Whitney Economics (WE), a global leader in cannabis and hemp business consulting, data and economic research, today announced the release of its US cannabis revenue forecast for the period 2025 – 2030.

“We forecast legal revenue to reach $30.5 billion by 2026, a 4.9% increase from 2025,” said WE Founder and Chief Economist Beau Whitney. “This is a welcome change from just one year ago, when the US legal cannabis market experienced its first year-over-year revenue decline in the history of the legalized market.”

That decline, Whitney said, would have been worse nationally had it not been for strong growth in New York and Ohio, where consumers gained greater retail access to cannabis products. Although unit volumes and legal share rates remained strong, supply saturation resulted in price compression and reduced overall revenue in the U.S. “Growth rates are still positive, not as much as in previous years, when we forecast 13.4% growth by 2026,” he said.

In addition, price deflation has again reduced near- and medium-term sales expectations, with forecasts for 2026 and 2027 down from last year. “Whitney Economics’ forecast accuracy has always been in the mid-to-high 90% range, so when it dropped to 85% in 2025, we knew we had to update our models,” Whitney said. “Accounting for price compression was a major part of this adjustment.”

In the past, the key driver for predicting cannabis retail revenue was spending multiplied by the number of consumers. However, with price compression becoming a major factor in the US cannabis market, forecasts must account for market deflation, and WE has updated its model to include price declines.

Whitney’s prediction is that cannabis consumer behavior has changed significantly since the end of the Covid-19 era, with consumers spending essentially the same amount each month. Cannabis spending patterns underwent a major shift in 2023 and 2024, with cannabis spending now beginning to reflect broader consumption patterns.

“In times of uncertainty and higher inflation, consumers are no longer adding to their carts; instead, they are buying only what they need and saving on other cannabis-related purchases,” Whitney said. “As a result of this change, for the first time, price compression has become a major variable in the cannabis forecast equation.”

Since 2014, when Washington and Colorado states rolled out the first state-based adult cannabis regulation programs, the growth of individual markets, fueled by an influx of legal consumers, has overshadowed any price compression taking place. Market growth outpaced the impact of price declines. However, as markets began to mature and the pace of consumer conversion to the legal market slowed, price compression had a greater impact on market growth.

“We’re approaching the point where the growth rates of legal share are slowing while price declines have accelerated,” Whitney said. “Consequently, price compression will play an important role in advancing market value. This is a sign of market maturity.”

With the level of price compression and its suppressive effect on market growth, states must factor this into their tax revenue projections, which are expected to decline. States can no longer expect to raise taxes to make up for lost revenue because those increases will reduce demand, just like in any other industry, Whitney said.

Despite the importance of price compression, US cannabis revenue projections still point to growth for the remainder of the decade. But given the falling prices, legislators and regulators will be forced to encourage consumers to participate in the legal market; otherwise, retail and tax revenues will continue to decline.

“Perhaps this will lead to a move away from the marijuana dispensary model and opening up sales through other distribution channels, such as grocery stores and big box retailers,” Whitney said. “The US market is at a crossroads where the market is normalizing and no longer experiencing exponential growth. Single-digit growth will become the norm moving forward.”

A Delaware House committee has unanimously approved the Senate-passed bill allowing terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in hospitals.

About two weeks after Sen. Marie Pinkney’s (D) legislation advanced in the Senate, members of the House Health and Human Development Committee cleared it on a 9-0 vote Wednesday.

There was limited public testimony on the measure, which is being held in the House by Rep. Kamela Smith (D). A representative of the Delaware Healthcare Association supported the bill’s intent, while specifically applauding the Senate’s revisions to address the “operational and compliance challenges” raised by its members.

In his opening statement, Smith said the measure “balances patient rights and clinical judgment, allowing physicians to make decisions on a case-by-case basis, while protecting patients and facilities that comply with the law from civil liability and professional liability.”

He also shared a personal story that informed his advocacy for reform, describing how his father had experienced “constant pain from having cancer” and the only thing that bought him relief was cannabis.

“Doctors acknowledging that he was in pain and giving him time to relieve that pain” is part of the reason lawmakers support the legislation. he said.

Under SB 226, patients and their caregivers would be responsible for obtaining and administering medical marijuana, and would have to store it securely in a locked container at all times.

Smoking or vaporizing medical cannabis would be prohibited, so patients would have to consume it through other methods.

Health care facility officials should see a copy of patients’ state medical marijuana registry IDs, and should note the use of the drug in medical records. Likewise, “written policies and procedures for the use of medical marijuana in health care facilities should be developed and disseminated.”

Facilities would be able to prohibit the use of medical marijuana if such use “would have an adverse effect on patient care and treatment or is otherwise contraindicated.”

