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• Stiiizy faces lawsuits over data breach

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Stiiizy, the bestselling brand in California and reportedly the country, faces multiple lawsuits over a fall data breach that compromised the personal information of hundreds of thousands…

Read the story

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Here’s another California story: A barber in National City (San Diego Co.) claims dispensary chain Element 7 used false claims of a charitable giveback program to trick her into signing forms that made her the equity partner in a dispensary.
Voice of San Diego

“My signatures were prostituted to outside high-profile money-thirsty criminals,” Rose Jasso told City Council.

Element 7 CEO Robert Divito said the city has subsequently reviewed the situation and the store continues to meet the requirements for ownership.

“There is no trickery here,” DiVito wrote to city officials. “Ms. Jasso has and always will own 51% of [Element 7’s National City] cannabis license.”

WeedWeek previously reported on National City’s goal to avoid granting licenses to “front” businesses.

Federal:

• The Trump administration’s cuts threatens progress on MED research and throws rescheduling into question.
  MJBiz

Business:

• The Wall Street Journal reports on the industry’s $2.5B in debt that comes due by the end of 2026.
• “MSO results have been OK.“
  New Cannabis Ventures
• Sales began 2025 sinking sequentially.
  BDSA
• Talking Joints Memo says the era of cashless ATMs is about to come crashing down.
  Talking Joints Memo
• Cannabis Equipment News highlights how Internet- of-Things devices like grow lights can be a significant vulnerability.
  CEN
• Brand strategist James Kennedy wonders how much High Times IP is worth.
• Snoop Dogg founded Casa Verde Capital led a $3M seed round in insurance-tech company Frontier Risk.
• MSO Jushi is benefiting from a little-used IRS tax-credit program.
  MJBiz
• MSO Trulieve named co-founder Jason Pernell president. Trulieve also became the latest MSO to release a hemp beverage. It’s called Onward.
• Rival Green Thumb Industries has a different approach to hemp.
  Green Market Report

State and local:

• A New York state equity program has become a “debt trap” for once hopeful entrepreneurs, the New York Times reports.
• There’s a hearing Monday morning on the Texas bill to ban all forms of THC.
• In Ohio, a GOP bill to impose new regulations on the six-month old REC industry passed the senate.
  Columbus Dispatch
• Legalization bills failed in the Indiana legislature.
  Indiana Capital Chronicle
• New legislation in Florida would curtail the hemp industry. Gov. Ron DeSantis(R) vetoed last year’s version.
  Florida Phoenix
• Colorado businesses want to increase dispensary purchase limits.
  Westword
• Alabama businesses voiced frustration over a bill to redo the state’s MED licensing process.
  Alabama Reflector
• Montana senators weighed a bill to limit product to 15% THC.
  Marijuana Moment

State:

• A bill targets online hemp sales.
  CannaBusiness.law
• The state fair’s cannabis competition is back.

Business:

• A judge handed a preliminary $18M award to Cookies in litigation against its investors. Read WeedWeek‘s coverage here and here. 
  SFGate
• Unrivaled Brands, a subsidiary of Blüm Holdings, has reached a deal to settle its contentious litigation with creditor People’s California.
  MJBiz
• The reincarnated Eaze ratified a three-year contract with nearly 500 California workers represented by UFCW. The rehired workers previous contract, signed last year, was terminated when the company went through a bankruptcy-like process.

Local:

• Mendocino Co. supes rejected a long contentious bill to regulate water extraction and selling.
  The Mendocino Voice
• Vista (San Diego Co.) will host its first cannabis festival.
• Nevada Co. received a $500,000 state grant for an equity program.
  Ganjapreneur

Terrapin, founded in 2009 as Terrapin Care Station in Boulder, Colo. celebrated the opening of its second Pennsylvania MED shop in Lewisburg/Kelly township, north of Harrisburg.