Good morning.
Today at 10 AM Eastern, we’ll be joined by Grön CEO Christine Apple on Cultivated Live to discuss the deal that will see her edibles brand acquired by Wyld.
It’s a blockbuster deal for asset-light cannabis brands — and it comes right out of the gate in 2026.
Perhaps a sign of things to come.
Watch it on our LinkedIn page, YouTube, or on Jeremy’s X page. (And give us a follow while you’re there!)
-JB, JR, ZH
Today’s newsletter is about an 8-minute read.
THIS NEWSLETTER MADE POSSIBLE BY:
💡 What’s the big deal?
CBD
Medicare will cover CBD for seniors 👵
The gist: Medicare will cover CBD for seniors, but the upcoming hemp ban could complicate things.
Driving the news: The CBD market exploded in the wake of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp products and cannabinoids other than delta-9 THC.
This meant gas stations, hemp shops, and grey market dispensaries across the country were given the green light to serve customers with little to no regulatory oversight.
For many, this meant non-intoxicating CBD as a therapeutic product became widely available and normalized for a population that may have otherwise been reluctant to trust intoxicating cannabis.
What happened: When President Trump signed an executive order last December calling for the expedited rescheduling of cannabis, he also called for an expansion of access to CBD and other hemp-derived cannabinoids.
At the same time, Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services, announced that Medicare would begin covering the cost of CBD for seniors by April of this year.
What they're saying: “The innovation center models are going to allow millions of Americans on Medicare to become eligible to receive CBD as early as April of next year and at no charge if their doctors recommend them,” Oz said.
The Medicare pilot program is expected to cover $500 annually for CBD for patients with recommendations from a medical provider. There is still more to iron-out, especially the upcoming ban on hemp-derived products.
Why it matters: The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank that has advocated for cannabis descheduling, argued that Medicare's move could do more harm than good in terms of access to non-intoxicating cannabinoids.
"Once Medicare gets involved, 'coverage' rarely stays straightforward — it brings prescriptions, clinician gatekeeping, documentation requirements, and layers of regulation.
This risks medicalizing CBD, limiting who can produce it, and turning a functioning consumer market into a government-controlled one," wrote Senior Fellow Jeffrey Siner in an online post for the Cato Institute.
Bottom line: The announcement clearly reflects that the Trump administration has acknowledged the medical benefits of CBD.
Though there is still a need for a legislative fix if coverage is going to cover senior access beyond next November.
-ZH
📣 Quotable
“Facilitating the growth of the marijuana industry is at odds with growing our economy and encouraging healthy lifestyles for Americans,” 22 Senate Republicans wrote to President Trump the day before he signed the executive order that would reclassify cannabis.
✍️ Apply today
On January 29th, Gotham and Cultivated will host our inaugural event: The Highrise.
The Highrise’s goal is to host an event where attendees represent the full breadth and depth of the cannabis industry in New York and throughout the country.
To do that, we are asking would-be attendees to apply to attend. Only by identifying leaders throughout the industry can we truly create a representative group of attendees for The Highrise.
Spots are limited so get your application in today » thehighrise.nyc
LIT ALERTS INSIGHTS*
What the Wyld + Grön deal means for the New York and New Jersey markets
The Wyld + Grön combination creates the unquestioned #1 edibles company in New York and New Jersey (and other markets across the country).
This combination creates some staggering dominance in the edibles category where national brands like Wyld and Grön have had more success than their flower and pre-roll and vape counterparts in entering New York and New Jersey.
Some interesting points from New York and New Jersey looking at Q4 2025.
No matter how you slice it: units, sales, or share of shelf, Wyld/Grön now own approximately 20% of the New York and New Jersey edibles market.
In New Jersey, Wyld and Grön held their own behind Verano (Savvy/Encore) in the second and third spots. This combination puts them ahead of Verano in first position by all measures and leaves the next closest competitor Kiva in the dust.
In New York, before the transaction, Wyld and Grön sat behind Kiva and Off Hours by most measures. Now they sit comfortably in first position by all measures.
Have a look at Lit Alerts’ exclusive insights into how the Wyld/Gron deal positions the companies’ in New York and New Jersey. 👇
*To learn more about Lit Alerts and get a special offer only available to Cultivated readers, visit litalerts.com.
⏩ Quick hits
Following in the footsteps of Massachusetts and Maine, a petitioner in Arizona is looking to put a rollback on the state's legal cannabis market on the 2026 ballot.
The House rejected a provision that would’ve blocked the Justice Department from rescheduling cannabis.
The DEA seems to, again, be stonewalling the process to reclassify cannabis to Schedule III, Marijuana Moment reports.
Massachusetts prices reached a new low of $14.20 an eighth in November, much to the chagrin of retailers and the delight of consumers.
An independent report found that San Diego lawmakers overestimated how much revenue a cannabis tax hike would generate. Clearly, higher taxes push consumers back to the illicit market. Read more.
🚀 Deals, launches, partnerships
In a major shift in the edibles market, Wyld has acquired Grön. Tune into Cultivated Live at 10 AM Eastern to hear from Gron founder Christine Apple about the deal.
FLUENT divested from Pennsylvania in a $12.5 million deal with HIVE Holdings.
Curaleaf announced an Executive Automatic Securities Disposition plan involving shares owned by Chief Legal Officer Peter Clateman. Sales of those shares are expected to commence in April.
🧑⚖️ Lawsuits
Mike Tyson and business partner Ric Flair are suing executives at their former cannabis company, Carma HoldCo Inc, for $50 million in an alleged embezzlement scheme. Read more.
🧪 Science & research
A study out of Israel found that there were differing neuroinflammatory responses to low-dose THC between males and females. Males showed a reduction in hippocampal inflammation while females showed a reduction in inflammation in the prefrontal cortex. Both sexes saw reductions in cognitive declines related to Alzheimer's disease.
📰 What we’re reading
Rescheduling Was the Easy Part | Parabola Center
Gold Rushes, Local Bans, and Bureaucratic Brawls | Talking Joints Memo
NY Still Struggles With Enforcement | CRB Monitor News
Tallahassee's Kim Rivers had Major Influence on Trump's Marijuana Decision | Tallahassee Reports