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🌿 Michelin-starred cannabis arrives in California, nonprofit investigates cannabis products as sleep aids, and Safe Harbor forms alliance with FundCanna

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. Here’s what we’re rolling up this week: Michelin-starred cannabis arrives in California, nonprofit investigates cannabis products as sleep aids, Safe Harbor forms alliance with FundCanna, and more. Let’s get to it.

Author

Alex Lipnik
April 25, 2025

together with

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.

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

  • Michelin-starred cannabis arrives in California

  • Nonprofit investigates cannabis products as sleep aids

  • Safe Harbor forms alliance with FundCanna

…and more. Let’s get to it.

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🚨 ROLL CALL
Business

Source: Minh Connors / The San Francisco Standard

Shining star. ​Two-Michelin-starred San Francisco contemporary restaurant Lazy Bear has developed a bespoke cannabis strain named Lazy Bear Reserve, created in collaboration with premium craft cannabis cultivator Sonoma Hills Farm and award-winning cannabis seed supplier Humboldt Seed Company. The team spent three years “pheno-hunting” in order to find the perfect strain.

“The process involved planting, growing, then testing (and no, that doesn’t always mean smoking) thousands of strains to find one that matched their vision. They wanted flower that expressed the essence of Northern California, complementing ingredients often found on the Lazy Bear tasting menu. And they wanted it to not only smell like Meyer lemon and redwood trees but taste like it, too.”

Excerpt from San Francisco Standard article

The flower and pre-rolls are available at dispensaries throughout the Bay Area; diners unfortunately can’t purchase the product at the restaurant as it isn’t a licensed dispensary in California. 

Research

Source: Elena Scotti / The Wall Street Journal

Sleep on it. ​The National Sleep Foundation, an independent nonprofit dedicated to improving well-being by advancing sleep health, has called for more research and public education regarding the use of cannabis products as sleep aids to help clarify its benefits, risks, and appropriate use. This comes on the heels of the organization releasing new data on the subject.

"We know a significant proportion of American adults are looking for ways to improve their sleep and many now are turning to cannabis-based products. Unfortunately, there currently is limited and mixed scientific evidence that supports the effectiveness of cannabis to help with sleep problems. Until there is a clearer understanding of the effects of cannabis products for healthy sleep, the public should be discerning and have guarded expectations when considering these proposed sleep aids."

Joseph Dzierzewski, SVP Research and Scientific Affairs at NSF

A projected 22 million adults (9%) report currently using a cannabis product as a sleep aid and 45 million Americans reported previous use. Additionally, 23% of American adults, or about 60 million adults, report being likely to try cannabis products as a sleep aid. Legal status of any form of cannabis in state of residency did not affect reported rates of current, previous, and future likelihood of using cannabis.

Those who reported any cannabis use as a sleep aid, either currently or in the past, and those who reported being likely to use cannabis to help their sleep had significantly lower sleep duration and poorer sleep quality than those who did not.

Tech

Source: Max Pepper / CNN

Capital gains. ​Cannabis financial firms Safe Harbor and FundCanna have announced a strategic partnership aimed at expanding access to capital for cannabis operators across the United States. The referral agreement will bring streamlined, compliant funding options and banking services to cannabis-related businesses.

“As the cannabis industry continues to face limitations from traditional financial institutions, this partnership delivers a practical, scalable solution that puts the financial needs of cannabis operators first. By onboarding FundCanna into our Safe Harbor Lends ecosystem, we’re able to enhance our ability to connect our clients to the capital they need—empowering them to grow their businesses, manage cash flow and pursue new opportunities in an industry still largely underserved.”

Terry Mendez, CEO of Safe Harbor Financial

As part of the collaboration, FundCanna will refer clients to Safe Harbor for deposit services, while Safe Harbor will direct qualified clients to FundCanna for working capital, equipment financing, and other credit-based solutions. All FundCanna-approved clients referred by Safe Harbor will be onboarded to deposit loan proceeds directly into Safe Harbor-managed bank accounts, ensuring full regulatory compliance and transparency.

🇺🇸 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Arkansas: ​Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders vetoed a bill that would have allowed drive-thru windows at medical dispensaries, citing concerns that it would expand access to usable cannabis.

Kentucky: ​Auditor Allison Ball plans to investigate the state's medical cannabis program following complaints about the lottery system used to award licenses​.

Minnesota: The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) established the $2 million CanGrow grant program to help farmers enter and thrive in the cannabis industry.

Nebraska: A legislative committee voted against advancing a bill to implement and regulate medical cannabis.

Vermont: ​Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers urged the state Senate to consider significant additions to the cannabis legislation.

đź’Ľ BUSINESS

SNDL launches loyalty program

The Canadian cannabis company launched Rise Rewards across its Value Buds locations in Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, allowing customers to earn points through regular visits and participation in recycling initiatives.

🌏 AROUND THE WORLD

Canada: A study on adolescents revealed cannabis legalization was associated with a 26% increase in the overall prevalence of cannabis use, a 43% increase in edible cannabis use, a 34% increase in cannabis smoking, and a 28% increase in co-use of alcohol and cannabis.

đź’¨ QUICK HITTERS
📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

  • Inside the booming edibles economy (Fast Company)

  • Meet The Founder Of America’s Best-Selling Cannabis Drink (Forbes)

  • How the THC in Weed Affects Your Brain (Scientific American)

  • Today’s Weed Is Incredibly Strong. But That’s Not What You Should Be Worried About. (Slate)

  • Orange basketball legend Carmelo Anthony launches his cannabis brand in Syracuse today (Syracuse.com)

  • 'Life savings are on the line': Michigan cannabis regulator warns of industry crisis (Detroit Free Press)

  • How contaminated weed gets by Colorado’s strict cannabis testing guidelines (Denver Post)

  • Lawmaker's View: Trump can help Minnesota's rollout of cannabis legalization (Duluth News Tribune)

  • The regulatory and tax challenges of cannabis in 2025 (CFO.com)

  • Gabby Windey Is Lighting Up With Edie Parker for 4/20 (ELLE)

🎙️ POTCASTS

  • Green Cotton: Cannabis Justice in America (Into the Mix — by Ben & Jerry’s and Vox Creative)

📽️ VIDEO OF THE WEEK
🔎 JOB BOARD

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