News - Business (507 items)
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| Aug 5, 2026 |
GFL must pay after firing worker over single cannabis test A positive cannabis test was enough for one safety-sensitive employer to fire an assistant operator the same day. It was not enough, a labour tribunal has now confirmed, to prove the company had just cause for the dismissal. In a decision dated July 22, 2026, Vice-Chairperson Patricia Warwick of the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board dismissed GFL Environmental Inc.'s appeal of a wage assessment issued in the worker's favour by the Director of Employment Standards. The ruling confirmed an earlier adjudicator's finding and left GFL owing $5,958.19 in wages tied to the notice period. |
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| Aug 5, 2026 |
The States Looking To Turn Cannabis Facilities Into Data Centers
A growing number of states and provinces are exploring an unusual solution to two very different economic trends: Converting struggling cannabis cultivation facilities into data centers. As demand for AI and cloud computing infrastructure surges, developers are searching for sites that already have the power, cooling and security systems needed to support server operations. At the same time, following years of falling wholesale cannabis prices and chronic oversupply in many state markets, some cultivation facilities have closed or become underutilized, leaving a stock of power-intensive industrial buildings available for redevelopment. |
| Aug 4, 2026 |
Cannabis Dispensaries Taking Dinner Reservations
On July 23, Mayor Daniel Lurie signed an ordinance that gives San Francisco a legal framework for what supporters are calling “Amsterdam-style cannabis cafés.” It takes effect at midnight on August 23, and 66 qualifying cannabis retailers will be able to apply for a new café permit that lets them serve food and nonalcoholic beverages and even host live entertainment. |
| Aug 4, 2026 |
Flash Survey Reveals More Employers Are Testing Applicants for Cannabis Than Two Years Ago Employer hesitation to test applicants for cannabis appears to have slowed in the past two years, according to the results from our latest FP Flash Survey. 60% of employers now test job applicants for cannabis, up from 52% when we asked the same question in 2024. And part of the reason appears to be that the hiring market will permit a stricter approach: employers that test are now less likely to report trouble finding qualified candidates than they were two years ago. Those are just a few of the surprising findings from the latest FP Flash Survey, conducted between July 20 and July 31, gathering responses from over 600 businesses across the country |
| Aug 3, 2026 |
Cannabis NB’s $2 Pre-Rolls Seek to Compete with Black Market as Sales Cool
New Brunswick sold $25.4 million in cannabis in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2026-2027, which ended June 28, 2026, for a gross profit of $12 million and net income of $4.6 million. Product sales represented a 2% decline year-over-year compared to Q1 2025, gross profits were down 3.9%, and net income was down 20.4%. There were 433,000 transactions in the first quarter, with an average basket size of $53.67, representing a YOY increase in transactions but a decline in average basket size compared with 411,000 transactions with an average basket size of $58.77 in the same quarter in the previous year. |
| Aug 3, 2026 |
Beyond the THC Number: How Cannabis Retail Can Make Room for Quality
For much of Canada’s legal cannabis market, one number has carried an extraordinary amount of weight: THC percentage. It appears prominently on product labels, retail menus and purchasing spreadsheets. Consumers use it to compare products, budtenders rely on it when sensory information is limited, and buyers use it to assess anticipated demand. Over time, this has helped create a self-reinforcing market in which higher THC is often treated as shorthand for stronger effects, better quality and greater value. |
| Aug 2, 2026 |
Is Green Thumb the Safest Cannabis Stock to Own Right Now?
