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Tag: Marijuana

  • Hazel Park sees another cannabis business closure as market falters  – Detroit Metro Times

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    A Hazel Park dispensary is closing its doors on Christmas eve, becoming at least the 14th cannabis business to shutter in the city as the cutthroat recreational marijuana industry continues to struggle with too many stores and plummeting prices.

    Clarity announced the decision on its website this week and is offering 60% off everything in the store. 

    Owned by Trucenta LLC, a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Michigan, the dispensary at 24517 John R was originally named Breeze USA and became the first recreational dispensary to open in Oakland County in March 2020. Trucenta renamed the store Clarity last year.

    Clarity is just the latest victim of an industry that has more cannabis than it can sell. Prices have plummeted, and sales continue to decline this year. Profit margins are razor thin, and many businesses have closed or are on the cusp of calling it quits. 

    Although dozens of dispensaries, grow operations, and processors have closed in Michigan this year, state lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer approved a new 24% wholesale tax on marijuana that industry insiders say will suffocate the industry and force the closure of more businesses. That’s on top of a 10% excise tax and a 6% sales tax.  

    “Layer that on top of price compression, oversupply, heavy administrative overhead, and an unpredictable enforcement climate, and the outcome is clear: even the largest, most capable operators cannot responsibly justify continued operations under this trajectory,” Trucenta CEO Zoran Bogdanovic tells Metro Times.

    In addition, Bogdanovic says the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) is making it difficult for businesses by imposing massive fines for small mistakes. In November, the CRA accused Trucenta of committing several violations, including improperly transporting cannabis products, misusing the statewide monitoring system, failing to maintain complete surveillance footage, and attempting to mislead inspectors by switching tags on different marijuana products. The agency’s inspection on April 11 revealed that Trucenta employees switched tags on distillate to deceive inspectors, according to the CRA’s formal complaints.

    In response, Bogdanovic stresses that the company tried to comply with regulations and collaborate with the agency. He says Trucenta has been “diligently providing all requested documentation, including video footage,” and engaging with the CRA’s inquiries. However, Bogdanovic says the company has encountered delays in the CRA’s processing of its submissions.

    According to Bogdanovic, Trucenta filed five formal complaints against the CRA earlier this year over concerns about what he describes as “disruptive business practices” that were not addressed before the CRA’s recent complaints.

    “The regulatory and economic landscape in Michigan has reached a point where the operational risk, financial strain, and enforcement volatility no longer align with responsible, sustainable business,” Bogdanovic tells Metro Times. “This isn’t about any single event or disagreement. This is structural.”

    He adds, “Over the last several years, the Cannabis Regulatory Agency has intensified its enforcement posture to a level that has created a climate of constant operational uncertainty. Formal complaints, disciplinary actions, and protracted investigations have increased across the entire state.” 

    Bogdanovic points out that Trucenta is far from alone. For example, TerrAscend Corp., a multistate, publicly traded cannabis company, announced this summer that it’s closing all 20 of its dispensaries and four cultivation and processing sites in the state. The company also laid off about 250 employees at its dispensaries under the Gage, Pinnacle Emporium, and Cookies brands across Michigan, with locations in Detroit, Ferndale, Lansing, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, and other cities. The company is also closing its cultivation and processing facilities in Bay City, Harrison Township, and Warren.

    PharmaCann shut down its massive LivWell facility in Warren in December 2024, and Curaleaf ended its Michigan operations last year. Countless small cannabis businesses have also shuttered.

    Trucenta also opened the state’s first licensed cannabis consumption lounge, Hot Box Social, in Hazel Park, in 2022, but the business has since shut down. 

    In Hazel Park alone, at least one other dispensary, four grow operations, six processors, two secure transporters, and a consumption lounge have gone out of business. 

    Nine dispensaries still operate in Hazel Park. 

    Cannabis businesses in the city were also hit with at least six break-ins between January 2024 and March 2025. In August, several armed suspects were arrested after breaking into the HP Lab Group processing center on John R around 1:33 a.m Police said a security guard was disarmed, kidnapped, and bound with duct tape, and the suspects drove a U-Haul through the building.

    The closures could spell trouble for the city under legislation introduced by Democrats in the state Senate.

    In October, Democrats who control the state Senate introduced a set of bills on Oct. 2 that would limit each municipality to one dispensary for every 10,000 residents. If approved, the legislation would prevent the state Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) from approving new dispensary licenses in municipalities that already exceed the limit. Municipalities with fewer than 10,000 residents would be limited to one retail license.

    The bill wouldn’t force existing dispensaries to close, but once one shuts down, it couldn’t be replaced until the municipality falls below the cap. 

    If the bills pass, Hazel Park would be limited to one dispensary. 

    Bogdanovic says his company isn’t giving up. 

    “Trucenta will always stand for responsible operations, transparency, and forward-thinking leadership,” he says. “As we navigate this next chapter, our decisions will reflect one principle: doing what is right, sustainable, and aligned with the long-term health of the organization, employees, and the customers we served.”


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    Steve Neavling

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  • Your guide to Michigan’s top prerolls in 2025, from classic joints to potent hash holes – Detroit Metro Times

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    The days of settling for your friend’s poorly rolled joints are over. 

    Michigan’s recreational cannabis market is teeming with prerolls, from classic one-gram joints to infused versions with glass tips. Prices range from a few bucks to $50 for a rosin-infused “doink.” 

    Prerolls are convenient, perfect for sharing, and an affordable way to try new strains and cultivators. Some are ideal for a night out, while others are better for a more laid-back evening.  

    They vary wildly in size, style, and quality. On the low end, Dragonfly churns out $1 joints stuffed with low-quality shake. The most common prerolls are one gram, have a cardboard tip, and generally range from $3 to $10. Handrolled two-gram joints, often called cannons, are a step up and usually have a wood or glass tip. Then there are prerolls infused with concentrates like live rosin or bubble hash, and they generally range from $12 to $50. 

    Even the names vary. There are doinks, donuts, doobies, cones, snowcones, shorties, cannons, and hash holes. Like most things, better quality usually means a higher price, though there are impressive exceptions, and I’ll share those below. The most popular prerolls are like fast food fries. They’re cheap and get the job done, but there are way better options than the corporate giants flooding dispensary shelves with mediocre products. 

    Many growers stuff their prerolls with dry trim and shake, while the best rely on sticky, ground-up flower. 

    With thousands of prerolls on the market, finding the right ones for the right moment can get frustrating and expensive. I learned firsthand. Obsessed with finding the best prerolls among a mountain of mediocre options, I smoked more than 250 different prerolls from roughly 65 cultivators this year, which came out to a little less than one a day.

    But finding the right prerolls is only half the battle. Many dispensaries hang on to unsold prerolls for more than a year, so it’s important to ask your budtender for the harvest date. Anything older than four months will start to deteriorate and get dry, especially because most prerolls come in a plastic container. 

    Without further ado, these are my favorite prerolls in 2025.

    Classic one-gram joints with cardboard tips:

    Lantz by Hytek: It’s no surprise Detroit-based Hytek spun up one of the best one-gram prerolls this year after dropping Lantz, a unique and flavorful strain that was crowned best overall flower in the Zalympix, the most reputable cannabis competition in Michigan. The joint was fresh and smooth, with a creamy, tart lime aroma. The price ranges from $5 to $10, depending on where you get it. Tip: The Refinery in Detroit sells Hytek prerolls for $5. This is an evenly balanced hybrid, so it’s good for relaxing or going out.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Rainbow Beltz by the Hive: This independent, woman-owned dispensary in Hazel Park grows some of the best flower in Michigan, and the Hive only uses sticky, pungent buds for its prerolls. It was difficult to pick a favorite because their entire lineup dialed in, but Rainbow Beltz stood out for its candy-like flavor and soothing effects. This is ideal for a cozy night in. The Hive’s one-gram prerolls cost just $6 at its dispensary. Credit: Steve Neavling
    Moon Melon by Pro Gro: This preroll has a sweet melon flavor, produces a euphoric high, and delivers a smooth pull. Pro Gro offers plenty of strains, but this was the standout. Moon Melon is an evenly balanced hybrid with effects that are both euphoric and soothing. It’s perfect for anything that doesn’t require much energy. The preroll goes for $6 to $10.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Lime Headz by Peninsula Gardens: With a sour lime and candy fruit flavor, Lime Headz has a refreshing taste and is one of the most energizing strains on my list. It’s a go-to for daytime smokers or a night out. The prerolls come in glass containers and sell for $8 to $10. Credit: Steve Neavling
    Bolo Runtz by Growing Pains: Bolo Runtz is all about the flavor, with a candy, citrus, and creamy profile. The joint was smooth and fresh and delivered a potent high. This indica-leaning hybrid is ideal when your only plans are relaxing, whether it’s at home, the movies, or a brewery. The prerolls range from $5 to $8.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Bubblegum Sherb by Hytek: Another of my favorites from Hytek is Bubblegun Sherb, one of the tastiest prerolls I’ve had this year. The flavor is a sweet, fruity bubblegum with notes of cream and citrus. An indica-dominant hybrid, this preroll is best enjoyed in the evening for a soothing, relaxing time.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    GG4 by Freshy Fine: No one in Michigan grows this old-school strain better than Freshy Fine, and their prerolls reflect that. If you’re looking for a hard-hitting joint that will leave you sedate and fully relaxed, this is the choice. The flavor is a combination of earthy and sour, with notes of diesel and pine. These sell for $6 to $10. Credit: Steve Neavling

