makes several changes to the state’s voter-approved marijuana lawincluding adding illegal offenses to bringing marijuana purchased illegally from another state back into Ohio.

DeWine signed Ohio Senate Bill 56, which takes effect in 90 days. He’s been asking Ohio lawmakers to do something about intoxicating hemp products for nearly two years.

The Ohio bill complies with recent federal changes prohibiting the sale of intoxicating hemp products outside of a licensed marijuana dispensary.

In November, Congress voted to ban products containing a total of 0.4 milligrams of THC per container earlier this month when they voted to reopen the government.

Those who work in the hemp intoxicating industry worry that it will put thousands of people out of business.

DeWine vetoed a THC-infused beverage provision that would have allowed the manufacture, distribution and sale of five-milligram THC beverages in Ohio until December 31, 2026.

“My veto means they can’t be sold,” DeWine said at a news conference Friday. “Frankly, the easiest thing to do is to stop now rather than go until the November date set by federal law.”

DeWine said he doesn’t think THC drinks are a good idea.

“I think they create additional problems,” DeWine said.

Ohio SB 56 included a provision that says if the federal government legalizes THC beverages, Ohio will consider a “stronger regulatory framework for these products,” according to the bill’s language.

“We’ve gotten this far because federal legislation was poorly drafted and people took advantage of it,” said Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman, a Republican.

“So speculating about what the federal government might do in the future and what we might do as a result, I think, adds to the same problem that’s already been created.”

On the marijuana side, the bill would reduce THC levels in adult-use marijuana extracts from 90 percent to no more than 70 percent, limit THC levels in adult-use marijuana to 35 percent, and ban smoking in most public places.

Some of the probable cause was removed from the bill, but some of it still remains.

The bill prohibits the possession of marijuana outside of its original container and criminalizes bringing legal marijuana from another state into Ohio. It also requires drivers to keep marijuana in the trunk of their car while driving.

Ohio SB 56 would give 36 percent of the revenue from adult marijuana sales to municipalities and municipalities with recreational marijuana dispensaries.

The bill maintains the 10 percent tax rate on recreational marijuana and keeps home growing at six plants per adult and 12 per residence. It also limits the state’s 400 marijuana dispensaries.

Ohioans approved a citizen-driven law to legalize recreational marijuana in 2023 with 57% of the vote. Sales began in August 2024 and exceeded $702.5 million in the first year.

Ohio lawmakers can change the law since it was passed as a citizens’ initiative, not a constitutional amendment, something they’ve been trying to do since late 2023.

This story was first published by the Ohio Capital Journal.

Photo by Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.

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Cannabis News

Cannabis growth facility eyes new spot for growth facility near Crisfield

Published

6 hours ago

May 1, 2026

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The Somerset County Board of Zoning Appeals approved another special exception for a cannabis-growing facility after negotiations to purchase a previous location failed to reach an agreement.

Trilogy Group LLC was granted a license to grow by the Maryland Cannabis Association, with the condition that the business be operational by July 2026. Trilogy Group wants to operate on the county-owned, undeveloped industrial site on Revell’s Neck Road in Westover. However, this project time frame does not coincide with the license term.

In September 2025, the producer was approved for a special exception for a facility at 4630 Crisfield Highway. The existing building houses Jed’s Auto Refinishing, which would be renovated to accommodate the growing operations. When the sale of that property ultimately failed, Trilogy Group purchased the land at 4381 Crisfield Highway and obtained another special exemption.

Jesse Drewer, Somerset’s Director of Technical and Community Services, said: “They looked for a site they already owned before coming to us and working through the process. “They are landlords and developers all in one.”

Cannabis News

Trump’s New Surgeon General Pick Said Using Marijuana Can Give You ‘Man Boobs’

Published

6 hours ago

May 1, 2026

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President Donald Trump’s new surgeon general nominee has raised concerns about marijuana, at one point saying its use is linked to the development of large breasts, or “man boobs,” in men. However, he also admitted that medical cannabis has “potential benefits”.

Trump announced Thursday that he would tap Nicole Saphier, who is now the director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering, to be the surgeon general of the United States.

Saphier has repeatedly discussed what he sees as the dangers of marijuana use, and has been more open to the potential benefits of its non-intoxicating ingredient CBD.

“There is a common misconception that marijuana is safer than alcohol and other drugs,” he wrote on Fox News in 2019. “As a doctor I know that marijuana is not harmless and can have serious adverse effects on the health of users.”

“And as a mother of three (one in college), I’m concerned that legalizing the drug for adults sends a clear message to kids that they can get pot without negative health effects,” she said.

Saphier went on to criticize the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates who supported marijuana reform, saying it’s “politically a popular cause, especially among young voters.”

“These candidates are more interested in how legalization of pot will affect their electoral prospects than how legalization will affect public health,” he said. he wrote.

Among the health concerns he has raised is that cannabis use is “directly linked” to “man boobs”.

“Physically, we know that marijuana is directly linked to respiratory problems (if smoked), cardiovascular disease, and gynecomastia (“man nipples”). As a breast radiologist, the first question I ask men when they come in for breast augmentation is whether they currently smoke marijuana or have smoked it in the past. Often, the answer is “yes.”

Trump’s appointment of Saphier comes just as his administration is moving forward with federal rescheduling of marijuana.

Although the surgeon general has no formal involvement in the drug program, which is administered by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, the position is seen as “America’s doctor” and plays a role in addressing health issues on behalf of the government.

