Insights
Cracking the Code to California Cannabis Success: Anaheim Hosts Market Spotlight on October 8
LOS ANGELES- California is the largest Cannabis market in the world, setting trends that shape global culture, regulation, and business strategy. On October 8, 2025, leaders from across the industry will gather in Anaheim for IgniteIt’s Market Spotlight: California — a one-day event focused on actionable strategies for operators, investors, and policymakers. After two sold-out ...
Week In Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Wrapping up September 2025, it's clear the U.S. Cannabis sector is buzzing with a mix of encouraging expansion signs and sobering challenges, ranging from record-breaking sales in emerging markets to the frustrating realities of illicit infiltration, margin squeezes, and Trump’s tariff pressures. While psychedelics research simmers quietly without major breakthroughs, Cannabis operators ...
Porter’s Five Forces Unpack Cannabis Sector Pressures: Insights for 2025 Investors
LOS ANGELES – The boards of multi-state operators and decision-makers orchestrating Cannabis deals, investors and analysts, the experts behind cultivation ops in emerging markets and the multilevel executives in our industry often turn to a classic tool for dissecting profit margins: Michael Porter's Five Forces Framework. Debuted in 1979, the approach examines competitive pressures through ...
Winners and Losers in Cannabis: The Efficiency Divide
LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Cannabis industry is evolving—but not in the way headlines suggest. Yes, national retail sales remain strong at a $32 billion annualized pace. And yes, states like New York and Ohio are posting impressive gains following adult-use rollouts. But the real story—the one determining which operators thrive and which fade away—is ...
Highly Capitalized Network Launches “Battle of the Brands” — A New Show Redefining Cannabis Marketing Conversations
LOS ANGELES— Highly Capitalized Network (HCN), a leading business and financial media platform for Cannabis, today announced the launch of its newest original series: Battle of the Brands. This new podcast series brings together some of the most respected voices in the industry for candid conversations about the future of Cannabis branding, marketing, and consumer ...
Cannabis Market Faces Inevitable Wave of Consolidations to Keep the Pace of Dynamics
LOS ANGELES – Viridian Capital Advisors' Chart of the Week painted a picture of a highly fragmented U.S. Cannabis industry, where the top five multi-state operators (MSOs) generated about $4.8 billion in revenue, equating to roughly 12% of the total market, a notable drop from 17% in 2021. This erosion stemmed from gains by large ...
Rad Recruitment Launches “AIRS – AI Recruitment Systems” to Help Cannabis Operators Hire Faster, Smarter, and at Lower Cost
LOS ANGELES - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Rad Recruitment Launches “AIRS – AI Recruitment Systems” to Help Cannabis Operators Hire Faster, Smarter, and at Lower Cost Embedded, AI-powered talent system greatly reduces time-to-hire and talent spend while strengthening employer branding and compliance across tightly regulated markets. September 9, 2025 — Rad Recruitment, a division of ...
Europe’s Medical Cannabis Sector Shows Steady Expansion
LOS ANGELES – Prohibition Partners’ report indicates that Europe's medical Cannabis market could hit approximately €1.4 billion this year, driven by demand in key countries like Germany and the United Kingdom. Analysts point to a combination of policy shifts and patient growth as factors supporting this trajectory, though inconsistencies in national rules continue to temper ...
Medical Cannabis Finds Favor Among Seniors Across Continents
LEIPZIG, WASHINGTON – Medical Cannabis adoption among older populations is accelerating, with recent data from Germany and the United States illustrating parallel trends in usage for chronic and age-specific conditions. In Germany, following partial legalization in April 2024, Grünhorn Apotheke documented a 640% spike in prescriptions for patients aged 55 and above, peaking at 711% ...
Cannabis Real Estate Trends: What’s Selling Right Now
LOS ANGELES- The Cannabis industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace — but one thing remains constant: real estate is the foundation of every successful Cannabis business. The right property doesn’t just house operations; it determines whether a company can get licensed, open its doors quickly, and compete effectively in a tightly regulated environment. ...
HBA Pushes for Regulatory Framework on Hemp-Derived THC Beverages in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG – The Hemp Beverage Alliance (HBA), a trade group with close to 400 members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, has launched an initiative to set up guidelines for hemp-derived THC beverages in Pennsylvania. The effort comes as state officials grapple with budget pressures and a dip in alcohol sales, while ...
Cannabis MSOs Face Manageable 2026 Debt Maturities, Viridian Analysis Shows
LOS ANGELES – Major Cannabis operators are navigating a once-daunting wave of debt due in 2026 with greater ease than anticipated, according to a recent chart from Viridian Capital Advisors. The analysis examines cash sources and uses for 12 leading MSOs, highlighting fixed charges like taxes, leases, interest, capital expenditures, and maturing debt. It portrays ...
The Scrappy Cannabis Retailer’s Playbook
LOS ANGELES- A Practical Guide to Building a Smarter Marketing System by Tim Naughton. The Cannabis retail landscape is competitive, taxed heavily, and increasingly crowded by new entrants including Hemp and THCA brands selling direct to consumer. In this hyper-competitive and dynamic environment, marketers ought to live on the cutting edge, looking for opportunities to ...