    Specialty prerolls:

    Z Pie by 710 Labs: This Colorado-born company is known for its live rosin, but it also offers pungent flower. Z Pie boasts a candy-sweet, dessert-like flavor with notes of grape pie. Instead of relying on the typical cardboard filter for its one-gram “doinks,” 710 Labs uses a gluten-free rotini noodle for a tip, which helps with airflow. The effects are evenly balanced and uplifting, making it a good option for a concert or hanging out with friends. Doinks sell for about $15. Credit: Steve Neavling
    Mandarin Skittlez by Tip Top Crop: This hand-rolled, 1.5-gram cannon comes with a wood tip that helps bring out the tangy citrus and sweet candy-like flavor. Prepare to share because this is a large, potent joint. The effects are energizing and mood-boosting, so it works well for daytime chores, social plans, or anything that requires a bit of motivation. They’re priced at $15 to $20.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Apples & Bananas by Information Entropy: A two-gram cannon with a wood tip, this fatty will impress just about any stoner. The draws are incredibly smooth, making the flavor of funk, fruit, and spice more pronounced. Apples & Bananas is an evenly balanced hybrid, so it’s a versatile choice for just about any occasion. These go for $20.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Slurmz by Voyage Bloom: One of the most flavorful strains to hit Michigan’s recreational market, this two-gram preroll with a glass tip packs a bold aroma of grape and crisp apples, complemented by the tangy punch of a classic energy drink. Not surprisingly, Slurmz cleaned up in the 2024 Zalymix competition in Michigan, winning for best overall flower, best terps, and best tasting. The effects are euphoric and uplifting, so take this with you on your next night out, and you’ll be the envy of your stoner friends. These sell for $20 to $26.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Giraffe Puzzy by Doja: One of the most oddly named strains in Michigan, Giraffe Puzzy gives off a strong fruity, candy, and floral smell, with notes of diesel. The one-gram prerolls are short and chubby with a wood tip. The effects are evenly balanced, making it well-suited for just about any activity that doesn’t require too much exertion. At $20 each, these chubbers may be the most expensive one-gram joints in Michigan.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Honey Holes by Wojo: Dubbed Honey Holes by Wojo, these beasts come with a glass tip and are stuffed with 1.5 grams of flower and 0.5 grams of rosin. Wojo makes a variety of these, and my favorite so far is Gushers N’ Cream x Garlicane. The complex flavor is garlicky, musky, peppery, and creamy, with some diesel for good measure. If you and your friends are able to finish this, prepare for a night with nothing to do but relax. They sell for $40 to $45.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Cherry Zest #4 flower and Strawberry Guava #9 by 710 Labs: Noodle Doinks, as 710 Labs calls them, are an indulgence, but they’re a fun way to celebrate a birthday, ring in the new year, or enjoy other meaningful moments. With 1.5 grams of flower and 0.5 grams of rosin, Noodle Doinks pack a strong punch and are extra flavorful. My favorite is Cherry Zest #4 flower and Strawberry Guava #9, and it tastes just like its name suggests. This one provides some energy and euphoria for a daytime adventure or an adventurous night out with friends. They go for about $50.
    Credit: Steve Neavling
    Confetti by Ice Kream Hash: If you want a more inexpensive option that still hits hard and is smaller, Ice Kream Hash has you covered with these miniature rosin-infused prerolls. At .5 grams each, these are a combination of flower and rosin. But don’t let their size fool you. They are potent. These little guys are priced at about $9 each or $25 for a pack of three.
    Credit: Steve Neavling


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    Steve Neavling

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  • Cannabis Businesses Just Got Their Biggest Federal Win From Trump

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    President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday relaxing cannabis’ classification in a change that is expected to catalyze investment and spark new innovation in an industry that’s waited decades for the very decision. 

    Trump’s executive order reschedules cannabis from Schedule I—a status it’s held for decades alongside heroin and LSD—to Schedule III, or substances like ketamine and certain steroids that are recognized for having medical benefits alongside a potential for abuse.. 

    To be clear, the executive order does not legalize cannabis, which remains illegal at the federal level. “I want to emphasize that the order I am about to sign doesn’t legalize marijuana in any way, shape, or form,” Trump said on Thursday. “In no way it sanctions its use as a recreational drug – it has nothing to do with it – just as prescription painkillers may have legitimate uses, but can also do irreversible damage.”

    The president also greenlit a program that will reimburse Medicare patients who use products containing CBD, a compound derived from cannabis plants without the psychoactive component responsible for intoxication.

    The move also opens up new opportunities in medical research since it’s far easier to conduct clinical trials on Schedule III substances compared to Schedule I drugs. The decision is also expected to expand cannabis businesses’ access to banking services in states where the substance is legal.

    “We’re grateful to President Trump for recognizing the overwhelming majority of Americans who support cannabis rescheduling, opening the door to federal reform, medical research, and normalization for an industry that employs hundreds of thousands of professionals and contributes billions of dollars in taxes and economic activity every year,” says George Archos, the founder and CEO of Verano, a cannabis company.

    Cannabis companies will also no longer face a part of the tax code known as Section 280E, which bars companies working with controlled substances from receiving tax credits or deductions. Section 280E specifically applies to Schedule I and Schedule II substances, so cannabis companies could save up to millions in taxes, according to past estimates from Vicente LLP, a law firm. 

    The Biden administration floated the decision to reclassify cannabis last year, but those efforts ultimately stagnated. And it’s a decision that doesn’t have support among all Republican lawmakers. Still, reclassification is a decision that has grown in popularity amongst Americans, particularly younger ones.  A Pew Research study demonstrates that a majority of consumers under 30 back legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use.

      

    The extended deadline for the 2026 Inc. Regionals Awards is Friday, December 19, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply now.

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    Melissa Angell

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  • US rapper Wiz Khalifa sentenced by Romanian court to 9 months for drug possession

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    BUCHAREST, Romania — American rapper Wiz Khalifa was sentenced by a court in Romania on Thursday to nine months in jail for drug possession, more than a year after he took part in a music festival in the Eastern European country.

    Khalifa was stopped by Romanian police in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti, a coastal resort in Constanta County. Prosecutors said the rapper, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was found in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, and that he consumed some on stage.

    The Constanta Court of Appeal handed down the sentence after Khalifa was convicted of “possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption,” according to Romania’s national news agency, Agerpres. The decision is final.

    The decision came after a lower court in Constanta County in April issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei ($830) for “illegal possession of dangerous drugs,” but prosecutors appealed the court’s decision and sought a higher sentence.

    Romania has some of the harsher drugs laws in Europe. Possession of cannabis for personal use is criminalized and can result in a prison sentence of between three months and two years, or a fine.

    It isn’t clear whether Romanian authorities will seek to file an extradition request, since Khalifa is a U.S. citizen and doesn’t reside in Romania.

    The 38-year-old Pittsburgh rapper rose to prominence with his breakout mixtape “Kush + Orange Juice.” On stage in Romania last summer, the popular rapper smoked a large, hand-rolled cigarette while singing his hit “Young, Wild & Free.”

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  • Who Is Rep. Andy Harris And Why Does He Hate Cannabis

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    Who is Rep Andy Harris and why does he hate cannabis, his role in blocking rescheduling and shaping federal marijuana policy debates.

    While the marijuana industry holds its breath on whether the President will finally take long promised action, a new foe has emerged. Who is Rep Andy Harris and why does he hate cannabis. Harris (R-Md.) is a physician-turned-congressman who has represented Maryland’s 1st District since 2011. A staunch social and fiscal conservative, Harris has made a name for himself as a showdown-willing member of the House Freedom Caucus and one of Congress’s most vocal opponents of loosening federal marijuana rules.

    RELATED: Officials Cling To Personal Moral Codes Despite Public Opinion

    His opposition has become especially visible as the federal government weighs reclassifying cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act. Harris has repeatedly pushed back against rescheduling, arguing the change would be a public-health mistake even if it helped his party politically — famously telling reporters he “doesn’t care whether it’s good for the party or not” and his personal beliefs drive his position. He has used his medical credentials and committee access to press the DEA and Justice Department to reconsider or slow any move to move cannabis out of Schedule I.

    His stance has put Harris at odds with many in both parties who frame rescheduling as modest administrative relief — a shift to would mainly ease research barriers and allow ordinary tax deductions for state-legal businesses rather than instant national legalization. Harris has been among the Republicans publicly urging caution and in some cases urging rollback, saying he would prioritize what he sees as public safety over political convenience even if the president favors change.

    Beyond cannabis, Harris has a long record of blocking or resisting measures on several fronts. In the Maryland Senate he led a lengthy filibuster against anti-discrimination protections for same-sex couples; in Congress he’s pushed amendments to limit federal funding for wind-farm projects, opposed mask and lockdown policies during COVID-19, promoted unproven treatments early in the pandemic, and used appropriations levers to press social-policy goals. As Freedom Caucus chair, he’s also been a key dissident voice on spending and budget negotiations, at times voting “present” or leading objections making compromise more fraught.

    What the combination means politically is straightforward: Harris is less a moderating institutionalist and more an ideological gatekeeper. When the nation debates incremental steps on cannabis policy — rescheduling which could ease research, banking and taxes for state legal businesses — he’s been a high-profile obstacle. For advocates and entrepreneurs who say rescheduling would relieve tax and regulatory burdens on thousands of small, mom-and-pop cannabis operators, Harris’s resistance signals administrative changes alone may not be enough; legislative and political fights will persist.

