Dealer's
Diary

This week in cannabis: two of the biggest Northeast operator events of the year land back-to-back on August 7 and August 8. Lucky Leaf Expo Philadelphia opens Friday for a two-day B2B run, and the 2nd Annual NYC Cannabis Festival & Resource Fair takes over Harlem on Saturday. This is the week Northeast operators book […]

This post covers state anti-harassment training requirements for cannabis operators as of 2026. It is informational only. Not legal advice. Training rules vary by state, industry, headcount, and role. Verify against current state agency publications before rolling out or updating your training program, and consult licensed employment counsel for any active claim or investigation. A […]

This post reports patterns we have observed across the 50+ cannabis operators we work with and the 6 cannabis M&A integrations we have led. It is not published survey data or investment advice. Compensation varies by market, license type, operator size, and role scope. Verify with your CFO, employment counsel, and a cannabis-specialized compensation partner […]

This week in cannabis: a lighter industry-conference calendar makes room for community and wellness events, including two New Jersey activations, a Chicago wellness series worth sending your IL staff to, and Minnesota’s Canna Connect Brainerd. Here are the operator picks worth building your week around. Week 3 of Zen Den’s weekly events cadence. See last […]

This post discusses cannabis wrongful termination frameworks in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, and California. It is informational only. Not legal advice. Cannabis employment law varies by state, by role, and by fact pattern. If you are facing an active claim, threat of a claim, or an imminent termination that could result in one, consult […]

This post is informational and reflects patterns we have seen across the 50+ cannabis operators we work with. It is not legal, tax, or licensing advice. HR decisions interact with state cannabis regulations, employment law, and 280E tax structure in ways that vary by operator size and footprint. Consult licensed counsel and a cannabis-specialized CPA […]

This post discusses allegations in an active federal lawsuit, EEOC v. Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. The case is at an early stage. No court has ruled on the merits, and the allegations described below have not been proven. This post is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If your operation […]

This week in cannabis: the HIGHER Conference lands in Philadelphia as the biggest women-in-cannabis convergence of the year, the Pocono Canna Fair pulls 325+ vendors to eastern Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts operators can catch a real dispensary block-party activation at Zahara’s in Attleboro. Here are the operator picks worth building your week around. Week 2 of […]

A Massachusetts dispensary operator called us on July 8. Massachusetts had quietly raised its minimum wage on July 1, and the operator’s assistant manager was now within $0.75 an hour of a shift lead. Compression was already showing up in staff conversations. The assistant manager was five days away from taking a job at the […]