The advertisements for beer companies and underwear start-ups on your favorite podcast may soon be accompanied by cannabis commercials.

Chicago-based marijuana company Cresco Labs Inc. announced on Thursday that it will become the “first cannabis company to launch cannabis advertisements on Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service with more than 551 million users and 220 million subscribers.”

The ad campaign will promote Sunnyside, a chain of dispensaries operated by Cresco Labs and will include “30 second audio and in-app digital banners that drive to the retailer’s proprietary e-commerce platform,” the company said in a press release.

Those ads will be specifically targeted to Spotify listeners (and would-be Sunnyside customers) in Illinois, where recreational cannabis is legal.

“Audio streaming services represent a major opportunity for brands to reach large audiences in a targeted manner, and we’re excited to collaborate with Spotify to launch the first-ever cannabis ads from our Sunnyside national retail brand,” Cory Rothschild, Cresco Labs’ National Retail President, said in a statement on Thursday. “Our Sunnyside advertising strategy is built on a data ecosystem enabling best-in-class targeting and measurement. Spotify’s platform will enable our marketing team to target our ads compliantly and profitably to our core shoppers in Illinois where we have a leading share in retail. This important partnership is not only a step in normalizing cannabis, but it also showcases the sophistication and quality of marketing that we have unlocked at Cresco Labs.”

Advertising has been a tricky area to navigate for cannabis companies looking to market in the United States, where marijuana remains subject to federal prohibition. 

Marketing Brew ran a story in 2021 detailing those challenges, and highlighted how the publicly traded Cresco Labs “has a podcast advertising strategy that is just as nuance-filled as you’d expect,” and that its “core strategy hits at the intersection of host-read and programmatic ads.”

The outlet reported that the company “only advertises in states where cannabis—and therefore, marketing cannabis products—is legal.”

“We follow the letter of the law in terms of our content in our delivery,” Matt Pickerel, senior director of performance marketing at Cresco Labs, told Marketing Brew. “So, because we’re dynamically inserting podcast ads, we only serve in the states where we have a footprint and where we have all the licenses that we need.”

Pickerel explained that the podcast company Headgum allowed Cresco Labs to “dynamically insert pre-recorded host-read ads in states Cresco wants to advertise in.”

“Because podcast measurement is still ‘in its infancy,’ Pickerel said, Cresco tracks success with ‘some pretty elementary metrics.’ Those include number of impressions, completes, discount-code redemptions, and website visits if the podcast mentions Cresco’s URL,” Marketing Brew reported at the time.

“While Cresco hasn’t jumped into the podcast advertising landscape headfirst due to those measurement concerns, Pickerel told us it’s doing more than dipping a toe in, with about 15% of its marketing budget going toward podcasts.”

Cresco says that its mission is to “normalize and professionalize the cannabis industry through a CPG approach to building national brands and a customer-focused retail experience, while acting as a steward for the industry on legislative and regulatory-focused initiatives.”

“As a leader in cultivation, production and branded product distribution, the Company is leveraging its scale and agility to grow its portfolio of brands that include Cresco, High Supply, FloraCal, Good News, Wonder Wellness Co., Mindy’s and Remedi, on a national level. The Company also operates highly productive dispensaries nationally under the Sunnyside brand that focus on building patient and consumer trust and delivering ongoing education and convenience in a wonderfully traditional retail experience. Through year-round policy, community outreach and SEED initiative efforts, Cresco Labs embraces the responsibility to support communities through authentic engagement, economic opportunity, investment, workforce development and legislative initiatives designed to create the most responsible, respectable and robust cannabis industry possible,” the company said in Thursday’s press release.

According to Business Insider, Cresco Labs CEO Charlie Bachtell “is a keynote speaker at the upcoming Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago on September 27 and 28, where he will undoubtedly share more insights regarding the new partnership with Spotify.”

In addition to the Benzinga conference in Chicago later this month, Cresco Labs said that Bachtell will also appear at the ATB 2023 Life Sciences Institutional Investor Conference on September 20 in New York City, and the AGP Annual Virtual Cannabis Conference on October 4.

Sunnyside has dispensaries across seven states: one in Arizona, 33 in Florida, ten in Illinois, four in Massachusetts, four in New York, five in Ohio and 14 in Pennsylvania.

Sunnyside opened a new location last month in Palm Bay, Florida.

“We continue to expand the Sunnyside brand and increase access to top-quality cannabis products in the most meaningful Florida markets,” Bachtell said at the time. “Palm Bay is the most populous city in Brevard County with over 129,000 residents, and the city’s location just southeast of Orlando will enable Sunnyside Palm Bay, along with our many other stores in the East Central Florida region, to serve tens of thousands of patients with their cannabis needs.”

