A recent Patch Neighbor News post argues that Trulieve needs to manage its public relations carefully because a company’s image affects its relationship with customers and its bottom line. For Florida cannabis advocates, the issue goes beyond whether a company’s communications are polished. Patients deserve to be heard when they raise concerns about the businesses serving them. Suncoast NORML advocates for cannabis consumers and patients. That means looking at the industry

Florida cannabis reform took center stage on the latest episode of The Rotation by Suncoast NORML, as returning guests and the hosting team connected the fight for legalization with a bigger question: Who will actually show up for cannabis consumers after Election Day? The episode featured conversations with Ben Braver, Robert People and Annette Taddeo, plus a field interview with Angie Nixon. Across those conversations, several priorities kept coming up: medical cannabis hom

Florida’s medical marijuana program has reached a reported record 943,271 patients with active identification cards, according to the October 23, 2026, update from the Florida Department of Health’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU). The state also reported 784 dispensing locations serving qualified patients. As The Marijuana Herald reported, the patient count increased by 319 from the previous week. Florida is now just 6,729 patients away from reaching 950,000 active ca

MJBizDaily reported that Vireo’s Florida footprint included 108 dispensaries across Green Dragon, Planet 13 and Fluent. That makes ownership worth watching. Different storefront names can look like separate competitors even when the businesses share a corporate parent. Counting dispensary signs alone therefore provides an incomplete picture of consumer choice. This purchase does not prove prices will rise or selection will shrink. But patients deserve clear information about

Reporting credit: This article draws on National NORML’s October 22, 2026 reporting. Suncoast NORML gratefully acknowledges National NORML for its original coverage and continued work keeping cannabis consumers informed. Read National NORML’s original article here. The Florida perspective and advocacy commentary below are added by Suncoast NORML. What happened in the marijuana rescheduling proceeding? The DEA judge overseeing the broader marijuana rescheduling proceeding has

Credit to National NORML: This article follows National NORML’s October 22, 2026 reporting on cannabis and acute pain. We thank the national organization for bringing this research to public attention. Read National NORML’s original article. Suncoast NORML provides the following summary and advocacy perspective, with additional details checked against the published research. What did the cannabis and acute pain trial find? A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Jerusalem e

Original reporting credit: National NORML. This Suncoast NORML article builds on National NORML’s October 22, 2026 report, “RAND Study: Marijuana Legalization Results in Less Overall Crime.” We thank our national organization for bringing this research to the cannabis reform community. Does legalizing marijuana lead to more crime? A new research review points in the opposite direction: adult-use cannabis legalization produces a net reduction in crime. As National NORML report

Original reporting credit: National NORML. This Suncoast NORML article draws on NORML’s October 22, 2026, report, with additional advocacy commentary. Please read National NORML’s original article here. Massachusetts voters face an effort to roll back adult-use cannabis legalization, but prominent elected officials and a substantial majority of surveyed voters oppose it. According to National NORML, Question 8 would repeal provisions allowing personal home cultivation and the

Source acknowledgment: This article builds on reporting published by National NORML on October 22, 2026. Full credit goes to National NORML for its original coverage, “Missouri: Over 90 Percent of Cannabis-Related Transactions Take Place in the State-Legal Market.” Suncoast NORML encourages readers to visit the original article and support National NORML’s work. Legalization opponents often ask whether a regulated cannabis market can replace unregulated sales. Missouri offers

Reporting credit: This article builds on National NORML’s October 22, 2026, report, “New York: Clinical Trial Underway in US for Cannabis-Based Pain Medication.” Suncoast NORML thanks National NORML for its continued coverage of cannabis science, patient access, and marijuana law reform. Additional study details come from New York’s Office of Cannabis Management. A U.S. clinical trial will evaluate VER-01, an investigational cannabis-based medication, for chronic pain. As Nat

What does winning the War on Drugs actually look like? And could a Tampa Bay cannabis advocacy podcast help bring that conversation to a national audience? Those two questions took center stage during a recent episode of The Rotation by Suncoast NORML, as co-host and cannabis reform advocate Chris Cano shared his powerful SPARK Talk from the New Leaders Convention in Philadelphia and announced an exciting opportunity for the podcast. The episode brought together two important

Florida cannabis legalization needs more than campaign promises. It needs elected officials willing to support home grow, end criminal penalties and listen to the people affected by prohibition. On Suncoast NORML’s latest episode of The Rotation, “The Winners Circle: Jumping Back in the Rotation After Victory in the Primaries,” three returning guests answered direct questions about what cannabis reform should look like—and what voters need to do next. Senator Brian Nathan, Fl

Should Florida protect adult access to hemp THC drinks through clear regulations—or allow another wave of prohibition to determine what consumers can buy? For cannabis reform advocates, that question deserves attention. It touches the same principles that drive the fight for marijuana legalization: personal freedom, consumer protection and laws that hold businesses accountable while respecting adults. Chillum explores those issues in its article, “Florida Hemp THC Drinks Need

Do cannabis dispensaries increase neighborhood crime? A new Canadian study found no statistically significant association between licensed cannabis store openings and nearby crime levels in Toronto and Ottawa. Reporting acknowledgment: This article builds on National NORML’s October 15, 2026 report, credited to NORML. Suncoast NORML acknowledges National NORML for highlighting this research and directing readers to the scientific evidence. Research credit belongs to Michael J

Daily cannabis use alone does not establish cannabis use disorder. A study published in the Journal of Addiction Medicine found that most participants fell into groups characterized by either minimal problems or mild symptoms. The findings challenge assumptions about daily consumers while identifying people experiencing more substantial difficulties. Reporting acknowledgment: This Suncoast NORML article builds on National NORML’s October 15, 2026 report, credited on its websi

People living in states that prohibit cannabis were more likely to report having tried delta-8 THC than those living in states with legal cannabis access. That finding, highlighted in National NORML’s original report, raises an important question: What kind of marketplace does prohibition encourage? What the Delta-8 THC Study Found Researchers Gillian Schauer, Maryam Iraniparast, and David Hammond examined responses from 69,564 U.S. residents ages 16–65 participating in the I

Can cannabis change people’s drinking habits? A recent NuggMD survey found that 65.8 percent of respondents reported reducing their alcohol consumption or replacing it entirely with cannabis. National NORML highlighted the findings in its October 15, 2026 report, crediting Marijuana Moment with first reporting the survey. National NORML’s article carries the organizational byline NORML. We acknowledge its reporting and its work making cannabis research accessible to the publi

Mark Davis joined The Rotation by Suncoast NORML to discuss his Florida congressional campaign, cannabis legalization, hemp businesses, and why he believes government needs to put working people first. Everybody talks about freedom. The real question is what they do when someone asks to exercise it. On “Freedom and the Fight for Government That Works for All,” The Rotation welcomed Mark Davis, a candidate for Florida’s 16th Congressional District, for a candid conversation ab

Florida’s medical marijuana program is approaching a major milestone. The bigger question is whether its market is delivering the access, affordability, and competition patients deserve. Florida had 942,370 qualified medical marijuana patients with active identification cards as of October 9, 2026, according to the Florida Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU). That puts the program 57,630 patients short of one million. The same report lists 782 dispensing locations statewid

Three proposed constitutional amendments are targeting adult-use cannabis legalization in Florida for 2028. Compare their possession limits, business licensing provisions and approach to home cultivation. Florida’s marijuana legalization debate is heading toward another election cycle. As reported by The Marijuana Herald, two new constitutional initiatives have joined an existing proposal targeting the 2028 ballot. The quick answer: Florida now lists three adult-use marijuana