Industry Analysis
The Fight Against New York’s METRC Monopoly Heats Up
There is a growing fear among New York cannabis operators that the lawsuit challenging Metrc’s Retail ID program will “kill track and trace” and return the state to the chaos of inversion and inventory failures experienced last year. That fear is understandable. It is also wrong. Retail ID is not track-and-trace. Retail ID is a […]
Why Most Cannabis COGS Would Fail an Audit — and How Operators Can Fix It
For cannabis operators, the cost of goods sold (COGS) is far more than an accounting line item. It’s the most critical financial number in the entire business. Under IRC Section 280E, most ordinary business deductions are disallowed, making COGS the primary mechanism for reducing taxable income. At the same time, COGS drives pricing decisions, product […]
Building a Cannabis Banking Eco-System with Terry Mendez
The cannabis industry is still operating within a cobbled-together financial system—one defined by workarounds, instability, and uncertainty. Most major banks remain unwilling to work with cannabis businesses due to the risk and compliance burdens associated with serving a federally illegal industry. In 2014, former Safe Harbor Financial CEO Sundie Seefried helped establish one of the […]
While Everyone Waits for 280E Relief, Smart Cannabis CEOs Are Creating Their Own
For years, cannabis executives have built their financial strategies around a single hope: that Section 280E would vanish with federal reform. But hope has quietly drained billions from balance sheets. Every year, operators “wait it out”; they forfeit the one thing they can’t afford to lose, cash flow. It’s an understandable reflex. No one likes […]
The Hidden Costs of Getting HR Wrong in Cannabis Startups
When a new cannabis business starts hiring, the focus is usually on speed. You need people to pack, label, deliver, and sell. Payroll and HR often come later—until a compliance notice, tax penalty, or angry employee forces attention. By that point, “later” has turned into a crisis. I’ve watched that scene play out too many […]
Cannabis Seeds Could Be The Next Frontier For Space AgTech
NASA’s core mission is to explore space and aeronautics, expand scientific knowledge, develop breakthrough technologies, and ultimately bring new knowledge and opportunity back to Earth. What many people do not realize is that some of NASA’s most impactful discoveries have reshaped industries far beyond aerospace, including modern agriculture. Vertical farming and LED lighting are two […]
How Tissue Culture Is Advancing Cannabis Genetics and Global Expansion
Not every genetic is suited for every growing environment, production model, or end market. For cultivators, the challenge is not finding new genetics but identifying which breeders align with their goals and whether those genetics are clean, stable, and commercially viable. As demand grows for consistency, disease resistance, and scalability, shortcuts in breeding and cloning […]
2026 Trends in Cannabis Labeling
As the cannabis industry continues to mature, labeling will continue to shape the way for product identification and consumer safety. Looking ahead to 2026, cannabis businesses face growing pressure to improve accuracy, strengthen compliance, streamline production, and build trust with both regulators and consumers. The most successful organizations will modernize their labeling workflows by focusing […]
Cannabis Payments in 2026: Why Technology Will Move Faster Than Congress
For more than a decade, the cannabis industry has been stuck in a state of contradictions: fully legal in many states and fully illegal at the federal level. When it comes to finances, the result is a sector with modern retail expectations supported by armored cars, cash drops, and payment workarounds duct taped together. Looking […]