News
Fluent Offloads Pennsylvania Dispensaries
NEW YORK – Fluent Corp. has finalized the sale of its three Pennsylvania dispensaries to HIVE Holdings Inc. for $12.5 million in cash, marking a deliberate shift toward debt reduction and operational efficiency. The deal hands over facilities in Hanover, Mechanicsburg and Annville, which had served as Fluent's foothold in the state's medical-only market. Dave ...
Medicare’s CBD Shift Signals Validation—But a Looming Hemp Ban Clouds the Path for Seniors
NEW YORK- For decades, seniors managing chronic pain, inflammation, anxiety, or sleep disruption have relied largely on pharmaceuticals—often with long lists of side effects. That landscape is starting to change. Medicare is preparing to recognize cannabidiol (CBD) as a reimbursable therapeutic option for older Americans, marking a major federal acknowledgment of CBD’s medical value. At the ...
DEA Increases Psychedelics Production Quotas for 2026
WASHINGTON – The Drug Enforcement Administration has approved expanded production limits for key psychedelics, setting the stage for increased scientific inquiry into substances like psilocybin and DMT next year. In a final order published Monday in the Federal Register, the agency established aggregate quotas at levels above its initial proposals, responding to demands from researchers ...
Indiana Republicans Propose Statewide Oversight for Craft Hemp Market
INDIANAPOLIS – Three Republican members of the Indiana House introduced legislation this week to impose a structured permitting system on the sale and distribution of craft hemp products, a category that includes flower, beverages and extracts with low levels of THC. The measure, House Bill 1130, aims to centralize regulation under the Indiana Alcohol and ...
Wyld Acquires Grön
SEATTLE – Wyld, a leading producer of THC-CBD-infused gummies and chocolates, announced its agreement to acquire Grön, a Portland-based maker of sugar-coated pearls and confections, in a move that unites two prominent players in the edibles segment. The deal, which carries no disclosed financial terms, awaits regulatory nods and is slated to close in the ...
Compass Pathways Schedules Webinar on Psilocybin Therapy Advances for Depression and PTSD
LONDON – Compass Pathways plans to hold a virtual webinar to outline its steps toward launching a psilocybin-based therapy for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and to share details on upcoming trials for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The session will feature discussions from medical experts and industry executives on current challenges in treating these conditions, including care ...
Alabama Tightens Hemp Laws, Moves Medical Cannabis Licenses Forward
MONTGOMERY – Alabama regulators ushered in 2026 with a crackdown on unregulated hemp products containing THC, while inching closer to launching a long-delayed medical Cannabis program that could serve thousands of patients by spring. The state's new restrictions, outlined in House Bill 445, took effect on January 1 and classify the sale or possession of ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Federal rescheduling under President Trump’s Executive Order sparked widespread state reactions and investor outlooks into early 2026, blending consolidations and expansions with regulatory friction, outright manipulation, and overtures to public opinion. Psychedelics carved out gains in biotech validation, and fresh data painted a clearer picture of untapped demand. Cannabis metrics highlighted sales ...
NY Cannabis Retailers Double in Number, Push Total Sales Past $2.5B Mark
NEW YORK – New York state's licensed Cannabis dispensaries grew to 556 outlets by the end of 2025, more than twice the 261 operating a year earlier, as adult-use sales crossed the $2.5 billion threshold for the first time. The expansion, detailed in the Office of Cannabis Management's annual report released this week, marks a ...
Czech Republic Rolls Out Limited Cannabis Reforms, Allowing Home Growing and Possession Caps
PRAGUE – The Czech Republic ushered in the new year with measured changes to its Cannabis policies, legalizing personal cultivation and setting clear possession thresholds for adults. Under the reforms signed into law by President Petr Pavel and effective January 1, individuals aged 21 and older may now grow up to three Сannabis plants at ...
Verano Expands Medical Cannabis Footprint in West Virginia
CHICAGO – Verano Holdings Corp. has launched its sixth medical Cannabis outlet in West Virginia, targeting the heart of the state's capital to reach more patients in a market that continues to draw steady but measured demand. The new Zen Leaf Charleston began operations with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, bringing Verano's total dispensaries count to six ...
Bipartisan Poll Signals Growing Momentum for Federal Legalization
LOS ANGELES – A fresh survey of registered voters reveals that a slim majority of Americans now favor legalizing Cannabis at the federal level, with notable crossover appeal among Republicans following President Donald Trump's recent directive to ease restrictions. The JL Partners poll, conducted among 1,000 respondents and commissioned by The Daily Mail, recorded 53% ...
California Allocates $30M in Cannabis Research Grants
SACRAMENTO – California's Department of Cannabis Control has disbursed nearly $30 million to support 22 academic projects examining Cannabis's influence on public health, environmental practices, and the regulated market. The funding, drawn from taxes on legal sales, brings the state's total investment in such studies to about $80 million since 2020, covering 94 initiatives overall. ...
