Business
ANALYSIS: When Oil Spikes, Cannabis Feels It Too
NEW YORK–Energy markets reacted immediately following Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-Israeli surprise strike on Iran. Before the attack, Brent crude was trading in the high-$70s per barrel. Within days it surged above $100, a dramatic move as traders priced in the risk of disruption to Gulf energy flows. You might think this is far away, ...
Explosion at New Jersey Extraction Facility Highlights Ongoing Safety Risks in Cannabis Processing
NEW JERSEY–A powerful explosion at an extraction facility in Logan Township, New Jersey on March 4 has left several workers seriously injured and reignited discussion around safety risks in solvent-based Cannabis processing. The blast occurred at the Savita Naturals facility, an industrial plant that produces botanical oils using hydrocarbon extraction systems. According to reporting from ...
Aurora Ditches Adult-Use Cannabis Market for Medical Focus
EDMONTON – Aurora Cannabis Inc. has completed its transition away from Canada's adult-use market to concentrate fully on medical Cannabis, targeting more profitable regulated opportunities overseas. Chief Financial Officer Simona King revealed the strategy during a presentation at the TD Cowen Healthcare Conference in Boston this week, marking a complete shift from the company's earlier ...
REVIEW: CannBev Summit-Recap from Brandon Bobart
MIAMI - The CannaBev Summit in Miami Beach took place at a pivotal moment for the hemp-derived THC beverage industry. The uncertainty referenced throughout the event is regulatory and political. Specifically, it centers on whether intoxicating hemp-derived THC beverages will continue to be federally permitted under the 2018 Farm Bill framework, or whether Congress and ...
What’s it Like Being a Black Entrepreneur in Cannabis?
COLUMBUS, OHIO- Although I was born and raised in Cleveland, my journey as a black entrepreneur in Cannabis didn’t start in a dispensary or at a grow facility. It actually started in culture, in music. I began my career at Virgin Records, where I had the privilege of working with amazing legends like Janet Jackson, ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – It's been another fortnight, and the numbers, the deals, and the science keep telling the same story: the Cannabis & Psychedelics space is not slowing down. A few from the MSOs pack shared their Q4 and full-year 2025 results, and they look solid, showcasing that disciplined operators can still grow revenue and ...
DOJ Urges SCOTUS to Ban Cannabis Consumers from Owning Guns
WASHINGTON, D.C. –The U.S. Department of Justice is strongly urging the Supreme Court to uphold a federal rule that bars Cannabis consumers from legally owning or purchasing firearms. In a brief filed with the Court, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argues that banning Cannabis users from gun ownership is consistent with American history. The DOJ ...
Opinion: The Timing Has Never Been Better for Industrial Hemp
LOS ANGELES- A few years ago, ‘sustainable’ was a buzzword. Using the word ‘sustainable’ in marketing messages was a clever way for a company or brand appear to be living in the now, without having to do much to prove it. Times are changing. Governments are tightening purchasing standards. Corporations are being required to measure ...
Malta Raises Stock Limits for Cannabis Associations
VALLETTA – Maltese regulators have raised the amounts of Cannabis that non-profit associations can keep on hand, responding to supply challenges faced by the country's Cannabis clubs. The updates, introduced through a legal notice, replace a uniform 500-gram cap with membership-based tiers at distribution sites: Associations with more than 350 members may now hold up ...
Opinion: The Hemp Industry Has Finally Split Into Two Lanes
LOS ANGELES- The word “hemp” can mean five different things depending on who is talking, that era is finally ending. The industry didn’t get simpler, federal policy is forcing it to. It’s something I have been fighting for for a long time. The result of the impending ‘hemp ban’ is a hard separation between intoxicating ...
New York Bills Advance Low-THC Drinks in Liquor Stores
NEW YORK – A fresh legislative push in New York could soon let customers pick up low-dose Cannabis beverages at their neighborhood liquor store, blending two longstanding retail worlds under tight rules. State Senator Jeremy Cooney (D), who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Cannabis, introduced Senate Bill S9220 with a companion measure, Assembly Bill A10191, ...
Rubicon Completes First Harvest at New Cascadia Facility in British Columbia
VANCOUVER, BC – Rubicon Organics Inc. has reached a key operational step with the completion of its first harvest at the newly acquired Cascadia facility in Hope, British Columbia. The company announced this milestone the same day it hosted a grand opening event at the site. Attendees included employees, local government representatives, and industry partners ...
Obituary: Barbara Webb: A Leader in Cannabis
From the Editorial Team at Highly Capitalized Network OBITUARY- Barbara Lynne (Christenson) Webb passed away on November 23, 2025, in Traverse City, Michigan, surrounded by her close family. Within the Cannabis industry Barbara was known for her clarity, sound judgment, and generosity with her time. She listened carefully, offered practical advice, and mentored people who ...
