Good morning.
Well, that was a wild day of trading for cannabis stock-watchers.
Let’s get to it.
-JB, JR, ZH, NM
This newsletter is 1,021 words or about a 7-minute read.
Today’s newsletter made possible by:
💡What’s the big deal?
TRUMP
Trump post sends cannabis stocks soaring 📈
Driving the news: Cannabis stocks have been hurting for some good news — so they’ll take anything they can get.
On Sunday evening, President Trump posted a video on his Truth Social account about The Commonwealth Project, which works to "integrate medical cannabis into mainstream health care for seniors,” according to its website.
The ad touts the 2018 Farm Bill, which he signed into law, as the first step in getting widespread access to CBD and other cannabis compounds. It also discusses the economic benefits of legal medical cannabis, as well as a push to get CBD covered under medicare.
I can also now confirm that The Commonwealth Project, led by Howard Kessler — a friend of Trump’s via the president’s Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago — undertook direct outreach to the Administration.
The biggest movers: Right after Trump’s post, MSOS, an ETF that tracks a basket of US cannabis stocks, shot up about 16% in pre-market trading.
It closed Monday up over 28%. Canadian cannabis-and-liquor company Tilray ended the trading day up over 61%. Other cannabis stocks skyrocketed as well:
Trulieve closed up 25%.
Rythm (RYM) up 25%.
Aurora Cannabis up over 28%.
Canopy Growth up 17%.
What they’re saying: “President Trump’s recent post on Truth Social about the potential health benefits of cannabis for seniors are a major milestone in the national healthcare conversation,” Tilray CEO Irwin Simon said.
A word of caution: There was nothing committal in the video about Trump pursuing federal cannabis reform, nor did he address the post on Monday.
So, a word of caution — if nothing changes, a lot of these gains will be given up by the end of the week. At the same time, it’s nice to have a sliver of optimism.
We’ll hopefully find out how serious the Administration is soon.
-JB
⏩ Quotable
"It's obviously an important domino, is the rescheduling,” Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno told Ask-a-Pol, when asked about whether the SAFER Banking Act, a cannabis banking bill, would be reintroduced.
“Certainly there’s a lot of my colleagues that would have that concern if we didn’t do re-scheduling. So we’ll look at it, but we have time. We have time.”
⏩ Quick hits
European Union to provide cannabis toolkit to member states 🇪🇺
The EU is preparing an evidence-based “Cannapol” toolkit to guide member states in developing cannabis regulations, covering areas like home cultivation, retail frameworks, and public health safeguards. The initiative, led by the new European Union Drugs Agency, could create a clearer policy pathway as countries such as Germany, Malta, and Luxembourg move forward with legalization.
LIT ALERTS’ INSIGHTS
Ohio’s favorite hometown cannabis brands
Ohio's recreational cannabis market continues to be a focal point for brands and retailers looking for growth opportunities.
All eyes are on Ohio at the end of this week as the Ohio Cannabis Health & Business Summit (OCHBS) will be held at the IX Center in Cleveland Friday and Saturday.
Recently, the Lit Alerts team highlighted a trend playing out in New York where the top performing in-state brands accounted for more than 30% of the market. Well move over New York, because the top Ohio-born brands account for approximately 35% of units sold.
Note: Lit Alerts will be featuring the MSO brands finding their footing in Ohio in an upcoming newsletter.
Here are the categories the top 4 are dominating:
Certified's category dominance in vapes headline a diverse product lineup that also includes a top 3 position in edibles and concentrates.
Riviera Creek is a top flower brand contending every month and holds a commanding top spot in the concentrates category.
Buckeye Relief is also in the running for top flower brand every month and adds to that a top 10 vape brand ranking.
Butterfly Effect by Grow Ohio credits most of its top spot to its top 5 position in the vape category and a top 10 position in flower, however pushing their way up both the edibles and concentrates chart is what pushes them ahead of some of their competitors on this list.
You can catch the Lit Alerts and Headset teams Friday at OCHBS during their panel discussing Ohio industry data and what to watch for in year 2 of adult-use sales.
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 rolls out extra-strength pre-rolls 😮💨
Curaleaf is rolling out its Anthem Bold line of pre-rolls, designed for consumers who want higher potency than the company’s Anthem Classic line, released earlier this year. The company says the Bold pre-rolls are infused with THCA diamonds to bring potency up to around 40% THC.
New cannabis derived drug eases back pain 💊
Vertanical, a German based biopharmaceutical company, announced VER-01 on Monday. The new cannabis based drug treatment was created for lower back pain and has shown success in a recent 800 person trial by the company. Unlike opioid based drugs which are commonly used for pain, VER-01 offers a non addictive and powerful option for addressing chronic back pain without any serious side effects.
⚖️ Lawsuits
DOJ asks to pause rescheduling lawsuit 🧑⚖️
The Justice Department asked a federal court to pause a lawsuit over the cannabis rescheduling process until January 27, 2026, saying nothing has changed in the federal review. The case challenges how the government is handling the move to shift cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, while President Trump still hasn’t publicly said whether he supports the proposal.
🧳 People moves
Cannabis tech company Dutchie is looking to hire an Events Manager. Job description here.
Note: Dutchie is a Cultivated partner.
😜 One fun thing
This one got a chuckle out of the Cultivated team:
📰 What we’re reading