Welcome to Senior Cannabis Digest. This week we look at a traveling warning from the State Department, a cannabis-based cancer drug for dogs and the need for cannabis companies to acknowledge safety concerns. Enjoy.
Travel Tips
Top takeaway: Know before you go. International travelers should avoid carrying cannabis products.
The U.S. State Department is warning U.S. citizens against carrying marijuana or CBD products when they travel to international destinations. The agency wants to make sure that Americans are aware that many countries impose “severe criminal penalties” for cannabis. To help, it’s suggesting travelers visit a federal website where they can review local laws and prohibited items where they are traveling.
Said the department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs in a social media post, “Just because a cannabis, THC, or CBD product is legal in your home state does not mean you can take it abroad. This includes prescribed medical marijuana.”
That’s the word from Tom Angell, reporting for Marijuana Moment. He notes in his article that the bureau points out in its post that even if cannabis is legal or decriminalized in a destination country, “bringing it or any cannabis-derived products across an international border can result in arrest or other criminal penalties.”
To avoid unexpected problems, the department suggests, “always pack from a completely empty bag” in order to avoid accidentally bringing forgotten marijuana stuffed inside of a suitcase pocket.
Said the department in its post, “Americans have been arrested after unintentionally bringing cannabis products into another country, including edibles, vape cartridges, oils, and concentrates. Check all suitcase compartments and pockets carefully before traveling.”
Angell reminds readers that there have been a number of high-profile cases involving Americans who have been detained for possessing marijuana in other countries. He points to professional basketball player Brittney Griner, for example, who was jailed in Russia for about 10 months after being caught at an airport with cannabis vapes that she said were used for medical purposes in accordance with Arizona law.
He also cites the case of U.S. citizen Marc Fogel who was also jailed in Russia for possessing marijuana that he says he used legally under Pennsylvania law to treat back pain.
Despite the growing number of states that have legalized marijuana for medical or adult use, cannabis largely remains illegal at the federal level and carrying it while traveling in the U.S. can also be complicated.
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) spokesperson recently told Marijuana Moment. “TSA’s policy on medical marijuana has not changed. Per TSA’s website: If any illegal substance or evidence of criminal activity is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”
That’s why, whether traveling domestically or internationally, know before you go and don’t take any unnecessary risks.
Tom Angell does his usual stellar job of telling the story and staying on point. To learn more, we urge you to read his article in the September 9, 2026 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Cannabis News and Notes
Top takeaway: A company is seeking FDA approval of a cannabis-based pain medicine for dogs that it intends to eventually market for humans.
A company that makes cannabis-based pharmaceuticals is going to the dogs, on purpose. Endovia Health Sciences has announced it is pursuing FDA approval for CannEpil, a pharmaceutical-grade drug containing CBD and THC isolates in a 20-to-1 ratio, to treat canine cancer-related pain.
The company has acknowledged it is using the veterinary market as its first step toward pursuing human applications for the drug.
According to Margaret Jackson, who reported on the story for MJBiz Daily, the global veterinary pain-management market is significant. It was valued at about $2.6 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $3.8 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research.
The demand for pain medication is driven, in part, by the fact 6 million dogs are diagnosed with cancer in the United States each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. In addition, the Veterinary Cancer Society estimates one in four dogs will develop cancer in their lifetimes.
Jackson points out that to date, the FDA has not approved cannabis for any use in animals. Currently, the cannabis-based drugs that are given to animals are OTC supplements. If CannEpil ultimately wins approval, it would therefore enter largely uncharted territory for cannabinoid-based veterinary medicine.
While CannEpil would respond to that demand for pain medicine for animals, Endovia’s broader strategy could offer a test case for expanding cannabinoid products beyond state-regulated markets and into the federally regulated pharmaceutical industry, starting with animal health and potentially expanding into human medicine.
Jackson writes that this strategy is based, to a degree, on the fact that certain animal drugs for serious or life-threatening conditions or unmet health needs can qualify for conditional approval, which allows companies to legally market a drug after demonstrating safety and a reasonable expectation of effectiveness while continuing to collect evidence required for full approval. The pathway can shorten the time it takes to market for eligible drugs.
Said Endovia interim CEO Brady Cobb, “We’re starting with veterinary use and will ultimately pivot to human (use).” He sees CannEpil eventually competing with Epidiolex, an FDA approved cannabis drug for humans, as Endovia expands into human medicine. He added that “(CannEpil) is competition for Epidiolex.”
In her article Jackson points out that not all animal-care professionals are on board with Endova’s approach. Some criticize giving THC to dogs while others question the regulatory rigor of the FDA’s veterinary approval process.
Angela Ardolino, a California-based cannabis clinician who works in the holistic pet space, told Jackson that animal drug safety studies can be as short as three months and measure only whether an animal’s health changes over that period – not whether the drug works.
Margaret Jackson does an excellent job of unpacking a complicated story. To learn more, we urge you to read her article in the September 8, 2026 issue of MJBizdaily.com.
mjbizdaily.com/news/why-a-cannabis-business-is-betting-on-dogs-to-reach-fda-approval/617908/
Cannabis Quote of the Week
Top takeaway: Cannabis companies benefit when they acknowledge and address safety concerns.
“The future of cannabis access depends on our ability to distinguish between rhetoric designed to undermine access and legitimate questions that deserve real solutions. Confusing labels, contaminants in products, inconsistent dosing, accidental ingestion, impaired driving, youth access, inadequate professional education, gaps in testing, misinformation and barriers that push patients outside regulated systems are all real issues.
Acknowledging these problems is not a concession to prohibition. Solving them is how we protect the future of cannabis access.
We need to be able to say: Here is a problem. Here is what the evidence tells us. Here is what we do not yet know. And here is what we are doing about it.” – Steph Sherer
Mr. Sherer is the founder and executive director of Americans for Safe Access, a cannabis advocacy group. His comments are taken from an op-ed he penned for Marijuana Moment as part of his organization’s observance of September as Cannabis Safety Month.
In his editorial, Sherer suggests that the next stage of cannabis market development will not be built primarily around potency, novelty, branding and price.
Wrote Sherer, “Companies that invest in transparency, usability, testing, quality, safety and consumer education are helping build the standards and infrastructure that a mature cannabis marketplace and the integration of cannabis into healthcare will require.”
He also makes the point that addressing safety concerns can strengthen patient and consumer trust, distinguish responsible businesses, reduce preventable problems and show that the legal marketplace can respond to public concerns.
Sherer closes his remarks with a warning. He contends opponents of cannabis reform are increasingly using legitimate cannabis safety concerns to argue for broader restrictions. That’s why he believes cannabis safety should not be a political weapon and it should not be an uncomfortable subject cannabis communities avoid.
Rather, he argues, acknowledging and addressing safety should be seen as an opportunity for innovation, collaboration, investment and competition.
To learn more, we urge you to read Steph Sherer’s op-ed in the September, 9, 2026 issue of Marijuana Moment.net.
Senior Cannabis Digest is compiled and edited by Joe Kohut and John Kohut. You can reach them at joe.kohut@gmail.com and at 347-528-8753.