In the latest episode of Trade to Black, hosts Anthony Varrell and Adam Stettner, Founder and CEO of FundCanna, covered a packed week in cannabis news. Kicking off, we examine speculation over who inside the Trump administration may be stalling the executive order to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III. The conversation explores two notable social equity developments, Weedmaps’ announcement that it would delist from the NASDAQ amid thin trading and rising costs. In state news, we’ll tackle Louisiana’s proposed SB 270 and Massachusetts’ sweeping regulatory overhaul — even as a fringe ballot initiative seeks to roll back adult use in the state.
Ascend Wellness Holdings just announced a partnership with NuProject to launch ROOTS (Readying Opportunities for Operational & Trade Sustainability), a six-month business readiness program for small cannabis businesses in Massachusetts and New Jersey. The program provides coaching, financial mentorship, and direct access to Ascend’s corporate supply chain — a real model for how MSOs can create pathways for equity operators.
Vireo Growth made waves with a strategic partnership transferring 51% ownership of Vireo Health of New York to Ace Ventures, a minority and women-owned enterprise led by Steven Acevedo. This is expected to become New York’s first scaled social equity operator built from a vertically integrated medical cannabis license. We discuss what these moves signal for the future of social equity in cannabis.
Then we dive into the WeedMaps Nasdaq delisting. WM Technology announced it will voluntarily delist from Nasdaq effective April 24, 2026, citing thin trading volumes, high compliance costs, and regulatory constraints. After an SEC settlement, delinquency notices, and shares trading below $1, what does this mean for cannabis tech companies navigating public markets?
Is medical marijuana in hospitals at a turning point? Louisiana’s Senate Health and Welfare Committee advanced SB 270, allowing terminally ill patients to use medical cannabis in healthcare facilities — a first-of-its-kind framework that could reshape how we think about patient access at the institutional level.
Finally, we cover the Massachusetts cannabis reform bill that dropped this week. Lawmakers reached a deal to dissolve and restructure the Cannabis Control Commission from five members down to three, double the possession limit for adults, raise licensing caps to six per entity, and provide immediate access for social equity participants. It’s the biggest regulatory overhaul since the state launched adult-use sales.