New Study: Medical Cannabis Linked to Measurable Sleep Improvements
NEW YORK- A newly published observational study in PLOS Mental Health adds real-world data to the ongoing discussion around Cannabis and sleep therapeutics. Researchers analyzed outcomes from 124 patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry who were prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) after failing to respond to conventional insomnia treatments. The data were reported ...
Massachusetts Tops $9 Billion in Cannabis Sales, Eyes Cultivation License Freeze
BOSTON – Massachusetts adult-use Cannabis retailers have surpassed $9 billion in gross sales since the market launched in late 2018, according to the state's Cannabis Control Commission. The milestone was reached on February 4, driven in part by a surge in purchases ahead of a major January snowstorm that prompted high-volume buying at stores and ...
What Does Cannabis 3.0 Actually Mean?
LOS ANGELES- If Cannabis 1.0 was legalization and survival, and Cannabis 2.0 was scale and brand proliferation, Cannabis 3.0 is something far more structural. It is the shift from product velocity to process discipline. From retail differentiation to clinical readiness. From promotional cycles to repeatable systems. Cannabis 3.0 is not louder. It is tighter. In ...
Organigram Strikes Deal to Acquire Sanity Group
TORONTO-BERLIN – Organigram Global Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to purchase the remaining shares of Berlin-based Sanity Group GmbH that it does not already hold. The transaction builds on Organigram's earlier minority stake and supply partnership with the German company, marking a deeper commitment to the European market. The deal values Sanity Group at ...
350 Retail Cap and Tier V Cultivation Limits: What Virginia’s Scarcity Model Means for License Strategy
RICHMOND- Virginia’s adult-use design is built on scarcity and structural oversight. The 350 retail cap materially limits market density, shaping site selection and long-term valuation models. Tier V cultivation remains limited to five large operators. Combined with Board authority to impose regional caps, supply will be intentionally constrained. Wholesale compression risk is therefore lower than ...
Virginia Adult-Use Applications Expected in 2026: Operators Should Begin Structuring Now
NEW YORK- Virginia’s adult-use Cannabis legislation is now in reconciliation after both the House (HB 642) and Senate (SB 542) advanced competing sales frameworks. For operators, the question is no longer whether retail will launch—but when and under what final tax and allocation structure. The House bill maintains a November 1, 2026 retail activation date, ...
As November Looms, the Intoxicating Hemp Industry Carries On — Calmly, Confidently, and Perhaps Optimistically
NEW YORK - Across the United States, the intoxicating hemp sector is behaving as though November 2026 is just another month on the calendar — not a potential regulatory cliff. That’s when new federal restrictions, embedded in last year’s government funding legislation, are scheduled to take effect. The measure tightens the legal definition of hemp ...
OPINION: The Cannabis Industry That Left Black America Behind
LOS ANGELES- America’s legal Cannabis industry loves to tell a redemption story: a plant once criminalized is now regulated, normalized, and generating billions in tax revenue. But redemption for whom? Black History Month shouldn’t just be about celebration. It should force a real conversation about whether industries built on past harm have actually delivered repair. ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – The Cannabis and Psychedelics sectors remain in a state of flux, balancing regulatory progress, market milestones, and corporate maneuvers with persistent challenges. Mature markets posted impressive revenue numbers, major operators strengthened their financial footing through refinancing and asset sales, regulatory bodies advanced consumer-friendly policies in several states, and psychedelics continued to gain ...
AULV Health Announces U.S. Launch to Advance Integrative Health and Longevity Innovation
LOS ANGELES — Feb. 11, 2026 — AULV (Australian Longevity Vitality), an integrative health and botanical therapeutics platform founded in Australia, today announced its official launch in the United States, establishing its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles. The expansion marks a significant milestone for the organization as it brings its longevity-focused model of care, education ...
Abandoned Fighter Jet Test Site Under Review for Cannabis Cultivation Facility
NEW YORK – A long-vacant former Grumman Aerospace complex in Calverton, NY, has become the subject of a preliminary proposal to repurpose its buildings for indoor Cannabis grow. The 20-acre property, which includes three office buildings constructed between 1960 and 1988, has been vacant since Grumman ended operations in 1996. The site previously served as ...
ANNOUNCING: ‘Future of Cannabis’ with Guy Rocourt Returns With Fresh Conversations on the Next Chapter of Cannabis
The fortnightly series brings a product-first, market-realistic lens to cannabis, covering regulation, capital, quality standards, and what real scale looks like as the industry matures. LOS ANGELES — February 12, 2026 — Highly Capitalized Network (HCN) announces the return of ‘Future of Cannabis’ with Guy Rocourt this February, a podcast series produced by HCN and ...
