Last Week in Cannabis #6
September 7–13, 2026 | Issue #6
Hey friend — welcome back to Last Week in Cannabis. A big week in the United States — federal tax numbers that put the scale of the legal market in sharp relief, a significant clemency story, and a new study out of Switzerland that has real implications for how we think about regulated access. Let's get into it.
1. UNITED STATES — US States Have Collected $15.8 Billion in Cannabis Tax Revenue in Five Years
The US Census Bureau released its latest cannabis excise tax data this week, showing that 30 states and Washington DC collected an estimated $3.55 billion in combined cannabis tax revenue between July 2025 and June 2026 alone — bringing the five-year total since tracking began in 2021 to more than $15.8 billion. In the second quarter of 2026, states collected $987.5 million — up 11% from the same quarter last year. California led the country at $161 million for the quarter, followed by Washington State at $153 million and Michigan at $110 million.
The Census Bureau noted that cannabis remains federally illegal while simultaneously generating nearly a billion dollars a quarter in state tax revenue.
Mary Jane's Take: Sit with that for a moment. A substance that is still classified as more dangerous than fentanyl under federal law has generated nearly $16 billion in state tax revenue in five years — funding schools, youth programs, drug prevention, and public health across the country. The gap between what federal law says about cannabis and what state economies are doing with it has never been wider or more documented. Whatever the federal government ultimately decides about rescheduling, the economic reality is already written.
2. UNITED STATES — Trump Commuted Two More Federal Cannabis Sentences
President Trump commuted the federal cannabis sentences of two men this week as part of a broader group of pardons and commutations. Kevin Harden had been serving a 30-year sentence for conspiracy to distribute marijuana — one of the longer sentences still being served for a cannabis offence in the US. Jerry Haymon IV had served his mandatory 10-year minimum and was living under home confinement when the commutation was granted. Both men had boxer Mike Tyson advocate on their behalf in their clemency applications.
The commutations came as the Trump administration continues the rescheduling process — an unusual situation where people are still serving decades-long sentences for the same substance the government is actively reconsidering how to classify.
Mary Jane's Take: There is something worth naming plainly here. Kevin Harden spent 13 years in federal prison for cannabis distribution — a substance that is now sold legally in more than half of US states, generates $987 million a quarter in tax revenue, and is currently the subject of a formal government rescheduling process. Two commutations are meaningful to those two individuals and their families. But there are many more people still serving time under laws the country has clearly moved on from. The rescheduling process, if it concludes in favour of Schedule III, will not automatically free anyone. That gap is worth keeping in mind.
3. SWITZERLAND — Regulated Pharmacy Access Shifted Cannabis Users Toward Lower-Risk Methods Without Increasing Use
A randomized controlled trial published this week involving 1,177 regular cannabis users in Switzerland found that giving participants access to regulated cannabis through pharmacies — with harm reduction counselling included — led them to shift away from smoking toward lower-risk consumption methods. After six months, researchers found no evidence that regulated pharmacy access increased how frequently participants used cannabis.
Mary Jane's Take: This is the kind of real-world clinical data that cannabis policy debates need more of. One of the persistent arguments against expanding cannabis access is that it will increase use. The Swiss trial — a proper randomized controlled study, not a survey — found the opposite: people given regulated, counselled access did not use more, and they used it more safely. Harm reduction counselling appears to make a meaningful difference in how people consume, which is exactly what a well-designed regulated system should deliver. This is the model worth paying attention to.
4. GLOBAL — Older Adults Are Turning to Cannabis in Growing Numbers — Mostly for Enjoyment
A new study from NYU Langone surveying hundreds of older adults in New York City found that roughly 60% of cannabis users aged 65 and older reported using it recreationally for enjoyment — outnumbering those who use it primarily for chronic pain, sleep, or tension relief. The findings challenge the assumption that older adult cannabis use is driven almost entirely by medical need.
Mary Jane's Take: This finding reflects something that gets overlooked in cannabis conversations — older adults are not a monolith of reluctant medical patients. Many of them grew up in the 1960s and 70s, have a long relationship with cannabis, and are now using it in a legal, regulated environment simply because they enjoy it. That is a legitimate reason to use cannabis, and it is worth acknowledging honestly. It also has practical implications for how dispensaries, medical professionals, and cannabis educators talk to older consumers — the conversation looks different when enjoyment is the primary driver rather than pain management.
That's your week — three from the United States, one global. See you next Monday.
— Mary Jane
