Berner “hatched a plan” to stiff Cookies investors: Lawsuit alleges – Newsletter 3/6/26

THE BIG IDEA

Hi all,

Happy Friday!

Yesterday WeedWeek Wonks hosted a super interesting presentation by Chicago Atlantic managing partner Peter Sack on the economics of cannabiz lending. (Some of it was over my head, TBH.) Don’t miss it.

In the newsletter:

• Lawsuit alleges Berner “hatched a plan” to stiff Cookies investors
• What’s next for the Ohio antitrust suit?

And so much more!

Alex

Send tips, press releases, concerns, feedback and criticism to hello@weedweek.com.

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FROM WEEDWEEK:

Berner “hatched a plan” to stiff Cookies investors

A new lawsuit alleges rapper Berner, the longtime face of Cookies, and his allies are trying to wrest control of the brand “while leaving its other shareholders with nothing.”

Read the story

What’s next for the Ohio antitrust lawsuit?

With exclusive data from Cannmenus

Read the story

Also in WeedWeek:

• Newsbrief: Short on funds, LA proposes pot tax ‘amnesty’
• Newsbrief: California cannabis awards to recognize homegrow

QUICK HITS

Federal:

• The U.S. Supreme Court appeared likely to loosen a federal law that bars cannabis users from owning guns. “What do the founder’s drinking habits have to do with gun rights?” right wing pub National Review asked.
  AP
• “In Bondi we trust,” Ben Kovler, CEO of leading MSO Green Thumb Industries, commented on LinkedIn. The U.S. Justice Department, which Pam Bondi leads, has been mum on President Trump’s rescheduling order.
  Marijuana Moment

Business:

• A Media Operator asks how MJBizCon is doing.
• A Colorado supplier sued MSO The Cannabist alleging almost $400,000 in unpaid bills.
  Westword
• Investment firm Verdant Partners said it would acquire retail chain Native Roots, which has operated in Colorado since 2009.

State and local:

• Bills in Michigan and Alaska would reduce pot taxes.
  MJBiz
• A proposal in Kentucky would expand hemp-derived THC beverage sales to stores and bars.
  Ganjapreneur
• Hopes are dimming for a Florida REC ballot initiative this November.
  Law360
• Louisiana is thinking about a three-year REC pilot program.
  Cultivated
• Teamsters at a Sunnyside dispensary (operated by MSO Cresco Labs) in Pennsylvania went on strike.
• Workers at a Holistic Industries facility in Massachusetts voted to decertify UFCW as their union.
• Non-profit Housing Works, which operates a high-profile New York City retailer, sued an equity partner it previously supported.
  NY Times
• @newjerseycannabistimes breaks down the SKUgate scandal.

Crime:

• Oklahoma authorities charged a New York man with ties to China with marijuana trafficking.
  NY Times

Health and science:

• An opinion piece in medical publication STAT called for updates to punitive laws surrounding cannabis-use during pregnancy.
• High schools are struggling to keep weed vapes out of classes.
  WSJ

Fun and interesting:

• Lineups dropped for the Outside Lands Festival August 7-9 in San Francisco.
  

CALIFORNIA HITS

State:

• The Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is proposing “multipacks,” as a new category of cannabis good. Multipacks contain product from more than one batch,
• A new bill would advance codified rules on packaging that’s attractive to children. A whitepaper from the California Cannabis Operators Association (CaCOA) shared an industry proposal for addressing the issue.
• Sales dropped below $4B in 2025. February sales were down year-over-year and month-over-month, per Headset data.
• A bill would push last call back two hours to 4 a.m. in select recreation districts.
  CBS
• Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) kratom crackdown continued as he blamed the extract and related opioid for 27 deaths.
  SFGate

Business:

• California’s wine industry faces a supply glut crisis.
  Los Angeles Times

Local:

• A Monterey County farm was fined for using unlicensed transporters.
  Cannabis Equipment News
• After a fire, Sacramento city council extended an equity business’s operational deadline by a year.
  KCRA
• Cathedral City (Riverside Co.) rejected a license application from a company that has been the subject of odor complaints.
  Desert Sun
• Monterey city council will consider pausing the retail licensing process.
  Monterey Herald
• Scribe Adam Tschorn checked out the Cannabis, Culture & Change conference in West Hollywood.

Upcoming:

• Sonoma Hills Farm is hosting a Spicy Arugula Gummy Launch Party tonight in San Francisco.