Iconic chain restaurant could be a new weed dispensary

As cannabis earns legal status across the U.S., many businesses are now possible options for dispensaries. And what’s more weedy and trippy than a restaurant that looks like a jungle? According to Block Club Chicago, a...

20w

The Growth Op

New York governor unveils licensed cannabis dispensary verification tool

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced the state is releasing a new tool that helps cannabis consumers confirm they are attending regulated businesses in advance of pot shops opening their doors. The New York State...

1y

The Growth Op

A pot store in Toronto has been locked out by landlord for failure to pay over $8,000 in rent

Cannabis retailers continue to face challenges ranging from excessive taxes to ballooning competition and that situation has spurred some pot shops to close their doors, sometimes involuntarily. One such case recently occurred...

1y

The Growth Op

Grammy nominated singer promotes pot company by donating $13K worth of gas for 200 cars

Rapper Vic Mensa seems to understand the importance of paying it forward but recently did so in a way that’s sure to attract notice for his Black-owned weed company, 93 Boyz. The Wraith and Reverse singer adopted his way...

1y

The Growth Op

Charlottetown craft micro producer and Atlantic Canada clothing brand team up to introduce new CBD oil

Charlottetown-based Retro Cannabis & Hemp Extracts, a craft micro producer, has partnered with the region’s largest clothing brand to launch East Coast Lifestyle CBD Oil. Now available in select Maritime provinces and...

1y

The Growth Op

Manitoba alliance goes local with cannabis packaging and delivery

Five independently owned cannabis companies in Manitoba are striving to reduce their environmental footprints and trim operational costs by joining forces and using a single, dedicated facility for their packaging and delivery...

1y

The Growth Op

Woody Harrelson to receive one of the highest awards in the cannabis industry

Woody Harrelson has long advocated for cannabis reform and for his work will be honoured at the upcoming 18th Annual Emerald Cup Awards in Los Angeles. Citing “decades of fearless advocacy on behalf of cannabis culture,...

1y

The Growth Op

New York potency tax could result in some very expensive weed

Buying legal cannabis in New York State will soon be a reality, after recreational use was legalized in 2021. Now, new reports suggest the Empire State could impose a potency tax, elevating weed prices to as much as US$70...

2y

The Growth Op

Ontario government makes delivery, curbside pickup permanent for cannabis retailers

It’s official: the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has announced the provincial government has permanently green-lit the ability of cannabis retailers to offer delivery and curbside pickup services. In a...

2y

The Growth Op

Nearly one in 10 new jobs in Missouri are from the cannabis industry

Legal cannabis is good for business. According to an analysis of state labour from Missouri, almost one in 10 new jobs are linked to the state’s recently functional medical marijuana industry. The report offers some details...

2y

The Growth Op

Severe weather in B.C. highlights need to revamp provincial cannabis supply chain

Extreme weather in B.C. that worsened supply chain issues already challenged by COVID-19 has some pot shop owners calling for greater flexibility to avoid empty shelves pushing customers to the illicit market. According...

2y

The Growth Op

HiBnb serves as guide for weed lovers seeking cannabis-focused accommodations, excursions and activities in Canada

Cannabis consumers who want to enjoy a bit of bud during their travels have not always been welcomed. HiBnb — an online booking marketplace for cannabis-focused, Canadian-based accommodations, excursions and activities...

2y

The Growth Op

Can blockchain provide the cannabis industry with credible traceability and validity?

Decades of needless prohibition have done a number on recordkeeping within the cannabis industry. Coming out of a lengthy period where records ranged from haphazard to discouraged, industry leaders must adapt best practices...

2y

The Growth Op

Is paper holding your cannabis business back from growth?

During the many years of prohibition, recordkeeping in the cannabis industry had to be decentralized, and often even discouraged. Today, governments enforce extensive rules and guidelines for recordkeeping in the cannabis...

2y

The Growth Op

NFL stars Julio Jones and Roddy White defendants in cannabis lawsuit for alleged fraud, money laundering: Report

Julio Jones and Roddy White are among the defendants named in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by California-based cannabis business Genetixs. Larry Brown Sports was the first outlet to report the lawsuit. Jones,...

2y

The Growth Op

B.C. budtender headed back to work after he was allegedly fired for unionizing bid

A budtender in Victoria, B.C. is back on the job after being fired three weeks ago, which the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) argues was the employer’s response to unionization efforts at the retail store. The...

2y

The Growth Op

Drake takes bull by the horns with new dispensary, but not in his hometown of T.O.

Drake, the multi-Grammy-winning rapper known for his love of “The 6ix,” opted to go west a bit, young man, when opening his first Canadian weed store. Brampton, about 45 kilometres from Toronto, proved the winning location...

