Articles
News analysis and policy explainers on US cannabis law, state programs, and patient access. Every article cites primary sources where they exist and carries a visible last-reviewed date. See the editorial policy for sourcing standards.
News analysis
The June 29 marijuana rescheduling hearing: what it can decide, what it cannot, and why the participant list is now locked
The DEA administrative-law-judge hearing on whether all marijuana follows the April 22 medical-only order down to Schedule III begins June 29, 2026. The deadline to request participation closed May 28, so the roster of who gets heard is now fixed. This is a preview of the proceeding mechanics: what the hearing is structurally able to do, what it is not, and the constitutional cloud hanging over any result.
Explainer
Medical cannabis and cancer: what the evidence supports, what it does not, and the gap between symptom relief and the claim that cannabis cures cancer
Cancer is a qualifying condition under every comprehensive US medical-cannabis program. The symptom-relief evidence is real and is strongest for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. The claim that cannabis treats the tumor itself is not supported in humans: antitumor research remains preclinical. Even cancer-pain evidence is weaker than commonly stated, with the pivotal nabiximols trials failing their primary endpoint. This article walks the distinction honestly.
Explainer
Medical cannabis and chronic pain: the strongest evidence base in the field, the opioid-substitution question, and what the DEA rescheduling actually changed
Chronic pain is the single most common qualifying condition across the US medical-cannabis map, listed in 42 state programs. It is also the indication with the strongest published evidence. The 2017 NASEM consensus report rated cannabis efficacy for chronic pain in adults as conclusive or substantial, its highest tier. This article walks the prevalence, the evidence, the opioid-substitution debate, the CDC guideline update, and the rescheduling implications.
Explainer
Medical cannabis and epilepsy: Epidiolex, the pivotal NEJM trials, and the difference between an FDA-approved pharmaceutical and a state-program product
Epilepsy is the indication with both the strongest cannabis pharmaceutical evidence base (three FDA-approved indications for cannabidiol, marketed as Epidiolex) and one of the more common state-program qualifying conditions, listed in 44 medical-cannabis states. The two pathways are different products, different regulatory regimes, and different evidentiary standards. Understanding the distinction matters for patients and clinicians.
Explainer
Medical cannabis and PTSD: the state-program landscape, the VA posture, and what the clinical evidence actually shows
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a qualifying condition in 41 US medical-cannabis programs, more than almost any other diagnosis. The state-program adoption has run far ahead of the clinical evidence. The VA, which treats more PTSD patients than any other health system in the United States, declines to recommend cannabis for PTSD and cites insufficient evidence to do so. This article maps the contradiction.
Policy brief
The 2026 state cannabis legislation tracker: eight bills that actually matter
A snapshot of the most consequential cannabis bills moving (and stalling) across US state legislatures during the 2026 session: Virginia retail sales, Pennsylvania SB 120, Hawaii low-dose, North Carolina ballot questions, and the medical-expansion bills patients are watching.
Explainer
Federal employment and medical cannabis: what the April 2026 Schedule III order did not change
A long-form treatment of the federal-employment, security-clearance, military-service, and DOT-regulated transportation questions surrounding medical cannabis use. The April 2026 rescheduling did not unlock any of these for state-legal medical patients. UCMJ Article 112a, SEAD 4, federal civilian rules, and DOT 49 CFR Part 40 all remain in force.
News analysis
Where federal marijuana rescheduling actually stands in May 2026
The DOJ moved FDA-approved and state-licensed medical marijuana to Schedule III on April 22, 2026. Everything else is still Schedule I. A June 29 ALJ hearing will decide whether the rest follows. Here is what changed, what didn't, and what the June hearing can and cannot do.
Patient guide
How to get a medical marijuana card: the process every state has in common (and where they differ)
A master explainer of the medical marijuana card process across the ~38 states that operate medical programs. The five common steps (qualifying condition, certifying practitioner, state application, ID card, renewal), the cost ranges, and where each state diverges. Cross-links to all medical-state hubs.
