Good morning.
Welcome back from the long weekend, we hope you had some nice time off with friends and family.
Start this short week off right with us.
-JB, JR, ZH
Today’s newsletter is 841 words or about a 6.5-minute read.
THIS NEWSLETTER MADE POSSIBLE BY:
📣 Quotable
“I don’t think I’ve been subtle about it,” GOP Rep. Andy Harris, a longtime Congressional opponent of cannabis reform said of progress toward federal rescheduling. “All I know is every day that goes by and it’s not rescheduled is another good day.”
He says he hopes it takes “another 20 years” for the change to go through.
LIT ALERTS*
Challenger brands in the New York market
Challenger Brands is one of our more popular data bites from the team at Lit Alerts so we're making it part of our regular newsletter programming.
Once per month the Lit Alerts team will focus on a particular market and identify the current Challenger Brands in each of the dominant top level categories: Flower, Pre-Roll, Vapes, Edibles and Concentrates.
Challenger Brands are brands that are moving up the category charts and challenging the top 10.
As New York cannabis becomes more and more competitive, looking beyond the top 10 brands becomes more and more important for retailers looking to stand out and offer high quality variety to their customers. These are the brands that have shown staying power and upward trajectory in their respective categories.
This month we're refreshing the New York challenger brands and it's clear that West Coast brands are starting to make their presence known across the board. California brand Smoakland has crashed the scene to challenge the almighty flower category while Rove throws its weight on yet another category in NY: pre-rolls.
Vapes has another NY brand emerging as a top player in Hashtag Honey, while out of state brands like DIME Industries and mfused continue their expansion in the state. The edibles category is starting to heat up as powerhouse edibles brands Incredibles and Smokiez are now challenging the top spots.
Next month we'll skip over the river for a check in on New Jersey's challenger brands.
*To learn more about Lit Alerts and get a special offer only available to Cultivated readers, visit litalerts.com.
⏩ Quick hits
House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson (R-PA) proposed a draft of the new Farm Bill which would reduce burdens for industrial hemp growers.
Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt wants to repeal medical cannabis in the state, calling the industry “one of the greatest threats to public safety,” and “out of control,” reports The Oklahoman.
Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed a City Council-approved hemp THC ban, saying that he prefers a regulated market to an outright ban, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Hemp-derived THC products will continue to be sold in Chicago stores.
A West Virginia lawmaker said the state is losing millions of dollars of tax revenue to neighboring states like Ohio on cannabis legalization, as the Democrat outlined priorities for this year.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finalized a rule to provide federal health insurance coverage for CBD, Charlotte’s Web Cofounder Jared Stanleysaid.
⚖️ Lawsuits
Former Columbia Care CEO Nicholas Vita was forced by a British Columbia court to pay $7.4 million after he was sued by the investment bank Canaccord Genuity over a 2019 debt deal. The court ruled that Vita should pay the principal, interest, and legal costs to Canaccord. Columbia Care is now The Cannabist. $CBSTF
A Minnesota judge tossed a ban that would’ve barred companies from selling low-dose, hemp-derived THC edibles directly to consumers.
Mike Tyson and Ric Flair’s ex-business partners will have more time to respond to a suit in which they were accused of 21 counts including securities fraud, Front Office Sports reports.
🤝 Deals, launches, partnerships
Planet 13 is closing its cannabis “superstore” in Orange County, California after losing millions in losses. The space will be taken over by Catalyst, a California cannabis chain, SF Gate reports.
Innovia Consulting announced on Feb. 16 its acquisition of 365 Cannabis, a cannabis ERP firm. It’s the latest deal in the cannabis tech space after Canix acquired Trym in January.
Vermont State Universityis the education partner for New England Cannabis Convention's 2026 convention in Vermont.
🧳 People moves
Cannabis recruiting firm Vangst is seeking a Business Development Lead, CEO Karson Humiston said on LinkedIn.
Michelle Rutter Friberg is leaving the National Cannabis Industry Association after 11 years to join Juul Labs as Senior Manager, Federal Government Affairs, in D.C., she said on LinkedIn.
⏪ In case you missed it
Friday’s This Week in Cannabis LIVE was a good one. Catch up below.
📰 What we’re reading
The New York Times Isn’t Examining the Real-World Evidence on Cannabis. It’s Ignoring It. | High Times
Up in smoke: Records show how retail cannabis imploded in Anaheim amid FBI probe | The Los Angeles Times