Month: April 2026

MJ Unpacked is rolling back into Atlantic City on May 5–7, and it feels less like another cannabis conference and more like a family reunion at the shore—with much better weed. This is more than just a date on the industry calendar; it’s the rare event where operators, brands, investors, and policy nerds all actually show up, lean in, and get real about where this market is headed.

The pier party you never got as a kid

I still haven’t stopped thinking about the last time MJ Unpacked took over the pier for the afterparty. That night is firmly cemented as one of the most memorable events I’ve ever been to. Walking onto the pier with the rides lit up, the ocean wind in your face, and top-shelf product in your pocket felt like taking a trip back into your childhood—only this time you’re armed with amazing weed products and your childlike wonder and awe at the sheer awesomeness of it all. It was pure joy layered on top of real industry connection, which is a combination you just don’t get often in this business.

That’s the energy MJ Unpacked is bringing back to Atlantic City in 2026. The after-hours experience isn’t

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President Donald Trump (R) last week signed an executive order to support psychedelics as a potential treatment for some mental health conditions. The order directs $50 million in federal funds to make the drugs more accessible via state-run programs, and requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite a review of some psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin and ibogaine. 

The order includes a provision that would require “timely rescheduling” of any current Schedule 1 substance that successfully completes Phase 3 clinical trials for a serious mental health disorder.   

“Individuals suffering from major depressive disorder and substance abuse disorder, among other serious mental illnesses, can relapse or not fully respond to standard medical and psychiatric therapies.  Despite massive Federal investment into researching potential advancements in mental health care and treatment, our medical research system has yet to produce approved therapies that promote enduring improvements in the mental health condition of these most complex patients.  Innovative methods are needed to find long-term solutions for these Americans beyond existing prescription medications.” — “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness” Executive Order, 4/18/26  

In a video of Trump signing the order, podcaster Joe Rogan, who attended the ceremony, noted that “These drugs are illegal not because they are harmful” but “because of the 1970 Controlled Substances Act.” 

“For 56 years we’ve lived under those terrible

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BOCA RATON, FL — Springbig (OTCQX: SBIG), the AI-powered marketing and customer engagement platform serving regulated retailers and brands, today announced the launch of AI Audience Builder, a breakthrough capability that enables retailers to create precisely targeted customer segments using plain, natural language powered by artificial intelligence. No filters. No manual logic. No data expertise required.

The launch positions Springbig at the forefront of AI-driven retail marketing, delivering a tangible productivity and revenue advantage to dispensary operators competing in an increasingly data-intensive market.

Instead of navigating complex segmentation workflows, marketers can now describe an audience in their own words and watch Springbig’s AI instantly build it, dramatically compressing the time from insight to campaign execution.

Transforming How Marketers Work With Data

Audience segmentation has long been one of the most powerful, yet consistently underutilized, levers in retail marketing. The barrier has never been data availability. It has been accessibility.

Traditional segmentation requires marketing teams to build logic manually, configure multiple filters, and maintain a working knowledge of underlying data structures. For operators running lean teams across multiple locations, that friction translates directly into missed revenue opportunities.

AI Audience Builder removes that barrier entirely. Key capabilities include:

Natural language audience

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One little packet addressed to my son arrived in the mail one summer day along with a large envelope containing his senior portraits. I opened the senior portraits and saw my son in a black tux — clean-cut, smiling and handsome. My son — let’s call him Liam — opened the other package and we found three tiny black cannabis seeds called Northern Lights, “because they are specifically designed to grow well in cool climates like ours,” my son explained.

As parents, my husband and I hadn’t come to our decision to allow the pot growing lightly. Mostly we worried about what Liam would do with the pot if it grew successfully. Would he be tempted to sell it? Would we inadvertently be turning him into a drug dealer? And what about the whole “gateway” theory? Would this lead to experimentation with other more dangerous drugs? We knew Liam smoked pot from time to time and we accepted that. But would this setup turn him into a “wake and bake” guy?

Liam’s persistence and curiosity convinced us. Ever since we gave him the green light to grow pot, he had been studying the most effective methods for planting and harvesting

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The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Council on Cannabis called for legalizing adult-use cannabis in an interim report issued last week, and Gov. Josh Stein (D) has endorsed the advisory group’s proposal.

North Carolina is one of the last remaining states in the U.S. without any form of cannabis legalization.

Notably, while most states have followed a trend of legalizing medical cannabis before adopting adult-use reforms, the advisory group has suggested jumping straight to full legalization, as standing up and regulating a single industry is much easier than two, and that a medical-only program “could fuel an already robust illicit market, without regulation to ensure consumer safety.”

The advisory committee was appointed last year by the governor, who compared the state’s illicit cannabis market to the “Wild West” and endorsed the committee’s plan over the weekend, calling for a “safe, legal, and well-regulated market for adults.”

“Last year, I charged this group with developing a comprehensive solution to the unregulated sale of cannabis that is grounded in public health and public safety, with a special focus on keeping young people safe. This report provides the General Assembly with guidance and makes clear that a well-regulated market,

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Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) last week introduced a bill that would allow local breweries to partner with licensed medical cannabis manufacturers to produce cannabis-infused beverages. 

“This is an opportunity to support two local industries and to keep business in DC. We have fantastic local brewers and distillers in our city, we have a robust medical cannabis market, and this is a new opportunity for those two markets to collaborate and create a safe and smoke-free alternative for patients in DC.” — Bowser in a press release 

The proposal would also allow a license endorsement for breweries and distilleries to manufacture cannabis-infused products and an endorsement for medical cannabis manufacturers to import non-intoxicating cannabinoids for use in production. 

Under the plan, all products would be subject to mandatory testing and would be alcohol-free. The products would only be sold at licensed dispensaries and would be available only to registered medical cannabis patients.  

In a statement, Fred Moosally, director of the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, said the proposal “makes sense.”  

“Providing a legal pathway for our local breweries and distilleries to utilize their expertise in beverage production is the logical next step in maturing DC’s medical cannabis marketplace and supporting our local business ecosystem,” he said.  

According to the legislation fact sheet, the beverages would be subject to a 6% sales tax,

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Nebraska lawmakers last week approved a bill to allow the state Medical Cannabis Commission to set fees and raise revenue, the Nebraska Examiner reports. The legislation is the first-ever bill related to the voter-approved medical cannabis to be approved by state lawmakers. 

Crista Eggers, executive director of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, told the Examiner that the bill’s passage is “one very small step” but “something to celebrate.” 

“Still so much that has to be done to turn this into a program patients can actually access. And until we see that day, we cannot call it success.” — Eggers to the Examiner 

Lawmakers are currently considering another bill that is important for the state’s medical cannabis program to function. LB 933 would pay medical cannabis commissioners $12,500 for their work; create a fund to collect fees gifts, grants, and other monies collected by the commission; authorize the commission to set medical cannabis industry application fees, with a $50,000 cap; and require medical cannabis license applicants to submit to background checks. 

LB 933 passed the first round of debate 30-7 on March 20 and needs to pass two more rounds by April 17. The bill requires at least 33 votes to become law. 

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