Joshua Sanderlin has been officially confirmed by the Delaware Senate to serve as the state’s new Marijuana Commissioner, a key step in moving forward the state’s adult-use marijuana program.

Joshua Sanderlin.

Sanderlin was confirmed on May 14 with a 19 to 0 vote. Two senators were absent. He was originally nominated in April by Governor Matt Meyer to lead the Office of the Marijuana Commissioner, which has gone months without a permanent head following the resignation of Rob Coupe in January.

A longtime attorney and cannabis policy expert, Sanderlin is the founder of Sanderlin Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based firm that provides legal, compliance, and lobbying services to marijuana businesses. His firm has advised clients in seven states and the District of Columbia since 2013.
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Minnesota lawmakers have finalized an agreement on a cannabis policy bill that includes a series of changes aimed at improving the state’s marijuana laws ahead of the official launch of licensed sales.

The revisions were adopted Friday by a joint House and Senate conference committee, with Representative Zack Stephenson (DFL) and Senator D. Scott Dibble (DFL) leading the effort through legislation HF 1615/SF 2370.

The bill includes technical updates and policy adjustments requested by the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). Eric Taubel, the agency’s interim director, said the changes are critical to a smooth licensing rollout and broader implementation.

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A bill filed today in the New York State Assembly would explicitly authorize the use of medical marijuana by terminally ill patients in hospitals and nursing homes.

New York State Capitol Building.

Assembly Bill 8469, introduced by Assemblymember Amy Paulin (D), was referred to the Assembly Committee on Health. The measure would create a new section of public health law establishing that health care facilities must allow the use of medical cannabis by terminally ill patients, so long as it does not involve smoking or vaping.

Under the bill, health care facilities would be allowed to reasonably regulate how cannabis is stored and administered, including requiring that it be kept in locked containers and recorded in patient medical records. The legislation would not compel facilities to provide marijuana to patients, but they would be prohibited from banning its use if a terminally ill patient is authorized to possess it and provides a valid registry identification card.
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A new bill filed yesterday in the New York Senate would make it a traffic infraction to consume or possess open containers of cannabis in the passenger area of motor vehicles.

Senate Bill 8865, introduced by Senator James Skoufis (D) and referred to the Senate Transportation Committee, would amend the state’s vehicle and traffic law to explicitly prohibit the consumption of cannabis or possession of an open container of cannabis or cannabis product in the passenger compartment of a vehicle on public highways, shoulders, or rights-of-way.

The legislation defines “passenger area” as any part of a vehicle designed to seat the driver or passengers, including unlocked glove compartments and any space within reach of the driver while seated. Cannabis in sealed packaging or stored in a vehicle’s trunk or a locked glove box would be exempt.
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Marijuana industry leaders and local officials are pushing back against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s proposal to implement a 32% wholesale tax on marijuana transactions, warning it could devastate an already strained market.

The proposal is part of Whitmer’s “MI Road Ahead” infrastructure plan and is projected to generate nearly $470 million annually for roads and bridges. But critics say it would push small and mid-sized operators out of the legal market.

“You’re going to kill the industry,” said cannabis attorney Denise Pollicella of Omnus Law during a hearing held Thursday by the House Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and Insurance and Financial Services Subcommittee. “They just can’t take it. They’re already financially burdened enough.”
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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) says that a patchwork of marijuana legalization laws at the state level is creating opportunities for foreign drug cartels to exploit the system, using state-sanctioned business registrations as a front for illicit operations that involve moving cannabis into states where it remains illegal.

The agency’s latest report appears to concede that ongoing marijuana prohibition in many states is fueling the very illegal market it aims to stop.

Released Thursday, the DEA’s 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment includes a section focused on marijuana trafficking. It claims that transnational criminal organizations, particularly Asian syndicates, are bypassing legal restrictions and “hide behind state-by-state variations in laws governing plant counts, registration requirements, and accountability practices.”
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A new bipartisan proposal filed today in the Michigan House of Representatives would authorize the creation of a state-operated marijuana reference laboratory.

The measure, House Bill 4501, has been referred to the House Regulatory Reform Committee for consideration.

Filed by Representatives Mike Mueller (R) and Tyrone Carter (D), the bill seeks to amend the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act by expanding the duties of the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA). Specifically, the legislation would empower the CRA to “establish and operate a marihuana reference laboratory” to support its investigations and research. The lab would also be tasked with developing and optimizing testing methods for marijuana products in the state.
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South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare is reviewing a proposal that would expand insurance coverage for Epidiolex, a cannabis-derived epilepsy medication approved in the country since 2019.

The proposed changes would make Epidiolex available under the national health insurance program for a broader group of patients. Currently, only those diagnosed with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome qualify for coverage. If the revisions are adopted, coverage would be extended to include tuberous sclerosis, a rare condition that also causes severe seizures and for which Epidiolex is already approved in South Korea.

The move would also lower the treatment threshold. Right now, patients must prove they’ve unsuccessfully tried at least five traditional epilepsy medications before qualifying for insurance coverage. Under the revised rules, that number would be reduced to three.
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