In a podcast earlier this year, Saphier admitted that there are “potential benefits” to medical cannabis.

“Of course, there is evidence supporting cannabinoids for chemotherapy-induced nausea, certain seizure disorders, chronic pain syndromes, multiple sclerosis,” he said. “But that’s very different than, you know, the general normalization of high-potency recreational cannabis on a daily basis, especially in developing brains, which doesn’t happen until age 25.”

In the same podcast, he said that he personally “doesn’t like” and has “never tried” cannabis.

“I think CBD products are probably significantly less harmful if they don’t have THC. I’m not a fan of THC,” Saphier. he said. “I think if people are trying to get away from alcohol and want to take low doses of CBD, not inhale it, not smoke it, I’m sure it’s probably less risky than some of the other things out there.”

“Let’s be honest, today’s cannabis is not your parents’ marijuana. The potency of THC has increased dramatically over the last two decades. High-concentrate products, vapes, dabs, edibles, what the kids are doing these days, I don’t even know.”

In another interview focused on concerns about cannabis use by pregnant women, Saphier he said “As we continue to legalize marijuana, people are equating that to, ‘it has to be safe.'”

In a separate interview, he suggested that the legalization of cannabis is increasing its use among young people, which he said increases rates of addiction and psychosis.

“One in six children who try it, becomes addicted. Cannabis use in children, the risk of psychosis is four times higher,” he said. “What have we done? Legalize. Normalize.”

Trump’s predecessor, now retired Candidate Casey Means discussed his “significant experiences” with psychedelics beforehand Saying that marijuana “can greatly decrease your ability to generate good energy.”

Means himself said during a confirmation hearing in February he would not advise Americans to experiment with psychedelics as he has donebut noted that there is “exciting” research indicating that substances such as psilocybin can effectively treat serious mental health conditions.

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Missouri cannabis growers file class action against Good Day Farm

Published

1 day ago

April 30, 2026

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CPC of Missouri-Smithville, LLC and GF Saint Mary LLC, licensed cannabis growers and manufacturers in Missouri, filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Jackson County on behalf of independent wholesalers, alleging that Good Day Farm (GDF) and its network of conspiring companies and investors were harmed by an intentional, coordinated and unconstitutional scheme. The complaint alleges that the “GDF Cartel” illegally controls or manages the state’s share of dispensary licenses and uses that market power to manipulate Missouri’s $1.52 billion cannabis market for its own profit.

GDF and its co-conspirators allegedly built the cartel by arranging for third parties to invest in limited liability companies (LLCs) that then acquire additional dispensaries, cultivation and processing facilities, all of which are owned, operated or controlled by GDF. The result: The alleged cartel exercises effective control over at least 61 dispensaries, nearly triple the 22 allowed by the Missouri Constitution, with more than 10% of dispensary licenses “under substantially common control, ownership or management.” With 224 dispensaries currently licensed statewide, the alleged GDF Cartel controls more than one in four dispensary licenses in Missouri. But its influence is even greater, with alleged Cartel dispensaries accounting for more than 40% of wholesale cannabis in the state, giving it significant — and illegal — influence over all independent growers and manufacturers forced to sell through its network.

To avoid the Missouri Constitution’s 10% licensing limit and avoid regulatory oversight, the alleged cartel operates under five different brand names:

Good Day Farm (21 dispensaries),
CODES (20 dispensaries),
Green light (10 dispensaries),
Fresh Karma (6 dispensaries), and
3 Fifteen Primo (4 medications).

But they’re all part of a single, coordinated operation, the complaint says.

Purchase cannabis products from non-Cartel wholesalers at artificially depressed prices;
They supply their 61 dispensaries with the same products—mainly those produced by Cartel growers—significantly excluding products from independent wholesalers;
Force independent drug wholesalers to purchase the Cartel’s finished products as a condition for their wholesale products to be placed on the Cartel’s drug store shelves; and
Boycott non-cartel wholesalers who refuse to agree to anti-cartel demands.

Bob Hoffman, one of the attorneys leading the case, said: “The GDF Cartel is removing competition from the wholesale cannabis market and enriching itself with illegal profits through a counterproductive, clandestine business conspiracy. Missouri growers and manufacturers have been suffering under this scheme for a long time; many of them know something is wrong, but we don’t realize how the cartel has manipulated the market through this manipulation framework. Missourians to approve recreational cannabis in 2022 They voted for a fair and competitive market. Missouri licensed cannabis businesses that have suffered these practices should join us because they may be entitled to substantial damages.”

The complaint alleges the financial toll the Cartel has taken: Since the Cartel began illegal price-fixing, it has used its collective market power to lower wholesale prices by more than 20%, and continues to squeeze wholesalers and threaten the viability of their operations.

The unconstitutional complaint alleges that GDF knew its plan to build cartels could create legal risks for the company under the Constitution’s 10% licensing limit. The complaint quotes from a document provided by GDF to potential investors: “There can be no assurance that the Missouri Department of Cannabis Regulation will not dispute the number of marijuana dispensaries operated or supervised by the operator or its affiliates…”.

This action is brought on behalf of a putative class that includes all licensed independent wholesalers in Missouri that are not members of the alleged GDF Cartel for purposes of injunctive relief. Wholesalers who believe they have been financially harmed by the alleged Cartel’s practices should join the case because they may be entitled to substantial damages. The putative class is represented by the law firms of Feuerstein Kulick LLP and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP.

Source: Feuerstein Kulick LLP and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP