Filed under: Weekly Burn
Texas tried and failed to kill hemp. Cities in Ohio are slow-rolling legalization with paper bans. Nebraska is tightening the screws before a single patient gets relief. Overseas, Switzerland inches toward national retail while Thailand swears in the very man who first pushed decriminalization as its new Prime Minister. Let’s grade the week in weed.
STATEHOUSE HEADLINER
Texas Fails to Ban THC. Vapes Get Axed. Confusion Wins.
The big ban push fizzled. The Texas Senate passed a prohibition bill, then it died in the House. Result. Most hemp-derived THC products remain legal in Texas. There is still no statewide age limit on gummies or beverages. At the same time, a new vape law kicked in on September 1. It bans the sale and marketing of cannabinoid vapes, including delta-8 and CBD pens, and creates Class A misdemeanor penalties for sellers. Possession is not a crime. Retailers and lawyers are already calling the law a drafting mess that invites wrongful arrests and does nothing to control the broader market. The Legislature ended its special session without touching hemp rules. That is how you protect chaos.
Grade: D
LOCAL TRAINWRECK
Ohio Towns Throw Up Do Not Enter Signs
Adult-use cannabis is legal statewide. Local politicians are busy pretending it is not. As of September 4, there are 145 cities and townships with moratoriums blocking adult-use businesses. That is almost fifteen percent of the population living under local bans. The state collects taxes. Border towns watch money leave. Consumers keep buying in the gray. This is legalization on paper and prohibition by ordinance.
Grade: F
REGULATOR ROULETTE
Nebraska Tightens Medical Rules Before Patients See Products
The Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission advanced stricter emergency regulations this week. Advocates say the new package is stricter than the June rules and will restrict access before the program begins. The board passed the changes unanimously and moved them toward final approval. Patients are still waiting. Bureaucracy is not.
Grade: F
INDUSTRY SCORECARD
Ohio Finally Gets Pre-Rolls On Shelves
After months of waiting, regulators cleared the way for pre-rolled cannabis products. Operators began manufacturing and bringing them to market. It is not revolutionary, but it represents significant progress in a major Midwestern market. Consumers get convenience. Retailers get volume and margin.
Grade: B
INTERNATIONAL HEAT CHECK
Switzerland Drafts A National Retail Law While One Canton Drags Its Feet
Switzerland moved a draft law that would expand adult-use cannabis sales beyond pilot projects into a tightly regulated national system. Meanwhile, the canton of Valais continues to block trials. One country. Two speeds. Reform in public health language. Resistance in local politics.
Grade: B
Thailand’s “Cannabis King” Becomes Prime Minister
Thailand elected Anutin Charnvirakul, the architect of the 2022 cannabis decriminalization, as its new Prime Minister. He secured 311 parliamentary votes, well above the 247 needed. His rise puts cannabis reform back in the political spotlight. Reform could stabilize under his leadership or face new battles depending on how coalitions align, but for now, the architect of legalization is back in power.
Grade: B-
FINAL GRADE: D+
Texas left most THC products intact but made vapes a legal minefield. Ohio is sabotaging the rollout one town at a time. Nebraska tightened rules before patients got medicine. Switzerland offers a cautious path. Thailand put the face of decriminalization back in charge. Another week where politics beat patients and paperwork beat progress.
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F O R T H E C U L T U R E B Y T H E C U L T U R E
The Drug Test Lie Finally Cracks in New Mexico
New Mexico’s Senate Bill 129 challenges the long standing assumption that a positive cannabis test equals impairment. By separating outdated drug testing from actual workplace safety, the bill aims to protect medical cannabis patients from job discrimination while preserving employer authority over real on the job risk and misconduct.
How Cannabis Can Cost You Your Gun
Federal law still allows cannabis use to strip Americans of firearm rights without proof of danger or misuse. As the Supreme Court weighs United States v. Hemani, courts are confronting whether the government can continue punishing people based on status rather than conduct in a country where cannabis is legal in most states.
Reefer Report Card Vol. 32: Kicking the Can Again
This week’s Reefer Report Card tracks a familiar pattern in cannabis policy: delay dressed as progress. Federal lawmakers punted again on hemp regulation, states flirted with dismantling legal markets, and patients were left waiting. Oversight weakened, accountability faded, and reform stalled. Another week in weed, graded.
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