Physician-Furnished, Legally Frozen: How AB 8 Locks California Out of the Federal Hemp-CBD Medicare Benefit
California’s AB 8 bans detectable THC in hemp products sold outside licensed dispensaries — putting the state on a direct collision course with the new CMS Substance Access BEI, which allows physicians to furnish hemp-CBD products worth up to $500 annually to Medicare patients. Here’s what ACOs, hemp businesses, and healthcare providers need to know.
California Cannabis Regulatory Compliance in 2026: What Local & State Headlines Are Telling Operators
By The Law Office of Shay Aaron Gilmore | shaygilmorelaw.com The past few weeks have produced a striking cluster of cannabis compliance news from across California — from the North Coast to the Central Coast to San Diego, and from small agricultural counties to major cities. Taken together, these stories send a clear message: regulatory […]
Administrative Law and the California Cannabis Industry Now: New Rulemaking and Appeals Process
By Shay Aaron Gilmore | The Law Office of Shay Aaron Gilmore | shaygilmorelaw.com Right now, in the spring of 2026, California cannabis administrative law is as active as it has ever been. A new multipack rulemaking is open for public comment through April 13, 2026. The Cannabis Control Appeals Panel is hearing contested license […]
California Cannabis & Hemp Industry and Legal Update: What Operators and Investors Need to Know
California’s cannabis and hemp markets are navigating a perfect storm of declining retail sales, shifting local tax policies, and a federal hemp reckoning that could reshape the competitive landscape for years to come. Whether you operate a licensed dispensary in Los Angeles, cultivate in the North Coast, manufacture edibles in the South Bay, or distribute […]
More Than a Dozen Cannabis and Hemp Bills Introduced in the 2026 California Legislative Session
With yesterday’s bill-introduction deadline now past, the contours of California’s 2026 legislative cannabis and hemp agenda are becoming clear. Between January and February 20, California lawmakers introduced 16 bills that either directly regulate cannabis and hemp or, like AB 2494 and SB 936, impose collateral rules that licensed operators will need to navigate or at […]
The Intersection of Cannabis Law and Family Law in California: Legal Standards and New Questions
California stands at a crossroads in American jurisprudence, where liberalization of state cannabis laws has converged with family law issues. Since the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996, which legalized medical marijuana, and Proposition 64 in 2016, which legalized recreational cannabis for adults 21 and over, the Golden State has led the nation in cannabis […]
California Cannabis M&A in 2026: Rescheduling Momentum, Hemp Bans, and State Integration Collide
California’s 2026 cannabis M&A activity will unfold as three distinct regulatory shifts begin to converge: (1) President Trump’s December 2025 executive order directing federal marijuana rescheduling, (2) Congress’s November 2025 redefinition of hemp that bans most intoxicating hemp products, and (3) California’s AB 8 integration of hemp-derived cannabinoids into the licensed cannabis framework. Recent industry […]
California Opens Public Comment on Cannabis Appellations Program Amendments
On January 2, 2026, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) released proposed amendments to its Cannabis Appellations Program (CAP) regulations, marking a significant step toward operationalizing the world’s first governmental appellation system for cannabis. The 45-day public comment period runs through February 17, 2026, giving stakeholders an opportunity to weigh in on key […]
2025 California Cannabis Litigation and Case Law: DCC Loss Headlines Year of Court Decisions
As California’s cannabis industry matures, the past year has produced an array of court decisions and case law addressing regulatory compliance, property rights, insurance coverage, and the persistent tension between state legalization and federal prohibition. DCC’s Track-and-Trace System Fell Short in California Superior Court Arguably, the most significant decision this year came from Orange County […]
Marijuana Rescheduling, If It Happens, Will Be Incremental Progress and Still Not the Answer
Introduction Rumors of marijuana rescheduling have again dominated the headlines, with reports that President Trump is considering an executive order to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. [1] [2] As I previously discussed in my September 19, 2024 blog post, one fundamental truth remains unchanged: rescheduling does not […]