2026 Articles

2026 Annual Meeting Photos September 2026 ISBA members and guests gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis on June 11–12, 2026, for the Annual Meeting, which featured outstanding CLE programming, networking, and business meetings. Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the Annual Meeting a success!

Acting Attorney General’s New Order Reschedules State-Licensed Medical Marijuana From Schedule I to a Schedule III Controlled Substance By Nicky Sonntag May 2026 On April 23, 2026, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche issued an order that is being described as the biggest federal cannabis regulatory shift since 1970. Learn more about the changes this order will bring to FDA-approved marijuana products and medical marijuana products.

Beyond the Alert: Why Mallery Cannot Survive Redmond By Mansi Patel September 2026 Redmond and Mallery, however, are now at odds. The reasoning in Redmond directly undermines Mallery. If a human officer cannot distinguish the odor of illegal cannabis from lawful cannabis, how can a canine alert supply probable cause without more? This question remains unanswered.

A Culture of Copious Drinking: United States v. Hemani and the Limits of Historical Analogies Under the Second Amendment By Kulmeet Galhotra September 2026 On June 18, 2026, the Supreme Court decided United States v. Hemani, holding that the federal government's prosecution of a regular cannabis user under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3) violated the Second Amendment as applied.

From the Editor By Candace M. Clark September 2026 A note from the Editor of the Cannabis Law Newsletter, introducing the current issue.

Important: Immediate Change to the Filing of Notices of Appeal By Mark Kevin Wykoff, Sr. May 2026 Familiarize yourself with the changes to Illinois Supreme Court Rules 13, 605, and 606, which brings changes to how to file a Notice of Appeal in criminal cases.

Summary of the Illinois Annual Cannabis Report for 2025 and the Illinois Adult Use Cannabis Health Advisory Committee’s 2025 Report By Cole Preston May 2026 The Illinois State Police (ISP) provide “enforcement, investigation, and processing of all cannabis-related criminal offenses.” This includes curbing illicit market activity, defined as non-taxed sales and possession, enforcing laws related to driving under the influence, and overseeing security requirements within the legal cannabis industry. Through its Cannabis Control Office (CCO), the agency conducts monthly inspections of all facilities operating under Illinois’ adult use and medical cannabis laws.