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🌿 Trump admin omits cannabis from drug policy priorities, Minnesota recreational market on the cusp, and Glass House collabs with UC Berkeley on hemp research

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: Trump admin omits cannabis from drug policy priorities, Minnesota recreational market on the cusp, Glass House collabs with UC Berkeley on hemp research, and more. Let’s get to it.

Author

Alex Lipnik
April 11, 2025

together with

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:

  • Trump admin omits cannabis from drug policy priorities

  • Minnesota recreational market on the cusp

  • Glass House collabs with UC Berkeley on hemp research

…and more. Let’s get to it.

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🚨 ROLL CALL
Policy

Take a back seat. For better or worse, cannabis rescheduling was a noticeable omission from the Trump administration’s newly released list of first-year drug policy priorities. Outlined by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), the top six priorities mentioned for the White House to implement are as follows:

  1. Reduce the number of overdose fatalities, with a focus on fentanyl

  2. Secure the global supply chain against drug trafficking

  3. Stop the flow of drugs across our borders and into our communities

  4. Prevent drug use before it starts

  5. Provide treatment that leads to long-term recovery

  6. Innovate in research and data to support drug control strategies

Overall, these initiatives aim to disrupt drug production and distribution networks, enhance prevention and treatment efforts, and bolster research, all while addressing the urgent need to reduce the impact of dangerous illicit drugs on American society.

The news, while a letdown to many cannabis advocates, wasn’t entirely surprising as the Trump White House recently stated that "no action is being considered” on cannabis at the moment.

Policy

On the cusp. The Office of Cannabis Management in Minnesota announced that an administrative law judge has approved draft rules governing the adult-use cannabis market. The rules will be published in the State Register and officially go into effect later this month, at which point the OCM can begin issuing business licenses to applicants who have completed all necessary steps in the application process.

“The judge’s approval of our proposed rules without changes shows that we did our work to engage with the prospective cannabis business community and put together a reasonable structure for ensuring consistency, safety, and equity in Minnesota’s cannabis industry.” 

Interim OCM Director Eric Taubel

The final approved rules in their entirety on the OCM’s Rulemaking webpage. 

Minnesota became the 23rd state to legalize adult-use cannabis in May of 2023 when Governor Tim Walz signed the measure into law.

Research

Research university. ​California cannabis company Glass House Brands has partnered with the University of California, Berkeley, to conduct hemp research and development, focusing on areas such as medicinal product innovation, hemp genetics enhancement, market analysis, supply chain sustainability, and AI-driven cultivation and production.

This collaboration also aims to explore data-driven and evidence-based approaches to hemp policy and regulation in order to help reduce uncertainties for California hemp growers.

“We are excited to work with UC Berkeley as we continue to evaluate our long-term hemp strategy. This is the first collaboration of its kind in this industry, and Berkeley has a successful history of assisting industry stakeholders to find innovative and sustainable solutions to environmental issues. We are confident that through this agreement, we will be better positioned to navigate the local and national legislative uncertainty for the hemp industry as we prepare to scale the business into the future.”

Kyle Kazan, Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Glass House Brands

Glass House's dedicated hemp R&D greenhouse has the capacity to produce up to 240,000 pounds of biomass annually.

🇺🇸 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Connecticut: The Department of Consumer Protection has established a new division to oversee the regulation and inspection of medical and recreational cannabis.

Florida: Lawmakers are considering a bill that would waive state fees for medical cannabis cards for veterans.

Michigan: The state Supreme Court ruled that cannabis odor alone does not provide sufficient probable cause for police to conduct a warrantless vehicle search.

Oklahoma: An advocacy group filed a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational cannabis.​

🤝 DEALS

SNDL reels in retail stores

The vertically integrated Canadian cannabis company agreed to acquire 32 dispensaries operating under the Cost Cannabis and T Cannabis brands for over $32 million to expand its retail network across Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

đź’¨ QUICK HITTERS
📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

  • Cannabis costs get higher: How Trump's tariffs impact US consumers (USA TODAY)

  • How weed drinks became the only winner of California's legal weed market (SFGATE)

  • New York Investigates Brands Accused of Selling Illegally Sourced Weed (New York Times)

  • Germany's first year of legalized cannabis: Has it worked? (DW)

  • As weed celebrations approach, California’s cannabis industry is still far from flying high (San Francisco Chronicle)

  • Will PA Ever Legalize Weed? (Philadelphia Citizen)

  • Where Will Weed Win? (Cannabis Policy Institute at UNLV)

  • Big players enter hemp-derived THC drink market amid growing restrictions, bans (MJBizDaily)

  • How one Virginia Beach senior living community helps senior citizens navigate cannabis use (WHRO)

  • 'The soul of cannabis is gone': Portland marijuana dispensaries rocked by crime, oversaturated market (KGW)

  • Why Tilray is betting on the growing popularity of THC drinks as cannabis sales drop (MarketWatch)

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