The Weekly Roll December 5th 2025

Happy Friday!

Welcome back to The Weekly Roll. I hope everyone had a lovely week! Here is what’s happening this week in cannabis and art:

Texas Expands Medical : Texas is expanding its medical cannabis program from three to up to 15 licensees, with major operators like Trulieve and Verano among nine companies receiving preliminary approval. The state has broadened qualifying conditions to include chronic pain and terminal illnesses while legalizing vaporized products, driving patient enrollment to over 127,000. This marks a significant shift for what was previously one of the nation's most restrictive medical marijuana programs. Article

Hemp Remains in the Balance : Congressional researchers say it's unclear how the FDA and DEA will enforce the new hemp THC ban taking effect next year, citing limited federal resources for broad enforcement. The law restricts legal hemp products to just 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, potentially devastating the $30 billion hemp industry. While Sen. Rand Paul plans protective legislation and some stakeholders hope for a compromise regulatory framework, the industry has only one year before the ban takes effect. Article

Interesting Number : Over 4,000. The number of studies related to cannabis published by researchers worldwide in 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year exceeding that threshold according to NORML. Since 2015, more than 37,000 cannabis papers have been published, with over 70 percent in the past decade. Despite hopes that rescheduling cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III could ease research barriers, President Trump has yet to act on the reform he promised would come "within weeks" back in August. Article

Ali Sells on Familiar Territory : Lévy Gorvy Dayan sold Andy Warhol's portrait of Muhammad Ali for $18 million during Art Basel Miami Beach's VIP preview, just hundreds of feet from where Ali defeated Sonny Liston in 1964. The autographed painting, consigned only ten days before the fair, drew crowds including Ali's family members and became a focal point of the event. The sale demonstrates the continuing power of trophy-grade works when context, timing, and location align perfectly. Article

Have a great weekend! 

Aidan