🌿 DoorDash to deliver hemp-derived products, legalization leads to lower youth cannabis use, and a judge shoots down GTI collab with Circle K

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Happy Friday Pre Rollers! Welcome to another edition of The Pre Roll, the cannabis newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the industry happenings you need to know.

For even more cannabis news, give us a follow on LinkedIn and Twitter as we’ll be posting regularly on both channels in 2025.

Here’s what we’re rolling up this week:

• DoorDash to deliver hemp-derived products

• Legalization leads to lower youth cannabis use

• A judge shoots down GTI collab with Circle K

…and more. Let’s get to it.

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🚨 ROLL CALL 

Business

Door to DoorDash. DoorDash is now offering hemp-derived THC and CBD products for on-demand delivery in select states. Customers will be able to make purchases from merchants such as DashMart (a DoorDash owned convenience store), Total Wine & More, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits, and other local establishments.

As part of a pilot phase for the new category, the top five most-ordered items were gummies, drinks, mints, chocolates, and honey sticks.

These products can be ordered alongside meals, snacks, and other essentials from within the DoorDash app or web platform.

To ensure customers are of legal age, the company says they’ve implemented “multiple safeguards” including electronic ID verification.

Policy

The Kids Are Alright. A new report compiled by the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), a leading cannabis policy reform organization, suggests adult-use legalization corresponds with decreased youth cannabis use. Before-and-after numbers show a drop in 19 of the 21 states with data referenced.

Of particular note, Washington and Colorado, the states with the oldest legalization laws, have seen cannabis use go down by more than 35% in adolescents since cannabis was legalized back in 2012.

Business

Wasn't Meant to Be. An administrative law judge validated an earlier ruling from regulators to block an attempt by Green Thumb Industries to open “RISE Express” branded dispensaries adjacent to Circle K stores in Florida.

The plan was originally disclosed when GTI announced an exclusive lease agreement with the convenience store chain in October 2022.

🇺🇸 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Delaware: The state’s first-ever Marijuana Commissioner Robert Coupe is stepping down.

Minnesota: Office of Cannabis Management interim director Charlene Briner, who has led the office since its creation, will be leaving her position next week; current General Counsel Eric Taubel will take over.

Montana: Cannabis sales are closing in on $1 billion since recreational legalization took effect in January 2022.

Texas: Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller wrote an op-ed in support of expanding the state’s medical cannabis program, but implementing restrictions on unregulated hemp-derived products.

Wisconsin: Governor Tony Evers proposes letting voters decide on cannabis legalization through a ballot initiative.

💼 BUSINESS

Innovative Industrial Properties devastated by lease defaults

The cannabis REIT contends that multi-state operator PharmaCann failed to pay rent on several properties across the country in December that represent 17% of the company’s total revenues.

💻 TECH

BLAZE integrates with Sage to streamline accounting for operators

The cannabis POS integrated with the small and mid-sized business accounting, finance, HR, and payroll platform to enable accounting workflows and provide enhanced financial visibility across multiple locations for enterprise cannabis retailers.

💨 QUICK HITTERS

• Cannabis company STIIIZY revealed personal information of some customers was compromised when its point-of-sale vendor experienced a data breach by an organized cybercrime group.

• MSO MariMed launched wholesale operations in Missouri, increasing its operations to six states.

• Weedmaps named Sarah Griffis the new CTO; iAnthus appointed Justin Vu as CFO.

• Hemp-derived beverage brand Wynk debuted a "Dry January Doesn't Have To Be So Dry" marketing campaign covering sweepstakes, out-of-home advertising, influencer partnerships, digital media ads, promotional discounts, and retail collaborations.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

• 39-year-old's cannabis business brings in $800,000 a month—16 years after he went to prison for selling drugs (CNBC Make It)

• Cannabis and Trump 2.0: 2025 and beyond (Reuters)

• Florida’s pot industry suffered a major loss in November. But it won’t easily be dethroned. (POLITICO)

• The Rastafarians opening up Caribbean cannabis farms to build a flourishing medical industry (The Guardian)

🎙️ POTCASTS

• Local Government and Cannabis Enforcement: What Matters and Why (Cannabis Law Now)

📽️ VIDEO OF THE WEEK

🔎 JOB BOARD

• Paid Search Manager (Remote)

  • Weedmaps

  • $111,650—$138,2000

• Account Executive

  • Flowhub

  • $60,000—$75,000; OTE $120,000—$150,000

• Assistant Brand Manager

  • Green Thumb Industries (GTI)

  • $60,000—$70,000

📨 PUFF, PUFF, PASS REEFERAL PROGRAM

Stay tuned for more cannabis industry news next week!

💚,

The Pre Roll Team

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