Welcome to our new Friday program, This Week in Cannabis News, powered by Dutchie.

Each Friday at 10 a. m. Eastern, we'll deliver an overview of this week's cannabis news.

We will be quick, we'll be comprehensive, we'll send you into the weekend as a more informed cannabis professional, and it's all made possible by our friends at Dutchie. You can find and connect with the team there through our link in the show notes.

Let's get to it.

Virginia is (not) for (cannabis) lovers

Virginia might be for lovers, but evidently it’s not for buying cannabis legally. 

In a widely expected move, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill passed by the legislature that would have established a regulated market for cannabis sales in the state. It’s the second time in as many years that he vetoed cannabis sales.

Virginia decriminalized possession of up to one ounce of cannabis and growing up to four plants in home in 2021, but the state has yet to establish a regulated market — and likely won’t, until Youngkin leaves office in January of 2026. (He’s term limited). Here’s what he said while vetoing the bill - get ready, because you’ll probably cringe: “Cannabis commercialization has failed, and will continue to fail, to deliver on its promises — it has actively endangered public health, fueled crime, and put lives at risk. States that have embraced legalization are now grappling with the devastating consequences of a failed experiment, and the cost of ignoring these warning signs will only continue to grow.” 

New Hampshire’s annual attempt to legalize cannabis

New Hampshire’s Republican Governor may be faced with vetoing a cannabis reform measure if a new measure passes the Senate there. The measure, which passed the New Hampshire House of Representatives 208-125, decriminalized cannabis. Now it heads to the upper chamber. BUT, the Republican Governor ran on an anti-cannabis reform platform.

Tennessee Pot for Potholes Act

Tennessee lawmakers are set to introduce a bill in the state legislature next week that would legalize and tax recreational cannabis in order to raise money to fix the state’s roads. The Tennessee Pot for Potholes Act would allow cannabis sales for adults over the age of 21 and levy a 15% tax. The revenue would go to fix the state’s roads and crumbling infrastructure. Seventy-five percent would be allocated to road and bridge repairs, and 20% would go to local governments. While Democrats are supporting this measure, Republicans… not so much. Republican House Majority Leader William Lamberth said. “I’m against both pot and potholes…Yes, potholes need to be fixed, and the legislature is already allocating funds for road repairs. As for cannabis, I’m working on legislation to further regulate THC products in our state. We already have enough drug problems as it is.” Read the full bill text here. 

Texas pushing full THC ban 

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is pushing lawmakers to pass a total ban on THC products in Texas. The State Senate passed legislation to that effect — it now goes to the House. Patrick has been on anti-THC crusade in recent weeks, telling reporters that there will be “no compromise.” 

Arizona says all hemp-THC products must be sold through dispensaries 

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes told law enforcement that the sale of THC products, including hemp-derived beverages and edibles, is illegal outside of state-regulated dispensaries. Mayes directed officials to wait until April 24 to enforce, though there will likely be lawsuits. Read Mayes’ letter. 

Ohio lawmakers want to rein in hemp

Ohio lawmakers proposed two bills, supported by Gov. Mike DeWine, that would rein in the state’s intoxicating hemp market by forcing products containing THC to be sold through state-regulated dispensaries, and limit products outside of dispensaries to 0.5mg of THC total. But some hemp industry operators say this is a push for licensed cannabis sellers to “corner the market,” and push out the competition via regulatory capture. Read more.

Ad to push President Trump on descheduling

The American Rights and Reform PAC, a pro-legalization political action committee, released two ads on its website appealing to Trump to push cannabis reform. The ads cast the lack of legalization as a failure of former President Joe Biden’s — while President Trump, of course, could’ve pursued cannabis reform in his first term — and discuss how Canada is “attacking” US companies, calling cannabis rescheduling an “America First” fight. Here’s a look at the ad:

And, finally, One Fun Cannabis Industry Thing this week… 

Shadow President Elon Musk and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz joked about smoking pot together on Cruz’ The Verdict podcast last week. “Should I show up and pull out a joint,” Cruz said he asked his producers before the show with Musk. 

“But I was pretty sure it might cause a scandal if we smoked pot,” he said. Cruz remains an adamant opponent of legalization. 

See for yourself:

That’s it for This Week in Cannabis News powered by Dutchie. 

Check back next Friday at 10 am Eastern right here on Cultivated’s LinkedIn page and YouTube channel.