    RELATED: The VFW Stands Up For Marijuana

    Whether Harris’s position will bend depends on the balance of power in Congress and the White House. For now, his mix of medical credentials, social conservatism and Freedom Caucus influence makes him one of the most consequential critics of any federal move to ease cannabis restrictions — and a reminder rescheduling debates are as much political theatre as they are technical.

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    Terry Hacienda

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  • What Does Cannabis Rescheduling Mean

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    What does cannabis rescheduling mean for patients, doctors, retailers and small businesses as the President weighs federal action.

    The last few days have been a rollercoaster for the cannabis industry with a press release was released on Friday saying the President is going to use an executive order on cannabis.  The market soared and then crashed and then rebounded now he has he commented he is considering it when directly asked a question. When the President says he’s “considering” rescheduling cannabis, that’s not the same as legalizing it — but it could still be the single biggest federal shift for the industry in decades. But what does cannabis rescheduling mean? The act would change marijuana’s place on the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) from Schedule I — the category reserved for drugs the law says have no accepted medical use and high potential for abuse — to a lower schedule, most often discussed as Schedule III. The practical effects would be immediate for researchers and investors, consequential for doctors and patients, and potentially life-changing for thousands of mom-and-pop retailers drowning under today’s tax rules.

    RELATED: Mike Johnson And Marijuana

    Moving cannabis out of Schedule I would remove a major administrative barrier to clinical research. Researchers say rescheduling would simplify access to plant material for federally-funded studies and could speed trials on cannabinoids for pain, epilepsy and other conditions — because Schedule III substances are treated more like prescription medicines that can be studied with fewer legal hurdles. That said, rescheduling is not an FDA approval: doctors would still lack the uniform, FDA-style prescribing framework that exists for most pharmaceuticals, and states would continue to control patient access under their own medical cannabis rules. In short: more and better science is likely, but a medical-practice revolution would depend on follow-up regulatory and clinical work.

    Photo by Aaron Kittredge via Pexels

    Rescheduling would not erase state laws or create a nationwide retail market overnight. Consumers in states with legal sales would still use the existing retail channels, and in states where cannabis is illegal, possession and sale could remain crimes under state law. But at the federal level, rescheduling could unlock easier banking access and attract mainstream investment: Schedule III status reduces the shadow-banking risk that currently forces many operators to run primarily in cash and stay out of regular capital markets. That improved access to banking and capital could make stores safer and give established local operators better options for growth.

    For many small cannabis retailers the single most consequential change would be tax relief. Under current law, Internal Revenue Code Section 280E prevents businesses trafficking in Schedule I or II substances from deducting ordinary business expenses — meaning rent, payroll, advertising and professional fees are largely nondeductible. As a result, effective federal tax rates for some retailers have been extraordinarily high. If cannabis were reclassified to Schedule III, 280E would no longer apply — allowing businesses to deduct ordinary expenses like any other small business. That could free up cash flow, lower effective tax rates dramatically, and determine whether many family-run shops survive or shutter.

    RELATED: Marijuana Use And Guy’s Member

    An administrative rescheduling (for example by executive order or DEA action) could be challenged in court or limited by Congress. Some lawmakers argue a President cannot unilaterally rewrite statute; others note that Congress could respond, creating new limits or tax rules. And rescheduling alone will not erase criminal records automatically — separate policy steps would be required to address convictions and resentencing. So while rescheduling is a powerful and pragmatic lever — speeding research, unlocking banking, and ending the worst tax penalties — it is not a one-click path to full legalization or automatic amnesty.

    If the President moves ahead, which is still up in the air, rescheduling would be a structural shift: better science, easier finance and crucial tax relief for operators — especially small, mom and pop retailers. But legalization, standardized medical prescribing and answers about criminal records would still require follow-on legislative and regulatory work. For mom-and-pop shops, rescheduling could mean the difference between surviving another year and finally having breathing room to compete.

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    Terry Hacienda

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  • Podcast: Should libertarians support federal AI regulation?

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    This week, editors Peter Suderman, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Matt Welch are joined by associate editor Liz Wolfe to discuss President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking states from enforcing their own artificial intelligence regulations. The panel debates whether a single national framework for AI is necessary to keep American tech companies competitive or whether it represents a serious blow to federalism. They also examine the White House potentially reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug and what that change could mean for the cannabis industry, tax policy, and federal drug enforcement.

    The editors then turn to mass shootings in Australia and at Brown University, including the actions of a bystander credited with saving lives at Bondi Beach, and what these incidents suggest about gun control debates. They discuss the U.S. seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker and threats of land strikes against the Nicolás Maduro regime, and cover the conviction of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai under China’s national security law and what it signals for press freedom and U.S.-China relations. A listener asks whether modern socialism reflects moral aspirations that could be redirected toward liberty rather than centralized power.

     

    0:00—Trump blocks states from regulating AI

    10:31—Reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III drug

    18:39—Mass shootings in the U.S. and Australia

    26:59—U.S. seizes Venezuelan oil tanker

    36:48—Listener question on optimism for socialism

    46:08—Jimmy Lai found guilty by Hong Kong court

    57:12—Weekly cultural recommendations

     

    Mentioned in This Podcast

    “Donald Trump Tries To Override State AI Regulations via Executive Order,” by Jack Nicastro

    “Trump Will Let Nvidia Sell Chips to China—but the Feds Will Get 25 Percent of the Profits,” by Tosin Akintola

    “Trump’s Plan To Reclassify Marijuana Would Leave Federal Prohibition Essentially Untouched,” by Jacob Sullum

    “Stoner King Trump,” by Liz Wolfe

    “Shootings at Bondi and Brown,” by Liz Wolfe

    “Trump Dares Congress To Take Its War Powers Seriously in Venezuela,” by Matthew Petti

    “Trump Is Still Claiming He Saves ‘25,000 American Lives’ When He Blows Up a Suspected Drug Boat,” by Jacob Sullum

    “Mark Clifford: A Political Prisoner Fights for Free Speech in China,” by Billy Binion

    “Is Free Speech Doomed in Hong Kong?” By Jack Nicastro

    “‘I Owe Freedom My Life’: Jimmy Lai Is Imprisoned for Criticizing the Chinese Government,” by John Stossel

    “Hong Kong’s Free Press Is Dying,” by Liz Wolfe

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    Peter Suderman

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  • Cannabis Faces Headwinds Despite Rumors

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    Cannabis faces headwinds despite rumors of White House action, as congressional opposition threatens meaningful federal reform.

    Last week, the cannabis market soared after rumors the President would take action on cannabis. Stocks rose as it seemed the administration was listening to the public with public opinion decisively in favor of reform. Thousands of mom and pop business are hoping it is is true, but cannabis faces headwinds despite rumors. The President faces determined opposition in Congress — most notably from Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and several influential lawmakers who remain firmly resistant to change. Congress has been more resistant to orders from the president, which has emboldened some of marijuana’s opponents.

    RELATED: Mike Johnson And Marijuana

    Cannabis reform has become one of the rare issues where public sentiment is clear. Polls consistently show strong bipartisan support for legal medical marijuana, broad backing for adult-use legalization, and overwhelming agreement cannabis should no longer be treated as a serious criminal offense. Many voters view reform as both a social justice issue and an economic opportunity, particularly as states continue to collect billions in cannabis tax revenue. The administration is being bombarded with issues from affordability to Epstein, this would be seen as a popular win with little downside in the public eye.

    Despite this momentum, federal action remains complicated. Speaker Mike Johnson has been vocal about his opposition to marijuana legalization, framing cannabis as a public health and social risk rather than a regulated consumer product. His position matters. As Speaker, Johnson has significant control over which bills reach the House floor, making it difficult for cannabis legislation to advance even when bipartisan support exists.

    Other congressional foes echo similar concerns, often citing public safety, youth access, or workplace issues. While some Republicans support limited reforms such as medical marijuana protections or banking access for cannabis businesses, broader legalization efforts frequently stall due to leadership resistance. This dynamic has created a familiar pattern: bipartisan cannabis bills introduced with optimism, only to languish in committee or fail to receive a vote.

    For the President, this resistance narrows the available paths forward. Comprehensive legalization would require congressional approval, making it a steep uphill battle in the current political climate. However, executive actions remain an option. These include directing federal agencies to review cannabis scheduling, expanding pardons for federal marijuana offenses, or clarifying enforcement priorities. Such steps would not legalize cannabis nationwide, but they could meaningfully reshape how federal law treats marijuana.

    RELATED: Marijuana Use And Guy’s Member

    Advocates argue incremental progress is still progress. Rescheduling cannabis, for example, could improve access to medical research, ease tax burdens on state-legal businesses, and signal a shift away from decades of punitive policy. Critics, however, warns executive action alone risks being temporary or vulnerable to future administrations.

    As election season approaches, cannabis reform may once again become a talking point — especially among younger voters and communities disproportionately affected by past enforcement. Yet the reality remains presidential interest does not automatically translate into policy success. Congressional leadership, committee chairs, and internal party politics still hold substantial power over the outcome.

    While there is growing talk the President may move on cannabis, he faces entrenched opposition from Speaker Mike Johnson and other congressional leaders who remain skeptical of reform. Action will depend on the adminstration’s needs regarding public opinion. The clash between shifting public opinion, the President’s needs and legislative resistance will likely define the next chapter of federal cannabis policy — whether the chapter brings meaningful change or more political stalemate.

