2023 Year Recap

In their annual holiday recap episode, Bob and Xavier reflect on top headline news from the cannabis industry in 2023. They start with the HHS recommendation to move marijuana from Schedule 1 to Schedule 3, including a discussion of the impact rescheduling would have on the industry. 

Hint: DESCHEDULE OR BUST is not a realistic approach to getting meaningful change at the federal level. Bob and Xavier then pivot to discuss state-level headlines regarding new medical and adult-use marijuana markets and intoxicating hemp derivative regulations. 

They provide an analysis as to the future of the market and how the marijuana and hemp industries are on a collision course with each other. They also cover one of the largest state-specific stories of 2023: the collapse of HERBL in California and how that is indicative of greater issues with collections and payments in the industry generally. Finally, Bob and Xavier discuss testing fraud issues and how they will impact regulating the cannabis industry moving forward. See you in 2024!

Bob’s 5 part series on hemp and marijuana can be read on his Forbes page here.