Michigan’s illegal grow problem 👀

“We’re just ignoring the obvious that folks, you know, if they want to use cannabis, they already are,” Pennsylvania State Sen. Dan Laughlin, who recently introduced legislation to legalize cannabis in the Keystone State, told Fox43 News. 

“I think that we should make it safe, legal [and] put it in a controlled environment that keeps it out of the hands of children as best we can. The state needs the revenue.”

Michigan appears to also have a problem with illegal grows and Chinese nationals 🧑‍🌾

Michigan has joined the ranks of Maine and Oklahoma, as states where regulators suspect Chinese nationals are involved with illicit grows. Recent arrests have highlighted those concerns, which were raised last month by Cannabis Regulatory Agency Executive Director Brian Hanna. Crain's Detroit has more. 

Senate Committee approved VA docs recommending medical cannabis, again 🩺

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment allowing Veteran’s Affairs doctors to prescribe medical cannabis. This marks the 10th year in a row that similar language has been approved by the committee, but so far it has never been enacted. Similar efforts are ongoing in the House's version of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs Spending Bill, as well as in the Veterans Equal Access Act. Marijuana Moment has more. 

Two NY licensees fined $50k for prohibited branding 💸

The New York Office of Cannabis Management reached a settlement with two operators, Charlie Fox Dispensary and Basin Mixtures, for allegedly engaging in illicit branding across supply chain tiers. The two licensees agreed to each pay a $50,000 fine, and to stop branding and promoting cannabis products they manufactured under a proprietary dispensary brand.

A few notable press releases caught our eye:

• Ascend Wellness launched a new ecommerce platform with a revamped loyalty program and a method for online payments through a new Ascend Dispensary App. 

• Glass House Brands is overhauling its financing by swapping out older investor shares for new ones that pay 12% yearly and can later be turned into regular stock. The company raised around $77.5 million in the process, with most of it coming from existing investors and $14.7 million from new ones.

• iAnthus opened its 22nd GrowHealthy dispensary in Palm Harbor, Florida, as part of its statewide expansion of patient-focused medical cannabis access.

Jay caught up with Shield Compliance CEO Tony Repanich to discuss the state of banking in the cannabis industry — and what will happen if, or when, cannabis is federally legal. Check it out:

Note: Shield Compliance is a Cultivated partner.

Retail sales per dispensary across the US

Leaflink released its summer 2025 state of the US Cannabis Industry Report developed with the company's in-store sales data. 

Stores in Maryland and Nevada continue to thrive, though Maryland saw a dip between winter and summer, possibly indicating that prices could be settling in the relatively young market. Nevada continues to benefit from the state's strong tourism industry. 

New York sales might be starting to stabilize close to the national average of $2.8 million per store, while Oklahoma and Alaska are still seeing very low sales numbers per store.

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