Filed under: Weekly Burn
Texas moved to protect minors but left the adults scrambling. California cut cannabis tax to save fading legal shops. Germany’s researchers demand data. The White House refuses to pick a rescheduling fight. Let’s grade what changed and what kept falling apart.
STATEHOUSE HEADLINER
Texas Widens Rules but Still Leaves THC Wild West
Gov. Greg Abbott issued new executive orders that ban hemp‑derived THC products from sales to anyone under 21 and force companies to implement stricter labeling, testing, and buffer zones near schools. Lawmakers failed to deliver a broader ban earlier this year. Now regulators are scrambling to define limits for potency. Consumers report confusion. Retailers warn of legal traps. Reality check: Kids get protection. Adults still play in gray zones.
Grade: C‑
GOVERNMENT CLOWN CAR AWARD
California Lawmakers Unite, Then Rinse, Then Tax Cut
In California, lawmakers agreed on a temporary cut to the 19% excise tax, moving it down to 15% through mid‑2028. It happened because legal shops are bleeding. But critics said this guts programs relying on cannabis revenue. It is a tactic born of desperation, not reform.
Grade: D+
LOCAL TRAINWRECK
Ohio Hits $3B in Sales, but Bans Still Block the Market
Ohio crossed $3 billion in combined medical and adult-use cannabis sales this week, a milestone that shows strong consumer demand. But more than a hundred cities and townships still keep moratoriums in place, freezing new dispensaries. The state celebrates record numbers while tens of thousands of residents remain excluded. Progress and paralysis rolled into one.
Grade: F
REGULATOR ROULETTE
Germany Scientists Demand Legal Oversight, Not Guesswork
Researchers pointed out that after Germany’s legalization law in 2024, there remains a gaping hole in reliable data on youth health impact, illegal market behavior, and consumer trends. They want the government to greenlight more formal projects under its cannabis law’s research clauses. No action yet, but the alarm bells are loud.
Grade: C
FEDERAL STALL JOB
White House Says “All Options” While States Do the Work
A federal drug adviser recently said that the White House is exploring “all options” for federal cannabis rescheduling, but stopped short of timelines. Meanwhile, states like Texas, California, and Germany are fighting their own regulatory battles. Politics at the national level remains a theater without center-stage action.
Grade: D
FINAL GRADE: C‑
Texas stepped up for some regulation but left the rest dangerously vague. California patched a bleeding tax wound but only temporarily. Ohio’s market grows, but many still live in a state of legal limbo. Germany’s science sector is pushing boundaries. The feds are offering talking points, not timelines. Another week where reform creeps, not charges ahead.
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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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