Last Week in Cannabis #3
August 17–23, 2026 | Issue #3
Hey friend — welcome back to Last Week in Cannabis. A big week in the United States as the full record of the cannabis rescheduling hearing goes public, and a major Canadian producer announced a significant global expansion. Let's get into it.
1. GLOBAL — Tilray Just Significantly Expanded Its Cannabis Production Capacity
Tilray Brands announced on August 20th that it has increased its annual cannabis cultivation capacity to approximately 275 metric tonnes — up from 210 metric tonnes — driven by expanded output at its Quebec facility in Canada and its EU-GMP-certified facility in Portugal. The company is now shipping Canadian-grown bulk cannabis directly to its facilities in Portugal and Australia to serve growing international medical demand. Cannabis Business TimesTilray
Mary Jane's Take: This is a significant production commitment from one of the most globally active cannabis companies in the world. Tilray is betting that international medical cannabis demand — particularly in Germany, the UK, and Australia — will continue growing, and is scaling supply accordingly. For patients in those markets, more supply from established, quality-certified producers generally means better access and more competitive pricing. Worth watching as a signal of where global medical cannabis demand is heading.
2. UNITED STATES — The Full DEA Rescheduling Hearing Transcript Is Now Public
The full official 2,533-page transcript of the DEA's 11-day cannabis rescheduling hearing has been released publicly, revealing in detail the DEA's effort to advocate on behalf of rescheduling marijuana as well as opponents' attempts to undermine it. Marijuana Moment
The transcript shows government lawyers making the case that "marijuana can no longer remain in Schedule I." Final briefs from all parties were due August 17th. The DEA judge's recommendation to the DEA Administrator is the next step — with no announced timeline for when that will arrive.
Mary Jane's Take: A 2,533-page transcript is not light reading, but what matters most is this: the United States government's own lawyers went on record in a formal legal proceeding arguing that cannabis no longer belongs in the most restrictive drug category in American federal law. That is now part of the permanent public record. Whatever the judge recommends and whatever the administrator ultimately decides, the evidentiary foundation for rescheduling has been formally and publicly established. That is a significant moment in the long history of cannabis policy — even if the final outcome is still months away.
3. UNITED STATES — More Than 200,000 People Were Arrested for Cannabis in the US Last Year
New data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows that more than 200,000 people were arrested for marijuana in the United States last year — with 92 percent of cannabis arrests stemming from possession alone. Marijuana Moment
Mary Jane's Take: Sit with that number for a moment. More than 200,000 arrests in a single year — in a country where the government's own lawyers are simultaneously arguing in a formal hearing that cannabis no longer belongs in Schedule I. The gap between where cannabis policy is and where the science and public opinion have arrived is costing real people real consequences every day. Possession arrests are not victimless statistics. They follow people in the form of criminal records, lost employment opportunities, and housing barriers. The case for reform is not just scientific or economic — it is a human one.
4. GLOBAL — India Is Reviewing Pilot Drug Testing Rules After a Cannabis-Positive Flight Incident
The Indian government is reviewing its rules for drug testing of airline pilots after the pilot-in-command of a flight that experienced a sudden 300-foot altitude drop tested positive for marijuana. The incident has prompted broader questions about how aviation authorities in countries without legal cannabis markets handle cannabinoid testing. Marijuana Moment
Mary Jane's Take: This story raises a genuinely complicated question that aviation regulators around the world are grappling with — including in countries where cannabis is legal. THC can remain detectable in the body long after any impairment has passed, which means a positive test does not automatically equal impaired flying. At the same time, aviation is one of the highest-stakes safety environments imaginable, and regulators have every right to set strict standards. The US FAA is working through this same question right now. How different countries land on it will have implications for medical cannabis patients in safety-sensitive roles everywhere.
That's your week — one global industry story, two from the United States, one international. See you next Monday.
— Mary Jane
