CARMA field brief
The CARMA submission readiness brief.
A first-party account framework for turning partial information into a submission that can be reviewed and moved forward.
Insights and commentary
Current issues.
Practical account work.
Federal developments, underwriting field notes, and broker tools that turn a headline or complex exposure into a clearer account record.
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Five current reads for cannabis and hemp accounts.
Each article states what changed, what did not, and what the broker or business should organize next.
01
Federal change, account impact 8 min read
Schedule III changed the account narrative, not the policy overnight
Separate the limited federal action already taken from the broader marijuana proceeding and route legal, tax, banking, licensing, and insurance conclusions to the right qualified reviewer.
Read article 02Federal change, account impact 8 min read
The November 2026 hemp deadline is an inventory problem
Before the delayed federal definition change, hemp and cannabinoid businesses should organize products, contracts, geography, inventory, transition plans, and insurance disclosures at the SKU level.
Read article 03Federal change, account impact 7 min read
What post-hearing briefs do, and do not, mean for cannabis insurance
Post-hearing briefs can sharpen the arguments in the broader marijuana proceeding. They do not create a final rule, an effective date, nationwide legalization, or an automatic insurance result.
Read article 04Federal change, account impact 8 min read
Five disclosures a hemp manufacturer should recheck before renewal
A current hemp-manufacturer renewal should reconcile products, manufacturing responsibility, geography, inventory and contracts, testing, incidents, and controls instead of repeating last year's shorthand.
Read article 05Underwriting field notes 7 min read
Cannabis inventory is not one number
A useful inventory schedule separates stage, ownership, location, valuation, concentration, records, and the time needed to restore the operation.
Read articleLibrary
More field guides and account preparation.
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Broker field guide
What makes a cannabis submission easier to market?
Turn a complex account into a coherent risk story before the first market approach.
Placement tool
Build the placement brief before market outreach.
A concise account brief makes exposure, urgency, open questions, and attachments easier to evaluate.
Appetite guidance
Check when appetite guidance was last reviewed.
Appetite can change by account, state, requested coverage, and available market, so confirm the latest guidance before making a promise.
Contract responsibility
Who owns the white-label risk?
Brand, manufacturer, distributor, contract language, testing, labeling, and recall responsibilities can diverge.
Process hazard
Extraction review starts with the process, not the product name.
Inputs, equipment, pressure, heat, solvents, ventilation, controls, and operator practices define the account story.
Property & contracts
A cannabis landlord risk sits at the intersection of lease and operation.
Property ownership, tenant activity, buildout, utilities, security, values, and lease obligations need one coherent record.
Hemp & CBD
Hemp and CBD accounts need product, jurisdiction, and supply-chain precision.
Labels such as hemp, CBD, and cannabinoid are starting points, not substitutes for product and regulatory detail.
Certificate readiness
A certificate deadline is often a contract-review deadline.
Urgent certificate requests should surface the agreement, required terms, entity names, and coverage gap before a promise is made.
Adjacent risks
Labs, technology, and ancillary businesses need their own operation story.
Cannabis-adjacent does not mean every account has the same exposures, coverage needs, or available markets.
risk management guide
Dispensary compliance starts with records the business can explain
A practical way for brokers and dispensary operators to organize licenses, inventory controls, security records, marketing review, and material changes for an insurance conversation.
op-ed
Product recall readiness starts before a claim
Cannabis and hemp brands, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers need a clear responsibility map, traceable records, and a tested response process before a product problem appears.
coverage education
Edibles and flower present different insurance questions
Product format changes the manufacturing, ingredient, testing, labeling, storage, contract, and recall facts that a broker should bring into the submission.
tax recordkeeping guide
Keep insurance and tax records aligned for a cannabis business
Insurance placement and federal tax treatment are separate disciplines, but both depend on accurate entities, activities, invoices, allocations, and supporting records.
disaster readiness guide
Wildfire readiness for California cannabis businesses
A pre-loss checklist for people, licensed inventory, property values, business interruption, records, emergency movement, and insurance notice.
pricing factors guide
Why cannabis insurance costs can vary by state
State is one input. The operation, values, products, limits, controls, losses, policy structure, and current market conditions are what turn geography into an account-specific insurance discussion.
renewal risk guide
A cannabis risk review should start with what changed
Before renewal or a new market approach, reconcile the business, products, locations, values, contracts, people, systems, losses, and controls into one current account story.
multi-state operations guide
Multi-state cannabis operations need one shared account record
A broker-ready account separates entities, licenses, locations, activities, products, contracts, and state-specific obligations while keeping the insurance request coherent.
coverage education
Three coverage conversations for a cannabis account
A practical way to organize liability, property and interruption, and product-related questions without treating a category label as a coverage conclusion.
equipment and process guide
How to present cannabis extraction equipment to an insurance market
The useful submission connects the extraction method, equipment, approvals, protection, maintenance, values, bottlenecks, and recovery plan.
claims preparation guide
What to do after a loss at a cannabis business
Protect people, follow emergency and regulator instructions, locate the policy notice requirements, preserve the facts, and coordinate the response with the broker, carrier, and qualified advisers.
legislation guide
The 2026 federal hemp definition change: insurance questions to organize now
The federal definition is scheduled to change on a delayed timetable. Brokers and businesses should organize product, testing, container, contract, inventory, geography, and transition facts without assuming a coverage result.
state legislation guide
Kentucky medical cannabis insurance requirements and submission guide
Kentucky inspection materials identify workers compensation, commercial general liability, and commercial auto evidence for applicable medical cannabis licensees. The exact current form and license type control.
regulatory proceeding tracker
Marijuana rescheduling in 2026: what it may mean for insurance
A practical guide for brokers and cannabis businesses that separates completed federal actions from the broader pending proceeding and its unresolved business consequences.
state legislation guide
Minnesota cannabis insurance for licensed businesses
A source-based guide to workers compensation evidence, transportation financial responsibility, final plans of record, and the account details a broker should organize.
Account-specific next step
Have an account connected to one of these issues?
Use the relevant guidance to organize the account, then send CARMA the details you have.