Author: Vanessa

Autumn Shelton, Co-founder of Autumn Brands By the time most of California’s cannabis market began to fracture under its own weight, Autumn Shelton had already been preparing for it. The co-founder of Autumn Brands, a family-run farm on the Santa Barbara coast, came into the business with a finance background and a pragmatic view of cultivation: treat cannabis like an agricultural commodity instead of a gold rush. “We transitioned the greenhouses from cut flowers into medical cannabis during California’s Prop 215 era, then formalized as a for-profit when adult use launched under Prop 64,” Shelton said. “The cut-flower market had…

Welcome to the latest edition of “Last week in Weed,” catching you up on the latest breaking news and industry developments in the world of cannabis. Here’s what you may have missed over the last week: Fed Rate Cut Offers Modest Relief, Federal Reform Still Key The Federal Reserve’s latest rate cut drew cautious optimism from cannabis leaders, who view it as limited help amid structural barriers. NewLake Capital Partners CEO Anthony Coniglio called it “welcome news” for floating-rate debt holders, though fixed-rate borrowers await 2026-2027 refinancings. With costs at 12-14%, a 50-basis-point drop is “incremental.” Safe Harbor Financial CEO…

At EDUN Family Farm in Parachute, Colorado, innovation grows from the ground up. Co-founder Michelle Brinkerhoff is rewriting the rules of cannabis horticulture by combining regenerative farming practices with modern process control and an uncompromising commitment to quality. “We’re not growing like everybody else,” Brinkerhoff said. “This is a product people turn to as a medicinal alternative, and I’m not willing to compromise that.” The Brinkerhoff farm is EDUN’s heart and soul. A state-of-the-art facility that shares creativity and excitement with a team of seasoned growers. The farm is a perfect union of form and function, earning them a reputation…

These women, through a vast network of media relationships, are directly responsible for which cannabis companies receive some of the market’s most editorial visibility. These women know how to spread the word, raise a company’s profile, put a brand on the map, and manage its reputation. Anne G. Donohoe, Firm: KCSA Strategic Communications Anne G. Donohoe is a Managing Director at KCSA Strategic Communications, where she leads the Los Angeles office and the firm’s Alternatives Practice. With over 20 years of experience, Anne has helped shape the public narrative of the cannabis industry, guiding strategic communications for clients. She founded,…

MJBizCon is the world’s largest and most influential B2B cannabis Conference and Expo event. Cannabis is a movement. This is why every part of the show is built to facilitate real conversations and address pressing challenges in the industry. MJBizCon does it all; from professional advancement across the Conference and Pre-Show Forums to sector-dedicated Pavilions hosting culture-forward networking. Taking place December 2-5, 2025 in Las Vegas, MJBizCon is rooted in community and cultivated by connections. Here are some can’t-miss experiences at this year’s show. Expo This is where real business gets done. The Expo floor welcomes 1,000+ Exhibitors and 8+…

From tissue culture labs to engineered soils and solventless hash testing, cutting-edge cultivation tools are setting a new standard for cannabis cultivation. Cannabis cultivation is evolving, adopting technologies once reserved for mainstream agriculture and biotech. In a plot twist, it’s the OGs, the breeders who preserved genetics through decades, who often are at the forefront of putting these tools to work while advancing the plant with both tradition and innovation. Innovation in Cultivation Cannabis cultivation has undergone a seismic shift in the last decade. Once driven mostly by tradition and trial-and-error, today’s most forward-thinking cannabis growers are embracing tools borrowed…

Psychedelic science is experiencing a resurgence, and ibogaine seems to be the tip of the spear for Western interests. It has been shown to quickly and effectively treat substance use disorder, various depressive disorders, and shows rapid and sustained effects on neuronal structure and function, benefitting users after a single administration. The drug is powerful, and its history is paved with challenges largely outside the view of Westernized psychedelia of the 60s and 70s, because it is simply not a fun thing to do. Its potential to heal, however, is exciting people all over the world, and is already invigorating…

Roaming the halls of MJBizcon you hear a familiar story: You’ve got the license; now you need $8M in financing, 6 months for engineering and permitting, 8-12 months for long-lead equipment delivery, 12 months to build and you’re still hoping everything works when you flip the switch. By the time you’re operational, wholesale prices may be half what they are today. The Waterfall Problem  Traditional facility development follows a waterfall approach: find a property, then architects, then engineers, then financing, then procurement, then construction. Each phase waits for the previous one to complete. In newly regulated markets where first movers…

Federal rescheduling of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) stands poised to be the most significant regulatory catalyst in the U.S. cannabis industry in 50 years. While much attention has been paid to the surge and correction in “pure play” cannabis equities and to state-legal operators awaiting tax and banking relief, comparatively less light has been shed on the multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical conglomerates—often referred to as “Big Pharma”—and their calculated maneuvers to control the next chapter of the cannabis market.  This report investigates the extensive infrastructure, legal, scientific, and commercial groundwork Big Pharma has…

White-label THCA flower helps retailers, distributors, and private-label teams launch shelf-ready SKUs without building cultivation or post-harvest operations.  The strongest partners bring batch-linked COAs, repeatable quality, packaging at scale, and tight fulfillment, so you can move from pilot runs to multi-store rollouts with fewer surprises.  If you’re looking for a white-label THCA partner, you’re in the right place, because in this article, we’ve broken down some of the best programs on the market today.  Quick Overview of the Best White Label THCA Flower Brands CompanyCore White-Label OfferingBiggest StrengthsTrade-offsBakeBoxx WholesaleWhite-label THCA flower with packaging, labeling, and batch-linked COAsConsistency, fast fulfillment, retail-ready…