VA legal marijuana sales plan; Feds reject psychedelic org’s grant app; TX medical cannabis licenses; MN lawmakers push cannabis employee stock plans

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Your good deed for the day: donate to an independent publisher like Marijuana Moment and ensure that as many voters as possible have access to the most in-depth cannabis reporting out there.Support our work at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment/ TOP THINGS TO KNOWThe Progressive Turnout Project sent a warning that President Donald Trump and other Republicans could “steal” the popular issue of cannabis legalization away from Democrats—saying that “anti-marijuana policies wrongfully target Black Americans and have cost the U.S. BILLIONS of dollars.”The Department of Veterans Affairs rejected a suicide prevention grant application from No Fallen Heroes, which helps connect veterans to programs where they can receive psychedelic therapy to treat serious mental health conditions.The Virginia legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market unveiled a plan to legalize recreational marijuana sales in 2026 under Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D), who supports the reform.The Texas Department of Public Safety conditionally approved nine new medical marijuana business licenses as part of an expansion of patient access to cannabis under a new law passed by lawmakers and signed by the governor this year.Minnesota Sen. Robert Kupec (D) and Rep. Nolan West (R) argue in a new op-ed that the state should allow marijuana businesses to offer employee stock ownership plans, which they say would “create crucial tax benefits the industry desperately needs.”/ FEDERALPresident Donald Trump pardoned former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández for drug trafficking convictions.Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cited the “fog of war” in defending a second military strike on an alleged drug boat.Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) tweeted, “The hemp industry employs thousands of Minnesotans. The new federal ban would eliminate jobs & pull the rug out from businesses operating under MN’s strong safety standards. I am working NOW across the aisle to ensure states like MN can continue producing hemp & safe products.”The House bill to designate psychedelic therapy centers of excellence got one new cosponsor for a total of 21./ STATESThe Nebraska Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit seeking to overturn the voter-approved medical cannabis law on Wednesday.California generated $283.7 million in marijuana tax revenue during the third quarter of 2025.Oregon regulators are accepting public comments on proposed changes to psilocybin services rules.Rhode Island’s health director discussed a new program to encourage responsible cannabis use.Pennsylvania regulators published updated data on the medical cannabis program.New Jersey cannabis regulators sent a reminder that state officials are prohibited from accepting any gift, favor, service or other thing of value related in any way to their public duties.The New Mexico Medical Psilocybin Advisory Board will meet on Friday.Ohio regulators will hold a hearing about proposed changes to hemp rules on December 22.
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/ LOCALLos Angeles, California regulators sent updates on various cannabis issues./ INTERNATIONALColombian President Gustavo Petro said that by not legalizing marijuana, the country “loses exports and increases its own violence.”The World Health Organization added cannabis hyperemesis syndrome to its diagnostic manual./ SCIENCE & HEALTHA study found that “cannabis use is not uniformly harmful to cognition in older adults,” “past use was linked to better performance and slower decline in some cognitive domains” and “specific usage patterns, such as longer duration, were associated with poorer outcomes in other domains.”A study concluded that “the core abuse potential methods that serve U.S. [Controlled Substances Act] scheduling and global new drug scheduling are generally reliable for many categories of drugs but need to be modified and perhaps supplemented with additional outcome measures to more fully and accurately characterize potential abuse-related risks.”/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSISFinland’s Left Alliance party endorsed cannabis legalization./ BUSINESSCuraleaf Holdings, Inc. entered into an agreement to acquire The Cannabist Company Holdings Inc.’s Virginia assets.Cheech and Chong’s Cannabis Company is launching a “reverse licensing model” under which dispensaries can use its branding while maintaining ownership.Glass House Brands Inc. settled a lawsuit from hourly agricultural workers who claimed the company bilked them out of sick pay, minimum wage and lunch breaks.

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