Total Wine & More, the largest independent wine retailer in the US, says it is now carrying a variety of drinks infused with THC in all of its Texas and Louisiana locations.

Founded in 1991 in Delaware, Total Wine & More operates 260 “wine superstores” across 28 states. In a press announcement Total Wine & More says it’s partnering with Bayou City Hemp Company and 88th Wonder in order to expand their portfolio of beverages containing hemp-derived THC. The products —including HOWDY, Beach Break and 8th Wonder Cannabis— will be added to all of its 38 Texas locations and all five Louisiana locations, with potential plans to go nationwide after that.

“Our THC beverages are taking Texas by storm and this partnership with Total Wine & More is a major advancement in our mission to bring these products to the mainstream,” says Bayou City Hemp and 8th Wonder CEO Ben Meggs. “These non-alcoholic beverages are widely sought after and we’re thrilled to make them accessible to the customers of such an iconic and reputable company in the Lone Star State and Louisiana. In a short amount of time, our products have emerged as some of the top sellers in Texas Total Wines.”
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According to a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) report, the average THC content of marijuana flower sold through the illicit market in the United States is 16%.

The report uses data from the University of Mississippi’s Marijuana Monitoring Program, which is responsible for testing marijuana seized by the DEA as well as local and state law enforcement. The DEA says the average THC potency in illegal marijuana is currently 16%, a roughly 30% increase from 2021, when the average DEA content was below 14%.

“The potency of THC in leafy marijuana is at an all-time high”, states the report.
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Legislation that would have initially place an arbitrary cap on the allowable THC in medical marijuana has been given approval by a key committee in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Senate Bill 419 has been given approval through the Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee by a vote of 12 to 8. The proposal has already been passed through the full Senate, and will be sent to Governor Chris Sununu if it’s approved through the full House and the Senate concurs with any amendments.

“This bill establishes a definition of “cannabis concentrate,” imposes certain reporting requirements on the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and amends the definition of “usable cannabis” to that which is under 16 percent tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)”, states the most recent summary of the bill.
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The Ohio initiative that legalized recreational marijuana, approved by voters last year, allows cities to opt out of allowing marijuana sales. So far, dozens have chosen to do so.

According to a new report from Ohio State University’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, 47 cities and townships have chosen to pass temporary or permanent bans on the licensed distribution of marijuana, making it illegal for a marijuana store to open within their boundaries. This represents 2% of the state’s over 2,000 cities, townships, and villages.

Notably, none of the state’s most populated cities have enacted such a policy, with the average population of the cities implementing bans being around 20,000. One factor that may be contributing to fewer Ohio cities imposing bans than other states— in Michigan and New York, for example, over 50% of cities have bans on marijuana stores— is the Host Community Fund established under Issue 2, Ohio’s marijuana legalization initiative.

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In March, legal marijuana sales in Colorado topped $125 million for the first time since September.

According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, there was $126,630,910 worth of marijuana and marijuana products sold through legal means in March. This is a considerable increase over the $114 million sold in February and the $115 million sold in January. However, it’s a noticeable decrease from the $139 million sold in March 2023.

The over $125 million in marijuana sales resulted in $20,879,900 in tax revenue for the state.
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Polling shows that President Biden will receive a considerable favorability jump following marijuana being rescheduled.

According to nationwide polling around 60% of those likely to vote in the upcoming election support marijuana being moved away from its current Schedule I status. The survey found that among those made aware of the potential for marijuana to be rescheduled and of President Biden’s involvement in initiating the review process, his favorability rating increased by 11%.

The poll was conducted by Lake Research Partners, with participants surveyed prior to the DEA’s recent decision to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III, confirmed by the Department of Justice on April 30. Since the poll was conducted before the announcement that the rescheduling process would proceed (rather than just being under review), there’s a chance that President Biden’s 11% increase in favorability could be even higher if marijuana is officially moved to Schedule III before November’s election.
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Workers at a Nabis Warehouse in California have voted overwhelmingly to join Teamsters Local 630. The 84 new Teamsters work as drivers and warehouse associates.

“We are dedicated to ensuring stability in the rapidly growing cannabis industry,” said Lou Villalvazo, Secretary-Treasurer at Local 630 in Los Angeles. “Organizing and empowering workers is the key to fostering their growth into the middle class.  Through solidarity and commitment, we will make these good middle-class jobs!”‘

The workers filed for the election on April 20, the internationally renowned cannabis holiday. They are the third group of cannabis workers to join the Teamsters in three weeks and the third group at the company to join the union.
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A joint committee in the Ohio Legislature has given approval to rules that will allow legal recreational marijuana sales to begin next month, much sooner than initially planned.

The Joint Committee On Agency Rule Review (JCARR) gave final approval today to regulatory changes that allows the Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) to begin issuing dual licenses next month that would allow currently operating medical marijuana dispensaries to also sell to recreational consumers (aka anyone 21 and older).

Under the approved rules, dual license applications must be open and public by June 7.
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