The Canopy Daily — April 5, 2026

Your daily briefing on what's moving in the cannabis world.

Louisiana Approves Medical Cannabis in Hospitals for Terminally Ill Patients

Louisiana's Senate Health and Welfare Committee approved SB 270, a bill that would allow terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis inside hospitals. The bill restricts consumption to non-smoking and non-vaping methods, and hospital staff cannot administer or store the cannabis — patients and their caregivers maintain full responsibility.

This is a quiet but meaningful step. For terminally ill patients managing severe pain, nausea, and appetite loss, having to leave a hospital to access their medicine is both impractical and inhumane. Louisiana's approach is cautious — hospitals don't have to change their operations, and staff aren't involved in cannabis handling — but it removes a barrier that forces vulnerable patients to choose between their medicine and their medical care.

If signed into law, Louisiana would join a small but growing number of states addressing the intersection of medical cannabis and institutional healthcare settings.

Source: Marijuana Moment

Hawaii Senate Pushes Congress for Federal Legalization

Hawaii's Senate Judiciary Committee approved resolutions calling on Congress to federally legalize marijuana, expunge past cannabis convictions, and establish banking access for cannabis businesses. The resolutions address the core federal roadblocks that continue to hamper state-legal cannabis operations.

Hawaii doesn't have a recreational cannabis market, but it has an active medical program and has been debating adult-use legalization for years. These resolutions don't create state law — they're formal requests to Congress — but they add Hawaii's voice to the growing chorus of states demanding federal action. The banking access request is particularly relevant: without federal protection, cannabis businesses in Hawaii (and everywhere else) continue to operate as cash-heavy enterprises with limited financial services access.

Source: Marijuana Moment

Trump Budget: Protect Medical Cannabis States, Block DC Recreational Sales

President Trump's FY2027 budget request sends a mixed signal on cannabis. On one hand, it proposes maintaining the long-standing rider that protects state medical cannabis programs from federal interference — a provision that has been renewed annually since 2014. On the other hand, it continues blocking Washington D.C. from implementing recreational cannabis sales.

The medical cannabis protection is the more significant piece. By maintaining this rider, the administration signals that it won't use federal resources to prosecute state-legal medical cannabis operations. This has been bipartisan consensus for over a decade, and its continuation removes a source of uncertainty for medical cannabis operators nationwide.

The DC block is more symbolic than practical — DC has legalized possession and gifting but cannot establish a regulated retail market as long as Congress blocks it. The juxtaposition highlights the inconsistency in federal cannabis policy: states can run medical programs freely, but the nation's capital can't regulate recreational sales.

Source: Marijuana Moment

Feds Finalize Rule Allowing Hemp Products as Medicare Advantage Benefits

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized regulations permitting coverage of hemp seed products — including hulled hemp seed, hemp seed protein powder, and hemp seed oil — through Medicare Advantage plans. Coverage is contingent upon FDA safety determinations and state law compliance.

This is distinct from the CBD Medicare pilot we covered earlier this week. These are nutritional hemp products (seeds, protein, oil), not cannabinoid-containing CBD products. But it's another brick in the wall of federal normalization. When Medicare covers hemp products of any kind, it sends a legitimacy signal that reverberates through the entire supply chain — from farmers to processors to retailers.

For Hightree vendors who carry hemp-derived nutritional products, this creates a new potential customer base and validates the product category at the federal healthcare level.

Source: Marijuana Moment

In Brief

FBI memo reveals cannabis investment rules for agents. A newly declassified 2022 FBI memo shows that agents are permitted to invest in and work for hemp and CBD companies, but are prohibited from involvement in the marijuana industry. The distinction follows the federal legal line — hemp is legal under the Farm Bill, marijuana remains Schedule I. The memo even addresses edge cases: hemp products displaying cannabis leaf imagery or testing above 0.3% THC cross the line into prohibited territory. (Marijuana Moment)