Trulieve Secures Exclusive Master Licensing Agreement with Connected

TALLAHASSEE – Trulieve Cannabis Corp. announced a master licensing agreement giving the multi-state Cannabis operator exclusive rights to cultivate, manufacture, and sell Alien Labs and Connected-branded products in both Florida and Texas. The agreement is perpetual and royalty-free, covering both brands’ genetics, trademarks, and proprietary production knowledge.

Trulieve has been the exclusive provider of Alien Labs and Connected products in Florida since 2022. The new arrangement formalizes and extends that relationship, expanding it into new product categories in Florida and, pending regulatory clearance, into Texas as well.

“Since 2022, Trulieve has been an exclusive provider of Alien Labs and Connected premium cannabis products in Florida, delighting our customers with unique high-quality strains,” said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers in the company’s official press release. “With this agreement, we plan to expand our premium product portfolio in Florida with new categories and form factors, further solidifying our leading market position.”

While the brand rights in Florida take effect under the existing framework, Texas sales await final state approvals. Trulieve’s private agreement for brand rights is a separate step from the state permission it needs to sell those products in Texas. The Texas Department of Public Safety recently announced a retroactive correction to its license tabulation methodology – a regulatory development tied to House Bill 46, which authorized additional licenses over two phases. No first shipment date or sales target for Texas was disclosed.

Neither company disclosed a financial value for the licensing agreement. The royalty-free, open-ended structure distinguishes this deal from the typical Cannabis brand arrangement, which usually involves ongoing fees and fixed terms.

Caleb Counts, Founder and CEO of Connected, framed the announcement as a natural extension of an already productive commercial relationship.

“Our partnership with Trulieve has become one of the most successful brand licensing relationships in cannabis, and it’s proof of what’s possible when a legacy brand and a scaled operator play to each other’s strengths,” Counts said. “Trulieve’s platform has given Florida patients access to Alien Labs and Connected genetics developed through our proprietary breeding program, which is some of the most premium cannabis available anywhere.”

The agreement also provides Trulieve with the opportunity to negotiate licensing rights in additional expansion markets. Connected, the Sacramento-born cultivator known for its high-potency genetics and curated strain catalog, has built its national footprint through selective licensing rather than direct multi-state operations – a model that preserves brand standards while limiting capital exposure. Trulieve, which currently operates medical Cannabis programs in Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, brings the retail depth and cultivation infrastructure to put those genetics in front of patients at scale. The deal also includes collaborative marketing commitments across both brands in their respective markets.

The perpetual and royalty-free structure here is worth studying closely. For Trulieve, it eliminates the ongoing cost drag that typically comes with brand licensing while locking in exclusive access to two of the industry’s most culturally recognized names. That kind of structural advantage compounds over time, especially in a market like Florida, where Trulieve already commands significant retail presence. Texas is the longer game. The regulatory runway there is still uncertain, and the state’s limited medical framework means this is an investment in future positioning rather than near-term revenue.