Stiiizy sold customer data without permission, suit alleges – Newsletter 5/22/26

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FROM WEEDWEEK

Stiiizy sold customer data without permission, suit alleges

Stiiizy, California’s biggest weed company, sold customer data in violation of of its privacy policies and California law, a proposed class action lawsuit alleges.

Read the story

Retailers prioritizing profits over footprints

Cannabis entrepreneurs used to be judged by how quickly they could grow their footprint. Not anymore, Robert Starr reports.

Read the story

Also in WeedWeek:

• Newsbrief: IRS hits MSO TerrAscend with 280E clapback (And here’s lawyer Marc Hauser’s take at Cannabis Musings.)

QUICK HITS

Federal:

• A DEA official said the questions about past drug trafficking that have raised eyebrows in the industry are not “intended to serve as a categorical barrier.“
  Cannabis Business Times
• Contrary to press reports, the TSA denied that its pot policy has changed. It has allowed MED, with some caveats, since 2019.
  Marijuana Moment

Business:

• Legal U.S. sales saw their first ever decline last year, from $30B to $29B, according to a report from Whitney Economics.
• MSO Trulieve said it would seek shareholder approval to “domesticate” the company from British Columbia to Delaware.
• An unnamed provider of institutional capital provided San Diego-based lender FundCanna with a $60M credit facility to expand its accounts payable offering.
  MJBiz
• After two big deals in Chicago, Green Thumb Industries‘ brand Rythm signed a drinks deal with Opry Entertainment Group, making the beverages available at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and additional concert venues in Tennessee, Texas, Florida and Oklahoma.
• Splash Beverage group named Brady Cobb CEO.
• Infused tablet company Level touted the results of an independent sleep study on 157 participants.
• HR Brew discusses what rescheduling means for the workplace.
• Infamous Instagram account @theblacklistxyz has a new website with a paid subscription “scammer” database.

State and Local:

• Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed a REC bill after lawmakers declined her request to delay sales. The hemp industry, which supported the veto, called it a chance to craft better policy.
  Virginia Public Media, Marijuana Moment
• A Massachusetts ballot initiative to reverse legal REC would cost the state nearly $300M in taxes annually.
  Boston Globe
• Colorado officials acknowledged there’s so much illegal hemp in the licensed supply chain that it would “explode your minds.”
  Denver Gazette, ProPublica
• Minnesota created a new license category.
  House Session Daily
• In Ohio, Klutch Cannabis is fighting trademark infringement claims from a LeBron James-connected agency.
  Crain’s Cleveland Business
• University of Colorado regent, congressional candidate and cannabis operator Wanda James sued her fellow regents challenging a censure after she criticized a weed-related public health campaign for racism. The Colorado primary is June 30.
  CBS

Health and science:

• Former Wall Street Journal addiction and mental health reporter Julie Wernau is working on a book called A Good Drug Gone Wrong, about the addiction and mental health crises triggered by legalization.
• The New York Times reports on free CBD access for Medicare patients. And the fog is lifting around MED and long-term care settings.
  McKnights
• The FDA fast-tracked a cannabis-derived drug for treating chronic pain.
  Pain News Network
• A study linked legalization to a reduction in non-fatal opioid poisonings.
  Science Direct

Fun and interesting:

• @thedabroast posted highlights from a 4/20 fashion show.
• A survey found Americans don’t think weed is very cool.
  Marijuana Moment
• High Times checks out what it says is the world’s best glass gallery.
• Could the mini martini restore drinking’s allure?
  The New Yorker

CALIFORNIA HITS

Business:

• Review site Budist released its 2025 sungrown harvest report.

Local:

• The LA Times checked out a regular psychedelic performance night.
• Six of the nine Santa Barbara County growers who lost their licenses for failing to install odor technology have appealed.
  Coastal View