Industry Analysis
What Wine and Tobacco Know About Their Consumers That Cannabis Does Not
Cannabis tracks its products more closely than most consumer categories. State traceability systems follow regulated plants and packages from seed to sale, and many states publish monthly sales totals. The industry knows far less about the person at the other end of the sale: who that customer is, why they bought, and what they will […]
Why CO? Management Matters in Commercial Cannabis Cultivation
In commercial cannabis cultivation, deciding to enrich with CO? is often straightforward. The key challenge is maintaining the intended concentration consistently without wasting gas, disrupting humidity control, or creating worker-safety risks. CO? enrichment works as part of an environmental system. Light intensity, leaf temperature, irrigation, air movement, dehumidification, HVAC operation, canopy density, and CO? concentration […]
How LEEF Brands Is Building Its Cannabis Business for the Next Market
Micah Anderson has spent nearly three decades in California cannabis, beginning as a cultivator in Mendocino County and eventually becoming CEO of publicly traded LEEF Brands. Today, the company is focused on building a large-scale cannabis supply chain that combines outdoor cultivation with concentrate manufacturing. Its strategy centers on controlling production costs, securing clean biomass, […]
What Your Dispensary’s POS Data Doesn’t Tell You About Your Customers
A dispensary’s point-of-sale system keeps the most complete record in the building. It knows the SKU, price, discount, time of day, the budtender who rang it up, and, if the customer is enrolled in loyalty, who they are and how often they return. For inventory, reorders, promotions, and compliance reporting, that record is exactly what […]
Cannabis Has a Water Activity Standard. Why Aren’t States Using It?
Cannabis flower sold in regulated markets across the country is routinely being dried below an existing national standard, according to a new analysis of nearly 145,000 laboratory samples. The report, produced by the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) with FTI Consulting, analyzed samples from 10 states. Average water activity fell below the […]
Cannabis Has a Water Activity Standard. Why Aren’t States Using It?
Cannabis flower sold in regulated markets across the country is routinely being dried below an existing national standard, according to a new analysis of nearly 145,000 laboratory samples. The report, produced by the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) with FTI Consulting, analyzed samples from 10 states. Average water activity fell below the […]
Cannabis Testing Is Broken Across State Lines. State-Run Testing Is the Real Fix
State regulators are spending unnecessary time and money trying to police a private testing model that fails to protect consumers. From Maryland’s newly launched CSQ CLEAR audit pilot to New York’s shutdown of Lexachrom Analytical Laboratory, Michigan’s historic license revocations of Viridis Laboratories, and New Jersey putting out RFPs to audit its testing ecosystem, regulators […]
Maryland Targets Cannabis Lab Shopping with Multi-Lab Audit Program
Maryland regulators are taking direct aim at potency manipulation with a new state audit program designed to identify inflated THC numbers and enforce label accuracy. Starting this October, the Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA) is launching a cross-testing pilot alongside Cannabis Safety & Quality (CSQ), an accredited third-party standards and certification body for the cannabis and […]
What Medical Cannabis Packaging Can Learn from Pharma
Medical cannabis companies developing a new product or redesigning packaging for an existing one may want to look beyond today’s cannabis packaging requirements and consider what could be required in the years ahead. Pharmaceutical packaging has spent decades addressing many of the same issues medical cannabis companies face, including child resistance, tamper evidence, and product […]