đ§Texas THC ban fails to advance in 2nd special session
Standard Wellness acquires Greenstock. GTI Brand Transactions with Agrify. Jeeter launches in NY. Trulieve appoints new CFO. Dutchie Launches E-Commerce Pro. Sweed Launches AI-Powered Customer Display
đż Industry
Texas Governor Says âStay Tunedâ For Action On Hemp THC Products That Could Be âHappening Soon.â The Republican governor of Texas says people should âstay tunedâ on future action to regulate hemp products containing THC after the legislature failed to address the issue this year. â Marijuana Moment
Without going into details, Abbott signaled that the issue isnât going awayâeven after lawmakers were unable to pass legislation to address intoxicating hemp products during two consecutive special sessions he convened this summer
The governor hasnât been a proponent of an outright ban that some Republican lawmakers have pushed, and has instead called for a regulatory model focused on age limits and public health. Abbott went so far as to veto a ban bill during the regular session, and so it remains to be seen what type of forthcoming action heâs expecting to see
Did Californiaâs biggest marijuana cultivator fool state regulators? Californiaâs largest legal cannabis cultivator appears to have renewed dozens of state permits despite falling out of compliance with a labor-friendly licensing requirement, records show. â MJBizDaily
Glass House Brands, which operates massive cultivation operations in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, renewed 25 cultivation permits between December 2024 and March 2025, according to state Department of Cannabis Control records
It did so despite what appears to be a labor peace agreement (LPA) that expired in October 2024, according to a document obtained via a public records request
Suntory's CEO resigns after possible purchase of illegal supplements. The Tokyo Shimbun daily reported that police in Fukuoka prefecture were investigating whether supplements containing cannabis had been sent to Niinami's home. â Reuters
Other Japanese media said the supplements allegedly contained THC. CBD, a separate chemical compound, however, is legal, and products containing it are available in Japan
Nebraska Officials Vote To Make Medical Marijuana Rules Even More Restrictive, With Fewer Licenses Available. The revised regulations would, for the first time, set extensive testing and security requirements and establish a âRecommending Health Care Practitioner Directoryâ for in-state physicians to recommend medical cannabis. If approved, the rules would remain in effect for up to 90 days. â Marijuana Moment
Practitioners participating in the program would have to take 10 hours of continuing education on medical cannabis and complete two hours annually to stay in compliance. Physicians would need to prescribe specific dosages and potency levels
Under the regulations, patients or caregivers could purchase up to 5 ounces of medical cannabis in a 30-day period. But they could purchase no more than 5 grams of THC from the same dispensary within a 90-day period
The amended requirements maintain a statewide limit of no more than 12 medical cannabis dispensaries, arranged by judicial district
Minnesota adult-use marijuana sales delayed for a predictable reason. Critics say the delay in launching Minnesotaâs adult-use marijuana market â the second state to start sales in 2025, whenever stores receive product from cultivators â was predictable and avoidable. â MJBizDaily
State marijuana regulators awarded the stateâs first permit to a cultivator in late June. Retailers and other license types received permits around the same time
More than a year ago, advocates warned state policymakers to license cultivators first to avoid such a supply-chain snafu
Google launches pilot program allowing cannabis advertising in Canada. Google Ads on Monday launched a pilot program allowing cannabis businesses to advertise on its platform if they comply with federal laws in Canada. The pilot program, which will run for 20 weeks, is designed to âexplore user interest and inform potential future policy updates,â according to a notice on Googleâs website. â MJBizDaily
âDuring the pilot, cannabis product ads may be available on Search,â Google said in its announcement. âParticipation in this pilot is restricted to federally licensed operators in Canadaâ
THC-infused beverage sales topped $1 billion in 2024. There are ~500â750 brands nationally, ~200 of which are selling via dispensaries.
Delaware adult-use cannabis sales top $7.3M in first month
đ” Deals
Standard Wellness acquires Greenstock. Greenstock is a licensed dispensary in Seville, Ohio. The acquisition brings Standard Wellnessâs total number of operating dispensaries in Ohio to four. This transaction, whose total consideration was $1.35M has been approved by the Companyâs regulators.
GTI Brand Transactions with Agrify. GTI has (i) entered into transactions to sell certain of its consumer packaged goods brands to Agrify, (ii) entered into a license arrangement with Agrify to permit the Company to continue to manufacture and distribute those brands, and (iii) extended a loan to Agrify in the amount of $45M.
