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- 🌿 New York reaches 500 cannabis retailers, PharmaCann closes cultivation facility, and Organigram names new CEO
🌿 New York reaches 500 cannabis retailers, PharmaCann closes cultivation facility, and Organigram names new CEO
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: New York reaches 500 cannabis retailers, PharmaCann closes cultivation facility, Organigram names new CEO, and more. Let’s get to it.
Alex Lipnik
November 28, 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.
We hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Here’s what we’re rolling up this week:
New York reaches 500 cannabis retailers
PharmaCann closes cultivation facility
Organigram names new CEO
…and more. Let’s get to it.
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🚨 ROLL CALL
Business
Source: Vox
New heights. The New York Office of Cannabis Management says the state has reached 500 licensed cannabis dispensaries. The agency’s acting head predicts that number could grow to 2,000 if regulatory and market conditions support it.
“Numbers will always differ depending on how the market develops. But we've seen some analysis, both internal and external, that New York state can comfortably support around 2,000 dispensaries. We're a quarter of the way there. When I joined the agency, there were only a handful of dispensaries, and to see how many have opened really says a couple of things to me -- which is one, yeah, it's our job to make sure that licenses are getting out there, but to see entrepreneurs taking the initiatives, hitting the ground, running, developing community, developing support, developing infrastructure. A lot of this is their work.”
New York’s first recreational dispensary opened at the end of 2022.
Business
Source: PharmaCann
Closing time. PharmaCann is closing its cultivation facility in Illinois and laying off 82 workers as part of a move to shutter the grow site by the end of the year.
This comes after it was reported earlier this year that cannabis REIT Innovative Industrial Properties asserted the multi-state operator failed to pay rent on several properties across the country. A resolution was eventually reached on the reported lease defaults.
The company shuttered its 207,000-square-foot Michigan grow operation and laid off close to 200 people at the end of last year.
Business
Source: Organigram
Leadership transition. Canadian cannabis company Organigram announced that James Yamanaka, previously Global Head of Strategy at British American Tobacco, has been appointed its next Chief Executive Officer.
“I am thrilled to take on this new challenge. I have watched Organigram evolve into Canada’s number one recreational cannabis company by market share and believe it is well positioned to become a global leader in the cannabis industry. I look forward to building an international presence on Organigram’s strong foundation of high-quality products, trusted brands, and a commitment to industry-leading innovation.”
Yamanaka, who brings 20+ years of international strategy and general management experience across Europe and Asia, will also join the board of directors and lead the company’s push to expand its global presence.
🇺🇸 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
Florida: A judge ruled in favor of the DeSantis administration, allowing the state to throw out over 200,000 petition signatures supporting a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize recreational cannabis.
New York: A lawsuit filed by the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association asks a court to compel the Office of Cannabis Management to crack down on illicit cannabis sales.
🌏 AROUND THE WORLD
Brazil: The agricultural research agency has been granted permission to begin long-term research on the cannabis plant.
đź’¨ QUICK HITTERS
The Cannabist Company and Old Pal are expanding their partnership for cannabis products into West Virginia.
Goldflower revealed a new partnership with Freedom Grow and Weed for Warriors to launch limited-edition prerolls with revenue donated to support people incarcerated for cannabis offenses and veterans seeking medical cannabis access.
Tyson 2.0 has entered an exclusive licensing deal with TerrAscend to launch products in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
📚 WHAT WE’RE READING
Pour One Out for Weed Seltzer (The Atlantic)
This Year’s Thanksgiving Surprise: Half of the Guests Are Stoned (Wall Street Journal)
Pre-Thanksgiving strolls are firing up weed sales (Morning Brew)
What will a ban on most US hemp products mean? (The Guardian)
Smoking Weed Has a Surprising Effect on Drinking (New York Times)
Everyone’s Cashing In on Legal Weed—Except America (High Times)
How Gen Z’s buying habits are reshaping legal cannabis retail (MJBizDaily)
THC drinks are flying high. A new hemp law could kill the buzz (NPR)
How Congress’s New Hemp Rules Could Deflate America’s $4 Billion THC Drink Boom (Food & Wine)
What the hemp ban means for small family farms (Rhode Island Current)
Cutting through the weeds of Wisconsin’s cannabis contradictions (Wisconsin Public Radio)
🎙️ POTCASTS
How LEVEL Delivers Effects-Based Cannabis Tablets ft. Chris Emerson (The Dime)
📽️ VIDEO OF THE WEEK
🔎 JOB BOARD
Consumer Protection Cannabis Director
Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP)
$111,028—$151,386
C3 Industries
DACUT
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