In this edition of This Week in Cannabis Live, our host Ben Larson joins Jay Rosenthal & Jeremy Berke of Cultivated and Marc Hauser of Cannabis Musings for a fast-moving, no-BS conversation on the biggest stories shaping cannabis right now.

From Schedule III claims and missed DOJ deadlines to a surprise hemp bill, New York’s track-and-trace chaos, and the realities behind M&A headlines, this episode is all signal, no fluff.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why cannabis rescheduling is still very much unfinished business
  
  
• What the new “CBD bill” could mean for hemp, THC limits, and regulatory convergence
  
  
• How FDA inaction continues to stall real market clarity
  
  
• The hidden costs and legal risks of New York’s delayed track-and-trace rollout
  
  
• Whether 2026 will truly be an M&A boom—or just distressed deal-making
  
  
• Why regulatory capture, compliance costs, and IP disputes are becoming defining industry risks
  
  
  

Meet the Panel:

Jay Rosenthal (Cultivated), Jeremy Berke (Cultivated), Marc Hauser (Cannabis Musings), and Ben Larson (High Spirits) bring investor, legal, operator, and media perspectives together for a grounded, sometimes skeptical, always informed take on the week in cannabis. This is real-time analysis from people deeply embedded in the industry’s policy and business trenches.

Why Tune In?

If you want to understand what’s actually changing—and what’s just being marketed as progress—this episode delivers context, candor, and critical insight every cannabis operator, executive, and investor needs right now.

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

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High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

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Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.