Drug War Daily Digest -- October 21, 2026

A poll finds declining approval of Trump's cannabis policies among marijuana consumers, Nebraska's Democratic gubernatorial candidate promises action on medical marijuana, an Indiana forfeiture ruling requires prosecutors to explain the alleged crime, and more.

Marijuana Policy

Poll Finds Falling Approval of Trump's Cannabis Policies Among Marijuana Consumers. Marijuana Moment reported Tuesday that its quarterly poll with NuggMD found approval of the Trump administration's actions on cannabis had fallen to 29 percent among marijuana consumers in legal markets. It was 73 percent two quarters ago, then fell to 48 percent last quarter. The poll surveyed 654 consumers October 8–15; 20 percent disapproved of the administration's cannabis actions and 51 percent were neutral or had no opinion. Forty-seven percent said they would support the administration more if it moved to more fully legalize cannabis, while 52 percent said their support would not change. The poll comes as the broader federal rescheduling proceeding remains delayed, following April's reclassification of state-licensed medical cannabis and FDA-approved marijuana products. The poll did not establish why Trump's numbers were declining with this group.

Colorado Audit Questions Business-Selected Marijuana Test Samples and Delays in Consumer Warnings. A state audit presented to lawmakers Monday found regulatory gaps in the state's marijuana testing system, including a provision that lets businesses choose which samples will be tested. The auditors noted that 24 other legal marijuana states did not let businesses select their own samples. According to Colorado Newsline, the audit also found that products subject to health advisories between 2023 and 2025 remained on store shelves, on average, more than seven months before regulators issued those advisories, although response times improved in 2025. Auditors found no evidence of widespread health or safety problems. Auditors also reported inconsistent inspections and recommended that the Department of Revenue's Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) issue warnings faster and make safety-complaint channels clearer. MED agreed with all the recommendations.

Study Links Dispensary Openings to Increased Business Nearby. Businesses near new Illinois marijuana dispensaries gained customers and revenue, a working paper described Tuesday by Marijuana Moment found. The paper studied Illinois retail marijuana outlets and found that businesses near newly opened marijuana retailers saw boosts in customers, transactions, and revenues. Using credit and debit card data from 2021 through 2024, the researchers estimated that new pot shops generated a 7 percent increase in customers, an 8 percent increase in transactions, and a 7.5 percent increase in revenue. Food, beverage, and everyday goods chains benefited most from the presence of new pot shops. Researchers found no statistically significant gains for independent businesses. This paper is a preprint rather than a peer-reviewed finding, but it offers evidence relevant to local debates over allowing retail marijuana outlets.

Kansas City Committee Backs Shifting Marijuana Tax Revenue to Winter Shelters. The city council's Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee voted Tuesday unanimously to reallocate about $485,000 in marijuana tax revenue from neighborhood cleanup to winter shelters, KCTV reported. The full council still needs to approve the proposal. While the city usually divides marijuana tax revenue among cleanup, homeless services, and violence prevention, shelter funding is short. In a sign of competing needs behind the proposed reallocation, a neighborhood representative told councilmembers that cleanup jobs help residents pay their rent.

Vermont Considers Permits for Marijuana Sales at Community Events. WCAX-TV reported October 14 that the state's Cannabis Control Board was expected to give final approval October 23 for cannabis event permits, which would allow licensed retailers to sell marijuana within designated areas at events, but not allow on-site consumption. The proposal is for a pilot program. Pot farmers would not qualify for the permits, but they could benefit when participating retailers gain another sales outlet.

Medical Marijuana

Nebraska's Walz Promises First-Day Action on Medical Marijuana. Marijuana Moment reported Tuesday that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lynne Walz says she would issue an executive order on her first day in office to speed access to medical marijuana and would consider replacing commissioners she says are obstructing implementation. Walz made the pledge in an October 19 interview with WOWT. Her opponent, incumbent Gov. Jim Pillen (R), has been a staunch opponent of medical marijuana even though voters approved it at the polls in 2024. Walz's pledge is aimed at the slow rollout of medical marijuana after that vote. Her pledge is a promise, not an order already issued.

Spain Prepares First Deliveries Under Its Medical Cannabis Framework. Business of Cannabis reported Wednesday that some 50 Spanish hospitals were expected to receive their first registered cannabis preparations this week, with more hospitals covered by the end of the month. The move comes more than four years after lawmakers advanced proposals for a framework and more than a year after a key decree cleared the way. But the program is limited, with only specialists allowed to prescribe and hospitals allowed to dispense preparations for a specified list of diseases and conditions, including multiple-sclerosis spasticity, refractory epilepsy, chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, and chronic refractory pain. Primary-care doctors and community pharmacies cannot participate. Cannabis researcher Manuel Guzmán said treatment was restricted to use after standard medicines had failed, and warned that the narrow distribution model could leave many patients unable to obtain treatment.

Hemp

New Jersey Committee Advances Hemp Deadline and Unlicensed-Sales Bills. Cannabis Business Times reported Monday that the state Senate Judiciary Committee had advanced two cannabis-related bills October 15 without opposing votes. One, S4635, would move the state's hemp-product deadline from November 13 to December 11 to match the revised federal timetable and keep state law aligned with future federal changes. The other, S4287, would make unlicensed commercial marijuana sales a third-degree crime, with fines of $10,000 to $50,000 for individuals and $100,000 to $250,000 for entities. Official records show S4635 advanced on a 10–0 vote with one abstention, while S4287 advanced 11–0 and was referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee. Both measures require further legislative action.

According to the committee's explanation of S4287, the proposal would also bring specified unlicensed marijuana and vapor-product activities within the state's racketeering law, permit warrantless seizure of products declared contraband, and allow municipalities to restrict or close businesses with more than two violations of the new offenses within two years.