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    Terry Hacienda

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  • Nine charged in burglary spree that ended in Oakland cop’s death

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    OAKLAND — Nearly two years after Oakland police Officer Tuan Le was gunned down while pursuing suspects in a series of armed burglaries at a marijuana grow facility, nine people are in custody and facing a slew of federal charges, prosecutors said.

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    Jason Green

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  • Can Cannabis Help With Dr. Oz’s Holiday Advice

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    Explore can cannabis help with Dr. Oz’s holiday advice, especially when his annual food lectures feel harder to swallow than the cookies.

    Holiday celebrations are famously filled with  with people indulging in Christmas treats, lavish anticipated feasts, yummy cookies and nostalgic dishes denied the rest of the year. But in a Grinch move, Dr. Oz’s advice and direction to his staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is to eat less cookies and use smaller plates for meals. The former TV host has been pushing his direction since before Thanksgiving, yet putting his into practice can be easier said than done. Can cannabis help with Dr. Oz’s holiday advice?

    RELATED: How Marijuana Can Heighten Intimacy With Your Partner

    While cannabis is often stereotyped as a direct path to the munchies, the relationship between cannabis and appetite is far more nuanced. Different cannabinoids affect the body differently, and in controlled, thoughtful use, cannabis can help some people feel calmer, more focused, and less prone to stress-eating—one of the biggest drivers of holiday overindulgence.

    Microdosing—taking very small amounts of THC, often 1–3 mg—has gained popularity for its ability to take the edge off without creating the intense appetite spikes associated with higher doses. For many adults, a light microdose before a holiday gathering can ease social anxiety, reduce end-of-year stress, and help them make more deliberate decisions about what and how much they eat. When people feel calmer, they often default to moderation rather than mindless grazing.

    Another benefit is cannabis’s potential to reduce stress building up over the season. Many adults experience heightened workplace tension in December as deadlines stack up, calendars collide, and demanding bosses or unpredictable leaders increase pressure. Especially when you have a leader who can micromanage. This kind of stress commonly leads to “anxiety consumption”—mindless snacking, extra cookies, or overeating as a coping mechanism. Low-dose cannabis or CBD-dominant products may help relax the nervous system and ease tension, which can translate into fewer emotional calories consumed and more intentional choices around food. When people feel less overwhelmed, they’re less likely to reach for sugar as a soothing shortcut.

    CBD-dominant products also play a role. CBD does not stimulate appetite the way THC can, and early research suggests it may help regulate stress and promote a sense of balance. Pairing CBD with Dr. Oz’s “smaller plate” strategy can make mindful eating feel less like a chore and more like a grounded choice.

    RELATED: Marijuana Use And Guy’s Member

    Strain selection also matters. While some THC-heavy indica strains are known for enhancing appetite, many sativa-leaning or hybrid strains are reported by consumers to boost energy and focus rather than hunger. Choosing strains with higher CBD or THCV content may also support appetite control; THCV, in particular, has been studied for its potential to curb hunger signals.

    Cannabis is not a diet hack, nor should it replace healthy habits. But for adults who already use it responsibly, integrating thoughtful, low-dose cannabis into the holiday season may help them stay aligned with Dr. Oz’s advice: fewer cookies, smaller plates, and a calmer approach to celebration. With intention—and the right products—cannabis can support a holiday mindset which is joyful, balanced, and far less stressed.

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    Anthony Washington

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  • How Cannabis Can Turn Snow Days Into Cozy Winter Rituals

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    Discover how cannabis can turn snow days into cozy winter rituals with wellness, creativity, comfort and connection in cold weather.

    Winter brings its own kind of magic — snow-globe streets, crisp night air, holiday lights glowing against early sunsets. It also brings the realities many people know too well: long dark commutes, cabin fever, seasonal sluggishness and the urge to bundle up inside with something warm. For younger adults, especially millennials and Gen Z, here is how cannabis can turn snow days into cozy winter rituals with a marijuana and CBD wellness toolkit — not for escape, but for relaxation, connection and creativity.

    RELATED: Immersive Events Redefine Millennial Nights

    Across legal states, winter cannabis culture is trending from simple joints shared among friends to infused cozy rituals. Think hot chocolate with a low-dose edible, a candle-lit chill evening with a favorite playlist, or journaling with a CBD tincture-spiked tea. Snow days are no longer just for kids — they’re turning into a grown-up chance to unplug, unwind and embrace the season’s slower pace with intention.

    One reason cannabis fits naturally into winter is sensory enhancement. A light dose can make that crunch of snow under boots sound richer, the cold air feel sharper and nature seem more peaceful. For outdoor fans, mellow strains may pair well with activities like snowshoeing, slow winter hikes, building snow forts or even an impromptu snowball fight. The key is moderation: low doses, warm clothing, safe environments and avoiding risk-heavy activities like driving or skiing while high.

    Indoors, winter is prime time for creativity. Many young adults are leaning into cannabis-powered kitchen projects — baking brownies, experimenting with herbal infusions or hosting “Cannabis & Cookies” nights with friends. Others are treating snow as a signal for self-care: long CBD bath soaks, weighted blankets, guided meditation sessions or repainting a room with lo-fi beats in the background. Winter can feel heavy, but cannabis can help shift the tone from “stuck inside” to “soft retreat.”

    RELATED: Starbucks Brings Back Holiday Customer Favorite

    Community connection may be the biggest appeal. A cozy living-room movie night, a board-game marathon or a craft party with warm drinks and microdoses can transform gray weekends into memories. With stress and seasonal mood dips common this time of year, light cannabis use — especially products balanced with CBD — may help people relax and be more present with each other.

    Winter isn’t just something to survive — it can be something to savor. With thoughtful, responsible use, cannabis can turn cold days into warm moments, making the season not darker, but cozier, calmer and more creative.

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    Sarah Johns

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  • How Cannabis Can Help With Jet Lag

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    Learn how cannabis can help with jet lag using CBD, THC and microdosing tips for smoother travel transitions.

    Whether or seasoned or newbie globetrotters, jet lag can be the unwelcome souvenir which lingers long after the flight. Whether you’re crossing the Atlantic for business in London, shopping in Chennai, hopping to Hawaii for sun, or just going cross country to see the parents, disrupted sleep patterns and fatigue are almost expected. Travelers have long relied on melatonin, caffeine, hydration, and sheer willpower to overcome the haze—but among a growing number of flyers, another potential remedy is entering the conversation. Here is how cannabis can help with jet lag.

    RELATED: Immersive Events Redefine Millennial Nights

    Jet lag is, at its core, a circadian rhythm disruption. Your body believes it’s still 3 a.m. in New York, even when the morning sun is shining in Paris. Symptoms can include fatigue, insomnia, irritability, digestive changes, and difficulty concentrating—none ideal when the goal is to explore museums, attend meetings, or hit the beach. While cannabis is not a cure for jet lag, some travelers report thoughtful, moderate use can help ease the transition. As legalization spreads in the U.S. and around the world, many travelers are wondering if the green plant can help soften the blow of long-haul travel and support a smoother transition into a new time zone.

    One reason cannabis is being discussed in travel circles is its well-known connection to relaxation and sleep. Flyers who struggle to unwind on the first night in a new city say an indica-leaning strain or a low-dose edible helps quiet the mind and encourage rest, especially when combined with a dark room, hydration, and limited screen time. Others turn to CBD—non-intoxicating and widely legal—for its reported calming qualities, making it a popular option for travelers who want relief without feeling high.

    Beyond sleep support, some travelers use microdoses of THC or CBD to ease tension during travel days. Airports, tight seats, long lines, and overnight flights can amplify stress; a small dose taken responsibly at home before or after travel—not at the airport, onboard, or in public where it may be illegal—may help the body relax and settle. A topical or CBD tincture can also be useful for aches and stiffness after hours in the air.

    RELATED: Starbucks Brings Back Holiday Customer Favorite

    Still, cannabis and international travel come with clear rules. It is illegal to carry cannabis across international borders, even between two legal regions. The safest approach is to purchase cannabis legally only after arrival, where permitted, and to confirm all local regulations before lighting up. Hotel policies also vary, so discretion and knowledge matter.

    For travelers looking for natural support during time zone transitions, cannabis is becoming part of the wellness toolkit. With responsible use, legal awareness, and smart dosage, it may offer a gentle edge against groggy mornings and sleepless nights—allowing adventurers to spend less time fighting fatigue and more time discovering a new world.

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    Amy Hansen

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  • Can Cannabis Help Your Holidays Anxiety

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    Can cannabis help your holidays anxiety by adding calm cheer to chaotic shopping, family time, end-of-year stress, and winter gatherings?

    The holiday season is often painted in warm lights and festive cheer — yet for many people, it’s also a time of mounting pressure: looming end-of-year work deadlines, scrambling for gifts, hosting or visiting family, juggling social obligations — and, not least, wrestling with unmet expectations or emotional baggage. All of it can build into a quiet, nagging anxiety. In such a fraught moment, the idea of using cannabis to take the edge off — to calm nerves before a big gathering or unwind after a hectic day — can feel tempting. But what does the science say? Can cannabis help your holidays anxiety and is it safe?

