Sue Dehnam

A Sixth Circuit ruling in a cultivation dispute erased a $31.8 million lower-court verdict and exposed a broader problem for cannabis companies: Federal courts may refuse to enforce contracts tied to federally illegal activity. Attorneys disagree about how broad the ruling is, but they agree operators should rethink forum selection, arbitration, and enforcement strategy.

Pumpkin spice mania has reached cannabis, but fall flavors are only part of the story. Brands and suppliers are using limited-edition flavors, colors, and collections to borrow a proven CPG tactic: create urgency, refresh crowded shelves, and experiment with new products without turning every launch into another permanent SKU.

The D.C. Circuit declined to suspend Attorney General Todd Blanche’s limited marijuana rescheduling order while several challenges to its legality proceed. The court also denied two state-licensed operators full intervenor status but allowed them to participate as amici.

Congress has no shortage of ideas for hemp after December 11. Lawmakers are pursuing repeal, delay, FDA regulation, state-led oversight, and a separate system for hemp beverages. The differences could reshape which products remain viable, who regulates them, and what compliance costs operators face.

Congress gave hemp companies another month before most new federal restrictions take effect, but no additional certainty about what comes next. Rather than trying to predict Washington, executives can use the time to identify where the business is exposed, preserve flexibility across multiple outcomes, and establish clear triggers for changing course.

Congress gave most hemp-derived cannabinoid products another 29 days before sweeping federal restrictions take effect. But the reprieve arrived through another must-pass funding bill, while standalone hemp legislation remains stuck and the Farm Bill stalled over an unrelated SNAP dispute.

Aurora rejected Curaleaf’s hostile takeover bid and disclosed that advisers are evaluating strategic alternatives, including potential competing offers, as the companies clash over valuation, upside, and voting control.

Curaleaf’s hostile bid asks Aurora Cannabis shareholders to accept an offer advertised at US$4 per share. But the mostly stock consideration has no downside floor, its upside is capped, and U.S. investors would exchange a Nasdaq-listed security for shares traded domestically over the counter. The offer circular also appears to contain outdated information about the conversion of Boris Jordan’s multiple-voting shares.

Cannabis operators aren’t alone in worrying about consolidation. Consumers interviewed across nine established adult-use markets praised legalization for improving safety, access, and social acceptance, but many also saw regulatory costs and corporate concentration pushing small businesses aside. Participants also questioned whether cannabis tax revenue has delivered promised community benefits and worry large corporations eventually could shape policy in their favor.

A small study associated frequent cannabis use with higher waking cortisol, but found no difference in the cortisol awakening response and did not establish causation.