CRB Monitor News

Missouri is now accepting applications for 77 microbusiness licenses, with about a third making up for revoked licenses due to disqualifying management or ownership agreements from the previous two sets of drawings. The window for the third round of microbusiness license applications in Missouri opened this week and it will be the first to operate under rules intended to avoid the disqualification problems that plagued previous application rounds.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is pushing back against multi-state operators, just as they have grown more bold when it comes to writing off cannabis-related business expenses in the wake of last spring’s rescheduling of medical cannabis.

U.S. senators and House representatives have once again introduced the SAFE Banking Act to improve banking and lending to cannabis-related businesses (CRB). Similar legislation has been passed by the House of Representatives seven times, but not the Senate. In 2023, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs approved the SAFER Banking Act, but it was not taken up on the Senate floor or in the House.

Nov. 12 is fast approaching, and federal lawmakers and hemp industry supporters have been actively working to reverse the virtual hemp-THC ban. Meanwhile, a few states have started to rein hemp sales into their licensed cannabis markets. Despite the confusion, the hemp market has been fairly stable, but some farmers are exiting the market, according to industry sources. More importantly, some major banks are beginning to change their attitudes toward serving hemp businesses.

The new Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) unanimously approved a slate of emergency regulations on June 17 in order to meet requirements set by the recently enacted law that reshaped the commission two months ago following years of leadership turmoil.

When the U.S. Department of Justice (D.O.J.) and Drug Enforcement Administration (D.E.A.) moved FDA-approved cannabis products and state-licensed medical marijuana products to Schedule III in April 2026 Cannabis equities soared. That said, adult-use cannabis remains a Schedule I substance under federal law, and a broader proposal to reschedule all marijuana to Schedule III is still undergoing administrative review, with DEA hearings scheduled to begin on June 29, 2026.

Michigan’s cannabis regulator has accused a processor of having more than 12,000 untagged or unidentifiable flower products at its Harrison Township facility, including products in California packaging. VJAS 1, LLC has been charged with four track-and-trace violations in a May 29 complaint filed by the Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency following a site inspection in February. CRA staff visited the facility at 41525 Production Drive on Feb. 12 and discovered several products without Metrc tags.

Tier 1A multistate operator (MSO) Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL, NYSE TRLV)’s confirmed listing on the New York Stock Exchange marks a historic milestone for the U.S. cannabis industry, making it the first U.S. plant-touching cannabis operator approved to trade on a major U.S. exchange. Trulieve’s subordinate voting shares are expected to begin trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol TRLV on June 10, 2026. How is this possible?

The federal government is moving forward with marijuana rescheduling and MSOs are excited, despite persistent opposition from conservative lawmakers and prohibitionist groups. Under President Donald Trump’s order, medical cannabis is officially a Schedule III drug, which opens a lot of financial and regulatory doors, but questions remain about how the move may or may not impact adult-use cannabis markets.

With the 60-day clock ticking for medical cannabis businesses to register with the DEA, California has proposed emergency rules to allow licensees to hold separate adult-use and medical-use licenses. It is one state that is reacting quickly to the administration’s order to move marijuana to Schedule III. Following up with President Donald Trump’s executive order officially filed April 28, the DEA announced days later that dispensaries can apply for DEA registration.