    RELATED: Life Lessons From Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

    Cannabis is far from monolithic. Its two most studied compounds — Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which produces the “high,” and Cannabidiol (CBD), which does not — affect mood and anxiety in different (and often opposite) ways. A growing body of research has focused on how each may influence stress, anxiety, and mood.

    A 2024 trial involving 300 people found legal, commercially available cannabis products dominated by CBD were linked with immediate reductions in tension and anxiety — and, importantly, did so without the psychoactive impairment or paranoia THC-heavy options sometimes bring. Complementing the information, a 2025 systematic review of 57 studies on “medicinal cannabis” for anxiety-related disorders reported many (though not all) of the higher-quality studies found improvement in symptoms such as generalized anxiety, social anxiety, or post-trauma anxiety after use of cannabis-based preparations.

    Still, scientists remain cautious. A more recent review concluded data remains inconsistent, especially when considering long-term use, different diagnoses, varied dosing, and mixed types of cannabis products. For some people — especially those using high-THC strains — cannabis may worsen anxiety or trigger negative reactions.

    Because the effects of THC are strongly dose-dependent, many users and researchers are now curious about what’s often called “microdosing”: consuming very small amounts of THC (sometimes combined with CBD) with the goal of achieving gentle relaxation and stress relief — without the full-blown intoxication, lethargy, or paranoia high doses can bring. In theory, microdosing may offer a “sweet spot”: enough effect to calm nerves but not enough to impair or overshoot into anxiety.

    There is also emerging lab-based evidence certain compounds found naturally in cannabis — beyond THC and CBD — may influence how the brain reacts. For example, a 2024 study from Johns Hopkins Medicine found a terpene (a plant-derived chemical also present in cannabis) called d-limonene significantly reduced self-reported anxiety and paranoia when inhaled alongside THC, compared with THC alone.

    Still — and this is key — microdosing remains a largely anecdotal strategy. There aren’t yet enough large, rigorous, long-term clinical trials to confirm microdosing is safe or reliably effective for anxiety relief.

    RELATED: 5 Morning Activities To Help You Feel Happier

    If you choose to use it to help this holiday season, you should consider –

    • Understand what you’re using: Prefer CBD-dominant or low-dose THC products; avoid high-THC “potency bombs,” especially in social or unpredictable settings.
    • Go slow and minimal: If trying THC, start with a very low dose; if using CBD, know that clinical studies typically involve defined doses and controlled conditions — OTC products can vary widely.
    • Keep expectations realistic: For many, cannabis may offer short-term, situational relief — not a cure for chronic anxiety.
    • Use as a tool — not a crutch: Combine with proven stress-management strategies (sleep hygiene, therapy, exercise, mindfulness) rather than relying solely on cannabinoids.
    • Talk to a clinician if you have a history of mental health issues, are taking other medications, or are pregnant / breastfeeding.

    There’s reason to believe that cannabis — especially CBD, or very low doses of THC (microdosing) — can help some people manage situational anxiety during the stress of the holidays. But the science remains tentative, evidence is mixed, and risks remain real. For now, experts do not recommend cannabis as a first-line treatment for anxiety disorders. If you’re curious about trying it, treat it as a provisional, carefully monitored option — not a guaranteed relief.

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    Amy Hansen

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  • Cannabis Industry Startled By Adminstration’s Pardon

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    Cannabis industry startled by administration’s pardon as major drug kingpins are freed while small businesses struggle for legitimacy.

    The contradictions are stark: on one hand, millions of Americans — roughly 88% — now believe cannabis should be legal for medical or recreational use. On the other, the federal government under Donald J. Trump is granting pardons to major drug-kingpins, effectively undercutting the very legitimacy of drug enforcement — and prolonging the regulatory limbo for the legitimate cannabis industry. The cannabis industry startled by administration’s pardon, and has serious concerns.

    RELATED: Starbucks Brings Back Holiday Customer Favorite

    Recent polling from Pew Research Center (January 2024) shows 88% of U.S. adults believe marijuana should be legal for “medical or recreational use.” 57% support full legalization (medical + recreational).

    • 32% favor medical use only.

    These numbers reflect broad, cross-demographic support: across age groups, political affiliations, and social backgrounds. Yet despite this widespread public backing, federal law continues to treat cannabis as a Schedule I prohibited substance. Meanwhile, many small businesses — the backbone of the legal cannabis economy — remain stuck navigating a patchwork of state laws, banking restrictions, and regulatory uncertainty.

    Photo by Anton Petrus/Getty Images

    The legal cannabis industry in the United States is far from the caricature of drug-lords and illicit syndicates. In many states, it is built on “mom-and-pop,” small-business owners — growers, retailers, and delivery services — operating under state licensing regimes, paying taxes, and striving to meet compliance, safety, and community standards.

    These businesses often invest heavily in compliance: tracking seed-to-sale, adhering to local zoning laws, paying licensing fees, and ensuring product safety. They strive to be transparent and legitimate. Yet they continue to suffer — unable to access traditional banking, facing high regulatory costs, and vulnerable to federal enforcement risk.

    For these entrepreneurs, the inaction at the federal level — combined with aggressive pardons for large-scale traffickers — feels like a double injustice. While “real cannabis” operators play by the rules, the government’s clemency choices tacitly reward those who broke them.

    RELATED: Can Cannabis Or Alcohol Help With Colds

    In 2025, the Trump administration commuted or pardoned several high-profile drug offenders — individuals whose enterprises profited from illicit narcotics trafficking.

    Notably:

    • Juan Orlando Hernández — convicted in 2024 on federal drug-trafficking and weapons charges for enabling the shipment of hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States — received a full and unconditional presidential pardon on December 2, 2025. He had been sentenced to 45 years in prison before his release.
    • Ross Ulbricht — founder of the darknet marketplace Silk Road — received a full and unconditional pardon.
    • Larry Hoover and other convicted dealers were also granted clemency even as the administration publicly reiterated its commitment to a “drug war.”

    This paradox — pardoning convicted traffickers while claiming to crack down on drugs — has drawn sharp criticism. Observers argue it undermines not only the moral basis of drug enforcement, but also public trust in which operations deserve clemency and which don’t.

    The legal cannabis industry is caught in a confusing and often frustrating limbo. Federal policy sends mixed signals: the administration has pardoned high-profile drug kingpins — including international traffickers — while marijuana remains federally illegal. The message is stark: massive illegal dealers are forgiven, while small, law-abiding cannabis businesses continue to face obstacles.

    RELATED: Study Reinforces Marijuana’s Power To Treat PTSD

    Regulatory burdens remain heavy. Even as states embrace legalization, small cannabis operators contend with a maze of state laws, limited access to banking, and steep compliance costs. Without federal support, these businesses must navigate an uncertain legal landscape which limits growth and threatens survival.

    The pardons of major traffickers amplify the sense of hypocrisy. When convicted drug lords are freed while compliant cannabis businesses remain constrained, the government’s commitment to fairness and justice comes into question. The contrast highlights the uneven enforcement continuing to frustrate entrepreneurs who have worked hard to stay on the right side of the law.

    Looking Ahead: Steps to Align Policy and Reality

    For the industry to thrive, federal policy must finally catch up with public opinion:

    • Reclassify or reschedule cannabis so legal operators can run businesses with clarity and confidence under a consistent national framework.
    • Banking reform to provide access to financial services, loans, and basic banking infrastructure for compliant cannabis businesses.
    • Rational clemency and sentencing policies that distinguish between violent traffickers and nonviolent cannabis entrepreneurs, recognizing the huge difference in scale and harm.
    • Congressional action reflecting decades of rising public support and sets a clear path toward legalization.

    Until federal law aligns with the will of the people, the legal cannabis industry — largely composed of small “mom-and-pop” operations — will continue to face unnecessary barriers, even as the administration grants leniency to major traffickers. The result is a system that rewards the wrong actors while holding law-abiding entrepreneurs back.

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    Terry Hacienda

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  • What a federal ban on THC-infused drinks and snacks could mean for the hemp industry

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    MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The production lines at Indeed Brewing moved quickly, the cans filling not with beer, but with THC-infused seltzer. The product, which features the compound that gets cannabis users high, has been a lifeline at Indeed and other craft breweries as alcohol sales have fallen in recent years.

    But that boom looks set to come to a crashing halt. Buried in the bill that ended the federal government shutdown this month was a provision to ban those drinks, along with other impairing beverages and snacks made from hemp, which have proliferated across the country in recent years. Now the $24 billion hemp industry is scrambling to save itself before the provision takes effect in November 2026.

    “It’s a big deal,” said Ryan Bandy, Indeed’s chief business officer. “It would be a mess for our breweries, for our industry, and obviously for a lot of people who like these things.”

    Ryan Bandy, chief business officer at Indeed Brewing in Minneapolis, stands near a pallet of six-packs of seltzer containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his brewery on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

    Here’s what to know about the looming ban on impairing products derived from hemp.

    Congress opened the door in 2018

    Marijuana and hemp are the same species. Marijuana is cultivated for high levels of THC in its flowers. Low-THC hemp is grown for its sturdy fibers, food or wellness products. “Rope, not dope” was long the motto of farmers who supported legalizing hemp.

    After states began legalizing marijuana for adult use over a decade ago, hemp advocates saw an opening at the federal level. As part of the 2018 farm bill, Congress legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp to give farmers, including in Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell’s home state of Kentucky, a new cash crop.

