Hemp Ban Chaos, SCOTUS Whispers, and Green Wednesday Numbers: Your Weekly Cannabis Industry Roundup

I’ve never seen a week quite like this. We’re watching a $28 billion market essentially holding its breath while lawmakers play chicken with people’s livelihoods. Let me break down what’s actually happening beyond the headlines. The Hemp THC Ban: Week Two of Absolute Madness We’re now two weeks into this hemp THC ban, and the fallout is exactly what those of us who’ve been around knew it would be – catastrophic and completely avoidable. I’m talking to retailers in Virginia and Georgia who are literally pulling product off shelves as we speak. 320,000 jobs are on the line here, folks. Rep. Mace introduced a repeal bill, and while I respect the effort, every Capitol Hill contact I have is calling it DOA. The frustrating part? We’ve been here before. Different year, different panic, same Washington gridlock. I’m curious what you’re seeing in your area – are your local shops already feeling the squeeze? SCOTUS Could Actually End This Federal Prohibition Nightmare Now here’s where it gets interesting. SCOTUS has a closed-door meeting scheduled on a cannabis case, and while I’m not holding my breath (I’ve learned that lesson too many times), this one actually has teeth. Meanwhile, the banking reform we’ve been promised for literally years is apparently on the “back burner” according to House and Senate sources. And Florida? They tossed 200,000 signatures for the 2026 legalization ballot. The campaign says they’re still confident, but man, that’s a gut punch. I’ve watched Florida voters get strung along on this issue more times than I can count. Green Wednesday: The Numbers Don’t Lie But here’s some actual good news – Green Wednesday absolutely crushed expectations. We saw Black Friday-level traffic at dispensaries across the board, and the “California Sober” trend with Gen Z is real. These kids are ditching alcohol for pre-rolls and gummies, and THC beverage sales are up 40% year-to-date. I’ve been watching consumer behavior shift for two decades, but this generational change is something different. They’re not just experimenting – they’re making calculated choices about what they put in their bodies, and they’re choosing cannabis over booze. That’s a seismic shift for this industry. State-by-State: The Patchwork Continues New York finally signed some actual sensible medical cannabis updates – out-of-state reciprocity, two-year patient cards, lower home-grow age requirements. Massachusetts doubled possession limits. Hawaii updated medical rules. New Jersey’s moving forward with psilocybin votes. But then you’ve got the other side: Michigan’s fighting a massive tax hike in court that could slap operators with $100 million-plus in new burdens. Ohio’s House is literally mirroring the federal hemp ban, essentially recriminalizing what voters already approved. Texas Ag Commissioner is blasting GOP restrictions, and honestly, I never thought I’d see that level of pushback from Texas Republicans. The Security Wake-Up Call Nobody Wanted STIIIZY just had a data breach affecting 380,000 customers – names, DOBs, transaction history all exposed. If you’re an operator reading this, please, for the love of everything, audit your security infrastructure now. We’re a cash-heavy industry that’s been moving fast and breaking things for years. That works until it doesn’t. International Scene: Germany and Canada Making Moves Germany’s medical import market is booming – they’re now allowing 192.5 tons maximum, with Canada and Portugal dominating supply. Quebec’s SQDC just started vaping product sales today. Canada’s Q1 2025 numbers show $693 million in wholesale with $66.6 million net revenue. The global landscape is shifting faster than I’ve seen in my entire career. We’re not just watching American policy anymore – we’re watching a worldwide recalibration. Where We’re Headed Alabama, Iowa, Pennsylvania, South Carolina all have decrim bills advancing. New York’s expanding to 625 licenses in 2025 with $30,000 grants for CAURD participants. DC’s predicting 40 regulated shops by year-end. The map’s changing week by week now, not year by year like it used to be. If you told me in 2005 that we’d be here – with federal prohibition potentially ending via SCOTUS while simultaneously watching hemp markets get decimated by regulatory panic – I’d have said you were smoking something stronger than what we had back then. Bottom Line This industry has survived worse than a hemp ban and congressional inaction. We’ve survived raids, asset seizures, banking blacklists, and years of being treated like criminals for providing medicine. We’ll survive this too. But I’m curious what you all are seeing on the ground. Are your local dispensaries adjusting pricing for the holiday season? How are operators in hemp-affected states pivoting? And is anyone else watching these SCOTUS developments with cautious optimism?