Last Week in Cannabis #11
August 3–9, 2026 | Issue #11
Hey friend — welcome back to Last Week in Cannabis. A Canadian study with genuinely good news, a big development in US hemp policy, and a research story that's worth bookmarking. Let's get into it.
1. CANADA — Legalizing Cannabis Did Not Increase Youth Hospitalizations in Manitoba, Study Finds
Researchers from the University of Manitoba published a study this week in the International Journal of Population Data Science examining cannabis-related hospitalizations among children and teenagers in the province from 2013 through 2023 — a window that covers five years before legalization and five years after. The study found that legalizing marijuana did not lead to a notable increase in cannabis-related hospitalizations among children and teenagers in Manitoba. The average number of monthly hospitalizations was 8.50 before legalization, 9.52 during the initial phase, and 8.59 during the second phase — showing no meaningful upward trend.
Mary Jane's Take: This is important research, and it adds to a growing pile of evidence that legalization — done properly — does not automatically put young people at greater risk. One of the most common fears raised by opponents of cannabis legalization is that it will harm children. The Manitoba data, looking at a decade of real hospitalization records, does not support that fear. That does not mean parents should be complacent about keeping cannabis products safely stored away from children — that remains critical. But it does mean the conversation around legalization and youth safety deserves to be grounded in actual data, not assumptions.
2. CANADA — High Tide Closes Its $40 Million Credit Facility
Calgary-based cannabis retailer High Tide announced this week that it has officially closed its $40 million senior secured credit facility. The financing gives the company additional capital to fund continued retail expansion across Canada, where it currently operates one of the country's largest networks of private cannabis stores.
Mary Jane's Take: Access to conventional financing has been one of the persistent challenges for cannabis companies in Canada — banks have historically been cautious about the sector. High Tide closing a $40 million credit facility is a sign that lenders are becoming more comfortable with established, profitable cannabis retailers. That normalization of financing matters for the long-term health of the legal industry.
3. UNITED STATES — The Senate Just Delayed the Federal Hemp THC Ban Until December
We have been following the looming US federal ban on hemp-derived THC products for several weeks. This weekend, the US Senate passed a bipartisan funding bill on August 8th that includes a provision to delay the planned ban on most hemp-derived THC products from November 12th to December 11th. The Senate rejected an amendment that would have kept the original November timeline, by a vote of 61-32. The bill still requires House approval and the president's signature.
The delay is meant to give Congress more time to develop a regulatory framework for the $28 billion hemp industry rather than effectively banning it outright.
Mary Jane's Take: This is a temporary reprieve, not a solution. The hemp THC market — drinks, gummies, vapes sold widely at gas stations and convenience stores — has been operating in a regulatory grey zone for years. The debate in Congress right now is genuinely complicated: some senators want to ban these products entirely because they are accessible to minors and unregulated. Others argue that outright prohibition of a $28 billion industry, without a regulatory alternative, creates more problems than it solves. December is not far away. Watch this one closely.
4. GLOBAL — CBD Provided Pain Relief Comparable to Codeine After Laser Eye Surgery, Clinical Trial Finds
A clinical trial published this week found that CBD provided pain relief comparable to a standard codeine-acetaminophen combination following laser eye surgery — one of the more painful common outpatient procedures. Researchers described the results as promising for the potential use of CBD as a non-opioid pain management option in post-surgical recovery settings.
Mary Jane's Take: Studies like this matter for a few reasons. First, they add to the growing body of clinical evidence around CBD's real-world medical applications — this isn't a mouse model or a survey, it's a controlled trial on actual surgical patients. Second, any credible alternative to opioids for post-operative pain is worth paying attention to. Opioid dependence often starts with a legitimate prescription after a procedure. A cannabinoid-based option that works as well and carries a very different risk profile is exactly the kind of research the medical world needs more of.
That's your week — two from Canada, one from the United States, one from the global research world. See you next Monday.
— Mary Jane