News analysis
Kentucky's medical cannabis program is finally selling product. The rollout has been slower than the statute promised.
Kentucky's SB 47 medical cannabis program went live on January 1, 2025 for patient registration; the first legal sale was January 16, 2026. As of May 2026, only eight of 48 licensed dispensaries are operating, and product variety remains constrained. The framework is functional. The supply chain is not yet.
Explainer
Medical cannabis and pediatric patients: state-by-state rules and the evidence base
Most US medical cannabis programs allow minor patients under 18, with a designated parent or guardian caregiver. The rules vary substantially: some states require two-physician certification, some require a pediatric specialist, some impose product-form restrictions, and one (Epidiolex) is the only FDA-approved cannabis-derived medication for any pediatric indication.
Explainer
Medical cannabis reciprocity, state by state: which cards travel, which do not, and what happens if you cross a state line with product
A comprehensive matrix of US medical cannabis reciprocity rules as of May 2026. Only a handful of states recognize out-of-state cards for purchase. A wider group recognizes them only for possession. Most do not recognize them at all. Federal law continues to prohibit interstate transport regardless of state status.
Explainer
Medical cannabis certification via telehealth: state rules, payment models, and the COVID-era flexibilities that stuck around
Most US medical cannabis programs allow physician certification via telehealth. A few notable exceptions require in-person evaluations for initial certifications (Florida) or for specific patient categories. This is a state-by-state guide to telehealth certification, the federal flexibilities that govern controlled-substance prescribing, and the payment models patients should expect.
News analysis
Mississippi's medical cannabis program at the two-year mark: 60,000 patients, 190 dispensaries, and a potency-cap fight
Mississippi's Medical Cannabis Program crossed 60,000 active patients in late 2025, a 41% year-over-year increase. Dispensary count exceeds 190. The 2026 legislative fight is over the program's potency caps and a proposed 'right to try' framework. The Bible Belt's most-restrictive-state-that-said-yes is finding its rhythm.
News analysis
Texas HB 46 ten months in: license rollout on track, patient enrollment trailing the headlines
HB 46 added chronic pain, Crohn's, TBI, and vaporized products to Texas's Compassionate Use Program in June 2025. Ten months on, DPS is on track to issue all 12 new dispensary licenses by April 2026. Patient enrollment growth is slower than legislators predicted, and the 1% THC cap remains the program's structural ceiling.
News analysis
Florida's 2026 cannabis ballot collapsed at signature validation. Here's the math behind the failure.
Smart and Safe Florida's 2026 adult-use ballot effort missed certification by ~87,000 valid signatures. The gap was operational, not political. Floridians voted 56% yes in 2024 but the state requires 60%.
News analysis
Georgia's SB 220 quietly broke the 'oil only' rule that defined its medical program for a decade
SB 220 authorizes vaporization in Georgia's medical cannabis program for the first time, breaking the 'oil only' identity Haleigh's Hope Act locked in for ten years. The 5% THC cap and dispensary bottleneck still constrain access.
News analysis
Five years after MRTA, New York's adult-use market still looks like a slow-motion rollout
Five years on from MRTA, New York has a functioning adult-use market (by 2026 standards, a meaningful one) but the rollout has been one of the slowest among legalized states. The medical program's quieter expansion may be the more consequential story for patients.
News analysis
Ohio's Issue 2 broke the speed record for state-to-store cannabis legalization. Then the legislature tried to break Issue 2.
Ohio went from ballot passage to first adult-use sale in seven and a half months (the fastest large-state rollout on record). A voter-initiated statute can be amended by simple majority, and the 2024-2026 General Assemblies have tried.
News analysis
Texas HB 46 quietly turned the Compassionate Use Program into something almost medical
The 2025 Texas Legislature added chronic pain, Crohn's disease, and TBI to the Compassionate Use Program; and authorized vaporization for the first time. The state still does not have a comprehensive medical-cannabis program. It is closer than it was.