WeedWeek acquired: Newsletter 10/16/25

THE BIG IDEA

Hi all,

WeedWeek has been acquired.

My new bosses Shane Greer and Shane D’Aprile — the team behind Campaigns & Elections the leading publication on the business of politics — are launching RegStream Media Group, a new B2B media company focused on regulated industries.

I’ll continue as Editor of WeedWeek as we build it into the premier information and community hub for cannabis leaders. Our first virtual event is Thursday October 23, when Ananda Strategy‘s Hirsh Jain will take us on a tour of Growth States in 2025 and Beyond.

After more than ten years of writing WeedWeek, I couldn’t be happier to join a team committed to realizing the brand’s full potential. Making predictions in this wild industry is a good way to be wrong — but I know it won’t be boring.

Thank you for reading and for your support over the years. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can serve you better.

Alex

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Who will back Pelorus’s $1B “roll up”?

Orange County-based lender Pelorus recently announced a $1B fund to place equity investments in cannabis companies….

Who wants in?

ALSO in WeedWeek: Non-profit Marijuana Policy Project’s new executive director made the case for non-profit advocacy in the cannabis ecosystem.

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QUICK HITS

Federal:

• The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case involving cannabis consumers and gun ownership, but it is considering several more. It also declined a case about Humboldt property owners who believed they had a right to a jury trial before being fined.
  Marijuana Moment, SCOTUSBlog
• A Trump-aligned pollster found both Democrats and Republicans strongly favor legal hemp.
  TownHall

Business:

• Wilson Elser attorney Ian A. Stewart wrote about industry product liability considerations for research connecting cannabis use with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Leading MSO Curaleaf sued New Jersey arguing its pro union laws violate the National Labor Relations Act. A similar suit is underway in California federal court.
  Law360
• A few Minnesota Target outlets became the first big box stores to start selling hemp drinks.
  Beard Bros. Pharms
• What happened to sticky, stinky weed?
  Cannabis Business Times
• Herbal Wellness Center workers, organized by the Teamsters, went on strike in Ohio.
• MJBiz reports on how AI is changing the industry.
• California operator Glass House became the first plant-touching pot stock to trade on the Robinhood platform. The company also unveiled a rebrand.
• A New York Times op-ed argues silly names and zany labels don’t help the flailing craft beer industry.
• Sharoz Makarechi, CEO of Plaid America, discussed her “humanist” approach to branding.
  MuseByClios

State and local:

• With the Michigan industry reeling from a new tax hike, lawmakers moved to support operators by freezing new licenses. And the ex-wife of former Skymint CEO sued him over his management of the business, which has gone through receivership and legal turmoil.
  Crain’s Detroit Business
• A new Florida law allows the state to revoke MED cards from people with criminal convictions.
  Marijuana Moment
• Good Day Farm sales director Eddie Serrano sees price compression in Missouri and discusses the company’s alternative approach.
• Sociale purchasing director John Hirsch sees price compression and slowing sales in Illinois.
• A judge blocked Ohio’s temporary hemp ban following several lawsuits.
  Fox19
• The chair of Nevada’s Cannabis Compliance Board, Adriana Guzmán Fralick is running for attorney general as a Republican.
  News3LV
• Legalization remains a long shot in New Hampshire.
  Keene Sentinel
• Zohran Mamdani(D), who is favored to win New York City’s mayoral election, giggled as he said he has shopped at a legal dispensary.
  @mellotymes
• The Massachusetts AG is weighing whether the two years of Cannabis Control Commission votes made in the absence of its recently reinstated chair remain valid.
  Wavelengths

Health and science:

• Most studies have shown that teen cannabis use does not increase with legalization, but a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that use among California 11th graders increased after a dispensary opened in their town.
• UCSD researchers, in partnership with genetic-testing company 23andMe, identified regions of the human genome associated with cannabis use. The findings may inform the development of prevention and treatment strategies for cannabis use disorder.
  Washington Post
• A study found illegal grows leave years of toxic pollution.
  Jefferson Public Radio

R.I.P.

• Diane Keaton, once determined to rank sixth on the list of greatest movie potheads, died at 79.
  CelebStoner

Fun and interesting:

• Will this be the most expensive doink ever?
  @propersmokeleague
• DABubu
  @marky_pi

CALIFORNIA HITS

State:

• Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed a bill that would have allowed select craft operators to ship MED products to patients with limited mobility via intrastate courier services. The bill sailed through the legislature without a no vote in either chamber. Newsom’s veto statement called the potential program “burdensome and overly complex to administer.”
  Cannabis Business Times
• Newsom signed a bill aimed at expediting cannabis and psychedelics research.
  Marijuana Moment

Business:

• In an open letter, Vertosa CEO Ben Larson said the new hemp law, which requires it to be regulated like weed, “isn’t legalization.” Bay Area-based Vertosa supplies cannabis and hemp drink makers with cannabinoid emulsions for infusing.
• Fundcanna CEO Adam Stettner discussed the lending business with San Diego Business Journal.

Local:

• Pot tax revenue for the last fiscal year was way down in growing hub Santa Barbara Co.
  Santa Barbara Independent
• Atascadero (SLO Co.) city council voted against allowing dispensaries.
• A group is warning of dangerous pesticides used on illegal grows across NorCal.
  ABC-local