Kentucky Now Has a Dispensary in All 11 Regions. 28 of Its 79 Licenses Have Changed Hands
Cresco Labs' Sunnyside opened in Prestonsburg on Oct. 12, completing the map. The state's own license roll shows only one of four Mountain region dispensaries cleared to operate, and 28,000 cardholders are about a third of what the industry's trade group calls a healthy market.
DEA's Drug-Felony Hiring Bar Covers Dispensary Clerks, Not Cannabis Growers
Mississippi's Nicole Huff was told her two flagged workers can stay only in non-plant-touching jobs while waivers of unknown length are pending, and Sen. Cory Booker calls the policy ridiculous. Growers registering since Oct. 5 face screening rules under which a conviction will not necessarily preclude employment.
Missouri's Hemp Flower Goes Dark Nov. 12. THC Seltzers Get 29 More Days.
HB 2641 makes selling intoxicating hemp outside a licensed dispensary a class D felony with a $5,000 fine per transaction. Because Congress pushed the federal ban to Dec. 11, the law's fine print hits smoke-shop flower and gummies first and spares beverages for a month.
Oklahoma's Cannabis Regulator Exits With 1,703 Growers Left and a DEA Registration Cliff Ahead
Licensed growers fell from 9,402 to 1,703 on Adria Berry's watch. Her interim successor, a former sheriff's lieutenant, inherits a Jan. 1 date after which the state drug bureau may move against growers lacking DEA registration, and a governor who wants the program shut down.
Vireo Paid $21 Million for a Florida Grow Its Landlord Bought for $14.9 Million in 2025
The Palatka buyout follows Vireo's $88.5 million purchase of its New York grow from Innovative Industrial Properties, financed with a 15% seller note now refinanced at 8.5% and a $41 million loan from Chicago Atlantic, the lender CEO John Mazarakis co-founded.