News - Business (494 items)
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| Aug 29, 2026 |
The Industry Bet Against Bud. Flower Smokers Never Left.
The cannabis industry spent years predicting flower’s decline. Grown Rogue CEO and co-founder Obie Strickler argues that the prediction said more about industry executives than it did about consumers. |
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| Aug 28, 2026 |
Diversity is not the same as equity in US cannabis industry
(This is a contributed guest column. To be considered as an MJBizDaily guest columnist, please submit your request here.) The first time I understood cannabis enforcement, I was with five friends on the side of a road while police searched our car. Only one of us was white. He had smoked a blunt. An officer said he smelled cannabis, and that was reason enough to detain all six of us and search the vehicle. The officer didn’t know who had smoked or what lives we would go on to lead. In that moment, a smell turned a group of young men into a police matter. new framework ctas (2) My white friend later became an exceptional legal cannabis grower, but prohibition affected him by criminalizing the plant around which he developed expertise. I entered government and worked on cannabis regulation, social equity funding and business development. Both stories belong in the legal cannabis industry. But that encounter taught me that the same law can touch several people without leaving the same scars. That difference is what equity is supposed to measure. Are diversity and equity synonyms? Diversity asks who is present. Inclusion asks who is permitted to participate. Equity asks who was harmed, what was taken from them and whether resources, authority and opportunity are being directed toward repairing that injury. A cannabis company can employ people of different races and genders while ownership, investment and executive control remain concentrated among people with the greatest access to capital. |
| Aug 28, 2026 |
The Future of Cannabis Tourism Starts on the Farm
Cannabis Wine Tours founder Charles Kimball argues that farmer-hosted experiences can connect visitors with the land while giving small Northern California growers another way to be seen and supported. |
| Aug 28, 2026 |
Poll finds 90% of Aurora investors oppose Curaleaf takeover bid An informal poll by The Marijuana Herald finds 90% of self-identified Aurora Cannabis investors oppose Curaleaf Holdings' current takeover bid, while 64% of self-identified Curaleaf investors support the proposed acquisition. The Marijuana Herald collected the first 50 responses from people identifying as Aurora investors and the first 50 from those identifying as Curaleaf investors, for a total of 100 respondents. Investors who identified as shareholders in both companies were excluded. The poll is not scientific, and The Marijuana Herald did not independently verify respondents' share ownership. |
| Aug 28, 2026 |
Canada now the world’s largest legal cannabis market
OTTAWA — Canada is now the largest legal cannabis market in the world by monthly retail sales, with dispensaries outnumbering liquor stores in some communities as national sales climb to record levels. Statistics Canada says cannabis stores sold $517.8 million worth of products in June, setting a monthly record. The previous month also surpassed half a billion dollars, with revised May sales reaching $510.4 million. Both totals exceeded the previous record of $508.6 million set in December 2025. |
| Aug 27, 2026 |
Market Convenience Outperforms Price in Legal Cannabis Adoption
A new study says variety and convenience seem to drive consumer choices in the legal market, while price is not a significant differentiator. The research, published in the Journal of Cannabis Research, compares provincial retail systems and concludes that legal market adoption was higher in provinces with competitive private retail systems. The article was accepted on August 10, 2026, and provides early access to its findings. While pricing remained relatively consistent across eight provinces, legal market adoption reached 78% in the four provinces with private retail (Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta), compared to 69% in provinces with uniform systems (PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec). |
| Aug 26, 2026 |
Canadian Marijuana Producers Expand Their Footprint in Europe Canada-based cannabis producer Tilray Brands recently announced that it was increasing its cultivation footprint in Europe and Canada as demand for medical marijuana continues to rise across regulated markets. According to the company, its yearly production capacity has increased to roughly 275 metric tons, compared with about 210 tons previously. The additional capacity is expected to support expanding sales in overseas markets, particularly across Australia, Europe, and other jurisdictions with established cannabis regulations. |
