🌿 Industry
Congress Clears the Hemp THC Ban Delay; Bill Goes to Trump’s Desk. The House passed the stopgap funding measure 370-48 on Tuesday, sending it to the President after the Senate had already approved it overwhelmingly. Federal agencies are funded at current levels through Dec. 11 — and the federal ban on intoxicating hemp, previously set to bite on Nov. 12, moves to the same date. — POLITICO
The Trump administration is expected to need more time than mid-December to finalize regulations, so hemp industry representatives are discussing a “regulatory bridge” that would impose temporary rules while continuing to avoid a full ban
Trump administration officials have also been telling reluctant lawmakers they will use the one-month delay to work on regulations. “The White House has committed to me that they’re committed to regulate the industry,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said in an interview this month
Besides lawmakers fighting to ban intoxicating hemp products, others are pushing alongside the White House and industry for federal regulations. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) has crafted legislation that would direct the FDA to create federal rules for intoxicating hemp products and wants to see mandates for third-party testing, as well as new THC limits per serving
California Governor Signs Bill Restricting Marijuana Packaging “Attractive to Children.” California’s new law targets cannabis packaging with cartoon and fruit imagery, tasking the DCC with enforcing child-safe labeling rules. — MJBizDaily
New Study: Convenience and Variety, Not Price, Drive Legal-Market Adoption in Canada. Variety and convenience appear to drive consumer choices in the legal market, while price is not a significant differentiator — an argument for retail density and assortment over discounting. — StratCann
Missouri Received Nearly 900 Applications for Its Final Microbusiness Licensing Round. A lottery is scheduled for this month. — Marijuana Moment
This is the third and final lottery for microbusinesses, where the state will issue at least 29 wholesale and at least 34 dispensary licenses to meet the constitutional requirement of 144 total micro licenses
Revelry Buyers’ Club Returns to Pier 36 After Record Hudson Turnout. The September 18 event heads back to Manhattan after Revelry says its spring event drew 2,800 attendees and representatives from 562 licensed New York retail stores.
💵 Deals
JARS Cannabis to Acquire Sonoran Roots, Creating Arizona’s Largest Cannabis Retail Network. Sonoran Roots’ eight Ponderosa Dispensary locations (Chandler, Flagstaff, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, Queen Creek, Tempe, Tucson) join JARS to create a 27-store Arizona network with full vertical integration across cultivation, production, brands, wholesale and distribution. Ponderosa stores rebrand to JARS post-close in a phased, store-by-store process; the Sonoran Roots brand family stays, including Canamo Concentrates, with JARS investing to expand production, wholesale and distribution. JARS has 62 active dispensaries across Arizona, Colorado and Michigan.
Klutch Cannabis acquires Grandview dispensary formerly operated by Culture Cannabis. The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control approved the transfer of the Columbus-area store — Klutch’s second Columbus location, minutes from downtown and the Ohio State campus. Klutch is also relocating its Tallmadge store to a new flagship in its hometown of Akron.
📄 Company Updates
Two former Alpine IQ executives sue the company and CEO Nicholas Paschal for defamation over IP-theft accusations. Kyla Moore and Timothy Officer, co-founders of Dispense, the e-commerce platform Alpine IQ acquired and rebranded AIQ Ecommerce when it brought the pair on board — filed Aug. 25 in the District of Colorado. The at-will executives allege Paschal summarily fired them and then sent a company-wide email falsely claiming they had stolen Alpine’s intellectual property; they contend the code at issue originated with their prior venture or was contributed with Alpine’s clear understanding of its provenance.
Headset Agrees to Pay $1 Million to Resolve COVID-Related Loan. In May 2024, Sidesolve LLC filed a qui tam lawsuit alleging Headset Inc. was ineligible for the PPP loan due to its work in the marijuana industry, an industry which is illegal under federal law. Sidesolve, as the relator in this case, will receive ten percent of the total Headset pays to the government, as well as $20,000 for attorney fees and costs. Under the terms of the settlement, Headset paid $100,000 of the settlement within 30 days of when the settlement was signed in early August 2026 and will pay the remaining $900,000+ over four years, concluding in August 2030.
AWH Stockholders Approve Reverse Stock Split, a Prerequisite to US Exchange Listing. Stockholder approval authorizes the Company’s Board of Directors to determine whether and when to implement the Reverse Stock Split at a ratio of between 1-for-10 and 1-for-50, at its discretion. The exact ratio would be determined in connection with the Company’s planned application to list the Class A Common Shares on a national securities exchange. The Board may also determine not to implement the Reverse Stock Split.
🏬 Retail
SOL of Potomac – The Penthouse opens in Rockville, Maryland. The new 4,800-square-foot adult-use and medical cannabis dispensary is reimagining cannabis retail around a simple question: “What if a dispensary were designed as a destination rather than a transaction?” The Penthouse combines personal consultation, thoughtfully curated products, live programming, original content and intelligent technology.
Curaleaf opens Cutler Bay — its 76th Florida store and 177th nationwide. The Miami-Dade location is Curaleaf’s eighth in the county. Boris Jordan: “South Miami-Dade continues to show real patient demand, and this location puts us closer to the patients driving it. Our Florida pipeline remains strong, with additional openings planned across the state throughout the remainder of the year.”
High Tide adds three Canna Cabana stores in four days, reaching 232 Canadian locations. That brings the company to 105 Ontario and 14 Saskatchewan stores. The company has more than 15 locations in development, with at least 20 new Cabanas targeted in calendar 2026, funded from internally generated cash flow.
🌱 Product
LEVIA launches its full cannabis seltzer lineup in New Jersey — its first market outside Massachusetts. Four flavors — Celebrate Lemon Lime, Achieve Razz Lime, Dream Jam Berry and Celebrate Pomegranate Punch — are now in licensed New Jersey dispensaries, joining LEVIA Drink Drops, which launched there earlier this summer through regulated partner Kushi Labs. The zero-sugar, zero-calorie seltzers are merchandised by desired effect (Achieve, Celebrate, Dream) rather than by strain.
Grön Launches Pearls Across 4 New Markets (California, Colorado, Michigan and Nevada). The launch marks the largest simultaneous multi-state launch for Grön, and signifies the speed and growth trajectory the brand is working with in partnership with parent company WYLD. Select Grön products, including MEGAs, Pearls, Pips, PIXLZ and chocolates, are already available across most dispensaries in Arizona, Oregon, New York, Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, with additional markets being introduced on a rolling basis.
Old Pal relaunches in Maryland through a licensing, manufacturing and distribution partnership with SunMed Growers. The lineup — whole flower, 2-Pack Pre-Rolls and the original “Ready to Roll” ground cannabis kit in sun-grown indica, sativa and hybrid — will be grown in SunMed’s Dutch-style greenhouse in Cecil County, one of the only Maryland facilities using full-spectrum sunlight.
🎙️ Interviews
Trade To Black — Why DEA Came Out Guns Blazing for Reform. Shadd Dales and Anthony Varrell on what the released transcript actually shows about the government’s posture heading into the ALJ recommendation. — The Dales Report
Viola founder says hemp ban crushes companies following rules. Texas spared hemp beverages from its crackdown. Al Harrington reads the uncertainty and readies Viola for a possible 3-5 mg federal cap. — MJBizDaily
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