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    But the way that law defined hemp — as having less than 0.3% of a specific type of THC, called delta-9 — opened a huge loophole. Beverages or bags of snacks could meet that threshold and still contain more than enough THC to get people high. Businesses could further exploit the law by extracting a non-impairing compound, called CBD, and chemically changing it into other types of impairing THC, such as delta-8 or delta-10.

    The result? Vape oil, gummy candies, chips, cookies, sodas and other unregulated, untested products laden with hemp-derived THC spread around the country. In many places, they have been available at gas stations or convenience stores, even to teens. In legal marijuana states, they undercut heavily taxed and regulated products. In others, they evaded the prohibition on recreational use of weed.

    Some states, including Indiana, have reported spikes in calls to poison-control centers for pediatric exposure to THC.

    Cans of seltzer containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, are shown in a cooler at the Indeed Brewery taproom in Minneapolis on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

    Cans of seltzer containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, are shown in a cooler at the Indeed Brewery taproom in Minneapolis on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

    A patchwork of state regulations

    Dozens of states have since taken steps to regulate or ban impairing hemp products. In October, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products outside the state’s legal marijuana system.

    Texas, which has a massive hemp market, is moving to regulate sales of impairing hemp, such as by restricting them to those over 21. In Nebraska, lawmakers have instead considered a bill to criminalize the sale and possession of products containing hemp-based THC.

    Washington state adopted a program to regulate hemp growing. But the number of licensed growers has cratered since the state banned intoxicating hemp products outside of the regulated cannabis market in 2023. Five years ago, there were 220, said Trecia Ehrlich, cannabis program manager with the state agriculture department. This year, there were 42, and with a federal ban looming, she expects that number to drop by about half next year.

    Minnesota made infused beverages and foods legal in 2022 for people 21 and older. The products, which must be derived from legally certified hemp, have become so popular that Target is now offering THC drinks at some of its stores in the state.

    They’ve also been a boon to liquor stores and to small Minneapolis brewers like Indeed, where THC drinks make up close to one-quarter of the business, Bandy said. At Bauhaus Brew Labs, a few blocks away, THC drinks account for 26% of their revenues from distributed products and 11% of revenues at the brewery’s taproom.

    A powerful senator moves to close the loophole

    None of that was what McConnell intended when he helped craft the 2018 farm bill. He finally closed the loophole by inserting a federal hemp THC ban in the measure to end the 43-day federal government shutdown, approved by the Senate on Nov. 10.

    “It will keep these dangerous products out of the hands of children, while preserving the hemp industry for farmers,” McConnell said. “Industrial hemp and CBD will remain legal for industrial applications.”

    Some in the legal marijuana industry celebrated, as the ban would end what they consider unfair competition.

    They were joined by prohibitionists. “There’s really no good argument for allowing these dangerous products to be sold in our country,” said Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

    But the ban doesn’t take effect for a year. That has given the industry hope that there is still time to pass regulations that will improve the hemp THC industry — such as by banning synthetically derived THC, requiring age restrictions on sales, and prohibiting marketing to children — rather than eradicate it.

    “We are very hopeful that cooler heads will prevail,” said Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the industry group U.S. Hemp Roundtable. “If they really thought there was a health emergency, there would be no year-long period.”

    The federal ban would jeopardize more than 300,000 jobs while costing states $1.5 billion in lost tax money, the group says.

    Drew Hurst, president and chief operating officer at Bauhaus Brew Labs, has no doubt his company would be among the casualties.

    “If this goes through as written currently, I don’t see a way at all that Bauhaus could stay in business,” Hurst said.

    Drew Hurst, president and chief operating officer of Bauhaus Brew Labs in Minneapolis, stands outside a cooler for cans of seltzer containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his brewery's taproom on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

    Drew Hurst, president and chief operating officer of Bauhaus Brew Labs in Minneapolis, stands outside a cooler for cans of seltzer containing THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, in his brewery’s taproom on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)

    What comes next?

    A number of lawmakers say they will push for regulation of the hemp THC industry. Kentucky’s second senator, Republican Rand Paul, introduced an amendment to strip McConnell’s hemp language from the crucial government-funding bill, but it failed on a lopsided 76-24 vote.

    Minnesota’s Democratic U.S. senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, are among those strategizing to save the industry. Klobuchar noted at a recent news conference that the ban was inserted into the unrelated shutdown bill without a hearing. She suggested the federal government could allow states to develop their own regulatory frameworks, or that Minnesota’s strict regulations could be used as a national model.

    Kevin Hilliard, co-founder of Insight Brewing in Minneapolis, said the hemp industry needs a solution before planting time next spring.

    “If a farmer has uncertainty, they’re not going to plant,” Hilliard said.

    ___

    Johnson reported from Seattle. AP congressional reporter Kevin Freking contributed from Washington, D.C.

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  • What to know about federal ban threatening market for THC-infused drinks and snacks

    [ad_1]

    MINNEAPOLIS — The production lines at Indeed Brewing moved quickly, the cans filling not with beer, but with THC-infused seltzer. The product, which features the compound that gets cannabis users high, has been a lifeline at Indeed and other craft breweries as alcohol sales have fallen in recent years.

    But that boom looks set to come to a crashing halt. Buried in the bill that ended the federal government shutdown this month was a provision to ban those drinks, along with other impairing beverages and snacks made from hemp, which have proliferated across the country in recent years. Now the $24 billion hemp industry is scrambling to save itself before the provision takes effect in November 2026.

    “It’s a big deal,” said Ryan Bandy, Indeed’s chief business officer. “It would be a mess for our breweries, for our industry, and obviously for a lot of people who like these things.”

    Here’s what to know about the looming ban on impairing products derived from hemp.

    Marijuana and hemp are the same species. Marijuana is cultivated for high levels of THC in its flowers. Low-THC hemp is grown for its sturdy fibers, food or wellness products. “Rope, not dope” was long the motto of farmers who supported legalizing hemp.

    After states began legalizing marijuana for adult use over a decade ago, hemp advocates saw an opening at the federal level. As part of the 2018 farm bill, Congress legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp to give farmers, including in Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell’s home state of Kentucky, a new cash crop.

    But the way that law defined hemp — as having less than 0.3% of a specific type of THC, called delta-9 — opened a huge loophole. Beverages or bags of snacks could meet that threshold and still contain more than enough THC to get people high. Businesses could further exploit the law by extracting a non-impairing compound, called CBD, and chemically changing it into other types of impairing THC, such as delta-8 or delta-10.

    The result? Vape oil, gummy candies, chips, cookies, sodas and other unregulated, untested products laden with hemp-derived THC spread around the country. In many places, they have been available at gas stations or convenience stores, even to teens. In legal marijuana states, they undercut heavily taxed and regulated products. In others, they evaded the prohibition on recreational use of weed.

    Some states, including Indiana, have reported spikes in calls to poison-control centers for pediatric exposure to THC.

    Dozens of states have since taken steps to regulate or ban impairing hemp products. In October, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products outside the state’s legal marijuana system.

    Texas, which has a massive hemp market, is moving to regulate sales of impairing hemp, such as by restricting them to those over 21. In Nebraska, lawmakers have instead considered a bill to criminalize the sale and possession of products containing hemp-based THC.

    Washington state adopted a program to regulate hemp growing. But the number of licensed growers has cratered since the state banned intoxicating hemp products outside of the regulated cannabis market in 2023. Five years ago, there were 220, said Trecia Ehrlich, cannabis program manager with the state agriculture department. This year, there were 42, and with a federal ban looming, she expects that number to drop by about half next year.

    Minnesota made infused beverages and foods legal in 2022 for people 21 and older. The products, which must be derived from legally certified hemp, have become so popular that Target is now offering THC drinks at some of its stores in the state.

    They’ve also been a boon to liquor stores and to small Minneapolis brewers like Indeed, where THC drinks make up close to one-quarter of the business, Bandy said. At Bauhaus Brew Labs, a few blocks away, THC drinks account for 26% of their revenues from distributed products and 11% of revenues at the brewery’s taproom.

    None of that was what McConnell intended when he helped craft the 2018 farm bill. He finally closed the loophole by inserting a federal hemp THC ban in the measure to end the 43-day federal government shutdown, approved by the Senate on Nov. 10.

    “It will keep these dangerous products out of the hands of children, while preserving the hemp industry for farmers,” McConnell said. “Industrial hemp and CBD will remain legal for industrial applications.”

    Some in the legal marijuana industry celebrated, as the ban would end what they consider unfair competition.

    They were joined by prohibitionists. “There’s really no good argument for allowing these dangerous products to be sold in our country,” said Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

    But the ban doesn’t take effect for a year. That has given the industry hope that there is still time to pass regulations that will improve the hemp THC industry — such as by banning synthetically derived THC, requiring age restrictions on sales, and prohibiting marketing to children — rather than eradicate it.

    “We are very hopeful that cooler heads will prevail,” said Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the industry group U.S. Hemp Roundtable. “If they really thought there was a health emergency, there would be no year-long period.”

    The federal ban would jeopardize more than 300,000 jobs while costing states $1.5 billion in lost tax money, the group says.

    Drew Hurst, president and chief operating officer at Bauhaus Brew Labs, has no doubt his company would be among the casualties.

    “If this goes through as written currently, I don’t see a way at all that Bauhaus could stay in business,” Hurst said.

    A number of lawmakers say they will push for regulation of the hemp THC industry. Kentucky’s second senator, Republican Rand Paul, introduced an amendment to strip McConnell’s hemp language from the crucial government-funding bill, but it failed on a lopsided 76-24 vote.

