🌿 Glass House faces ICE fallout, Joe Rogan blasts hemp ban, and Cookies caught in financial crisis

Happy Friday Pre Rollers! Welcome to another edition of The Pre Roll, the cannabis newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the industry happenings you need to know.

Here’s what we’re rolling up this week:

• Glass House faces ICE fallout

• Joe Rogan blasts hemp ban

• Cookies caught in financial crisis

…and more. Let’s get to it.

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🚨 ROLL CALL

Business

Revenue raid. A immigration raid earlier this year on a cannabis farm operated by Glass House Brands cost the company over $26 million in lost revenue, reduced its harvest by more than 100,000 pounds, and led the company to overhaul its labor practices.

Back in July, federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the National Guard conducted raids on operations in Carpinteria and Camarillo on California’s Central Coast, sparking significant backlash and protest from community members, immigrant-rights activists, and public officials. In response, agents deployed tear gas and smoke canisters to disperse the crowd while detaining multiple farmworkers.

One employee who had worked at one of the farms for 10 years tragically lost his life after falling from the roof of a greenhouse. According to authorities, there were also more than 360 people arrested. Among those were four U.S. citizens, including a professor from California State University Channel Islands.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called it “one of the largest” undertakings of its kind since President Trump took office.

At the time, Glass House reported it complied with the search warrants presented, was working to provide its employees legal representation, and did not expect the situation to affect its business moving forward.

Policy

Podcasting pushback. Podcaster Joe Rogan sharply criticized the federal hemp-derived THC ban signed by President Donald Trump, calling it “really bad” and warning that it could negatively impact people who use CBD for therapeutic purposes. He also accused the alcohol industry of lobbying Congress to pass the law in order to limit competition from cannabis products.

The full rant, linked to the appropriate timestamp, can be found below:

The ban came as part of a federal funding bill agreed upon to end the longest U.S. federal government shutdown in history. In it, Congress passed a provision that dealt a significant blow to the $28 billion hemp market. The package, signed and supported by President Trump, tightened the legal definition of hemp and bans hemp‑derived products containing more than 0.4 milligrams of THC. The U.S. Hemp Roundtable, a national nonprofit advocacy organization, says it will eliminate 95% of the industry.

Business

Financial fiasco. Prominent cannabis brand Cookies is facing a serious financial crisis after a judge ordered that its global royalty payments must be redirected to pay a former business partner $8.4 million. The ruling comes after a long-running dispute with the former partner, who claimed entitlement to a share of the profits.

The decision puts the company’s core revenue streams from licensed stores at risk, a move its lawyer warned “could result in an immediate insolvency event” for the company.

🇺🇸 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Florida: Under legal pressure from the pro-cannabis group Smart & Safe, state election officials have advanced a proposed cannabis legalization amendment toward the 2026 ballot by formally recognizing the petition’s signatures and submitting it for court review.

Massachusetts: The Senate unanimously approved legislation to modernize state cannabis laws by overhauling the Cannabis Control Commission, raising possession limits, and adjusting licensing rules.

Ohio: The House passed a bill that would restrict most intoxicating hemp products to regulated dispensaries and tighten up the state’s marijuana laws.

Rhode Island: Over 60% of social equity applicants for cannabis retail licenses were disqualified during screening.

Wisconsin: Legislators introduced a plan to tightly regulate hemp‑derived cannabinoid products.

💻 TECH

Safe Harbor streamlines cannabis financial services

The cannabis fintech rolled out the cannabis industry’s first all‑in‑one financial platform, designed to help operators bank, borrow, operate, and grow.

💨 QUICK HITTERS

• Arcana Collective unveiled a line of 13 proprietary cannabis seed varieties.

• The Flowers & Tea podcast is set to debut as a platform to spotlight women’s voices around cannabis policy, equity, and culture.

• Cannabis food brand Clebby’s launched a new line of hemp-derived cannabis cooking and baking products supported by an online recipe hub.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

• Hemp industry battles to save THC products from ban: 5 things to know (The Hill)

• Seth Rogen on How Weed Went From Taboo to Mainstream (Bon Appétit)

• The New Federal Hemp Ban Is An Opportunity To Legalize Cannabis Across The Board (Op-Ed) (Marijuana Moment)

• How the bill that ended the shutdown could threaten the U.S. hemp industry’s future (PBS)

• States Are Already Rebelling Against Trump’s New Hemp THC Ban (High Times)

• Audit: Utah's cannabis licensing body operates as 'a rubber stamp' on oversight (KSL)

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Stay tuned for more cannabis industry news next week!

💚,

The Pre Roll Team

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