Best of the Week: May 23 – May 29, 2025

Let’s dive into the top stories shaping the conversation this week. Summaries of each article are listed below.

#1: Recent Survey Finds That Most Veterans Believe That the Department of Veterans Affairs Should Offer Medical Cannabis Treatment

1. Recent Survey Finds That Most Veterans Believe That the Department of Veterans Affairs Should Offer Medical Cannabis Treatment

A recent survey conducted by non-profit group, Mission Roll Call, called the “2025 VA Cuts & Services Survey” found that military veterans and their family members believe that the “Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) should provide medical cannabis treatment to eligible patients.”

The survey consisted of approximately 2,000 veterans and their family members. 95% of survey respondents were a veteran or family member of a veteran and included responses from all 50 states in the US. According to survey results, 57% of respondents felt that they supported the VA to provide medical cannabis as a treatment option. 27% of respondents supported psychedelics, for example MDMA and psilocybin, as treatments the VA should support and 17% believed the VA should support Ketamine as another form of treatment for eligible patients.

2. White Earth Nation Opens First Cannabis Dispensary Located Outside of Tribal Lands in Minnesota

On May 23, 2025, White Earth Nation officially opened the first cannabis dispensary located outside of Tribal lands. The recreational cannabis dispensary is located in Moorhead, Minnesota.

“This has never been done before, being the first to be able to open an off-reservation dispensary, let alone just the first dispensary in the state,” said Zach Wilson, CEO of White Earth’s cannabis business, Waabigwan Mashkiki.

3. Basic Income Pilot Program Introduced in Albuquerque, New Mexico

In May 2025, the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, began their pilot program which was originally voted on in 2023. In a March 2025 press release, the City Council announced the Cannabis Equity & Community Reinvestment resolution had been approved. The three-year program received $4.02 million, more than $2 million in City of Albuquerque Cannabis Tax Revenue will “fund a new Guaranteed Income Initiative to correct for historic inequity and help create economic stability for those trying to build a better future for their families.”

4. New Social Equity Cannabis Licenses Coming Soon to Washington

Recently announced, the state of Washington’s Social Equity Program will be opening a licensing period between June 2, 2025, to July 1, 2025. During this period, 52 new retail social equity licenses will be issued.

“We know that certain communities were disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs and are underrepresented in legal cannabis spaces, and so this program specifically seeks to award retail cannabis licenses to those who qualify for the program,” Samantha Guter, communications consultant with the Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board, said in an interview with Inlander.

Applicants will need to satisfy at least two of the program’s four licensing criteria.

5. Noid Knowledge Podcast Episode 26: Innovations in Drying and Curing to Protect Flower Quality

In this latest installment of the Noid Knowledge podcast, host Evan Friedmann is joined by Dr. Allison Justice, Founder and CEO of the Hemp Mine, and David Sandelman COO, CTO & Co-Founder of Cannatrol. In this episode, Allison and David discuss preserving trichome integrity, and flower quality, plus innovations in cannabis drying and curing, focusing on the Cannatrol technology, which controls vapor pressure.