    Minnesota’s Democratic U.S. senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, are among those strategizing to save the industry. Klobuchar noted at a recent news conference that the ban was inserted into the unrelated shutdown bill without a hearing. She suggested the federal government could allow states to develop their own regulatory frameworks, or that Minnesota’s strict regulations could be used as a national model.

    Kevin Hilliard, co-founder of Insight Brewing in Minneapolis, said the hemp industry needs a solution before planting time next spring.

    “If a farmer has uncertainty, they’re not going to plant,” Hilliard said.

    ___

    Johnson reported from Seattle. AP congressional reporter Kevin Freking contributed from Washington, D.C.

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  • Here’s what to know about the federal ban threatening the market for THC-infused drinks and snacks

    [ad_1]

    MINNEAPOLIS — The production lines at Indeed Brewing moved quickly, the cans filling not with beer, but with THC-infused seltzer. The product, which features the compound that gets cannabis users high, has been a lifeline at Indeed and other craft breweries as alcohol sales have fallen in recent years.

    But that boom looks set to come to a crashing halt. Buried in the bill that ended the federal government shutdown this month was a provision to ban those drinks, along with other impairing beverages and snacks made from hemp, which have proliferated across the country in recent years. Now the $24 billion hemp industry is scrambling to save itself before the provision takes effect in November 2026.

    “It’s a big deal,” said Ryan Bandy, Indeed’s chief business officer. “It would be a mess for our breweries, for our industry, and obviously for a lot of people who like these things.”

    Here’s what to know about the looming ban on impairing products derived from hemp.

    Marijuana and hemp are the same species. Marijuana is cultivated for high levels of THC in its flowers. Low-THC hemp is grown for its sturdy fibers, food or wellness products. “Rope, not dope” was long the motto of farmers who supported legalizing hemp.

    After states began legalizing marijuana for adult use over a decade ago, hemp advocates saw an opening at the federal level. As part of the 2018 farm bill, Congress legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp to give farmers, including in Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell’s home state of Kentucky, a new cash crop.

    But the way that law defined hemp — as having less than 0.3% of a specific type of THC, called delta-9 — opened a huge loophole. Beverages or bags of snacks could meet that threshold and still contain more than enough THC to get people high. Businesses could further exploit the law by extracting a non-impairing compound, called CBD, and chemically changing it into other types of impairing THC, such as delta-8 or delta-10.

    The result? Vape oil, gummy candies, chips, cookies, sodas and other unregulated, untested products laden with hemp-derived THC spread around the country. In many places, they have been available at gas stations or convenience stores, even to teens. In legal marijuana states, they undercut heavily taxed and regulated products. In others, they evaded the prohibition on recreational use of weed.

    Some states, including Indiana, have reported spikes in calls to poison-control centers for pediatric exposure to THC.

    Dozens of states have since taken steps to regulate or ban impairing hemp products. In October, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products outside the state’s legal marijuana system.

    Texas, which has a massive hemp market, is moving to regulate sales of impairing hemp, such as by restricting them to those over 21. In Nebraska, lawmakers have instead considered a bill to criminalize the sale and possession of products containing hemp-based THC.

    Washington state adopted a program to regulate hemp growing. But the number of licensed growers has cratered since the state banned intoxicating hemp products outside of the regulated cannabis market in 2023. Five years ago, there were 220, said Trecia Ehrlich, cannabis program manager with the state agriculture department. This year, there were 42, and with a federal ban looming, she expects that number to drop by about half next year.

    Minnesota made infused beverages and foods legal in 2022 for people 21 and older. The products, which must be derived from legally certified hemp, have become so popular that Target is now offering THC drinks at some of its stores in the state.

    They’ve also been a boon to liquor stores and to small Minneapolis brewers like Indeed, where THC drinks make up close to one-quarter of the business, Bandy said. At Bauhaus Brew Labs, a few blocks away, THC drinks account for 26% of their revenues from distributed products and 11% of revenues at the brewery’s taproom.

    None of that was what McConnell intended when he helped craft the 2018 farm bill. He finally closed the loophole by inserting a federal hemp THC ban in the measure to end the 43-day federal government shutdown, approved by the Senate on Nov. 10.

    “It will keep these dangerous products out of the hands of children, while preserving the hemp industry for farmers,” McConnell said. “Industrial hemp and CBD will remain legal for industrial applications.”

    Some in the legal marijuana industry celebrated, as the ban would end what they consider unfair competition.

    They were joined by prohibitionists. “There’s really no good argument for allowing these dangerous products to be sold in our country,” said Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

    But the ban doesn’t take effect for a year. That has given the industry hope that there is still time to pass regulations that will improve the hemp THC industry — such as by banning synthetically derived THC, requiring age restrictions on sales, and prohibiting marketing to children — rather than eradicate it.

    “We are very hopeful that cooler heads will prevail,” said Jonathan Miller, general counsel of the industry group U.S. Hemp Roundtable. “If they really thought there was a health emergency, there would be no year-long period.”

    The federal ban would jeopardize more than 300,000 jobs while costing states $1.5 billion in lost tax money, the group says.

    Drew Hurst, president and chief operating officer at Bauhaus Brew Labs, has no doubt his company would be among the casualties.

    “If this goes through as written currently, I don’t see a way at all that Bauhaus could stay in business,” Hurst said.

    A number of lawmakers say they will push for regulation of the hemp THC industry. Kentucky’s second senator, Republican Rand Paul, introduced an amendment to strip McConnell’s hemp language from the crucial government-funding bill, but it failed on a lopsided 76-24 vote.

    Minnesota’s Democratic U.S. senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, are among those strategizing to save the industry. Klobuchar noted at a recent news conference that the ban was inserted into the unrelated shutdown bill without a hearing. She suggested the federal government could allow states to develop their own regulatory frameworks, or that Minnesota’s strict regulations could be used as a national model.

    Kevin Hilliard, co-founder of Insight Brewing in Minneapolis, said the hemp industry needs a solution before planting time next spring.

    “If a farmer has uncertainty, they’re not going to plant,” Hilliard said.

    ___

    Johnson reported from Seattle. AP congressional reporter Kevin Freking contributed from Washington, D.C.

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  • What To Know About Green And BlackOut Wednesday

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    Here’s what to know about Green and Blackout Wednesday, the biggest pre-holiday celebration and how to enjoy responsibly.

    Thanksgiving is upon us with cooking, shopping, family and expectations.  It is a werired work which includes prep, work and so much more.  But what to know about Green and Blackout Wednesday.  This week comes with two unofficial holidays which have rapidly grown in cultural and economic importance: Green Wednesday and Blackout Wednesday. Both fall on the day before Thanksgiving and both spotlight the unique way America kicks off the long holiday weekend—with shopping, cannabis, alcohol, and celebrations. For many consumers, this night is a chance to reconnect with friends and jump-start the season. But understanding their histories and how to participate responsibly can make all the difference.

    RELATED: Can Microdosing Marijuana Help You

    Green Wednesday is a relatively new cultural phenomenon. Coined around 2012 by the cannabis delivery company Eaze, it became the cannabis industry’s answer to Black Friday. It has since grown into one of the biggest sales days of the year, driven by deals, promotion, and the fact many Americans want a calmer, less stressful Thanksgiving. Green Wednesday is now one of the top three cannabis retail days in the U.S., alongside 4/20 and Black Friday. In many states, dispensaries report spikes in sales of edibles, vapes, low-dose products, and wellness-oriented items.

    Photo by Roberto Machado Noa via Getty

    Blackout Wednesday, by contrast, has a longer and more complicated history. It began in the early 2000s when police departments and bar associations noticed the night before Thanksgiving had become one of the biggest drinking events of the year. Because so many people return to their hometowns, it became a massive reunion night. It also became associated with binge-drinking, DUIs, and overcrowded bars—which helped give it the nickname “Blackout Wednesday.”

    Part of the draw is timing. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is uniquely suited for celebration:

    • Most people have Thursday off.
    • College students return home.
    • Families reunite.
    • Retailers and bars roll out major deals.

    But the cultural shift away from heavy alcohol consumption and toward cannabis is also noticeable. Green Wednesday is often framed as a calmer, more wellness-oriented alternative—one focused on relaxation instead of excess.

    RELATED: Can Cannabis Or Alcohol Help With Colds

    Whether someone chooses cannabis or cocktails, the real key is pacing and awareness. Here are a few safety-centered tips:

    • Plan transportation early—ride shares, designated drivers, or walking.
    • Hydrate and eat—especially for alcohol consumption.
    • Choose lower-dose cannabis products if you’re inexperienced.
    • Avoid mixing alcohol and cannabis, as it intensifies impairment.
    • Have a limit before you start.
    • Keep gatherings about connection, not consumption.

    Green Wednesday and Blackout Wednesday reflect the way holiday traditions evolve. They can be fun, celebratory, and even reconnect us with old friendships and familiar places. But the goal should always be enjoying the moment—not waking up the next day wishing you dialed it back. With a thoughtful approach, both days can be safe, festive, and memorable traditions starting the holiday weekend on the right path.

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    Anthony Washington

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  • Eruption of long-dormant Ethiopian volcano subsides

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    ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Volcanic activity in northern Ethiopia’s long-dormant Hayli Gubbi volcano subsided Tuesday, days after an eruption that left a trail of destruction in nearby villages and caused flight cancellations after ash plumes disrupted high-altitude flight paths.