| Aug 26, 2026 |
Can Cannabis Consumers Convince Government That It’s Time for Industry Reform? When Canada legalized recreational cannabis in 2018, it resolved one of the most contentious issues surrounding the plant. Canadians who believed people should not be criminalized for consuming cannabis had something clear to fight for, and ending prohibition gave them what they wanted. But legalization did not resolve many of the issues facing the industry that emerged in the years that followed. Cannabis businesses continue to push for changes to excise taxes, packaging and promotion restrictions, THC limits, and other regulations. What has largely disappeared is the public constituency demanding change alongside them. |
| Aug 26, 2026 |
Canada surpasses California as largest cannabis market in the world
California’s leaders love to brag about the state’s legal cannabis market being the largest in the world. Even when the legal market has shown deep problems and dysfunction, leaders could say that at least California was still No. 1. However, that no longer appears to be true. Canada’s federal government released data last week showing that its June sales totaled $517.8 million Canadian dollars, or about $374.5 million in U.S. dollars. That’s more than the $372.4 million that California sold the same month, according to the Department of Cannabis Control, meaning California has lost its superlative status. |
| Aug 25, 2026 |
Cannabis Is Capitalism’s Next Fix
We grew up being told, ?“Just say no,” ?“Say nope to dope,” ?“Choose life, not drugs.” Now we read articles about how psychedelics can improve brain health in mainstream media and scroll past Instagram posts advertising cannabis as the latest essential wellness treatment for on-the-go millennials. A change is happening, even if we can’t fully see it. Is the War on Drugs over? If so, who won? Or is it simply changing shape? How did this change come about, and what comes after it? If we have lost the War on Drugs, what does the postwar reconstruction look like? To understand why this shift is happening, and why now (after all, activists have been calling for drug legalisation since the 1960s), it helps to zoom out. We are living through an era the economic historian Adam Tooze has called a ?“polycrisis.” The economy is in long-term stagnation. Decades of free-market policy have carved a huge global divide between owners and earners, between asset holders and people who must work for a living. The global superpowers are descending into hostile trade wars, and people fear that artificial intelligence will take away the few remaining professional jobs. Everyone is looking for a fix. |
| Aug 24, 2026 |
Curaleaf Responds to Aurora Cannabis' Latest Attempt to Deflect From Shareholder Value Creation
STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (TSX: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf"), a leading international provider of consumer and medical cannabis products, today responded to Aurora Cannabis Inc.'s (TSX: ACB) (NASDAQ: ACB) ("Aurora") latest public statements regarding Curaleaf's offer for Aurora: "Aurora's hollow protests and completely misleading statistics change nothing about reality: if its multi-year turnaround strategy were delivering the value management claims, the company's valuation would reflect it. Aurora has repeatedly failed to demonstrate both a credible plan and the ability to execute, resulting in significant lost shareholder value. |
| Aug 24, 2026 |
Aurora Cannabis Fires Back at Curaleaf’s Claims, Urges Shareholders to Wait
Aurora Cannabis is firing back at US cannabis company Curaleaf following the American company’s efforts to acquire Aurora. The Edmonton-based Aurora is urging its shareholders to take no action. At the same time, it awaits a formal recommendation from its Board and a newly formed Special Committee, both of which are reviewing Curaleaf’s proposal together and consulting financial and legal advisers to assess the best path forward to maximize value for the company and its shareholders. Curaleaf’s offer remains open for at least 105 days from its formal launch on August 18, 2026. |
| Aug 24, 2026 |
AURORA CANNABIS CORRECTS INACCURATE STATEMENTS MADE IN SUPPORT OF CURALEAF HOLDINGS' HOSTILE BID "Curaleaf's timing and public comments appear to be a transparent attempt to pressure Aurora shareholders into making a short-term decision for the benefit of Curaleaf shareholders," said Miguel Martin, Executive Chairman and CEO of Aurora. "Curaleaf's interest underscores the value that Aurora has created. They are trying to acquire our world-class EU-GMP global infrastructure at the lowest possible price, depriving our shareholders of the long-term value our strategy is built to deliver." |
