For the past eight months, cannabis operators and consumers in Texas — and nationwide — have closely watched the state’s hemp debate. As the second most populous state, Texas’ approach to consumable hemp is seen as a bellwether: How it regulates testing, labeling, and youth access could shape not only neighboring states’ policies but
Few areas of law have been able to expose the contradictions of federal cannabis policy quite like the Dormant Commerce Clause. The Constitution’s long-standing rule against state economic protectionism has recently found itself in the middle of cannabis licensing disputes. The result is a body of case law that is fractured, just like the state-by-state
Everything’s bigger in Texas, unless you’re talking about the medical cannabis program. It’s no secret that Texas has the potential to be a behemoth in the space, but for years, Texas’ medical cannabis program has lagged behind other states. At the same time, Texas’ booming hemp industry is fighting for survival.
Texas legislators took a
Mississippi is no stranger to criticism or being the butt of jokes alleging its inability or refusal to adapt with the times. And, while some of these stereotypes have some support, Mississippi is quietly silencing some of its critics by becoming a pioneer in the plant-based medicine realm.
Beginning in 1968, Mississippi claimed host to
All participants of Mississippi’s cannabis industry should take notice of an opinion the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office published on June 11, 2025. The opinion answered three questions Mississippi Rep. Lee Yancey presented: (1) Is the sale of non-FDA approved hemp-derived products designed for human ingestion and/or consumption prohibited in Mississippi; (2) is the possession of
Earlier this month, President Trump tapped “physician-turned wellness influencer” Casey Means as his nominee for surgeon general. Means has close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Trump has touted her “impeccable” Make America Health Again (MAHA) credentials. We’ve written previously on what impact Trump’s second presidency could
Often wrong, never in doubt. That’s our promise here at Budding Trends. A little over a year ago, we wrote these words: “DEA will reschedule marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule III.” We later acknowledged we (may have) jumped the gun on that and modified our prediction to be that rescheduling won’t happen in
Another legislative session has come and gone in Mississippi (a limited, short special session is all but a certainty, as the Legislature passed no state budget), resulting in tweaks to the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act (MMCA) and a failed consumable hemp regulatory bill. Those happenings, along with others we discuss below, prove that efforts remain
Recently, a divided United States Supreme Court held that a cannabis product manufacturer could face civil liability under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) if a consumer suffered a personal injury that created a business or property loss to the consumer. Specifically, the Court concluded that an employee could state a claim under
As the hallowed cannabis holiday for stoners-turned-business-entrepreneurs falls upon us, we find ourselves in the shifting sands of change in the cannabis industry as usual. Not surprisingly, many states have seen legislation brought to the table, decisions made at the courts, and commentary presented by politicians that will directly impact cannabis businesses, medical marijuana dispensaries