đ Company Updates
AYR Wellness Executes Senior Secured Bridge Credit Agreement. This will provide the Company with up to $50M of committed funding to support ongoing operations and to facilitate the orderly transition of its core business in accordance with the previously-announced restructuring support agreement dated July 30, 2025.
Safe Harbor Financial Launches Industry's First Fully Managed Cannabis Banking Program for Financial Institutions. The turnkey program is designed for community banks, credit unions and financial institutions seeking to serve the legal cannabis market without expanding internal teams, taking on new risk, staffing or marketing cannabis services directly. From client acquisition and onboarding to compliance oversight and account support, Safe Harbor handles 100% of the program operations while deposits are held directly by the partner institution.
Schwazze nears debt restructuring deal, to give up dispensaries. Under the proposed deal, Schwazze will surrender some of its more than 60 cannabis retail locations in exchange for a $65M cash infusion, according to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the negotiations. The restructuring is expected to eliminate both common and preferred shares of Schwazze. ~$45M from the cash injection will be used to refinance "seller notes," with the remaining funds allocated for working capital. The senior secured noteholders plan to submit a credit bid through an auction process to acquire select performing properties, while the remaining locations will be wound down.
Skymint exits state's first big cannabis receivership; new owners look to make moves. Cannabis retailer Skymint has cleared its court-supervised receivership after 2 1/2 years, and the embattled company can move on under stewardship of its new Canadian owners. Tropics LP, under a new entity called Skymint Acquisition Co., acquired the assets of Green Peak Industries, doing business as Skymint, for $109.4M out of receivership last year. Now the new company is free of debt and tax obligations related to the old Skymint and can begin transferring licenses and rework leases tied up in court.
FLUENT Q2 2025 Financial Highlights (vs. Q2 2024). Revenue was $26.7M compared to $27.3M. Florida revenue was $19.3M compared to $23.1M. Gross profit before fair value adjustments was $10.4M or 39% of revenue, compared to $13.8M or 50.5% of revenue. Adjusted EBITDA was $3.9M compared to $7.7M, mainly driven by lower revenue and increased production costs. Cash flow generated by operations for Q2 was $3.2M. On June 30, 2025, the Company had ~$22.9M of cash and cash equivalents and $78.1M of total debt outstanding.
Green Dot Labs Set to Launch in Arizona. Known for its genetics-led cultivation program, small batch flower, and its pioneering role in shaping the live resin market, Green Dot Labs' products will be available starting September 6th at participating dispensaries and retail partners across the state.
đŹ Retail
Curaleaf Branded Dispensary Opens in New Albany, Ohio, in Partnership with RC Retail 2. Curaleaf has the future right to ownership of the dispensary, subject to regulatory approval, which would expand Curaleaf's footprint to four stores in the Buckeye State and 155 nationwide. In Ohio, Curaleaf also operates retail locations in Cuyahoga Falls, Lima, and Newark, with additional locations on track to open in 2025.
Trulieve-Branded Dispensary Opening in Cincinnati. Harvest Grows LLC will operate the Ohio dispensary under the Trulieve brand through a licensing agreement with the company.
Trulieve Opening Dispensary in Bisbee, AZ. In Arizona, Trulieve operates dispensaries in Apache Junction, Avondale, Bisbee, Casa Grande, Chandler, Cottonwood, Glendale, Guadalupe, Maricopa, Mesa, Peoria, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Sierra Vista, Tempe and Tucson.
đ± Product
Jeeter launches in New York. The Empire State joins California, Michigan, Arizona, Massachusetts and Canada as part of the Jeeter nation. To kick things off, Jeeter will debut in more than 50 dispensaries across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Albany, with many more to come. The launch is backed by a major investment in the state, including a brand new Hudson Valley production facility in Middletown, N.Y., and more than 200 new local hires, underscoring Jeeterâs commitment to New Yorkâs cannabis community and economy.
Dutchie Launches E-Commerce Pro and Certified Partner Program. E-Commerce Pro provides dispensaries with an omni-channel digital shopping experience that boosts revenue with advanced SEO tools, branded customizable layouts, and best-in-class conversion features. For dispensaries seeking even more customization, the Certified Partner Program provides access to vetted developers and agencies who bring advanced design, branding, marketing, and technical expertise to create fully bespoke online experiences.