The cannabis industry has taught investors a painful lesson over the past five years: Revenue growth means very little if a company can't generate cash. Dozens of operators expanded too quickly, took on excessive debt, or repeatedly diluted shareholders to stay afloat. |
| Aug 2, 2026 |
Good Times, Less Waste: Can Cannabis Clean Up the Vape Problem? Vape hardware is one of the cannabis industry’s most persistent waste problems. Fernway launched the first take-back program in 2022, and this summer opened its dropboxes to any brand’s device. |
| Jul 31, 2026 |
Largest strike in cannabis industry ends at MSO-owned Illinois cultivation operation
More than 300 workers are back on the job at a cannabis multistate operator’s cultivation operation in southern Illinois after the resolution of a monthlong strike that union organizers said was also the $30 billion national industry’s biggest-ever strike. |
| Jul 31, 2026 |
Forget the DEA and DOJ: When cannabis legalization happens, these are the feds to worry about
Federal marijuana legalization is closer than ever, but could create more problems than opportunities for your business if you're not prepared. |
| Jul 31, 2026 |
Ascend Wellness Teamsters Win Biggest Cannabis Strike in U.S. History
(BARRY, Ill.) – More than 300 workers at Ascend Wellness’s grow house in Barry, Ill., overwhelmingly ratified their first contract with Teamsters Local 916 and ended a 30-day unfair labor practice (ULP) strike that was the largest in the history of the legal cannabis industry. |
| Jul 30, 2026 |
Retailers Challenge Cannabis Store Entry Rules for Minors
Eight years after Canada legalized recreational cannabis, one of its lesser-known retail rules continues to raise questions among consumers and retailers alike. Children are prohibited from entering licensed cannabis stores, even when accompanied by a parent or guardian. Across much of Canada, minors can accompany adults into liquor stores, pharmacies selling controlled medications, and convenience stores where tobacco products are available. Yet a parent stopping at a cannabis retailer while running everyday errands may have to abandon the purchase or find someone to watch their child first. |
| Jul 30, 2026 |
Study: Businesses Perform Better in States with Medical Cannabis Access A new study from University of Iowa researchers suggests that businesses do better in states that have legalized medical cannabis. The study analyzed the financial results of more than 13,000 publicly traded companies from 2001 to 2022 found that corporate valuation increased in 21 of 38 states that allowed medical cannabis access. |
| Jul 29, 2026 |
Cheech and Chong are opening a cannabis shop in Milo this weekend
If you’re in the mood for some Maui Waui with a little Labrador after a trip to Gulf Hagas, Cheech and Chong are here, man. Cheech and Chong’s newest Dispensoria will have a grand opening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday in Milo. You have to be at least 21 years old to join the festivities, including giveaways, raffles and other activities. The comedy duo’s brand licenses dozens of dispensaries across the country. That includes a storefront on Hammond Street in Bangor. A Dispensoria that opened on Exchange Street in Portland in 2024 closed after 13 months. |
| Jul 29, 2026 |
Alberta-based retailer hit by Canadians drinking less booze, smoking less weed
'Canadians have less disposable income, and when they have less disposable income, they change their purchasing behaviour' Canadians eased off booze and cannabis this spring, hitting an Alberta-based retailer with falling sales and a nearly $8-million loss. Revenue at SNDL Inc, headquartered in Edmonton, fell by about four per cent to $235.8 million, according to second-quarter results released Tuesday. |
| Jul 28, 2026 |
Canadian cannabis giant SNDL claims to be world’s largest after Parallel takeover
Former lenders to Parallel, the struggling cannabis multistate operator once led by chewing-gum heir William “Beau” Wrigley, finalized their takeover of company assets this week, according to a Monday announcement. And after acquiring “certain” Parallel assets in Florida, Massachusetts and Texas, Canadian cannabis and liquor giant SNDL now claims a retail footprint of 249 licensed locations – “the largest in the world by store count,” CEO Zach George claimed in a press release Monday. |
| Jul 28, 2026 |
Big Change in the Cannabis Industry
The industry was surprised Monday with a big change in teh cannabis industry. It seems it is entering another phase of consolidation, and one of the year’s most significant deals underscores how leading multi-state operators (MSOs) are preparing for the next stage of growth. Vireo Health’s acquisition of Planet 13 brings together two respected cannabis companies with complementary strengths, creating a larger footprint across several of the country’s most valuable regulated markets. |
| Jul 28, 2026 |
Canadian Cannabis Sales Reach $485 Million in May 2026
Canada sold $485 million worth of cannabis in May 2026, according to the most recent figures from Statistics Canada. This represents a 1% year-over-year increase compared to sales in May 2025 and a 1% month-over-month decline from April 2026. National sales were down slightly from the previous month’s $490.8 million, driven by declines in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and BC. |
| Jul 28, 2026 |
Self-Checkout Approved by DCC at Perfect Union Northside, Making it the First California Cannabis Dispensary to Launch RFID-Powered Technology SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MWG Holdings Group today announced that its Perfect Union Northside dispensary in Sacramento has become the first licensed cannabis retailer in California approved by the DCC to launch RFID-powered self-checkout technology through EXO, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of cannabis retail. |
| Jul 27, 2026 |
The cannabis industry is having a price compression crisis. What’s the solution?
U.S. cannabis sales declined year over year for the first time on record, falling from $32 billion in 2024 to $29.94 billion in 2025, according to data compiled in the MJBiz Factbook. The drop marks a turning point for an industry that has spent more than a decade posting steady and uninterrupted growth at the cash register even as valuations declined. But the cause isn’t shrinking demand or vanishing consumers. It’s collapsing prices, as cannabis consumers in some states bought more product than ever before even as sales revenue declined, analysts told MJBizDaily. |