💸 The Tape

Prohibitionists have dusted off one of their oldest tricks: ask a loaded question, then brag about the answer. This week, Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) promoted a new poll claiming most Americans oppose the federal plan to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. But there’s a catch: the poll was built on two hypotheticals so skewed they’d make a Vegas bookie blush.

The survey, conducted by On Message Inc., told 1,000 voters that rescheduling would let cannabis companies advertise more aggressively to kids and give tax breaks to Chinese and Mexican cartels. Surprise, surprise—most respondents said “no thanks.” In reality, rescheduling wouldn’t suddenly make it legal to pitch weed gummies on Saturday morning cartoons, nor does the IRS hand tax credits to drug cartels that already operate outside the law.

Advocates were quick to call out the framing. Adam Smith of the Marijuana Policy Project said flatly: “It is already a crime for cannabis businesses to advertise to children.” Regulation, not prohibition, sets the real guardrails. NORML’s Morgan Fox added that prohibitionists have long leaned on “creative interpretations of data,” and this poll is no exception. ATACH’s Michael Bronstein called the questions “clearly misleading.”

For context, independent polls consistently show strong support for reform. Emerson College recently found that about two-thirds of Americans back full legalization. Another survey from the Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation pegged support for ending prohibition at nearly 70 percent. Even Trump-aligned pollsters have reported majority Republican support for rescheduling.

So why trot out a poll this way? For SAM, the strategy is simple: seed doubt, confuse lawmakers, and reframe a policy change that’s largely about tax code fairness and research access as a Trojan horse for child-targeted marketing and cartel enrichment. Their president, Kevin Sabet, leaned hard into that narrative, warning of “addiction profiteers” and “foreign drug dealers” benefitting from “strategic policy errors.”

It’s dramatic stuff, but it doesn’t square with reality. Moving cannabis to Schedule III would unlock tax deductions under Section 280E, expand opportunities for medical research, and let state-licensed businesses operate on a fairer footing. What it wouldn’t do is legalize interstate sales, nationwide advertising, or cartel bookkeeping.

As the Trump administration inches toward a final decision, prohibitionists are doubling down on fear-based messaging. Advocates, meanwhile, are betting that most Americans can tell the difference between a scare tactic and an actual policy shift. If the history of cannabis polling is any guide, SAM’s gambit won’t sway the public—but it may give senators and reporters something to roll their eyes at this fall.

📈 Dog Walkers

Bay State Hemp is Raising Eyenbrows

What’s Going On Here: Massachusetts health data just dropped a sobering stat: cannabis-related ER visits for kids under 13 nearly doubled (+97%) in the past three years. Most cases were accidental, and some children experienced cannabis-induced psychosis—hallucinations so severe they lost touch with reality.

Licensed cannabis operator Insa says the culprit isn’t dispensaries, but the unregulated hemp gray market. NBC10 Boston reviewed Insa’s sting purchases, including gummies in Springfield labeled at 500 mg THC per serving—100x the legal limit—sold under the name “Stoner Patch Dummies” in packaging nearly identical to Sour Patch Kids.

“This isn’t what legalization was supposed to look like,” said Insa counsel Steve Reilly, calling it both a child safety hazard and unfair competition. Hemp sales are technically legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, but lax enforcement has opened the door to candy-coated chaos.

Fixes are being debated at multiple levels: Congress could close loopholes in the Farm Bill, Massachusetts lawmakers have a bill waiting in the Senate, and Springfield has already passed its own ordinance—the first city in the state to regulate hemp products more tightly.

Until then, kids, parents, and ER doctors remain unwilling participants in this “edible experiment.”

Cali Busts Continue

What’s Going On Here: Authorities in northern Mendocino County just delivered a reality check to the underground cannabis market. On September 23, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Marijuana Enforcement Team—backed by Trinity and Butte County sheriffs—executed three search warrants targeting cultivation sites operating without the faintest nod to county permits or state licenses.

The haul? Roughly 6,259 cannabis plants yanked from the ground and 612 pounds of bud and shake bagged up. If that weren’t enough, environmental investigators also found a chemical cocktail no one wants near their morning joint: imidacloprid and myclobutanil (both on California’s Groundwater Protection List), plus bromethalin, a neurotoxic rodenticide. These substances aren’t just frowned upon—they’re outright banned in cannabis cultivation.

No growers were present at the sites, leaving the investigation ongoing. Translation: plenty of unanswered questions about who thought lacing cannabis fields with restricted pesticides was a good idea.

The bust underscores a familiar tension in California’s cannabis economy. Licensed operators continue to slog through costly compliance while rogue cultivators cut corners—sometimes dangerously. For regulators and consumers alike, it’s a reminder that legal weed isn’t just about tax revenue; it’s about safety and accountability.

🗞️ The News

📺 YouTube

Trump Holds All the Cards on Cannabis Rescheduling | TDR Cannabis in 5

What we will cover:

✅ Is cannabis rescheduling really about health policy, criminal justice, or the economy? Or is it just about politics — and specifically, Donald Trump? That’s the central question in today’s episode of TDR Cannabis in Five presented by Dutchie.

Right now, Republicans control both chambers of Congress. That means Democrats have no path to pass cannabis reform on their own. The only person who can move rescheduling forward is Trump himself. And if he acts, it won’t be because of research reports or scientific consensus — it will be because the timing works to his political advantage.

In this episode, host Shadd Dales breaks down why Trump holds all the cards: • How rescheduling could flip cannabis into a Republican win. • Why timing — not science — is the deciding factor. • How Trump could frame cannabis as law-and-order policy instead of progressive reform. • What overwhelming public support and the 280E tax burden mean for his political calculus. • And why international competition adds pressure for the U.S. to act.

TDR Cannabis in Five, presented by Dutchie, is your go-to breakdown of the biggest stories in cannabis business and policy. Dutchie helps dispensaries streamline operations, manage compliance, and stay competitive in a fast-changing industry.