Business
Manitoba Cannabis Sales Accelerate, Leaving Liquor in the Rearview
WINNIPEG – Cannabis revenues in Manitoba posted double-digit gains, handily surpassing liquor sales and underscoring the steady climb of the province's legal Cannabis trade. Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the corporation charged with distributing both products, reported Cannabis sales reaching $170.1 million, a 10.7% increase from $153.6 million the year before. That added $16.5 million to ...
FLUENT Consolidates NY Retail Presence
NEW YORK – FLUENT Corp., a Cannabis operator with roots in Florida and Pennsylvania, has completed the rebranding of two key dispensaries in New York, bringing its retail operations in the state under a single corporate FLUENT banner for the first time. The company unveiled the changes at its Manhattan location and the White Plains ...
Australian Policy Group Cautions TGA on Medicinal Cannabis Restrictions, Fearing Shift to Illicit Sources
SYDNEY – A prominent drug policy organization in Australia has urged federal regulators to avoid curtailing access to prescription medicinal Cannabis, arguing that such steps could drive patients toward unregulated street supplies and erode the stability of the legal sector. In a submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) released last week, the Penington Institute ...
Pre-Rolls Claim Top Spot in Canadian Cannabis Sales, Signal Shift Across the US
LOS ANGELES – Pre-rolled Cannabis joints have quietly moved ahead of loose flower to become the leading product in Canada's $5.8 billion 2024 legal market, a milestone that underscores a broader turn toward convenience in North American consumption habits. In the United States, where the category trails flower but posts the sharpest gains, analysts see ...
LinkedIn Research Study: People Don’t Trust What You Say — They Trust What Others Say About You
LOS ANGELES- According to LinkedIn’s 2025 B2B Marketing Benchmark, video is now the #1 driver of trust — outperforming every other content format for credibility and conversion. The study shows that brands using video and creator-led storytelling build trust up to 2.5x faster and generate 2–3x higher engagement than those relying on static content. That ...
What’s Changing Now for Cannabis Operators: Lessons from Anaheim’s IgniteIt 2025
LOS ANGELES- The cannabis industry has always been about resilience, reinvention, and relentless adaptation. At this year’s IgniteIt Market Spotlight: California (formerly the Benzinga Cannabis Conference) in Anaheim, that message was louder than ever. The event gathered California’s leading operators, investors, regulators, and innovators for a candid look at what comes next—and what must change ...
Global Cannabis Market Tightens Amid Surging Demand and Supply Snags
LOS ANGELES – Germany's medical Cannabis imports jumped more than 400% in H1 2025, pushing the European market into a period of rapid expansion and testing the limits of international supply chains. That surge has drawn heavy exports from Canada and created openings for established players while squeezing margins for others. The Federal Institute for ...
Alternaleaf Rolls Out Targeted Cannabis Program for UK Women’s Health Issues
LONDON – Alternaleaf, the United Kingdom's online medical Cannabis clinic, launched a new service this week aimed at treating gynecological and hormonal disorders with therapies involving Cannabis. The initiative marks the first of its kind in the country, offering an option for patients frustrated by public health delays and limited conventional remedies. The service targets ...
Tilray Medical Expands to Panama Market
NEW YORK – Tilray Medical, the pharmaceutical arm of Tilray Brands Inc., has secured a medical Cannabis license in Panama, marking its latest step into Central America. The company formed a joint venture with local firm Top Tech Global Inc. to handle operations, gaining approval for cultivation, manufacturing, import, export, distribution, and sales of Cannabis ...
Verano Launches Dispensary in Restored Ohio Train Depot
CHICAGO – Verano Holdings Corp. marked another step in its Ohio operations with the announcement of a grand opening for its Zen Leaf dispensary in Antwerp, a small village in northwest Ohio. The site, set to welcome customers Friday, occupies a meticulously restored 19th-century train depot that dates to 1880 and holds a place on ...
Glass House Brands Marks Milestone as First U.S. Cannabis Stock Tradable on Robinhood
LOS ANGELES – Glass House Brands Inc. began trading on the Robinhood app this week, opening the door for a broader swath of retail investors to access shares in a vertically integrated multistate Cannabis operator. The listing, effective October 13, positions Glass House as the first major American Cannabis company whose stock can be bought ...
Planet 13 Expands Florida Footprint
LAS VEGAS – Planet 13 Holdings Inc., a vertically integrated Cannabis operator with cultivation, production, and retail operations in four states, launched its latest medical Cannabis outlet in DeLand, Florida. The store, situated in the city's downtown district, marks the company's 33rd location in the state and its 37th across the United States. The DeLand ...
AYR Wellness Kicks Off Public Auction in Debt Restructuring Push
LOS ANGELES – Miami-based AYR Wellness Inc. moved ahead with its financial reset by starting Article 9 foreclosure proceedings under the Uniform Commercial Code to auction core assets. Odyssey Trust Company, serving as collateral trustee for the senior noteholders, sent out notices of disposition. The public sale takes place November 10, 2025, in the New ...
