BRIAN HOLLER / THE ARCHIVE
regulation
Reporting, observations, and practical ideas from business, cannabis, media, culture, and the places they meet.
Green Thumb Says Massachusetts Question 8 Puts $330 Million in Taxes at Risk
Massachusetts Question 8 would end licensed adult-use cannabis sales in 2028 while preserving a narrower medical market. The state’s own voter guide says adult-use taxes produced about $330…
New Jersey’s Unlicensed Cannabis Crackdown Has Teeth. Enforcement Is Still the Test.
New Jersey S4287 would impose steep penalties on unlicensed marijuana retailers. The state’s own audit shows why enforcement matters—but the bill is not law yet.
DEA Rescheduling Hits Another Stall With an October 21 Deadline Attached
Published before an October 21 DEA deadline, this article tracks the motion to reopen the broader marijuana-rescheduling hearing. Updated October 31 with the later ruling and the 2026…
How Questionable Cannabis Regulations Actually Get Made
California’s cannabis-packaging debate shows why good regulation needs more than good intentions: real public-health signals, clear causal evidence, precise rules and measurement of whether the intervention actually works.
Can Metrc Prove Its California Compliance Burden Is Worth It?
Consumers love the idea of track and trace. Operators hate paying for it. A Metrc commissioned study of 3,061 consumers across 33 legal jurisdictions found that QR codes…
Washington Built the Paperwork Bridge to Federal Registration
Washington state built a procedural bridge toward federal cannabis registration while national policy remains unsettled. The bigger operator lesson: implementation paperwork can shape a market long before the…
Bedrocan Is Bankrupt and the Dutch Medical Monopoly Is Over
Bedrocan’s bankruptcy ended a long-running Dutch medical cannabis monopoly and exposed a broader lesson about protected markets: exclusivity can create stability, but it can also concentrate operational risk…
The Price War Is Really a Licensing War
Cannabis price compression is often treated as a demand story, but licensing structure and supply access can determine where the floor lands. Brian Holler looks at why the…
100% of Cannabis Consumers Say QR Codes Make Them Feel More Protected
A cannabis QR-code study produced an unusually strong trust signal. The durable lesson is bigger than the technology: verified product information can reduce uncertainty when consumers understand who…
California Treasurer Fiona Ma Calls Prop 64 a Complete Disaster
California Treasurer Fiona Ma’s criticism of Proposition 64 matters because it moves familiar operator complaints into statewide political language. Brian Holler looks at taxes, local control, illicit competition…
The New Jersey Straw Owner Lawsuit Is a Gut Punch to Real Equity
New Jersey’s alleged straw-ownership case shows why social-equity programs need enforcement after licenses are awarded, not just eligibility rules at the front door. Equity fails when ownership exists…
Rosario Dawson Is Fighting to Save THC Drinks
The fight over hemp-derived THC beverages is also a fight over which regulatory lane intoxicating products should occupy. Celebrity involvement creates attention; the durable questions are safety standards,…
Cannabis Rules May Be Giving Big Operators an Unfair Advantage
When compliance costs are largely fixed, scale becomes a regulatory advantage before operational quality enters the picture. Brian Holler examines why cannabis rules can burden independents disproportionately and…
The Rules Are the Market
In cannabis, regulation is not background noise. Licensing, testing, and tax rules decide who can compete, who can scale, and who survives. Operators who read the rules as…
FIND YOUR NEXT THREAD