Last Week in Cannabis #8
September 21–27, 2026 | Issue #8
Hey friend — welcome back to Last Week in Cannabis. A historic vote is coming in Massachusetts, Alabama quietly made a significant move on federal rescheduling, and Australia is months away from a decision on a CBD pain tablet. Let's get into it.
1. UNITED STATES — Massachusetts Voters Will Decide in November Whether to Repeal Cannabis Legalization
On November 3rd, Massachusetts voters will weigh in on Question 8 — a ballot measure that would repeal the state's adult-use cannabis legalization laws, eliminating licensed retail sales, commercial production, and the right to grow cannabis at home. Medical cannabis and limited adult possession would remain legal under the measure. If it passes, Massachusetts would be the first state in history to dismantle its recreational cannabis market through a popular vote.
The measure is backed almost entirely by the prohibitionist group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Current polling shows 55% of registered voters opposed and 33% in favour, with 12% undecided. More than 8,000 people rallied at the Boston Common last weekend in opposition to the repeal. Pro-legalization forces have raised $6.7 million compared to $4.2 million on the repeal side.
Mary Jane's Take: Whatever your view on cannabis, this vote matters. Massachusetts approved legalization with a 54% majority in 2016. Question 8 would undo that in a single election. The current polling looks favourable for keeping legalization in place, but no outcome should be assumed. The result will carry weight far beyond state lines — if voters in a progressive US state can be convinced to reverse legalization, it changes the political calculus around cannabis reform everywhere. If they reject the repeal decisively, it sends a different kind of message. November 3rd is a date worth marking.
2. UNITED STATES — Alabama Dropped Its Opposition to Federal Cannabis Rescheduling
Alabama's State Committee of Public Health voted unanimously on September 17th to withdraw its objection to the federal rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III — reversing a position it had taken in May when it requested more time to examine how the change would interact with the state's recently launched medical cannabis program.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the department's legal team had resolved its concerns, and that public comments received at a July hearing were largely about cannabis itself rather than the specific impact of rescheduling on Alabama's program. Three dispensaries are now open in the state, with seven more expected within months and capacity for nearly 40 total.
Mary Jane's Take: Alabama had one of the longest and most litigation-tangled medical cannabis rollouts in the country — the program was created by law in 2021 but didn't see its first dispensary open until June 2026. The state withdrawing its rescheduling objection now that the program is actually operating makes practical sense. The concerns were procedural, and once the legal team worked through them, there was nothing left to object to. It also removes one more obstacle from the federal rescheduling process, which matters for patients and businesses across the country.
3. UNITED STATES — The FDA Is Planning a Cannabis Public Health Messaging Initiative
The US Food and Drug Administration announced this week that it is developing a public health messaging initiative on cannabis, aimed at both consumers and healthcare providers. The proposed project would use focus groups, stakeholder engagement, and message testing to develop recommendations covering potency, product formulations, manufacturing, and health impacts — while specifically examining consumer misconceptions about cannabis safety and the extent of FDA regulation.
Mary Jane's Take: This is quietly significant. The FDA developing public health messaging on cannabis — rather than just treating it as an enforcement matter — signals a meaningful shift in how the agency is thinking about its role in a post-rescheduling landscape. People use cannabis in large numbers, and most of them have limited access to accurate, balanced information from official sources. If the FDA produces messaging that is genuinely evidence-based and accessible, rather than rooted in decades-old prohibitionist talking points, it could meaningfully improve how people make decisions about cannabis. The outcome depends entirely on how it's executed, but the intent is encouraging.
4. AUSTRALIA — A CBD Pain Tablet Could Be Approved Within Months
Australian pharmaceutical company Promethean BioPharma has submitted a CBD pain-relief tablet to the Therapeutic Goods Administration for registration, with a decision potentially months away. If approved, it would become one of the first formally registered CBD medicines for pain available in Australia through standard pharmacy channels.
Mary Jane's Take: Australia's medical cannabis market has grown fast, but most of it runs through special access pathways that require individual physician approval for each patient. A formally registered, pharmacy-available CBD pain tablet changes that dynamic significantly — it would be prescribed and dispensed the same way any other approved medicine is, with no special access hoops to jump through. That removes a real barrier for patients and potentially for the physicians who have been cautious about navigating the special access system. A decision worth watching for.
That's your week — three from the United States, one from Australia. See you next Monday.
— Mary Jane
