Hi everyone,

I hope you’re gearing up for Green Wednesday (one of the biggest sales days of the year) or gearing down for Thanksgiving. I’m doing the latter and the newsletter will return next Tuesday. 

In today’s edition:

• Uber Eats will support REC orders
• The future of e-commerce is…SMS?

Best wishes for a very happy holiday,

Alex 

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WeedWeek regularly links to paywalled content.

A new Bay Area service called Johnnie thinks customers feel nostalgic for the old days. The software as a service platform is an AI-powered budtender, that enables ordering via text, like with a dealer.

“It’s innovative, but it’s not,” Johnnie founder Raeven Duckett told WeedWeek.

Read all about it at WeedWeek.

Politics:

• Politico explores the GOP’s new interest in legalization.
• Cannabis Wire called Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-S.C.) bill, “Big on biz, light on equity.“
• Colorado companies are “betting big on federal action.“
  Denver Business Journal

Business:

• Eight industry CEOs shared their predictions for 2022.
  Business Insider
• PharmaCann workers in Illinois chose to unionize. Grown In’s piece does a good job capturing the complex labor dynamic.  
• Companies are divided over whether products should be labeled for terpene content.
  MJBiz
• The FDA reiterated that it won’t allow over the counter CBD without more study.
  MJBiz
• Business Insider looks at the rise and fall of Clubhouse, the audio social network that was popular in cannaland for a moment.

States:

• In an unprecedented move, Pennsylvania regulators are requiring all vape and concentrate products to be submitted for re-approval by the end of the month. It’s a burdensome ask for companies and the authorities didn’t give a reason. 
  MJBiz
• The Oregonian has great photos of a huge — perhaps $500M — pot bust just north of the California border.
• In more chaos, Michigan authorities ordered a massive $200M recall on all products tested by Viridis Labs on account of potentially inaccurate results. Viridis said it is “fully cooperating.“
  MLive, ABC, CBS
• Ohio activists say they’ll have enough signatures this month to force the legislature to consider REC legalization. There’s enormous demand for the Buckeye state’s new MED licenses.
  Marijuana Moment, Cincinnati Enquirer
• Washington D.C. which has legal REC, lawmakers continue to explore ways to open a market despite a Congressional veto.
  DCist 

Health and Science:

• A study found a link between cannabis use during pregnancy and anxiety-related problems in early childhood.
  PNAS

Equity:

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called on President Biden to cancel student debt and pardon non-violent pot offenders this Thanksgiving.
  MassLive
• Flint, Mich.’s Light’n Up Cannabis is giving away 1,000 turkeys this Thanksgiving.
  Mary Magazine

Fun and interesting:

• Jonah Hill is set to play Jerry Garcia in a bio-pic directed by Martin Scorsese. CelebStoner dug up Hill’s 10 stoniest movies.
  Deadline
• The Conversation says indica and sativa labels are largely meaningless.
• Former star NFL running back and Highsman inspiration Ricky Williams got his Oregon budtender license.

• MSO Ayr Wellness is acquiring Dispensary 33’s , two Chicago locations for $55M. They’re the only non-MSO pot shops in the Windy City. (Respect My Region spotlit five favorite Chicago dispensaries.)
• MSO Curaleaf entered a CBD distribution deal with Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. 
• Canadian player High Tide is acquiring an 80% stake in CBD brand NuLeaf for $31.2M. High Tide CEO Raj Grover discussed his Jeff Bezos inspired e-commerce strategy with MarketWatch.
• Wholesale marketplace LeafLink is expanding its logistics services business from Michigan to Massachusetts, California and Oregon.
• The Reno Sparks (Nev.) Indian Colony announced it would open two dispensaries in January.
• Delivery service Eaze launched in Detroit.
• Pure Options is the first Michigan retailer to offer legal clones.
• Inventory management company Lucid Green announced a partnership with California value brand Pacific Stone.

• MSO MedMen named Michael Serruya its third CEO in two years. He replaced turnaround specialist Tom Lynch who said the company is now in growth mode.
• Shortly after announcing a disappointing quarter, Canadian operator Canopy Growth said CFO Mike Lee and Chief Product Officer Rade Kovacevic would be stepping down. Judy Hong and Tara Rozalowsky will fill the roles on an interim basis.
• Annie Davis joined the consulting team at Regennabis.
• Law firm Vicente Sederberg promoted Phil Silverman, Jerrico Perez and Sahar Ayinehsazian to partner and announced several additional promotions.
• Jonathan Udell is the new co-chairman cannabis law at Rose Law Group.
• John Hunt joined GemmaCert as director of sales, North America.
• The Nano Foundation named FlowHub CEO Kyle Sherman to its advisory board. 

• More than a year after his release, Richard Wershe Jr., formerly known as White Boy Rick, is launching a Michigan brand called The 8th. Locked up at 17 on a cocaine charge, he’s the longest serving non-violent offender in Michigan history. The 8th, which is being released in partnership with Pleasantrees, refers to the Eighth Amendment which forbids cruel and unusual punishment.  
  Click on Detroit
• In December, New York licensee Etain Health is releasing a new Motif Magnetic Vape Pen in Charcoal. (Pictured)

• Marketer Adam Barr compares two billboards. Both have four words.
• #hashporn5

Do your part to make High Society possible: Get vaccinated.

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Here’s the Headset crew, Mike Hayes (SVP, Sales), Tyler Herold (Sales), Dylan Hayes (Retail Acquisition) and Jocelyn Sheltraw (director of industry relations) at a recent executive meet up in Scottsdale, Ariz. It was hosted by Headset along with recruiter R.W. Navis and Dama Financial, (a WeedWeek advertiser.)

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Pics should be between 600 and 1000 pixels long and wide. Each should include the name and affiliation (if relevant) of everyone pictured as well as the event’s name, date and location. Ideally submit several pics so we can pick our favorites.