Last Week in Cannabis #7
June 30 – July 5, 2026 | Issue #7
Hey friend — welcome back to Last Week in Cannabis. A short week in Canada with Canada Day on Wednesday, but a genuinely significant week in the United States. The DEA rescheduling hearing we've been following for months finally got underway — and the first days brought some real surprises. Let's get into it.
1. CANADA — Eight Years In, 80% of Canadian Cannabis Comes from Legal Sources
A new report from the International Cannabis Policy Study found that approximately 80% of cannabis consumed in Canada now comes from legal sources — up from just 54% at legalization in 2019. The shift is being driven primarily by falling prices in the legal market, with legal and illegal cannabis now costing roughly the same amount per gram. The report also found that even frequent, daily consumers have largely made the switch.
Mary Jane's Take: This is one of the most important metrics for measuring whether legalization is actually working, and the answer here is yes. When Canada legalized cannabis in 2018, one of the stated goals was to displace the illegal market by offering a safe, regulated alternative. Getting eight in ten consumers sourcing legally — including the heaviest users — in eight years is a genuine success story. The remaining 20% won't fully disappear overnight, but the trend is clearly in the right direction.
2. CANADA — Health Canada Is Defending Its Tracking of New Products
Health Canada responded publicly this week to criticism following a study that found gaps in how the agency tracks new cannabis products entering the market and inconsistency in how potency is displayed on packaging across different product types. The agency said its existing systems provide adequate oversight but acknowledged that uniformity in potency labelling is an area it continues to review.
Mary Jane's Take: Labelling consistency is one of those issues that sounds dry until you're standing in a dispensary trying to compare two different products and the numbers are presented in completely different ways — milligrams per gram on one, percentage on another. For beginners especially, inconsistent labelling creates real confusion and makes it harder to make informed choices. This is worth pushing on.
3. UNITED STATES — The DEA Rescheduling Hearing Started — and the Government's Own Witnesses Made the Case for Cannabis
The long-awaited DEA hearing on cannabis rescheduling began June 29th in Arlington, Virginia — and the first days delivered something few people expected. Despite the DEA having selected only anti-cannabis organizations as participants, the government's own two witnesses made a compelling case for rescheduling.
The first witness, an FDA scientist named Dominic Chiapperino, walked the courtroom through the agency's ten-month scientific evaluation. His team compared cannabis against heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, cocaine, benzodiazepines, alcohol, and tobacco. When asked directly whether marijuana has fewer overdose deaths than those substances, he answered: yes. He said the data supports moving cannabis to Schedule III, and that cannabis withdrawal looks more like tobacco withdrawal than anything more severe.
The second witness, New Hampshire physician Corey Burchman, testified that he and his colleagues would actively use medical cannabis to reduce patients' opioid prescriptions, and described cannabis withdrawal as resembling "a dying glowing ember of a campfire" compared to opioid withdrawal, which he called "like a dumpster fire."
The hearing continues through July 15th, with anti-rescheduling participants still to present their case.
Mary Jane's Take: Take a moment with this one. The most significant federal cannabis hearing in more than fifty years opened with the US government's own scientific and medical witnesses saying cannabis is safer than alcohol, has real medical value for pain patients, and belongs in a lower scheduling category. Whatever happens next, that testimony is now part of the official record. The hearing is still ongoing — the opposition will have its say — but the first week belongs to the science.
4. THAILAND — Cannabis Rules Tighten Again
Thailand, which made global headlines in 2022 by effectively decriminalizing cannabis, has now introduced new restrictions limiting who can legally work with cannabis commercially. Under the new rules, only registered healthcare facilities, pharmacies, and licensed herbal product stores may apply for licences to study, export, distribute, or process cannabis for commercial purposes. Recreational cannabis remains in a legal grey zone.
Mary Jane's Take: Thailand's cannabis journey has been one of the more dramatic in the world — a rapid opening followed by a drawn-out effort to walk some of it back. The new rules don't re-criminalize personal use, but they do narrow who can participate in the commercial cannabis space significantly. It's a reminder that policy can move in multiple directions, and that early legalization or decriminalization doesn't always mean a straight path forward.
That's your week — two from Canada, two from around the world, and one story that could shape cannabis policy for a generation. See you next Monday.
— Mary Jane