Cannabis Market’s Hidden Scale: New Estimates Point to $90B U.S. Potential
LOS ANGELES – Viridian Capital Advisors' latest Chart of the Week dives into recreational Cannabis sales across nine mature markets (Michigan, Montana, Alaska, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada) to gauge true consumer appetite. Using 2025 sales projections, Viridian Capital Advisors uncovers what looks like a consistent appetite among American adults: roughly $300 ...
Republican State AGs Challenge Trump’s Cannabis Rescheduling Directive
LOS ANGELES – A coalition of Republican attorneys general from eight states has publicly rejected President Donald Trump's recent Executive Order to reschedule Cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, citing persistent risks to public safety and insufficient scientific backing for the change. The move highlights deepening rifts within the GOP on drug policy, even as ...
Banks Still Hesitant on Expanding Services for Cannabis Businesses Post-Trump Rescheduling Order
LOS ANGELES – President Donald Trump's Executive Order fast-tracked the move to reschedule Cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act, aiming to ease research barriers and tax deductions for state-legal operators. Yet even as this policy shift takes hold, major financial institutions show little interest in expanding services to the $43 billion Cannabis market, citing persistent ...
Atai Gains Nasdaq Biotechnology Index Spot
NEW YORK – AtaiBeckley N.V., the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm born from the November merger of atai Life Sciences and Beckley Psytech, has secured a place in the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index (NBI), a move that underscores its rising profile in mental health innovation. The addition follows shareholder approval for the company's redomiciliation to Delaware, a process ...
Vireo Growth Acquires Eaze, Expands into California and Florida
MINNEAPOLIS – Vireo Growth Inc. announced a definitive agreement to acquire Eaze Inc. in a stock-based transaction valued at $47 million upfront, marking the company's first push into the competitive California and Florida markets. The deal, which includes potential earn-outs reaching $53 million based on performance targets, positions Vireo to add dozens of retail outlets ...
Massachusetts Cannabis Rollback Gains Legislative Traction
BOSTON – State election officials have validated more than 78,000 signatures for a measure that would dismantle the commercial side of Massachusetts' recreational Cannabis industry, thrusting the issue back into legislative hands just as the sector nears a decade of operation. The petition, dubbed "An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy," cleared the bar ...
U.S. Cannabis Operators Trail Canadian Counterparts in Valuation Metrics, Tied to Tax Constraints
LOS ANGELES – In the ongoing tug-of-war between regulatory challenges and market potential in the Cannabis sector, a fresh analysis underscores how a longstanding IRS provision continues to weigh on American companies. According to Viridian Capital Advisors' latest Chart of the Week, the disparity in enterprise value-to-EBITDA multiples between top U.S. multi-state operators (MSOs) and ...
Trump’s Rescheduling Order Ignites State Cannabis Momentum in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wyoming
LOS ANGELES – President Donald Trump's directive last week to fast-track Cannabis's rescheduling has handed lawmakers in several conservative-leaning states a timely political opening to advance Cannabis reforms. The executive order, signed on December 18, directs the attorney general to complete the long-pending rulemaking process without delay, acknowledging Cannabis's accepted medical applications and lower risk ...
Week in Review: Cannabis & Psychedelics Industry Highlights
LOS ANGELES – Operators and investors wrapped up 2025 on a high note, with federal policy breakthroughs and corporate maneuvers signaling sustained growth potential across Cannabis & Psychedelics. Over the past two weeks, President Trump's EO on rescheduling captured headlines, while the Supreme Court's pass on a key prohibition challenge underscored the sector's reliance on ...
Texas Awards $50M Grant to Spearhead Ibogaine Trials
AUSTIN – The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has granted $50 million to a statewide consortium led by UTHealth Houston and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, marking the formal launch of clinical trials for ibogaine, a psychoactive compound derived from an African shrub. The two-year initiative, dubbed Ibogaine Medicine for PTSD, ...
Vireo Growth Acquires PharmaCann Colorado Assets
DENVER – Vireo Growth Inc. reached an agreement with PharmaCann Inc. to buy its 17 operational dispensaries and related assets in Colorado for roughly $49 million in company shares, a move that bolsters Vireo's retail presence in one of the nation's longtime recreational Cannabis states. The all-stock transaction marks another step in Vireo's push to ...
🚨🚨 BREAKING: TRUMP RESCHEDULES CANNABIS 🚨🚨
WASHINGTON, D.C. –After months of speculation, President Trump Issues Executive Order Directing Federal Rescheduling of Cannabis to Schedule III President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to complete the rescheduling of Cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. This is the most significant federal Cannabis policy ...