2y

The Growth Op

Weedmaps and Berner working to combat anti-weed platforms with cannabis-friendly site

Rapper and cannapreneur Berner has teamed with Weedmaps to give people a place to feature cannabis on social media without fear of getting shut down. According to Ganjapreneur, the rapper who founded the Cookies brand and...

2y

The Growth Op

Cannabis businesses call for tax relief after run of robberies

Cannabis businesses in Oakland, Calif. that were damaged and had cash and product stolen during a spate of robberies earlier this month are asking for tax relief from both local and state agencies. Cannabis retail businesses...

2y

The Growth Op

Four former WWF and WCW superstars turned weed activists

It’s said that many pro wrestling fans know that illegal drugs and painkillers were a big part of the lifestyle of many of its superstars during the industry’s heyday in the 1980s and 1990s. Nowadays, looking back on...

2y

The Growth Op

Alberta company launches cannabis suppository products for both medical patients and adult-use markets

An Alberta-based licensed producer claims it’s the first company to make a cannabis suppository available to medical patients across Canada through its partnership with member site Shelter Market. Prairie Grass Inc., the...

2y

The Growth Op

Former Heisman winner Ricky Williams launches Highsman cannabis brand

Ricky Williams, the National Football League (NFL) running back star turned cannabis entrepreneur, has launched a cheeky, yet still appropriate, new cannabis lifestyle brand called Highsman. In a statement Monday, the Heisman...

2y

The Growth Op

OPINION: Let artisanal cannabis growers replace black market with home-grown

An excellent article in Forbes about the pending legalization of cannabis in New York State points out a common failing in various state legalization laws. I have been very critical of most state legalization policies because...

2y

The Growth Op

Grateful Dead provides inspiration for Toronto-based cannabis retail store

Dead Heads will feel at home at Scarlet Fire Cannabis Co., one of the latest retail cannabis stores to open in Toronto. Founded by David Ellison, a former securities lawyer, the shop reflects Ellison’s passion for the Grateful...

2y

The Growth Op

FIKA lifestyle brand set on redefining cannabis retail

Toronto’s historic Distillery District has become home to the city’s first-ever FIKA Herbal Goods store, a brand that’s hyper-focused on customers by taking a three-S approach: sophisticated, stylish and shameless. Often...

2y

The Growth Op

Accused believed to have used a BB gun to rob cannabis store

It appears that a Massachusetts man accused of using a BB gun to rob a legal cannabis dispensary has become the first person to hit a weed store since legalization took effect in the state. Tony Hernandez, 51, was arrested...

2y

The Growth Op

Video shows half-ton truck ramming into the door of a cannabis facility several times before thieves decide to give up

In a savvy marketing move, New York City-based Securitech apparently felt it had no better proof of the effectiveness of its multi-point lock than to show surveillance video of wannabe thieves trying to break into a cannabis...

2y

The Growth Op

Independent cannabis retailer in Ontario recognized with national design award

Kitchener’s Highland Cannabis retail store has won first place in the Commercial Design category in the 2021 Decorating and Design Competition held by the Decorators & Designers Association of Canada (DDA Canada). Owned...

2y

The Growth Op

First Indigenous reserve-owned dispensary looks to open new shop

A public consultation has been approved for Canada’s first Indigenous reserve-owned licensed cannabis shop to open a location in Merritt, B.C. The owners of the proposed shop, the Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) or T’exelcemc...

2y

The Growth Op

Post Whoopi and Maya, Whoopi Goldberg has new weed venture

Whoopi Goldberg, whose CBD company with Elizabeth Maya ended last year, looks ready to kick start a new cannabis venture in California. Gone is the Whoopi and Maya line and in is Emma & Clyde by WHOOPFAM. The star of...

2y

The Growth Op

High THC products and where to find them

This story is a part of The GrowthOp’s weekly series, Ask A Budtender. Alex Howarth grew up in B.C. Although her passion to work in the music industry led her to move to the U.K, when it came to putting down roots, Toronto...

3y

The Growth Op

Weed-using entrepreneurs find the plant both helps and hurts creativity

It’s a mix of good and bad when it comes to how weed might help entrepreneurs come up with creative and feasible business ideas, although seasoned business players with less “out-there” thoughts seem to experience fewer...

3y

The Growth Op

Seth Rogen spreads his love of weed south of the border

Everyone in Canada — well, everyone everywhere — who’s ever heard of Canadian treasure and cannabis connoisseur Seth Rogen knows the man adores weed. “If you know anything about me at all, I’m going to assume that...

3y

The Growth Op