They could also revoke a license to use cannabis if a federal agency such as the U.S. Department of Justice or the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services takes an enforcement action against that use or “issues a rule, guidance or otherwise provides notice to health care facilities that expressly prohibits the use of medical marijuana in health care facilities.”

The right to use medical cannabis according to the bill, SB 226it would not apply to patients in the emergency department.

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Meanwhile, in Delaware, the Senate voted in January on a bill that would override the governor’s veto. prevent local governments from imposing harsh zoning restrictions that make it harder for marijuana businesses to operate to act in their jurisdictions.

Delaware’s adult cannabis market launched last August, with the governor Claiming a “successful” first weekend of adult cannabis sales in the statemedical and recreational marijuana purchases totaling nearly $1 billion, and compliance checks that demonstrate the regulated market is operating as the law intends.

Delaware’s legal market was launched two years after the legalization of marijuana Under former Gov. John Carney (D).

Before expanding sales, the governor toured one of the state’s cannabis cultivation facilities last July, praising the quality of the marijuana being produced. He said it will be “the French wine of the bush.”

The launch of the legal market came with some controversy, however. critics say it’s unfair for medical operators to begin adult-use sales ahead of other license applicants. Dozens of other retailers that have already received licenses or may be dozens more still awaiting issuance will have to wait for more regulatory approval before opening their doors, a situation that has frustrated some advocates.

The two lawmakers who led the push to legalize marijuana asked for input from consumers and businesses on the launch of the market. Sen. Trey Paradee (D), sponsor of SB 75, and House Majority Whip Rep. Ed Osienski (D) — the lead sponsor of the state’s 2023 legislative bills.Last year it launched an online form for residents to anonymously share their thoughts and opinions about the cannabis program.

Separately, a Delaware House committee in January approved the bill to decriminalize the public consumption of marijuana.

While some legal marijuana states like Colorado and Ohio still impose criminal penalties for public use of cannabis, Delaware stands out as particularly punitive, with a maximum penalty that carries the risk of jail time in addition to a fine.

user photo Brian Shamblen.

The Yale Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids (YC-SCAN²) announced on March 11 a new collaboration with the McGill Research Center for Cannabis (MRCC), taking an important step in strengthening international collaborations in cannabis and cannabinoid research.

As part of this partnership, MRCC will sponsor and help promote YC-SCAN²’s monthly educational webinar series. The webinars feature talks from leading researchers and clinicians who explore the science of cannabis and cannabinoids from a variety of perspectives. Open to the public, the series creates a platform where experts can present emerging findings, discuss key scientific questions, and engage researchers, clinicians, students, and the wider academic community.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing rigorous evidence-based research in a rapidly evolving field. By connecting researchers from different institutions and disciplines, the two centers aim to accelerate scientific discovery while promoting the exchange of knowledge across borders.

Deepak C. D’Souza, MD, the Vikram Sodhi ’92 Professor of Psychiatry and director of YC-SCAN², said the collaboration builds on a longstanding professional relationship with colleagues at McGill.

“Romina (Mizrahi, director of the MRCC) and I have shared a long-standing interest in advancing rigorous research on cannabis and cannabinoids, and have collaborated for several years to achieve this goal,” he said. “This collaboration between Yale and McGill reflects the importance of bringing together researchers across institutions to exchange ideas, support trainees, and accelerate scientific progress in this rapidly evolving field.”

Mizrahi emphasized the opportunities the partnership creates for future collaboration and training.

“I’m excited about this new chapter for our centers,” he said. “This partnership brings together complementary expertise and creates new opportunities for joint training, knowledge exchange and collaborative research excellence. By working together, we can strengthen the scientific foundation across the full spectrum of cannabis research, from plant science to understanding the effects of cannabis on the body, brain and society.”

Going forward, both centers plan to expand the webinar initiative with virtual “Lunch and Learn” sessions specifically designed for interns and junior researchers. These sessions will provide opportunities for early career researchers to present their work, network with peers and learn from top scientists in the field. The programming will focus on mentoring, interdisciplinary learning and strengthening skills in communicating scientific findings.

The partnership reflects YC-SCAN²’s broader goal of developing long-term partnerships with organizations that share a mission to advance cannabis science. By building networks between universities and research centers, the initiative aims to support high-quality research, promote innovation and help translate scientific findings into informed public policies.

Founded in 2023, YC-SCAN² works to advance the understanding of cannabis and its derivatives, commonly known as cannabinoids. The center serves as a center for research, education and dissemination of information in the field. His work explores the potential therapeutic applications and risks associated with cannabis and cannabinoids, while helping to inform public policy through evidence-based research.

Source: Yale School of Medicine