Marijuana is a common, if sometimes covert, element of American life. Nearly half of U.S. adults said in 2021 that they have tried it, up from about 34% in 1999, according to a long-running Gallup poll. With the widening legalization of pot in the U.S.—19 states and Washington, D.C., have legalized it for recreational use and more than a dozen others have cleared it for medical purposes—workplaces and co-workers are adjusting to greater openness about the drug, grappling with issues from referencing cannabis in job interviews to deciding whether it is ever acceptable to get stoned with a client.

With a robust retail network of 149 dispensaries across 11 states and 3 strategic regional hubs, with market-leading positions in Arizona, Florida, and Pennsylvania; the new Trulieve is the largest U.S. cannabis operator

For anyone interested in seeing how brands have developed over the past three years and new products launching in the California market, Hall of Flowers is the trade show to attend. While the audience for Hall of Flowers is mainly Retailers (buyers) and Exhibitors (around 300 brands), it’s overall a great place to meet with other people in the ecosystem and see what new products/innovation is happening in the industry. It provides a good idea of how brands are trying to differentiate in a crowded market.

Following two months of softening sales trends, most of the markets that cannabis data analytics firm BDSA covers experienced continued weakness during August. Tough comparisons from a year ago, when sales surged during the pandemic, resulted in relatively weak annual growth in most markets, with several even declining. Weak sales of flower compared to a year ago was the underlying theme. BDSA provides coverage for Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon. In August, growth ranged from -7% in California to 26% in Arizona compared to a year ago.