UPS Revises Hemp Shipping Requirements Ahead of Federal Changes. Cannabis Business Times reported Tuesday that on December 11, UPS will start requiring raw hemp shipments to contain no more than 0.3 percent total THC on a dry-weight basis, instead of the company's previous standard of 0.3 percent delta-9 THC. That means the new standard will count THCA as well as delta-9 THC, which could affect businesses shipping goods that meet the old standard but not the new one. UPS's shipping policy also requires approved shipper agreements and applicable documentation.

Analysis Examines Legal Challenge to Ireland's Low-THC Hemp Restrictions. Business of Cannabis reported Tuesday on a pending High Court challenge that argues that the country's classification of low-THC hemp as a controlled substance is a violation of European Union (EU) law. Hemp importer Brendan O'Mara is contesting the seizure of a 502-kilogram shipment in May 2025 as illegal cannabis, arguing that it was lawful agricultural hemp. The Business of Cannabis analysis, which cites earlier reporting by The Journal, noted that the legal challenge comes amidst a steep decline in Irish hemp cultivation. The October 20 report describes a pending dispute, not a judgment establishing that the seized material was lawful.

Asset Forfeiture

Indiana Ruling Requires Prosecutors to Explain the Crime Behind FedEx Cash Forfeitures. A federal court ruling reported Tuesday by the Institute for Justice, which represents the plaintiffs, requires Marion County prosecutors to identify the alleged criminal basis in forfeiture complaints rather than rely on a generic assertion that a criminal law was violated. The case centers on cash seized from packages passing through the Indianapolis FedEx hub, including one seizure of more than $42,000 sent as payment for jewelry already sold. Even though a drug dog alerted on the packages, no drugs were found. The decision was not a complete victory for the plaintiffs: while requiring more specific notice in forfeiture complaints, the court rejected the broader challenge to forfeiture of money merely passing through Indiana without a local criminal connection, according to the institute. The Institute for Justice said it will appeal that portion of the ruling.

Incarceration

Prison Policy Initiative Examines Women's Incarceration and Drug Enforcement. According to an October 14 report from the Prison Policy Initiative, "Women's Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie," 198,800 women and girls are behind bars in the United States, with drug and property offenses accounting for more than half of the offenses associated with women's incarceration. The report also found that females had a jail death rate from alcohol or drug intoxication twice that of men, and that 61 percent of women held under local jail jurisdiction had not been convicted. The analysis draws on multiple datasets and years, not a single 2026 count.

Extrajudicial Killings

Philippine Truth Commission Calls for Inquiry into Promotions After Drug-War Killings. The civilian Truth Commission, an independent body, is questioning whether police officials were rewarded with promotions for their role in former President Rodrigo Duterte's bloody war on drug users and sellers that left thousands dead. Duterte is awaiting trial at The Hague on charges of crimes against humanity, including murder and attempted murder; the ICC says the trial is scheduled to open November 30. Drawing on public records, the commission on October 14 identified officers who won promotions after assignments associated with large numbers of killings. The commission called for an examination of performance evaluations, promotion records, and financial information, and asked whether institutional incentives helped drive the state violence. It noted that a promotion alone does not indicate an officer was rewarded for killing.

International

Rappler Examines Political Connections in Laos-to-Manila Meth Shipment Investigation. In an October 17 story, Rappler reported on a 521-kilogram methamphetamine shipment that had been seized in Laos on its way to Manila. The investigation detailed the involvement of a former Bangsamoro Transition Authority member, Edrieza Hadji Nasser Rimbang, whom Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla identified as an alleged financier, as well as an aviation police officer and a pilot, both of whom were under investigation at the time of the report. It also examined the broader cross-border operation, the contradictory accounts of how the bust happened, and Rimbang's political background. In an October 21 report, OneNews quoted Remulla as saying the previous day that authorities had no evidence linking the Duterte family to the shipment despite Rimbang's political ties to the family. The officials' allegations have not established the suspects' guilt.

GI-TOC Report Traces Revival of Caribbean Cocaine Routes to Europe. A new report by Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) researchers Lina María Asprilla and Andrés Aponte finds that the cocaine traffic through Colombia's Caribbean coast is adapting to both European demand and European enforcement efforts. They report that the Gaitanist Army of Colombia is exercising stronger control in the western Caribbean but that it faces more rivals farther east. The report also notes the importance of overland routes to coastal departure points and maritime links involving Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and the Lesser Antilles. The October report draws on 30 interviews, including fieldwork conducted in May and June 2025, as well as later sources. The researchers recommend greater regional cooperation, stronger institutions, and economic alternatives, in addition to security measures, rather than assuming enforcement alone will do the job.

GI-TOC Report Examines Cross-Border Networks Behind German Drug Markets. In an October 19 report, Mahmoud Jaraba of the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) examines the family networks that link drug activity in Germany to partners in the Middle East. In addition to discussing drug trafficking and local drug sales, Jaraba examines the movement of money through informal channels. He also stresses the need to distinguish specific criminal actors from the wider communities in which they operate, and writes that a separate study on drug market organization, routes, and money flows is forthcoming.

GI-TOC will also host a webinar on Myanmar-linked methamphetamine supply chains and risks for Australia and New Zealand on October 27 at 10 a.m. Bangkok time (October 26 at 11 p.m. Eastern), with registration available at the link.

International Drug Policy Research Conference Set for Medellín in June 2027. The International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) has announced that its 2027 conference will take place June 22–26 in Medellín, Colombia, hosted by Universidad EAFIT. The society says this will be the second time it has held its conference in Latin America, bringing researchers, policymakers, and practitioners together to discuss drug policy and share research.

Additional items with an international focus appear in Medical Marijuana, Hemp, and Extrajudicial Killings.