From Cherokee to California: The New Bipartisan Crackdown on ‘Kid-Friendly’ Cannabis Marketing
LOS ANGELES- The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) issued fresh guidance this week reminding licensees that marketing, packaging, and labeling that could appeal to minors is strictly prohibited under MAUCRSA. It specifically highlighted bright candy-like visuals, seasonal promotions, and digital ordering systems as risk areas — the exact same themes Tillis (main image) cited ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Investors and operators tuned in closely over the past fortnight as political signals rippled through boardrooms and trading floors, underscoring the sector's knack for turning headlines into hard dollars. Federal nods to CBD's role in senior care ignited a swift market lift, while statehouses wrestled with tax hikes and hemp curbs that ...
Target Quietly Enters the THC Beverage Market — As Republicans Push to Recriminalize Hemp
LOS ANGELES- Target — one of America’s largest retailers — has quietly begun stocking THC-infused beverages at select stores in Minnesota, signaling one of the most significant steps yet in the mainstreaming of Cannabis consumer products. According to reporting by Marijuana Moment, the company is piloting sales of hemp-derived THC beverages in about ten Minnesota ...
Thai PM Renews Drug Crackdown Vow as Cannabis Sector Awaits Policy Clarity
BANGKOK – Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who once spearheaded Thailand's shift toward Cannabis tolerance, has recommitted his administration to aggressive narcotics enforcement, promising to "win the war on drugs" in a move that underscores the nation's ongoing battle against illicit trade. Speaking at a narcotics suppression briefing on October 4, Anutin positioned drug interdiction as ...
Germany’s Cabinet Advanced Restrictions Balancing Access and Control in Medical Cannabis
BERLIN – Germany's federal cabinet cleared a draft bill that would require in-person doctor consultations before issuing medical Cannabis prescriptions and prohibit mail-order shipments, addressing a fourfold jump in imports over the past year. The measures, part of an amendment to the 2017 Medical Cannabis Act, come as the country's Cannabis sector navigates growth following ...
Canopy Growth Shifts DOJA Site to Medical-Only Production in Canada
SMITHS FALLS, ON – Canopy Growth Corporation has repurposed its DOJA cultivation facility in Kelowna, British Columbia, to focus solely on medical Cannabis. The change positions the site as a dedicated supplier for its Spectrum Therapeutics brand, targeting patients including military veterans. Under a new micro-cultivation license, the upgraded facility will grow limited runs of ...
Spain Cabinet Greenlights Medical Cannabis Framework
MADRID – Spain's Council of Ministers on Tuesday approved a royal decree that sets rules for prescribing Cannabis-based medicines through the public health system, marking the first formal step toward regulated access for patients facing treatment-resistant conditions. The measure, proposed by the Health Ministry, allows specialist physicians in hospitals to order customized Cannabis formulas as ...
Case Study: Better Data, Better Decisions: How Clean Inputs Strengthen Cannabis Strategy
NEW YORK- In a highly regulated and competitive industry like Cannabis, data isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet — it’s the foundation of effective decision-making. Yet many operators still struggle with messy, inconsistent, or incomplete data that undermines inventory management, complicates operations, and blunts strategic insights. No software platform, no matter how advanced, can produce ...
Verano Pushes Digital Voting as Postal Strike Disrupts Shareholder Materials
CHICAGO – Verano Holdings Corp. is telling investors to submit votes electronically for its special meeting next month, citing delays from Canada's postal workers strike. The company released a statement warning that physical copies of meeting materials, detailing a proposed shift in corporate domicile from British Columbia to Nevada, might not reach all shareholders in ...
Vireo Takes 86% Stake in Schwazze’s Convertible Notes in $62M Deal
DENVER – Vireo Growth Inc., a multistate Cannabis operator, has entered into definitive agreements to purchase about 86% of the senior secured convertible notes held by Medicine Man Technologies Inc., which operates as Schwazze, for roughly $62 million in company stock. The move comes as Schwazze navigates financial pressures in a competitive industry and positions ...
France Upholds Pesticide Ban, Guaranteeing Survival of the Bees
LOS ANGELES- Over the past decade, France has stood at the center of Europe’s fight to protect pollinators from the devastating effects of pesticides. In 2018, the nation became the first EU member to ban several neonicotinoid insecticides—chemicals long linked to colony collapse and bee mortality. These so-called “bee-killing” pesticides disrupt navigation, reproduction, and immune ...
OPINION: The People Have Spoken: It’s Time to End Federal Cannabis Prohibition (and Release the Epstein Files)
LOS ANGELES- With 87% of Americans supporting Cannabis legalization — and nearly 80% demanding the release of the Epstein files — public consensus on reform and transparency has never been stronger. The question now is whether Republican leadership will finally act. Public opinion on Cannabis has reached rare, bipartisan clarity. In the most recent Pew ...
