Seth Rogen says it’s time for THC at the bar

Happy Halloween!

At Noon Eastern/9 AM Pacific, we’ll have our second episode of This Week in Cannabis LIVE. It’s a program we’re producing alongside our partners at High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast and Cannabis Musings. So, join us on LinkedIn or YouTube later today.

Let’s get to it.

-JB, JR, ZH, NM

This newsletter is 910 words or about a 6-minute read.

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📣 Quotable

"The idea that it's getting into some restaurants and bars and sports arenas, to me, is really exciting. I've always said until it's as easy to buy weed as it is alcohol, there is a major gap in logic at play,” famed stoner comedy star and cannabis entrepreneur Seth Rogen said.

“If you sell beer, there's no reason not to sell [THC beverages], and some places have actually started to do that. That is really encouraging and exciting, and suggests a cultural shift that is tremendous.”

Rogen spoke with Bon Appetit about the mainstreaming of cannabis products. Rogen has his own cannabis brand, Houseplant.

⏩ Quick hits

Jushi sues in Virginia over hemp products 🍸

Dalitso, a subsidiary of cannabis company Jushi Holdings, sued Door Dash, Total Wine, Grayscale Brewing, Specialty Beverage and Coastalo for allegedly selling or producing hemp beverages that exceed the state's 2mg of THC per serving rule, which was enacted in 2023. Marijuana Moment has more about the lawsuit and the broader growing effort to ban or regulate hemp across the country.

RISE employee strike ends after 45 days 🎳

Striking workers at a York, Pennsylvania RISE dispensary and Teamsters Local 776 declared victory on Oct. 20 when they returned to work after 45 days of striking. The Teamsters say that the workers won a raise and a new contract. As of now, that strike may hold the record for the longest strike in the legal cannabis industry.

Medical cannabis ballot effort launches in Idaho ✒️

The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho has begun collecting the roughly 70,000 signatures it needs to place medical cannabis in Idaho on the ballot in 2026. Idaho was one of the first states to ban intoxicating hemp and is one of the few states left where medical cannabis has not been legalized in any form.

More Massachusetts dispensaries are closing 🔒

As many as 13 retail outlets closed their doors for good in the Bay State during fiscal year 2025, which ended June 30. While that number is a small percentage of the 397 retailers that were operational as of Oct. 9, in the previous seven years, there were only nine closures in total. The Boston Business Journal has more.

DC’s cannabis market is growing faster than demand 📈

Washington, D.C.’s medical cannabis market is booming with 54 dispensaries serving just over 700,000 residents, but the growth appears unsustainable as stores averaged only $101,000 in monthly sales — about half of Maryland’s. Despite the competition, prices remain high at $10.92 per gram, suggesting supply is outpacing demand, and experts warn the city must better balance access and regulation to avoid broader market instability. Read more in The Outlaw Report.

Minnesota town opens municipal cannabis store 🌿

Eat your heart out, Mamdani: Osseo, a town in Minnesota, will open a municipal cannabis shop. It’s the first of its kind in the country, to our knowledge. Ontario attempted to have provincially-run dispensaries, but that plan fell by the wayside after Doug Ford took office.

🤝 Deals, launches, partnerships

Metrc hits the road in NY 🛣️

As New York prepares to implement Metrc's seed-to-sale system in December, Metrc is hosting a series of in-person events around the state to inform licensed operators about what they need to do to get compliant. The first show is in Buffalo, NY on Nov. 3, followed by Albany on Nov. 5, Long Island, NY on Nov. 6., and New York City on Nov. 7. Additional dates and specific location details can be found here.

🧪 Science & research

Study finds that using cannabis young can lead to health problems later 🩺

A new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open found that there is a link between early cannabis use and mental and physical health problems in young adulthood. The cohort study of 1591 individuals found that those who started using cannabis before they were 15 were more likely to need medical help for mental or physical health later in life. It’s something policymakers should monitor as more jurisdictions legalize cannabis. Read more in NPR.

💸 Earnings roundup

It’s earnings season. We’ll get a clearer picture of the financials of the biggest cannabis firms, and how they’re faring under Trump, dealing with cannibalization from the hemp-derived THC market, and more.

Here’s the rest of the schedule:

Nov. 4

Chicago Atlantic - 9:00 AM
SNDL - 10:00AM
Innovative Industrial Properties - 12:00PM
Jushi Holdings - 4:00PM
LEEF Brands - 4:00PM

Nov. 5

Aurora Cannabis - 8:00AM
Trulieve - 8:30AM
Cresco Labs - 8:30AM
Turning Point Brands - 8:30AM
Scotts Miracle-Gro - 9:00AM
Curaleaf - 5:00PM