Politics, Profits & Pre-Rolls And The Cannabis Cash Bestowed Upon Trump And Company

Plus, doctors drop marijuana rescheduling lawsuit.

April 22, 2025

Hey Benzinga Cannabis Family, Maureen Meehan here and I’m sliding into your inbox with today’s Cannabis Daily — where I sift through the noise to bring you what’s actually making waves in weed.

We’ve got some big hitters today: Trump’s cannabis cash, lawmakers making fresh moves in Washington, the trucking industry blaming weed for its worker shortage and yes, pre-rolls are still king. Plus, why Ohio’s first legal 4/20 came in hot, and what’s making one Alabama dad furious.

Let’s get into it, shall we?

🗳️ Politics & Policy

Federal filings show that Trulieve Cannabis Corp (OTC: TCNNF) donated a whopping $750,000 to Donald Trump’s inauguration committee, while Curaleaf (OTC: CURLF) kicked in $250,000 through the U.S. Cannabis Council. That’s a million bucks from cannabis going red.

Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers even met with Trump before he backed Florida’s failed legalization ballot. She also hit two pre-inauguration events — a VP J.D. Vance dinner and a candlelight celebration.

What did the industry get in return? TBD. Trulieve hasn’t commented yet.

Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) is at it again — pushing his STATES 2.0 Act, co-sponsored by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Rep. Max Miller (R-OH).

The goal? Ditch federal prohibition and let states do their own thing. Joyce says the current policy wastes “tax dollars by diverting law enforcement resources from violent crimes to making needless arrests and facilitating incarcerations for small possessions of state legal marijuana.”

Makes sense, right?

The group Doctors for Drug Policy Reform (D4DPR) has hit pause on its lawsuit against the DEA, claiming it was slowing down cannabis rescheduling more than speeding it up.

They still say DEA acted shady — biased witnesses, poor communication — but dropped the suit “without prejudice,” meaning they can pick it back up if the agency backs out of the Schedule III move.

🛻 Labor & Regulation

The trucking industry says it’s short about 80,000 drivers, and cannabis testing is partly to blame.

A white paper by Fleetworthy and FreightWaves says, “A significant number of otherwise qualified drivers fail pre-employment or random drug tests due to marijuana use,” especially because they don’t know federal rules override state legality.

Europe, Latin America, Asia... the world is scaling legal weed while the U.S. dithers.

New data from Whitney Economics pegs the global cannabis market at €429 billion (~$483B) — and that’s just THC. Add in hemp, and you’re looking at another $456 billion worth of textiles, building materials, and beauty products, noted Javier Hasse in Forbes.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is still stuck in scheduling purgatory.

📈 Markets & Retail

Pre-rolls are on fire, writes Benzinga’s Javier Hasse — and infused ones are stealing the show. Between Dec '24 and Feb '25, Californians bought $178.1 million worth, with infused options making up 66.3% of sales.

Jeeter is the big dog, reeling in $26.7 million this quarter, owning 15% of the CA pre-roll market. Close behind? STIIIZY’s "40s" five-packs, gobbling up 22%.

In Canada, pre-rolls are 32% of total cannabis sales — and climbing. Profitable, portable, and pre-packed. What’s not to love?

Legal weed’s first 4/20 in Ohio brought the receipts — literally. Sales surged by more than $3 million over the weekly average, with 30,000+ more transactions than usual.

Clearly, Buckeye State stoners showed up and showed out.

💔 Patient Advocacy

Dustin Chandler, father and longtime cannabis advocate, is fed up. Alabama passed medical cannabis in 2021, but patients still can’t access THC products. His daughter Carly, who has severe seizures, could benefit from THC, but legal hang-ups — especially licensing disputes — have stalled the rollout.

“It boggles the mind,” Chandler said. “We are going to award a license to a company that has not proven or can show that they’ve at least started construction on facilities.”

This fight is far from over in the Heart of Dixie.

🌿That’s it for today, I’ll catch you right back here tomorrow with the good, the bad, and the green. Keep it smart, keep it loud, and as always — puff, puff, pass the facts. ✌️

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