Cultivation Sector Outshines Modest Cannabis Capital Drop, Viridian Capital Advisors Reports
LOS ANGELES – Capital raising in the Cannabis industry has dipped slightly this year, with year-to-date (YTD) totals reaching $1.54 billion as of September 2025, a 2.4% drop from $1.58 billion in the same period last year. On a last-12-months basis, the figure stands at $2.3 billion, down 1.6% from 2024. A notable shift has ...
Cannabis Stocks Rally but Remain Undervalued Relative to Peers, Viridian Report Finds
LOS ANGELES – U.S. Cannabis companies have posted impressive gains this year, yet their valuations still trail those of comparable industries, a new analysis from Viridian Capital Advisors indicates. The Weekly Chart by Viridian plots enterprise value multiples based on 2025 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) against expected revenue growth from 2024 ...
Opinion: Rolling Toward a Greener Future: The Case for Industrial Hemp Toilet Paper
LOS ANGELES–When most people think about sustainability, they imagine renewable energy, electric cars, or organic farming. I don’t know many who stop to consider the humble roll of toilet paper. But TP production has a significant environmental cost, and the way we make and use it shows how everyday choices affect forests, water, and the ...
STUDY: Cannabis Consumers Engage in Greater Levels of Physical Exercise
OKLAHOMA CITY–Middle-aged adults are more likely to engage in physical activities on days when they also consume cannabis, according to data published in the journal Addictive Behaviors. Researchers affiliated with the University of Oklahoma assessed the relationship between cannabis use and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in a cohort of 98 healthy middle-aged adults. They found that participants typically engaged in ...
Google Launches Limited Test of Cannabis Advertising on Its Search Platform in Canada
TORONTO – Google has started a restricted trial allowing select Canadian Cannabis companies to place ads on its search engine, marking a cautious step toward easing long-standing prohibitions on such promotions. The initiative, which went live on August 25, 2025, permits only federally licensed operators to run advertisements for Cannabis products and services through Google ...
Cannabis Stocks Climb 79% in a Month, But Path to Past Highs Remains Uncertain
LOS ANGELES – Publicly traded Cannabis companies have seen sharp gains recently, with the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF (MSOS) climbing about 79% over the past month. This rally prompts questions about sustainability and potential for further upside, according to analysis from Viridian Capital Advisors. The firm's latest chart highlights monthly price increases for 11 ...
Trump’s Potential Cannabis Rescheduling Sparked Stock Rise and Industry Uncertainty
LOS ANGELES – On August 11, 2025, President Donald Trump’s public comments on potentially rescheduling Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act skyrocketed Cannabis stocks. The AdvisorShares Pure U.S. Cannabis ETF (MSOS) jumped 28%, its best day since 2022, while the Amplify Alternative Harvest ETF (MJ) gained over 26%, marking ...
Hemp-Derived THC Beverages Gain Traction as U.S. Alcohol Consumption Declines
LOS ANGELES – Hemp-derived THC beverages generated $382 million in sales in 2024, a marked increase from previous years, yet 2025 projections indicate tempered growth at $571 million, climbing to $756 million by 2029 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 14%. THC beverages are gaining momentum as alternatives to alcohol, particularly as ...
Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works for Cannabis Leaders
LOS ANGELES -The Cannabis industry is filled with ambitious operators, visionary founders, and well-funded enterprises. Yet despite enormous energy and investment, many companies still struggle to answer the most fundamental question in business: what is our strategy? Too often, Cannabis leadership mistakes survival for strategy. But survival alone is not a winning aspiration. To move ...
MSOs Confront Billions in Uncertain Tax Liabilities
LOS ANGELES – U.S. Cannabis operators continue to navigate the constraints of IRS Section 280E, which bars deductions for standard business expenses and drives up effective tax rates. Major multi-state Cannabis operators (MSOs) have leaned on legal opinions to expense these taxes without immediate payment, instead accruing them as uncertain tax liabilities (UTLs) on their ...
A LIFE IN A DAY: David Peck, CEO of Headquarters
LOS ANGELES- In this edition of A LIFE IN A DAY, Highly Capitalized Network catches up with David Peck, the founder and CEO of Headquarters (HQ)—an operations partner for Cannabis businesses across the country. Headquarters helps retailers and operators run smoother by handling the work most companies don’t have time or teams for: staffing, systems, ...
Cannabis MSOs Face High-Stakes Tax Dilemma as Rescheduling Decision Looms Under Trump
As Trump's administration weighs reclassifying Cannabis to Schedule III, Cannabis giants continue to contend with hefty uncertain tax liabilities under IRS Section 280E, a rule that has long hampered their financial flexibility. A recent report from Viridian Capital Advisors estimates these "Uncertain Tax Liabilities" (UTLs) at approximately $2.3 billion across key industry players, highlighting a ...