Sweed Launches AI-Powered Customer Display. Sweed, a cannabis retail platform, unveiled its newest innovation: an AI-powered Customer Facing Display. Think: self-checkout meets strategic upsell meets real-time co-shopping, all powered by one unified platform. Designed to turn static checkout moments into dynamic growth opportunities, Sweedâs new interface gives cannabis shoppers full control to browse, build, and manage their orders right from the screen, and enables budtenders to collaborate in real-time to guide, recommend, and optimize every cart.
LeafLink x Confia Partner to Deliver Cannabis Banking Services. Confia customers have seamlessly transitioned onto the Dama Financial by LeafLink platform and gained access to its industry-leading financial services suite. Through its trusted network of regulated bank partners and advanced technology platform, Dama Financial by LeafLink addresses the persistent pain points of cannabis bankingâsuch as poor user experience, limited and unreliable services, and hidden feesâby providing businesses with reliable access to banking services, a seamless digital platform, and transparent pricing.
IndicaOnline Launches sweedePay: Bank-to-Bank Payment Platform for Cannabis eCommerce. Designed to align with state and federal guidelines, sweedePay utilizes advanced encryption and regulatory safeguards to ensure ACH transactions are protected and compliant.
The Cannabist Company x COAST Cannabis Co., Launching Edibles in New Jersey Market. The Cannabist Company is producing COAST edibles at its Vineland, New Jersey manufacturing facility using the Companyâs premium cannabis oil and COASTâs proprietary formulations and ingredient standards. The gummies are now on shelves at Cannabist locations in Deptford, Mays Landing, and Vineland.
đ§ People
Trulieve Appoint of Board Member Matthew Foulston and CFO Jan Reese. Foulston is an accomplished board member and financial executive with extensive experience across multiple industries, having previously served as CFO for three publicly listed companies: Covetrus, Inc., TreeHouse Foods Inc. and Compass Minerals International Inc. Foulston also served as an independent director and as chair of both the audit and compensation committees for Hyzon Motors, Inc. The Company would like to thank Ryan Blust for serving as Interim CFO. Blust will resume his duties as VP, Finance, once Mr. Reese assumes the CFO role.
Shannon OâBrien reinstated as MA Cannabis Commission chair. A Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday that Treasurer Deborah Goldberg unlawfully fired Shannon OâBrien as chair of the Cannabis Control Commission and ordered that OâBrien immediately be reinstated to the job. Goldberg suspended OâBrien as CCC chairwoman in September 2023 and fired her in September 2024 after considering two outside investigations and about 19 hours of private meetings held last summer. OâBrien contested Goldbergâs claims of âgross misconductâ through Suffolk Superior Court and was successful in her appeal of the treasurerâs firing.
Missouri Shangri-La Dispensary Workers Officially Free of Unwanted UFCW Union Boss âRepresentation.â The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has just issued an order that officially removes United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655 as the exclusive ârepresentativeâ of a unit of Shangri-La dispensary workers. The order makes official the workersâ victory in their legal effort to remove UFCW union officials from their workplace.
GTI Workers Strike at Pennsylvania RISE Dispensary. The RISE dispensary strike in York unfolded after Local 776 and legal representative Jason Weinstock filed bad-faith bargaining allegations against Green Thumb on Aug. 28 with the National Labor Relations Board. In a statement provided to Cannabis Business Times, a Green Thumb spokesperson said the company has acted in good faith since July 2024, when "some team members" voted to unionize.
Canopy USA adds Eric Ruhle as VP of Brand Sales. With more than 11 years of experience in the regulated cannabis industry, Ruhle brings deep expertise in building and leading high-performing sales organizations. Most recently, he served as Senior Regional Sales Manager at Kiva Sales & Services.
đïž Interviews
Everything you need to know about hemp | Liquid Assets
Thick Skin Required: Navigating from Legacy to Licensed in New York | Flourish
NFL Star Calvin Johnson Builds Cannabis Legacy | CannaCribs
Why Cheech And Chongâs $100 Million Cannabis Empire Is No Joke | Forbes
Building Momentum with Aaron Miles, CIO of Verano | Higher Exchanges