This piece is part of Cannabis Wire’s 2018-in-review package. Read about the cannabis research boom here, how the industry is going global here, and what lawmakers and advocates see for 2019 here.
Cannabis Wire has published groundbreaking stories on the cannabis beat since our launch in June 2018.
Here are our top stories for the year:
Weak cannabis regulation helped create a boom, and as it recedes the high costs are becoming clear.
2) In Public Housing, a Cannabis Catch-22
Some federally subsidized tenants are forced to choose between their medicine and their home.
How Barack Obama’s clemency operation failed thousands of drug offenders, some serving long sentences for cannabis crimes, and left them at the mercy of Donald Trump’s whims.
4) Cannabis Goes To Washington
A burgeoning industry is using its money to influence politics, and finding new GOP allies in the process. But there may be a price.
5) “Investments That Generate Hope”: Inside Colombia’s Canadian Cannabis Boom
The nation has seen an influx of investment from Canadian cannabis companies, set in motion by its previous president. Will a new administration keep the momentum?
6) Congress Passed a Farm Bill That Legalizes Hemp. So What Happens Now?
Cannabis Wire explores what hemp legalization means for the crop and its products, and the questions still facing Congress and federal regulators.
Marijuana Accountability Coalition
7) An Anti-Cannabis Crusader Ramps Up for the Midterms—and Beyond
The leading anti-cannabis organization, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, is raising unprecedented money. Here’s where it’s throwing its weight.
8) Is Your Data Safe When You Purchase Legal Cannabis?
In both the US and Canada, retailers often collect sensitive information. It could be vulnerable, and some lawmakers are taking a look.
9) Cannabis Taxes State by State: What We Know So Far
How much revenue is coming in? And, more important, where does it go?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
10) Who Gets Busted at the Border for Cannabis? Frequently, US Citizens with Small Stashes
Along the US border, the line between immigration enforcement and thinly-veiled federal drug stops is becoming difficult to see.
