Good morning and happy Tuesday.
Today at 10 AM, we’ll be chatting live with New York Times reporter Ashley Southall about her story on how New York’s recent policy changes, and general regulatory turmoil, affects industry operators.
Ashley reports on all the twists-and-turns in New York cannabis for the NYT. Watch it live on LinkedIn, YouTube channel, or on Jeremy’s X page (and follow us while you are there)!
-JB, JR, ZH, NM
This newsletter is 888 words or about a 6-minute read.
Today’s newsletter made possible by:
📣 Quotable
“It’s very, very uncertain, and I’m tired of living this way,” Suzanne Furboter, a New York social equity dispensary operator, told The New York Times reporter Ashley Southall about the recent policy change that may force dozens of operating dispensaries to move locations.
⏩ Quick hits
Glass House Brands updates its labor practices following ICE raid 🧊
Glass House provided an update about the raid it endured back in July. The company said that they have only been able to identify nine of their employees who were arrested or detained. The company also said that eleven minors were detained in the raid but that they weren’t employees. That estimate excludes third-party farm labor contractors, such as Jaime Alanis Garcia, who passed away after falling from a roof during the raid. The company said that it has since terminated its deal with two labor contractors and it has signed new labor peace agreements with the Teamsters.
DEA is now tracking illicit "Chinese Grows" 📊
The Drug Enforcement Administration released new data from its Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program. The data shows that of the 16,330 illicit cultivation sites that were shut down in 2024, 15 were attributed to Chinese operators. State governments in Oklahoma and Maine have alleged that illicit grow sites run by Chinese nationals are rampant. This was the first time that the DEA included "Chinese Grows" as a descriptor in its data set. Marijuana Moment has more.
Quebec cannabis industry growing 📈
Quebec’s cannabis industry in 2024 provided over 8,000 jobs with average earnings of over $100,000, and that number continues to rise in 2025, according to a report by the Quebec Hemp and Cannabis Industry Association. The industry has already generated $1.3 billion in economic value for Quebec in 2025. The province is looking into a variety of uses for cannabis including textiles, paper, and even pharmaceuticals.
Michigan cannabis quickly creeping up on California 🚀
With California’s cannabis market facing turbulence due to taxes, oversupply, and regulatory concerns, Michigan has the potential to overtake it, reports Crain’s. In May of 2021, California made almost 4x as much from cannabis sales as Michigan, but in June 2025, California has only made $36 million more than Michigan. The Great Lakes State also leads the country in annual per capita sales at over $320 per person, and its success is likely largely due to less competition from nearby states.
Multimillion-dollar cannabis bust in Queens 💰
Six people were charged with trafficking over 2,000 pounds of illicit cannabis, worth over $2.5 million, by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Read more.
LIT ALERTS’ INSIGHTS
”Challenger Brands” in Ohio
As we near the one year anniversary of Ohio adult-use sales, our partners at Lit Alerts are back with another edition of their “Challenger Brands” series, this time focusing on one of the Midwest's most coveted markets. (We've previously featured Challenger Brands from Lit Alerts in New York and New Jersey.)
Challenger Brands are the brands that are moving up the charts and nipping at the heels of the Top 10.
These are the brands in each category that have shown staying power and upward trajectory in the spots just outside of the Top 10.
Ohio born brands like Firelands Scientific, Butterfly Effect, Buckeye Relief, and Pure Ohio continue to expand in every category, dominating not only the Top 10, but the challenger brands as well.
As Ohio enters its second year of adult-use cannabis sales look for theses brands to crack the Top 10 in their respective categories and beyond.
Have a look at Lit Alerts’ exclusive insights. 👇
To learn more about Lit Alerts and get a special offer only available to Cultivated readers, visit litalerts.com.
🚀 Deals, launches, partnerships
Curaleaf is expanding in Florida, opening a new medical dispensary in St. Augustine.
Wiz Khalifa’s Khalifa Kush brand is launching in Ohio via a partnership with Bloom Cannabis.
🧳 People moves
Minnesota's Office of Cannabis Management is looking for a Government Relations Director.
💸 Earnings roundup
It’s cannabis earnings season.
We’ve got you covered with the schedule, and we’ll bring you the highlights later this week:
August 5
Jushi Holdings - 4PM EST
August 6
Aurora Cannabis - 8AM
Trulieve - 8:30AM
Green Thumb Industries - 5PM
Curaleaf - 5PM
August 7
Marimed - 8AM
Cannabist - 8AM
Cresco Labs - 8:30AM
Verano - 8:30AM
Cronos Group - 8:30AM
Ascend Wellness - 5PM
Terrascend - 5PM
August 8
Canopy Growth - 10AM
August 11
Village Farms - 8:30AM
August 12
Grown Rogue - 4:30PM
August 13
Organigram - 8AM
Planet 13 - 5PM
😜 One fun thing
The team behind Queens dispensary NYC Bud is opening a new, Grand Central Station themed dispensary in midtown Manhattan. Here’s a sneak peek:
📰 What we’re reading