NUG Magazine is a cannabis news site established in 2009 and now owned and operated by SEM Media LLC. It publishes several stories a day. The core desks are News, Grow and Activism. On September 23, 2026 it covered an anti-drug coalition’s voter guide on hemp THC bans.
The masthead lists a publisher and editor-in-chief, an editor, a video director and producer, an art director and a sales manager.
News desk on ballots, banking and rescheduling
News is the busiest section, with an archive running past 70 pages. Its September 2026 run tracked federal rescheduling closely. One story covered a GAO report on gaps in the drug scheduling process. It ran as the DEA review continued. Another quoted a California regulator saying the DEA had ignored state questions.
Banking and insurance got steady attention as well. On September 18, 2026 NUG reported Sen. Cortez Masto backing a Senate cannabis banking bill. The same day it covered Velázquez and Davidson reintroducing the CLAIM Act. That bill would shield cannabis insurers from federal penalties.
The desk also reaches past U.S. borders. A September 2026 story walked travelers through Thailand’s cannabis laws. Industry calendar items appear too, such as the Revelry Buyers’ Club fall event at Manhattan’s Pier 36.
Massachusetts Question 8 and the ballot beat
Ballot measures anchor the Activism section. A September 14, 2026 story laid out what Massachusetts Question 8 would do. It would repeal adult-use sales and the licensed retail system. Possession of up to one ounce would stay legal. The piece cited 27,000 jobs and $300 million in annual tax revenue at risk.
It also put the state’s cumulative sales since 2016 at $10 billion, with $1.65 billion in 2025. Steve Reilly, head of government relations at Insa, argued that “none of the alternatives” would match the regulated market. A September 22 follow-up covered Cambridge and Somerville dispensary owners warning the measure would end legal sales.
Other 2026 activism stories followed Missouri and Idaho proposals to make citizen cannabis initiatives harder to pass. The section also covered Colorado’s 14 statewide ballot measures. A profile followed a NORML summer intern learning legislative monitoring and outreach.
San Diego County’s equity vote
Local licensing stories run alongside the national ones. On September 7, 2026 NUG reported that San Diego County supervisors approved the Socially Equitable Cannabis Program in a 3–2 vote. Paloma Aguirre, Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe voted yes, while Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond voted no.
The framework caps storefront retailers at 25, reserves at least 50% for equity applicants and gives those applicants a three-year head start. It also ends a moratorium in place since 2017 for unincorporated parts of the county.
Grow coverage from clone drops to outdoor rules
The Grow section mixes cultivation business news with the craft scene. In September 2026 it covered Clonetopia returning to Richmond with live cuts, headlined by the Toad Venom strain. Other entries covered Grown Rogue opening a cultivation facility in West Deptford, New Jersey.
An August 21, 2026 story examined an Illinois proposal to let licensed companies grow outdoors. Plants would sit inside fenced areas, with output limited to extraction. Scott Redman of the Illinois Independent Craft Growers Association called it a “game changer” for small growers. On August 26 the section reported Bountiful Farms taking Best Overall honors at the 2026 U4EA Jar Test and NECANN 2026.
Columns, events and the NUG Shop
Earlier years leaned on personal columns and event coverage. Jon’s Stone-Cold Cop List ran as a monthly roundup of flower and product picks, reaching edition #37 in May 2023. That entry referenced the Emerald Cup Judges Retreat and Hall of Flowers in New York City.
In November 2022 NUG previewed the High Times Biz Bash, the official after-party for MJBizCon 2022. It was set for Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas with Redman and Method Man performing. The site also runs the NUG Shop, selling branded tees, hoodies, beanies, stickers, posters and canvas prints. Advertising is sold across its magazine and web properties.
Official channels
NUG Magazine publishes at nugmag.com and posts video on its YouTube channel, where it bills itself as “California’s #1 Cannabis publication.” It also posts on X and LinkedIn.