Latest Cannabis Headlines

All the headlines from our Cannabis Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Massachusetts Bill Would Bar Workers from Being Fired for Private Pot Use

Dec 28 2018 // A proposed law in Massachusetts would bar employers from firing workers for using marijuana legally on their own time.While recreational marijuana use is legal for adults in the state, workers can still be fired for using...

Data Show Car Accidents Up in States That First Legalized Marijuana

Dec 28 2018 // Crashes are up by as much as six percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that have not yet legalized marijuana for recreational use, according to research from the Insurance...

Oklahoma Quickly Becoming a Hotbed for Medical Marijuana

Dec 27 2018 // The rollout of statewide medical and recreational marijuana programs typically is a grindingly slow process that can take years. Not so in Oklahoma, which moved with lightning speed once voters approved medical cannabis in...

Oregon Legislators Revisit Worker Protections for off Duty Pot Use

Dec 19 2018 // Oregon lawmakers will consider making it illegal for businesses to fire employees who flunk drug tests for using marijuana off the clock, reviving a workers’ rights campaign that failed in the statehouse last...

Worldwide Facilities Adds Ives as Broker, Cannabis Specialist in Washington

Dec 18 2018 // Worldwide Facilities has named Norman Ives to the management and brokerage team in its NutraRisk division, which specializes in cannabis, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements insurance coverage. Ives, who is based out of...

61 More Recreational Pot Dispensary Licenses Awarded in Nevada

Dec 18 2018 // A few cannabis companies are reaping riches after the latest Nevada dispensary licensing round.Green Growth Brands and TapRoot Holdings have each been awarded seven licenses to operate in the state, while GreenMart NLV...

More Marijuana Products in California Passing Safety Tests

Dec 18 2018 // A higher percentage of California marijuana products are passing strict safety tests, but the sudden closing of a lab that state authorities found wasn’t correctly checking for pesticides has raised new questions...

Covering Cannabis in California

Dec 17 2018 // Most of the action on insuring legal cannabis in California is in the surplus lines marketplace.The legalization of cannabis in California created many opportunities for insurers to get in on the ground floor in covering...

Nebraska Senators Aiming to Get Medical Marijuana on 2020 Ballot

Dec 14 2018 // Two Nebraska lawmakers have announced plans to place a medical marijuana legalization measure on the 2020 ballot.Sens. Anna Wishart and Adam Morfeld, both of Lincoln, on Dec. 13 announced the formation of Nebraskans for...

Agents Warned About E&O Risks in Claiming Cyber, Cannabis Expertise

Dec 14 2018 // Insurance agents and brokers who market themselves as experts in cannabis or cyber could wind up regretting that positioning. Because both are relatively new exposures subject to changing regulations and coverages,...

Rules for Marijuana Edibles Approved by Oklahoma Health Board

Dec 13 2018 // Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin will soon consider food safety rules on marijuana edibles, which advocates say should help bring clarity to the cannabis-infused food market.The Oklahoman reports that the Oklahoma Board of Health...

Senate OK of Farm Bill Sends It to President Trump Who Is Expected to Sign It

Dec 12 2018 // The House cleared farm legislation that renews agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families without a controversial provision backed by conservatives and President Donald Trump that would have toughened work...

Senate Passes Farm Bill with Crop Insurance, Food Stamps, Hemp Farming

Dec 12 2018 // The Senate passed a five-year farm bill renewing agricultural subsidies and food aid for low-income families after weeks of negotiations over work requirements for food stamp recipients and a last-minute snag over forestry...

Only a Fraction of Patients Benefit from Medical Cannabis under Texas Law

Dec 5 2018 // Fewer than 600 of an estimated 150,000 Texas patients with uncontrollable epileptic seizures have been prescribed a low-THC oil derived from cannabis under the state’s restrictive medical marijuana program.Roughly 45...

Utah Lawmakers OK Medical Marijuana Changes Despite Concerns

Dec 5 2018 // Lawmakers in conservative Utah havev passed sweeping changes to a new voter-approved medical-marijuana ballot measure under a planned compromise that secured the support of the influential Mormon church but sparked a...

Troubled Opioid Seller Insys Looks to Cannabis to Save Itself

Dec 4 2018 // Sitting in a Boston courtroom in a dark, pinstriped suit, the former top sales executive at Insys Therapeutics Inc., Alex Burlakoff, listened as federal prosecutors read out crimes he and the company had allegedly...

Oklahoma Ruling Could Set Precedent for Marijuana Use in Work Comp Cases

Dec 3 2018 // A recent Oklahoma court ruling that permits an injured worker to receive workers’ compensation benefits with a positive drug test could set a precedent for such cases at a time when medical marijuana may soon be...

Expert Sees a ‘Strong Need’ for Insurance for Cannabis Industry

Dec 3 2018 // There’s “still a really strong need” for specialty insurance to cover cannabis businesses as well as medical professionals prescribing cannabis, according to an attorney who specializes in the sector.Ian...

Massachusetts Pot Shops Report Sales Above $2.2M in 1st Week of Operation

Nov 30 2018 // The first commercial pot shops in Massachusetts sold more than $2.2 million worth of marijuana products during the first five days they were open for business.That’s according to figures released Tuesday by the...

Utah Lawmakers Draft Bill on Marijuana, Set for Consideration

Nov 26 2018 // Utah lawmakers and others involved in forging legislation to revise a voter-approved medical marijuana law say they’ve settled on a new version for consideration during an anticipated December special session.The...