The week arrives with fresh cartography. Committees in Concord and Trenton trace clinical routes for supervised psilocybin, while Paris extends its corridor for medical cannabis, and Rome pauses a hard line on CBD. Berlin debates telemedicine as prescriptions spike and retail math in Massachusetts and Ohio redraws market borders. In the research quarter, a Texas alliance puts ibogaine on the big map, and Portuguese scientists chart repeatable oil profiles as neurologists sketch myelin links across rapid-acting antidepressants. The result is a cleaner atlas with fewer blank spaces and many new coordinates to follow.
Regulatory
New Hampshire lawmakers consider medical psilocybin
Representatives Buzz Scherr and Michael Moffett urged a House committee to support bills establishing a regulated psilocybin therapy program, citing research on depression and PTSD and describing how veterans’ testimonies changed minds.
Germany’s prescription surge sparks debate
A Bloomwell report highlighted that reclassifying cannabis as a non‑narcotic drove prescriptions up by more than 3,300 percent and cut the average price per gram to €5.23, prompting warnings that restricting telemedicine could push patients back to illicit markets.
Italy suspends CBD narcotic ruling
Italy’s Council of State temporarily blocked a decree that would have classified natural CBD as a narcotic and limited sales to fibres and seeds.
New Jersey approves psilocybin therapy pilot
New Jersey lawmakers passed a bill allocating $6 million to fund a psilocybin therapy program at select hospitals with oversight by an 11‑member advisory board; the legislation doesn’t legalize personal possession and leaves underground vendors criminalized.
France extends medical cannabis pilot
France’s Ministry of Health extended its medical cannabis trial beyond March 31 to ensure thousands of patients retain access while officials delay approving a permanent framework, drawing criticism from advocates who say patients need lasting solutions.
Market
Massachusetts cannabis sales hit record highs
Adult‑use dispensaries in Massachusetts sold more than $1.65 billion worth of cannabis in 2025, generating $289 million in tax revenue as flower prices fell to $14.20 per eighth and regulators eyed social consumption licenses.
Risk report warns industry to mature
Relm Insurance and Prohibition Partners released a global risk briefing urging cannabis businesses to treat risk management as seriously as regulation and operations; the report uses case studies and interviews to flag contamination, governance gaps and uneven insurance coverage.
Ohio crosses the billion‑dollar threshold
Ohio’s first full year of adult‑use sales brought in more than $836 million, while medical purchases added $233 million; prices fell to $6.41 per gram, but new potency limits and local moratoriums threaten to slow market growth.
Investors bet big on Europe’s cannabis boom
At Berlin’s Hotel Adlon, entrepreneurs pitched international investors on opportunities across Europe’s expanding medical and adult‑use markets, noting that German legalization remains on track and valuations like Demecan’s €100 million reflect growing confidence.
Insurers spotlight Portuguese cannabis risks
A Portuguese-language version of the Relm risk briefing explained that Europe’s cannabis supply chain faces concentrated risks in cultivation and manufacturing and that new insurance products must adapt to evolving regulations and cross‑border trade.
Scientific
Texas launches $50 million ibogaine consortium
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission awarded $50 million to create the Texas Ibogaine Research Consortium (IMPACT), co-led by UTHealth Houston and UTMB, to study ibogaine’s potential in treating PTSD, opioid addiction and brain injury; state funds must be matched by private investment.
Study ensures genetic consistency in cannabis oils
Portuguese researchers from SOMAÍ and Universidade Lusófona used short sequence repeats to guarantee genetic stability and chemical consistency across batches of full‑spectrum cannabis oils, improving extraction techniques to remove waxes and chlorophyll while preserving cannabinoids.
Rapid‑acting antidepressants may regulate myelin
A scoping review in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience found that ketamine, psilocybin and other rapid‑acting antidepressants modulate myelin homeostasis: therapeutic doses promote oligodendrocyte maturation and white‑matter integrity, whereas excessive dosing can disrupt myelin and cause neurotoxicity.
Cannabidiol shows promise against alcoholism
A Spanish research team reported that CBD reduces alcohol dependence and relapse by modulating the brain’s reward circuitry; preclinical models showed decreased anxiety and depression‑like behaviors and improved gut microbiota, but clinical trials are still needed.
Social trends
Skyworld partners with Last Prisoner Project
New York brand Skyworld joined forces with the Last Prisoner Project to launch an opt‑in donation campaign at dispensaries supporting people incarcerated for cannabis offences; the initiative uses product labels referencing anti‑drug propaganda to highlight the disparity between modern legalization and past prosecutions.
Industry council warns against sensationalism
The UK’s Cannabis Industry Council published an open letter urging journalists and campaigners to avoid sensational media cycles about medical cannabis, arguing that such narratives divide patients and hinder progress in prescribing laws.
Cannabis patients still face stigma in the NHS
Leafie’s report revealed that years after legalization, British medical cannabis patients continue to encounter scepticism from employers and healthcare providers; surveys show only 38 percent of doctors approve of prescribing cannabis, leaving patients feeling shamed or dismissed.
Canada’s support for legalization rises
A new poll found that 65 percent of Canadian adults support legal cannabis, up three points from the previous year, while only about a quarter favour legalizing other drugs; nearly half of consumers reported buying exclusively from licensed retailers.