💸 The Tape

A signature is supposed to signal consent. In Massachusetts, a growing number of voters now say theirs did anything but.

A new poll suggests that nearly half of the residents who signed a petition advancing a proposed rollback of the state’s adult-use cannabis market believe they were misled about what the measure actually did. That finding has poured gasoline on an already contentious debate over whether the initiative deserves a spot on the 2026 ballot—or whether it should be disqualified before voters ever see it.

The survey, conducted among more than 2,300 petition signers, found that a substantial share now say they would not have signed had they known the initiative would eliminate commercial cannabis sales and home cultivation, while leaving possession and the medical program intact. Many respondents reported being told—or inferring—that the petition related to unrelated civic concerns such as education funding, housing, or public safety.

The campaign behind the measure, the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts, disputes the characterization and insists its signature collectors followed the rules. Coalition representatives argue that even if confusion occurred, it does not rise to the level required to invalidate the petition. Pro-legalization advocates, however, see the issue less as a legal technicality and more as a credibility problem.

That credibility question now sits squarely before the state’s Ballot Law Commission, which is reviewing complaints alleging deceptive signature-gathering practices. Both sides have agreed to expedite the process, setting the stage for a decision that could determine whether the initiative survives long enough to face lawmakers—or voters.

What makes this moment particularly strange is the broader policy context. Massachusetts is not quietly reconsidering legalization. It is actively expanding it. Regulators have just finalized rules for cannabis social consumption lounges. Lawmakers are debating legislation to double legal possession limits. Meanwhile, adult-use cannabis has become a material part of the state’s fiscal picture, generating $1.65 billion in sales in 2025 and more than $10 billion in total sales since the market launched.

Against that backdrop, a proposal to effectively shutter licensed retail sales feels less like a course correction and more like a hard pivot in the opposite direction. State officials have already warned that rolling back adult-use sales could jeopardize tax revenues currently earmarked for substance-use treatment and other public programs.

Procedurally, the clock is ticking. The legislature has until early May to act on the initiative. If it declines, the campaign would need to gather additional signatures to place the question on the November ballot—assuming the petition process survives scrutiny in the first place.

Ultimately, this fight may hinge less on voters’ views about cannabis and more on a basic democratic principle: whether people were clearly told what they were being asked to support. In a state that legalized marijuana at the ballot box nearly a decade ago, that question may prove more consequential than the policy itself.

Source: Marijuana Moment

📈 Dog Walkers

$MRMD ( ▲ 5.85% ) Enters Hemp Channel

MariMed Inc. is expanding the reach of its Vibations™ beverage brand with the launch of a hemp-derived THC drink mix in Rhode Island, marking another calculated step in the Company’s capital-light brand expansion strategy.

Rather than building new cultivation or retail infrastructure, MariMed is entering the rapidly growing hemp THC beverage category through existing, licensed liquor stores—an approach the Company believes offers incremental revenue with attractive gross margins while preserving balance sheet discipline. Rhode Island currently has more than 150 licensed liquor stores authorized to sell hemp-derived THC products, giving Vibations immediate access to a broad retail footprint.

The launch also advances MariMed’s “Expand the Brand” strategy, which aims to scale its strongest consumer brands nationally. Vibations is already a top-10 cannabis beverage brand in multiple regulated cannabis markets, including Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Delaware, according to BDSA and Lit Alerts. The hemp-derived format allows the brand to reach new consumers through mainstream retail channels without diluting its core positioning.

The Rhode Island lineup includes 5mg THC per stick in four flavors: Lemon Lime (Sugar Free), Half & Half, Strawberry Lemonade, and Tropical Punch. Distribution will be handled by Craft Collective Homegrown, the state’s leading hemp beverage distributor, while Modern Infusions, the hemp THC beverage arm of Theory Wellness, will manage sales execution, local marketing, merchandising, and account development.

Chief Executive Officer Jon Levine framed the move as a pragmatic extension of MariMed’s brand-first strategy, emphasizing disciplined execution and scalable partnerships. He also addressed the elephant in the room: potential federal legislation that could restrict hemp-derived THC products later this year. Levine noted that such proposals conflict with state-level regulatory frameworks like Rhode Island’s and expressed confidence that a more workable federal solution will ultimately prevail.

Looking ahead, MariMed plans to evaluate expansion into additional markets in the first half of 2026, contingent on early performance in Rhode Island and the evolving regulatory landscape—keeping the throttle measured, but the roadmap intact.

$TLRY ( ▲ 5.31% ) Beefs Up EU Assets

Tilray Brands is continuing to tighten the bolts on its European medical cannabis strategy, this time by sharpening its footprint in Italy.

This week, Tilray Brands announced the launch of Tilray Medical Italia, rebranding the entity formerly known as FL Group and bringing it fully under the Company’s global medical cannabis banner. On paper, this is a name change. In practice, it is another signal that Tilray is serious about building a unified, scalable medical platform across Europe, rather than a patchwork of local subsidiaries with different identities.

Italy is not a fringe market in that plan. It is one of Europe’s more established and tightly regulated medical cannabis jurisdictions, with clear Ministry of Health oversight and pharmaceutical-style distribution through hospitals and pharmacies. By aligning its Italian operations under Tilray Medical, the Company is aiming to present a single, coherent medical brand to regulators, physicians, and patients—something that matters in a country where credibility and compliance are non-negotiable.

A key pillar of the strategy remains Tilray’s partnership with Molteni Farmaceutici, a long-established Italian pharmaceutical group with deep relationships across hospitals, doctors, and pharmacy networks. That partnership gives Tilray Medical Italia local muscle while allowing Tilray to plug in its broader European infrastructure, including EU-GMP cultivation, pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing, and regulatory expertise developed across multiple medical markets.

From a product standpoint, Tilray Medical Italia offers a broad portfolio of authorized medical cannabis flowers and oils, spanning high-THC formulations, balanced THC:CBD options, and multiple oil concentrations. In other words, this is not a token presence—it is a full-spectrum medical offering designed to meet varied patient needs within Italy’s prescribing framework.

Zooming out, the Italy rebrand fits neatly into Tilray’s broader European playbook: unify operations, standardize quality and compliance, and leverage scale where it actually counts. Tilray Medical now operates across more than 20 countries with regulated medical cannabis programs, and the Company has been explicit that disciplined growth—not regulatory arbitrage—is the goal.

There is nothing flashy about this move, and that is precisely the point. In European medical cannabis, progress tends to look less like disruption and more like quiet execution. Tilray Medical Italia is another brick in that wall—one that reinforces Tilray’s long-term bet that medical cannabis in Europe will reward companies that treat it like medicine, not a novelty.

🗞️ The News

📺 YouTube

Cannabis is Taboo in Maryland | The Great American Dispensary Tour Ep. 2

What we will cover:

✅ Flowhub Founder and CEO Kyle Sherman takes The Great American Dispensary Tour to Maryland. In this episode, Kyle experiences the state’s emerging cannabis culture, exploring the challenges and acceptance of adult-use legalization—over crabs, of course.

Featuring: Chesapeake Apothecary Green Point Wellness US Cannalytics SunMed Growers The Crab Claw