Cannacurio Podcast Episode 71 | 2024 Licensing Leaderboard Recap
Cannabiz Media’s Chief Data Officer, Ed Keating, does a recap of the 2024 Licensing Leaderboards and shows you what we've seen in looking back at all the licenses that were issued.
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Cannabiz Media’s Chief Data Officer, Ed Keating, does a recap of the 2024 Licensing Leaderboards and shows you what we've seen in looking back at all the licenses that were issued.

Cannabis retail stores saw 7% growth nationally in 2024, with new markets like New York driving expansion. As states like Delaware, Kentucky, and Minnesota roll out programs in 2025, THC beverages are also making an impact through mail order and liquor store sales. Cannabiz Media keeps customers informed with the latest licensing data through newsletters, alerts, and reports.

For a decade, Cannabiz Media has tracked cannabis market trends, now expanding to THC beverage licensing. States are taking varied approaches—California enforces strict bans, while Minnesota allows sales alongside alcohol. Major players like Green Thumb Industries are investing, signaling industry growth. Explore how state regulations are shaping this emerging market.

2024, like every cannabis year that precedes it, was unique. Over the last 12 months we had a presidential election, several state referenda, and the slow-moving rescheduling process. Through it all, the regulators continued the hard work of standing up new programs, and issuing licenses, renewals, violations and recalls.
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In this episode of the Cannacurio Podcast, Ed Keating chats with Brett Gelfand, founder of CannaBIZ Collects and the Cannabiz Credit Association. They discuss Brett's journey from Colorado's cannabis market to pioneering solutions for credit and collection challenges in the industry. Learn how these organizations are transforming financial practices by leveraging data and collaboration to drive smarter credit decisions and foster business stability. Tune in for insights on navigating the industry's financial complexities and predictions for its future.

In the last of our Q3 license recaps, we turn to manufacturing, the least volatile of the three activities we cover in these quarterly posts. They serve as important assets for companies because the products are often powerful brands. These brands, unlike license assets, can cross state lines and help well established companies thrive and build market share. They are also useful for the license holder as these facilities can be used for white label production – therefore expanding the value of the asset.

Following up on our recent overview of Q3 licensing, we now delve into the cultivation licenses issued in the third quarter of 2024. These snapshots derived from our Cannabiz Business Intelligence platform show where new licenses are being created and the total number of licenses and facilities in the US.

Q3 2024 saw significant growth in cannabis dispensary and retailer licensing, with 535 new licenses issued—a jump from Q2’s 456. Key players like New York, Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, and Puerto Rico accounted for 73% of these new licenses.

We are three quarters of the way through 2024 and 2,211 new licenses were issued in Q3. This was the strongest quarter of the year and was given a boost from new licenses in Ohio and New York.
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In this episode of the Cannacurio Podcast, Ed Keating sits down with Nohtal Partansky, CEO of Sorting Robotics, to explore how automation is transforming the cannabis industry. Nohtal shares the story of his evolution from working with NASA, to developing cutting-edge robotic systems designed to streamline cannabis production.
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Discover insights from Joseph Lustberg, Managing Partner at Upwise Capital, on cannabis financing in Cannacurio Podcast #68. Learn how Upwise navigates industry challenges, secures capital for startups, and supports cannabis businesses with innovative financial solutions.
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Discover the global expansion and regulatory challenges in the cannabinoid industry with Bret Worley, CEO of MC Nutraceuticals, on this episode of the Cannacurio Podcast. Gain insights into compliance, lobbying efforts, and the future of the cannabinoid market.
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On this episode of the Cannacurio podcast, host Ed Keating interviews Brett Puffenbarger. Discover his unique journey to the cannabis industry, the power of radical transparency, and insights on the ever-evolving cannabis industry.

In the last of our Q2 license recaps, we turn to manufacturing, the least volatile of the three activities we cover in these quarterly posts - cannabis manufacturing licenses are issued at a slower pace than cultivation or retail licenses but, unlike license assets, these brands can cross state lines and help well-established companies thrive and build market share.

Now that Q2 has wrapped up we want to share our quarterly round-up of which states issued the most dispensary/retailer licenses and get a sense of the number of stores in the US.

Following up on our recent overview of Q2 licensing, we now delve into the Q2 2024 cultivation licenses. These “census” snapshots derived from our Cannabiz Business Intelligence platform show where new licenses are being created.
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On this episode of the Cannacurio podcast, host Ed Keating interviews Guillermo Rodriguez, a Virtual CFO specializing in the cannabis industry. They discuss various topics including the roles and benefits of a Virtual CFO, the challenges of managing cash flow, the impact of 280E, and so much more!

We are past the midpoint of 2024 and it is time to review which states have added and dropped licenses in the second quarter. In our Q1 review, we highlighted the states that were accelerating their rollouts or trying to add an adult use program to a medical one. However, in Q2 we were inundated with programs in turmoil...

To some fanfare, Ohio pushed up their timeline for adult use cannabis to be made available in the state. Instead of a September 7th launch, the regulators approved 60 licenses soon after the window opened on June 7th. Some outlets reported that 62 licenses were issued but upon closer inspection, two had the same address as the regulator in downtown Cleveland and were labeled TEST. Best to ignore those. This post gives a breakdown on license types issued.
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On this episode of the Cannacurio podcast, host Ed Keating interviews Kevin Brooks, the CEO of Conception Nurseries, the world's largest cannabis plant provider. They discuss his transition from Silicon Valley to the cannabis industry, how they are revolutionizing the cannabis industry with their innovative tissue culture techniques, and so much more!