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In today’s newsletter, we’ve got a dispatch from journalist Natalie Fertig about Texas Senate candidate James Talarico’s support for hemp.
Let’s get to it.
-JB, JR, ZH
This newsletter is 1,021 words or about a 9-minute read.
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💡What’s the big deal?
EVERYTHING’S BIGGER
Talarico bets on hemp to win over Texas swing voters 🤠
Polis. Fetterman. Trump. And now, Talarico.
The list of politicians who have backed some sort of cannabis liberalization in a close campaign is long and diverse. Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee for Senate, became the latest on August 3 when he announced he opposed a state ban on intoxicating hemp products that recently took effect.
“Texans will still use THC, but instead of getting it safely from a local small business, they will now get it from the black market - from the drug cartels,” said Talarico in a video posted to X, also calling the ban “a gift to the cartels” and “the nanny state at its worst.”
The move could help Talarico with moderates, younger voters, independents, libertarians and swing voters, two strategists tell Cultivated.
“It could help him at the margins, and in a close race like this, the margins matter,” said Brendan Steinhauser, a Texas-based GOP strategist. “[Talarico] knows that there are more Republicans than Democrats in this state, and so he has to go find those niche audiences. And this is one of them.”
Talarico tailored his hemp messaging to his red state, making sure to refer to hemp producers and shops selling hemp products as “local small businesses.” He also criticized the Republican Party for acting as “big government.”
“I thought the Republican Party believed in limited government and personal responsibility,” he said in the video, which was clipped from a speech in the state legislature.
📣 Quotable
Aurora shot back at Curaleaf’s unsolicited takeover offer on Wednesday:
“Contrary to the assertion that Aurora refused to engage, Aurora's lead independent director did correspond with Curaleaf's CEO, including as recently as July 24, 2026, noting that Aurora was focused on continuing to execute on its business plan over the short to medium term, and did not discourage an ongoing dialogue between the parties going forward.”
Curaleaf says it reached out to Aurora in June to discuss the tie-up. The conversations clearly broke down, because Curaleaf said it planned to launch a hostile takeover earlier this week. Aurora said it plans to form a special committee to review the proposal. $ACB ( ▲ 1.57% ) $CURLF ( ▲ 0.73% )
◀️ Cultivated Live
Ryan Hunter, Chief Revenue Officer of Spherex — one of Colorado's largest cannabis brands — joined Jay and Jeremy yesterday on Cultivated Live to break down what it takes to build a real CPG brand in the cannabis space.
⏩ Quick hits
Michigan GOP lawmaker moves to repeal cannabis wholesale tax 💰
Rep. James DeSana filed a bill to repeal Michigan's 24% wholesale cannabis tax, arguing it's raising less than half of projected revenue. The push comes days after Higher Love Cannabis Co. said it's suspending operations at five of its nine dispensaries, citing the "mounting tax burden."
ER visits for cannabis 'scromiting' jump nearly 400% since October 🏥
CDC data shows emergency visits for cannabis hyperemesis syndrome spiked after the agency assigned it a dedicated diagnostic code in October 2025. Researchers point to rising THC potency across flower, vapes and concentrates as a driver
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Here's what sets them apart: Vangst handles the entire workforce management stack — payroll, workers' comp, insurance, taxes, HR, and scheduling — so your team can focus on the business, not the paperwork.
Their temp-to-hire model lets you evaluate candidates in the real work environment before making a full-time offer. And when you're ready to convert? No buyout fees after 360 hours worked.
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*SPONSORED
🚀 Deals, launches, partnerships
Sweed launched a public API letting dispensaries build custom-branded storefronts on top of its POS, inventory and compliance backend.
High Tide shareholders re-elected all five board nominees and approved its amended shareholder rights plan at its annual meeting. $HITI ( ▼ 0.43% )
Note: Sweed and High Tide are Cultivated partners.
💰 Earnings
Earnings week continues:
Rubicon Organics posted Q2 2026 net revenue of $18.5 million, up 23% year over year, while Adjusted EBITDA fell to $1 million from $1.4 million a year ago as the company ramps up its new Cascadia facility. $ROMJ.TSX ( 0.0% )
AWH posted Q2 2026 net revenue of $126.1 million, up 7.9% sequentially, with Adjusted EBITDA of $29.1 million as retail footprint grew to 55 locations. $AAWH ( ▼ 1.19% )
MariMed posted record Q2 2026 revenue of $41.9 million, up from $39.5 million a year ago, while Adjusted EBITDA slipped to $3.9 million from $4.8 million as gross margin narrowed. $MRMD ( ▼ 1.56% )
🏀 One fun thing
Legendary NBA coach Don Nelson has been open about his cannabis use since retiring from basketball:
📰 What we’re reading
FBI Investigated Curaleaf for Corruption and Money Laundering | The Newsground
From Reverse Splits to NYSE Bells | CRB Monitor