If you’ve followed Budding Trends for any length of time, you know the SAFE Banking Act — perhaps second only to rescheduling — has been the white whale for marijuana operators. This week, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act of 2026 popped its head above the water again: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) filed
I don’t know why I write things that encourage people to take my job. I’ll add that to the list for my next therapy session.
Back in 2022, I wrote “So You Want to Be a Cannabis Lawyer?” In it, I said that being a cannabis lawyer had been the most fun and most rewarding
The April order rescheduling DEA-approved medications and state-licensed medical marijuana to Schedule III set off a scramble in the capital markets. Two questions sit at the center of it: Can plant-touching companies finally list on the major U.S. stock exchanges, and will banks finally open their doors to the industry? On the first question, the
If you were hoping the South Carolina governor’s race might crack open the door for a state medical marijuana program — or settle the state’s running fight over intoxicating hemp — last week’s primary results are worth a close read. On June 9, Republican voters narrowed a crowded field to two: Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette
In The Usual Suspects, Verbal Kint explains the final reveal of the film, and I stress the world “film”: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” I thought about that line while reading the latest from Washington on hemp because the looming federal change to hemp THC
President Trump has announced he will nominate Todd Blanche — his former personal attorney, who has been running the Department of Justice in an acting capacity — to serve as permanent attorney general. I wrote back in April about the personnel shuffle that put Blanche in the acting AG chair and what it might mean
It’s déjà vu all over again. In a move that surprised many — and disappointed more — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has vetoed legislation that would have finally established a regulated adult-use marijuana retail market in the Commonwealth. The veto is notable not just for what it means for Virginia consumers and operators, but for
Good news for people who don’t want their airline pilots any higher than they already are.
If you’ve been following the rescheduling saga as closely as I have, you might have assumed that once President Trump signed the executive order directing DEA to move state-licensed medical marijuana and DEA-approved medications to Schedule III, the ripple
We are going to white knuckle our way through a blog post about lawyers and guns without doing the obligatory Warren Zevon plug, but we want you to understand how hard this is for us.
Loyal readers of Budding Trends are well aware of marijuana rescheduling, but we offer the following for those who may
In the summer of 2017, Phish lit up Madison Square Garden with a historic 13-night run. Your friends at Budding Trends believe the marijuana rescheduling decision calls for a rollout just as monumental, so we’ve created the Budding Trends Baker’s Dozen as a fitting homage.
Following the federal government’s move to reschedule medical marijuana from