    Villages in the district of Afdera in the Afar region were covered in ash, officials said residents were coughing, and livestock found their grass and water totally covered.

    Airlines cancelled dozens of flights scheduled to fly over affected areas as the meteorological department said the ash clouds were expected to clear later in the day.

    India’s flag carrier, Air India, said it canceled 11 flights, most of them international, on Monday and Tuesday to inspect aircraft that may have flown over affected areas, acting on a directive from India’s aviation safety regulator.

    Another Indian operator, Akasa Air, said it had canceled flights to Middle East destinations such as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Kuwait; and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

    At least seven international flights scheduled to depart from and arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi were canceled Tuesday, while at least a dozen were delayed, according to an official at the airport.

    An official in charge of health in northern Ethiopia’s Afdera district, Abedella Mussa, said the residents were coughing and mobile medical services from the larger Afar region had been launched in the remote area.

    “Two medical teams have been dispatched to the affected kebeles (neighborhoods) like Fia and Nemma-Gubi to provide mobile medical services,” he said.

    Another official in charge of livestock, Nuur Mussa, said animals were unable to find clean water or grass. “Many animals, especially in the two affected kebeles, cannot drink clean water or feed on grass because it is covered by volcanic ash,” he said.

    Atalay Ayele, a geologist at Addis Ababa University, said such eruptions occur because Ethiopia is situated along an active rift system where volcanism and earthquakes are frequent.

    “This is the first recorded eruption of Hayli Gubbi in the last 10,000 years,” he told The Associated Press. “It will likely continue for a short period and then stop until the next cycle.”

    High-level winds carried the ash cloud from Ethiopia across the Red Sea, Yemen, Oman, the Arabian Sea and then towards western and northern India, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement. The ash cloud was moving toward China and expected to clear Indian skies late Tuesday.

    ___

    Roy wrote from New Delhi.

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  • They relied on marijuana to get through the day. But then days felt impossible without it

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    BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — For the past several years, 75-year-old Miguel Laboy has smoked a joint with his coffee every morning. He tells himself he won’t start tomorrow the same way, but he usually does.

    “You know what bothers me? To have cannabis on my mind the first thing in the morning,” he said, sparking a blunt in his Brookline, Massachusetts, apartment. “I’d like to get up one day and not smoke. But you see how that’s going.”

    Since legalization and commercialization, daily cannabis use has become a defining — and often invisible — part of many people’s lives. High-potency vapes and concentrates now dominate the market, and doctors say they can blur the line between relief and dependence over time so that users don’t notice the shift. Across the country, people who turned to cannabis for help are finding it harder to put down.

    Overall, alcohol remains more widely used than cannabis. But starting in 2022, the number of daily cannabis users in the U.S. surpassed that of daily drinkers — a major shift in American habits.

    Researchers say the rise has unfolded alongside products that contain far more THC than the marijuana of past decades, including vape oils and concentrates that can reach 80% to 95% THC. Massachusetts, like most states, sets no limit on how strong these products can be.

    Doctors warn that daily, high-potency use can cloud memory, disturb sleep, intensify anxiety or depression and trigger addiction in ways earlier generations didn’t encounter. Many who develop cannabis use disorder say it’s hard to recognize the signs because of the widespread belief that marijuana isn’t addictive. Because the consequences tend to creep in gradually — brain fog, irritability, dependence — users often miss when therapeutic use shifts into compulsion.

    How a habit becomes an addiction

    Miguel Laboy smokes a joint on Oct. 3, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    Laboy, a retired chef, began seeing a substance-use counselor after telling his doctor he felt depressed, unmotivated and increasingly isolated as his drinking and cannabis use escalated.

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    Naltrexone helped him quit alcohol, but he hasn’t found a way to quit marijuana. Unlike alcohol and opioids, there is no FDA-approved medication to treat cannabis addiction, though research is underway.

    Laboy, who first smoked at 18, said marijuana has long soothed symptoms tied to undiagnosed ADHD, childhood trauma and painful experiences — including cancer treatment and his son’s death. Through decades in restaurant kitchens, he considered himself a “functional pothead.”

    Lately, though, his use has become compulsive. After retiring, he began vaping 85% THC cartridges.

    Miguel Laboy, a daily cannabis user, vapes, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    Miguel Laboy, a daily cannabis user, vapes, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    “These days, I carry two things in my hands: my vape and my cellular — that’s it,” he said. “I’m not proud of it, but it’s the reality.”

    Cannabis eases his anxiety and “settles his spirit,” but he’s noticed it affects his concentration. He hopes to learn to read music, but sustaining focus at the piano has grown difficult.

    He’s seen an addiction psychiatrist for six months, but he hasn’t been able to cut back. The medical system doesn’t seem equipped to help, he said.

    “They’re not ready yet,” Laboy said. “I go to them for help, but all they say is, ‘Try to smoke less.’ I already know that — that’s why I’m there.”

    Younger users describe a similar slide — one that begins with relief and ends somewhere harder to define.

    Brain fog becomes ‘your new normal’

    Kyle, a college student, smokes cannabis out of a bong, Oct. 29, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    Kyle, a college student, smokes cannabis out of a bong, Oct. 29, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    Kyle, a 20-year-old Boston University student, says cannabis helps him manage panic attacks he’s had since high school. He spoke on the condition that only his first name be used because he buys cannabis illegally.

    In the Allston apartment he shares with fraternity brothers, they have a communal bong.

    When he’s high, Kyle feels calm — and able to process anxious thoughts and feel a sense of gratitude. But that clarity has become harder to reach when he’s sober.

    “I think I was able to do that better a year ago,” he said. “Now I can only do it when I’m high, which is scary.”

    He said the brain fog and feeling of detachment develop so gradually they become “your new normal.” Some mornings, he wakes up feeling like an observer in his own life, struggling to recall the day before. “It can be tough to wake up and go, ‘Oh my God, who am I?’” he said.

    Still, he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.

    Kyle says cannabis helps him function — more than seeking professional treatment would. Doctors say that ambivalence is common: many people feel cannabis is both the problem and the solution.

    A dream turns into a nightmare

     

    This April 22, 2016, file photo shows a marijuana bud at a medical marijuana facility in Unity, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

    Anne Hassel spent a month in jail and a year on probation for growing cannabis in the 1980s. She cried when Massachusetts’ first dispensaries opened — and left her physical therapy career to get a job at one.

    Within a year, though, “my dream job turned into a nightmare,” she said.

    Hassel, 58, said some consultants pushed staff to promote high-potency concentrates as “more medicinal,” downplaying their risks. After trying her first dab — a nearly instantaneous, “stupefying” high — she began using 90% THC concentrate several times a day.

    Her use quickly became debilitating, she said. She lost interest in things she once loved, like mountain biking. One autumn day, she drove to the woods and turned back without getting out. “I just wanted to go to my friend’s house and dab,” she said. “I hated myself.”

    Anne Hassel, a former cannabis user, rides her motorcycle, Nov. 6, 2025, in Chicopee, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    Anne Hassel, a former cannabis user, rides her motorcycle, Nov. 6, 2025, in Chicopee, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    She didn’t seek formal treatment but recovered with the help of a friend. Riding her green motorcycle — once named “Sativa” after her favorite strain — has helped her reconnect to her body and spirit.

    “People don’t want to acknowledge what’s going on because legalization was tied to social justice,” she said. “You get swept up in it and don’t recognize the harm until it’s too late.”

    Community for those who want to leave

    Online, that realization unfolds daily on r/leaves, a Reddit community of more than 380,000 people trying to cut back or quit.

    Users describe a similar push-pull — craving the calm cannabis brings, then feeling trapped by the fog. Some write about isolation and regret, saying years of smoking dulled their ambition and presence in relationships. Others post pleas for help from work or doctors’ offices.


    SLIDESHOW: The every day high

    cannabis ad

    An advertisement for a cannabis delivery company is seen on a public trash bin, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    miguel Laboy at dispensary

    Miguel Laboy shops at a cannabis dispensary, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    cannabis product

    A customer holds a package containing one gram of cannabis purchased from a dispensary, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    cannabis product

    A package of fruit-flavored cannabis gummies is displayed at a dispensary, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    cannabis buds

    A gram of cannabis is seen, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    cannabis buds

    Miguel Laboy plays the keyboard after smoking cannabis, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)


    Together, they paint a portrait of dependence that is quiet and routine — and difficult to escape.

    “When people talk about legalizing a drug, they’re really talking about commercializing it,” said Dave Bushnell, who founded the Reddit group. “We’ve built an industry optimized to sell as much as possible.”

    What doctors want people to know

    Dr. Jordan Tishler, a former emergency physician who now treats medical cannabis patients in Massachusetts, said low doses of THC paired with high doses of CBD can help some patients with anxiety. Many products have high levels of THC, which can worsen symptoms, he said.

    “It’s a medicine,” he said. “It can be useful, but it can also be dangerous — and access without guidance is dangerous.”

    Miguel Laboy rolls a joint Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    Miguel Laboy rolls a joint Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

    Dr. Kevin Hill, an addiction director at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who specializes in cannabis use disorder, said the biggest gap is education, among both consumers and clinicians.

    “I think adults should be allowed to do what they want as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody else,” but many users don’t understand the risks, Hill said.

    He said the conversation shouldn’t be about prohibition but about balance and informed decision-making. “For most people, the risks outweigh the benefits.”

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