| Aug 24, 2026 |
Canada still dominates global cannabis exports, but changes are coming fast Long a boon mostly for Canada, still the world’s biggest exporter of cannabis, Germany’s growing appetite for medical cannabis threatens to reshape the global marijuana market and trigger a race among major international players to seize and ensure a share of the pie in rapidly expanding Europe. These include U.S.-based marijuana multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings as well as Canadian licensed producers who have long dominated global cannabis trade. |
| Aug 23, 2026 |
Canadian Cannabis Still Dominates Australian Medical Market while Thai Imports Increase and Domestic Supply Increases Exports from Canada contributed to 61% of all medical cannabis Australia imported in 2025, according to the newest figures from the country’s cannabis regulator. The country’s domestic supply has also increased significantly. Australia produced more cannabis than it imported from Canada in 2025, the first time since 2022. Australia imported 81,119 kilograms of cannabis for medical purposes in 2025, a 5% increase from 2024 and an 82% increase from 2023. About one-quarter of the nation’s total cannabis imports were still held in inventory at the end of 2025. Exports from Thailand accounted for another 25% of Australia’s medical cannabis imports in 2025, up from just 1% the previous year. |
| Aug 21, 2026 |
Cannabis Consolidation Wave Accelerates, ETF Allocation Value Stands Out
The cannabis industry is entering a clear phase of consolidation after an early period of capital frenzy and a sharp retreat in share prices. Weaker players are exiting, while stronger companies are expanding through acquisitions. With individual stock volatility rising and deal outcomes uncertain, building exposure through cannabis-themed ETFs is becoming an increasingly attractive way to position for the sector. Investor enthusiasm was extremely high when cannabis stocks first began trading. A gold rush mentality led to a flood of new listings. Although the overall industry has continued to grow, most individual companies have failed to live up to lofty early expectations. Cannabis shares now trade well below their early highs, and a shakeout is underway. Acquisitions have become a central theme. |
| Aug 21, 2026 |
Direct Delivery Growth Outpaces Central Stream in BC Cannabis Q1 2026
BC’s cannabis distributor wholesaled $152.2 million worth of cannabis in its first fiscal quarter of 2026, ending June 30, 2026, totalling 40,912,864 grams. This amounted to a 1% year-over-year increase in sales and a 3% increase in grams sold. The average price of all cannabis products declined 2% YOY to $3.72, while flower declined nearly 1% to $3.12. There were 530 cannabis stores in BC as of June 30, 2026, a 2% increase YOY. While store counts increased by 14 in the Lower Mainland, they declined by two on the Island and three in the interior. |
| Aug 21, 2026 |
Canadian LPs expand presence in European cannabis
Canada-headquartered global medical cannabis company Tilray Brands is expanding cultivation across Canada and Europe, the company said Thursday. Tilray says it’s increased annual production capacity to about 275 metric tons, up from 210, to serve growing international and medical cannabis markets. The expanded output comes from both its Canadian facility, located in Quebec, and its EU-GMP-certified facility in Portugal. The increased cannabis production is intended for burgeoning international cannabis markets in Europe, Australia and other regulated markets. |
| Aug 21, 2026 |
Canadian Cannabis Retail Sales Hit New $500M+ Record in June 2026 Retail cannabis sales surpassed half a billion dollars in May and June of 2026, both setting new records, according to the latest figures from Statistics Canada, which also include notable increases to previous estimates for May 2026. Cannabis stores across the country sold $517.8 million worth of cannabis in June 2026 and $510.4 million in May. Both months outperformed the previous high-water mark of $508.6 million in December, 2025. |
| Aug 21, 2026 |
Curaleaf's Hostile Takeover Bid for Aurora Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg for Cannabis Consolidation. These 2 Stocks Could Be the Biggest Winners. Investors were very enthusiastic when cannabis stocks first started trading. It was, basically, a new industry, and the outlook for legal cannabis sales was strong. But, as is typical on Wall Street, a gold rush mentality took hold, and the market was flooded with marijuana stocks. While the cannabis sector has grown, individual company performance hasn't lived up to investors' lofty expectations. |