Best of the Week: May 9 – May 15, 2025
Here, we bring you our top five recent articles covering cannabis legalization bills in Pennsylvania and Virginia, hemp regulation compliance in California, the first map of tribal cannabis and hemp programs, and a study on cannabis consumption and a sedentary lifestyle.
Let’s dive into the top stories shaping the conversation this week. Summaries of each article are listed below.
1. Cannabis Legalization Bill Passes in Pennsylvania House
Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted to pass a bill proposal that would legalize cannabis in the state for adults 21 years old and older. The legislation was introduced on May 4, 2025, and advanced from the House Health Committee the next day. The proposal passed 102-101. All republicans voted against the bill, while democrats voted in support of its passing.
The bill, called HB 1200, would additionally allow for cannabis sales in state-operated stores which would be regulated by the Liquor Control Board.
However, the Pennsylvania Senate subsequently rejected the bill. The legislation was heard by the Pennsylvania Senate Law and Justice Committee on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
“You show me a bill that could pass the Senate, and we can all support, then I’ll be there for you on this issue," stated Senator Boscola. “I just can’t do it today. I need a better bill.”
2. Medical Cannabis Bill Vetoed by Virginia Governor
Other cannabis legislation made the news this week. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin recently vetoed HB 1989, a medical cannabis bill which aimed to help make improvements to product labeling for medical cannabis products as well as “codify permissible delivery locations.” With the bill no longer able to become law, the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority regulations will now be taken into effect. These include decreasing access for medical cannabis patients. Medical cannabis will only be allowed to be delivered to the patient’s residence.
“Virginia’s medical cannabis program delivery process has notably been operating without incident since its inception,” said JM Pedini, NORML’s Development Director and the Executive Director for Virginia NORML. “Claims that this bill would have expanded marijuana access are categorically false. Anyone who can read can see that this bill enumerated multiple prohibitions on delivery locations which do not currently exist under Virginia law.”
3. California Businesses are in Near-Total Compliance with Hemp Regulations, Governor States
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently announced that business across the state were in near total compliance with the prohibition of the sale of intoxicating hemp products. Originally passed in September 2024, the emergency regulations were intended to protect consumers, and especially youth, against the effects of THC, and prohibited hemp products from containing any amount of intoxicating cannabinoids. Additionally, the minimum age to purchase hemp products was set to 21.
Reportedly, 99.7% percent of businesses are in compliance with the regulations in 2025, according to Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Failure to comply with the regulations can result in criminal penalties and loss of license.
In a recent press release, the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA) released the first-ever map of Tribal cannabis and hemp programs. This work was created through collaboration with Vicente LLP, a cannabis law firm.
“Indigenous cannabis programs are a vital piece of America’s cannabis movement,” stated Andrew Livingston, Director of Economics and Market Analysis at Vicente LLP, in the press release. “And these businesses deserve recognition. The goal of our study is to provide information on how different Indigenous communities have established their regulated cannabis programs, the size of the economic opportunity, and the ways that regulating cannabis can be structured in the future to further the goals of each community.”
5. Belgian Study Examines Effect of Cannabis Consumption on Physical Activity
A recently published study examined the long-held assumption of a link between cannabis and a sedentary lifestyle. It also noted past research suggesting a possible positive effect on physical activity from cannabis consumption, though they resulted in mixed evidence. The study, “Cannabis use is not associated with altered levels of physical activity: evidence from the repeated cross-sectional Belgian Health Interview Survey,” was published in the Journal of Cannabis Research in April 2025.
“There was no evidence suggesting that past-month cannabis users have better or worse physical activity levels compared to non-users in the Belgian population aged 15–64 years,” the researchers concluded in the abstract.
