February 27, 2025  l  Sign Me Up

Get notified when MJBizCon registration opens — Register Now!

F E A T U R E D   S T O R Y

Trump research cuts threaten cannabis

studies, pose rescheduling questions

Photo by Soru Epotok/stock.adobe.com

The Trump administration's plan to cut federal research funding threatens 565 ongoing experiments involving cannabis, according to an MJBizDaily review and interviews with scientists and academics.

An accompanying freeze of new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants is also stymieing future research at a key moment - and raising questions about the fate of marijuana rescheduling as well as suggesting profound consequences for the regulated MJ industry.

The NIH announced Feb. 7 that it would drastically reduce to no more than 15% the amount of "indirect costs" - money used to cover administrative and facility-related bills - financed by federal research grants.

Without fully funded indirect costs, "I literally cannot do my research," said Angela Bryan, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder who's studied high-THC cannabis as well as the use of marijuana for pain, mood and sleep.

Universities immediately sued to block the NIH cuts, which are now on indefinite hiatus pending resolution of those legal challenges.

That forces researchers to continue to work despite the real possibility that a halt could happen at almost any time.

It also creates potential for yet another long-term headache for the $32 billion marijuana industry. Read story >

More Headlines

• Casa Verde leads $3 million funding round for marijuana insurer Frontier Risk. Read story >
• Cannabis bills fail to advance in Indiana Legislature. Read story >

Sponsored

Insights on growing & manufacturing cannabis

New Jersey regulators adjust cannabis

testing lab requirements

Photo by H_Ko/stock.adobe.com

In the next few months, cannabis testing labs in New Jersey will be subject to new labeling requirements and must obey new action limits under recently approved rules.

For the first time, New Jersey now has its own testing standards, after having followed Maryland's cannabis testing protocols since 2021.

Under the new rules approved by the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC):

• The maximum "batch size" for usable cannabis is now 33.07 pounds, down from 100 pounds.
• Product labels must include the content of THCA, CBDA, CBG, CBGA and CBN as well as THC and CBD.

There are also new action limits for many contaminants. Read story >

Sponsored

More Headlines

• California bill would derail planned marijuana tax increase of up to 25%. Read story >
• Cannabis MSO Jushi benefiting from little-used IRS tax-credit program. Read story >
• New Jersey adult-use marijuana market heating up with new entrants. Read story >
• Medical cannabis registries show steep decline after launch of adult-use sales. Read story >
• West Virginia marijuana operator Harvest Care secures $4 million refinancing deal. Read story >
• Could 2025 be the year of university and cannabis industry partnerships? Read story >
• Trump administration refusing to return seized New Mexico marijuana, suit says. Read story >
• Cannabis Marketing Association closing after 9 years. Read story >

R E S O U R C E S

• Get the MJBizCon Buzz – Subscribe
  
• Make informed decisions with MJBiz Factbook – Get data
• MJBiz Free Cannabis 101 Course – Sign up and start learning
• MJBizDaily Reports and Buyers Guides – Download
• MJBiz Media Kit – Advertise with us
• Exhibit at MJBizCon – Get a booth

MJBizDaily is the leading resource for the cannabis industry, cited by The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Harvard Business Review. MJBiz also produces the No. 1 cannabis business conference, MJBizCon.

Share MJBizDaily

Forward this email to friends and colleagues to keep them on the up and up with the latest cannabis business news and insights from MJBiz.

MJBizCon 2025

Dec. 2-5, 2025  l  Las Vegas  |  Learn More