Fall Pot Fest; Lowell Smokes in Illinois; MO gets new cultivation site
News and nuggets for cannabis industry practitioners in the Midwest and beyond.
Worm poop and infused fruit bouquet businesses spawn from Michigan’s Fluresh Accelerator
Grand Rapids-based cannabis operator Fluresh is investing in minority entrepreneurs operating in cannabis industries through its newly formed 10-member business accelerator program.
Curaleaf launches new beverage-additive cannabis product
Last week Curaleaf introduced a beverage additive cannabis product in its ten Illinois dispensaries and in seventeen other states.
Fyllo raises $30 million in Series B venture round and adds banking bigwig to board
Venture capital continues to flow into cannabis-focused software companies as Chicago-based Fyllo this week announced a $30 million close to a Series B round of venture capital financing.
Curaleaf’s social equity planning starts in Illinois
The largest cannabis operator in the United States is investing nearly a million dollars in six Illinois entities designed to provide workforce development programming.
Parallel officially enters Illinois with $155 million Windy City Cannabis acquisition
Parallel paid $155m in cash, stock, and other incentives for six Illinois dispensary locations.
leaf.trade and AeroPay raise venture rounds; Cresco CEO talks Mass. acquisition; 4Front’s new growth; Verano expands in Penn, and more…
Each month Grown In reports significant Midwestern cannabis fundraising transactions.
Despite plateauing sales, Michigan cannabis operators forecast strong spring sales
The warmer weather along with the gradual resumption of social activity, inspired many Michiganders to get their flower on this month, say Michigan cannabis operators.
Industry grapples with normalization after White House fires staffers for previous pot use
When asked for their perspectives on the Biden administration’s hiring practices as it relates to cannabis, industry leaders across the Midwest replied with a mix of pragmatism, anger, uncertainty, and hope.
Careers in cannabis: What’s with higher education in Illinois?
The 2019 Illinois law that encouraged a budding multibillion dollar legal weed industry included the creation of the Community College Cannabis Vocational Program, which launched almost a dozen different higher education cannabis programs in Illinois.
