Vol. 1, Ed. 14 — Fri Aug 28: Saskatchewan sets 50% levy on U.S. alcohol

Saskatchewan keeps U.S. alcohol on shelves but adds a 50 percent levy starting September 8; Pennsylvania weighs hemp regulation over a ban; Michigan suspends a hemp processor license; Iowa's governor race splits on THC beverages. For general information only — not legal advice.

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The NRBC Compliance Brief is a daily two-minute audio briefing on U.S. alcohol and hemp/THC regulation, covering federal agencies and all 50 states: TTB rulings and rulemaking, state alcohol authority actions, the federal hemp-ban timeline, THC-beverage rules, court decisions, taxes, tariffs, licensing, and enforcement. A new episode arrives every morning around 7 AM Eastern.

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This is the New Realm Compliance Brief, Volume One, Edition Fourteen, for Friday, August Twenty-Eighth.

Our top story: Saskatchewan will keep American alcohol on store shelves but impose a fifty percent retaliatory levy on it starting September eighth, Premier Scott Moe announced this week. The move comes as Canada's federal counter tariffs on more than seven hundred American goods take effect the same day. Moe said American alcohol sales in the province already fell about forty percent over the past fiscal year, and said that consumer choice sends a stronger message than a government-ordered ban. Most provinces have taken similar or stricter measures; Alberta remains the exception, and Manitoba has pulled American products entirely.

At the federal level, the Centers for Disease Control has proposed adding marijuana questions to the twenty twenty-eight National Health Interview Survey, asking how often people use it and whether they use it for medical reasons or recreation. Public comments run into mid-October.

Around the states: In Pennsylvania, Senator Dan Laughlin is pressing a bill to regulate intoxicating hemp products with testing, labeling, and age twenty-one rules rather than a ban, while the Erie County District Attorney described enforcement gaps under current law. Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency suspended the hemp processor-handler license of a Lansing company, alleging products exceeded the federal THC limit; the allegations remain unproven pending an administrative process. In Iowa, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand said he would reverse the state's ban on consumable hemp sales, including THC beverages, under regulation; Republican nominee Zach Lahn opposes legalization. And Missouri drew nearly nine hundred applicants for seventy-seven cannabis microbusiness licenses, with a lottery drawing set for September ninth.

On the radar: September eighth, Canada's counter tariffs begin. September thirtieth, Ohio regulators hold a hearing on hemp rule changes. And November twelfth remains the federal hemp redefinition date unless the Senate-passed delay to December eleventh clears the House.

Full details and source links are in today's email. This update is for general information only — it is not legal advice.