Source: https://hightimes.com/business/first-cannabis-ads-coming-soon-to-spotify/

Is it a case of two wrong making a right for consumers? Is New York propping up the California marijuana market?

The  marijuana has been in a world of hurt.  The Golden State continues to step all over itself to deplete a thriving industry. Commercial cannabis sales fell by 8% last year to $5.3 billion, the first decline since it became legal in 2018. And state tax revenue dropped from $251.3 million in the third quarter of 2022 to $221.6 million in the fourth quarter.  Part of the reason is indoor grow costs more and is over produced and it is competing with illegal grows.

The other major reason is the intense taxing system on the cannabis industry without any policing of the black market.  Colorado has been a model for their system of legalized weed and has seen their black market almost vanish.  Executives for once thriving companies have asked Governor Newsom for help. But it has been slow coming and Newsom wants federal legalization so they can export to save the industry without the state having to change.

Photo by Michael Discenza via Unsplash

Meanwhile, New York had a fiasco of a recreational rollout and now is embroiled in lawsuits and recriminations. The plus side for consumers is over 1,600 unlicensed dispensaries have opened in New York City selling a wide variety of products.  The state works diligently to shut a few down every week and they even manage to keep them closed for up to 72 hours.

In the spirit of being neighborly, the illegal dispensaries in NYC are using California black market products and also legal products which somehow pop up in retailers.  The made in California seal of approval seems to be popular for consumers in the Big Apple.

The negative for east coast consumers is they are paying a premium for products with some things selling for 50+% more than on the west coast.  And items are quickly building a very robust black market customer base in the Empire State.

“California products are getting to New York in several ways. Some are traditional market products put in fake packaging, but there are also real brands that are being shipped to New York. Sometimes this is done through “burner distros” buying legal products and moving them out of state, and other times I’ve seen things disappear out the backdoor and end up in bodegas in New York” says Jesse Redmond, Head of Cannabis at Water Tower Research.

Newson’s lack of urgency in addressing the black market (and establishing a healthier system with a steady tax revenue stream) is fueling a boon in New York, but also hampering the slow bureaucrats of New York in fixing the colossal mishandling of licenses.

With the right cast and script, this could be a even better series than PainKiller about the opioid push and Sackler family.

Source: https://thefreshtoast.com/cannabis/is-new-york-propping-up-the-california-marijuana-market/

It’s time to revisit some of Bay State’s most popular cannabis products with this year’s People’s Choice judging event.

2023 marks the third year that our High Times Cannabis Cup: People’s Choice Edition has been held in Massachusetts. Soon, starting between Oct. 9-11, we’ll be conducting our behind-the-scenes preparations by collecting product submissions from across the state through our official intake partner for this year, Nova Farms. Stay tuned for a full article on the history of Nova Farms and how they are truly a Beast of the East. Those products will be organized and packed into kits by a dedicated team between Oct. 12-15, and by the following week those bags of goodies will be on their way to participating dispensaries (including Nova Farms and others still to be announced).

But one of the most important dates for our fellow fans and judges in Massachusetts is October 21, aka when kits officially go on sale! Starting on that same day until Dec. 24, participants will begin to try products and record their opinions and ratings for each one, including rankings from 1-10 on Aesthetics, Aroma, Taste, Effects and more, plus a comments section where Judges are responsible for providing 2-3 sentences about their thoughts and experience. Not only does each judge’s dedication determine our winners for 2023, but it also provides essential feedback to help all of the brands continue to improve their products as well.

With best wishes for both judges and participating brands celebrating various holiday traditions, High Times will calculate the results and announce the winners on Jan. 8, 2024! Not a bad way to ring in the new year.

For 2023 we are offering two new categories to our lineup, including infused pre-rolls. Our concentrates category has been split into two, featuring solvent-based concentrates and also non-solvent/rosin concentrates.

Entry Categories:

1. Indica Flower (28 slots available, 2 entries max per company)
2. Sativa Flower (28 slots available, 2 entries max per company)
3. Hybrid Flower (28 slots available, 2 entries max per company)
4. Pre-Rolls (28 slots available, 2 entries max per company)
5. Infused Pre-Rolls (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
6. Solvent Concentrates (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
7. Non-Solvent/Rosin Concentrates (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
8. Rosin Vape Pens & Cartridges (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
9. NON-Rosin Vape Pens & Cartridges (10 slots available, 1 entries Max per company)
10. Edibles: Sativa Gummies (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
11. Edibles: Indica Gummies (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
12. Edibles: Chocolate Non-Gummies (10 slots available, 1 entries max per Company)
13. Edibles: Fruity Non-Gummies (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
14. Edibles: Beverages (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)
15. Topicals + Tinctures + Capsules (10 slots available, 1 entries max per company)

For brands interested in participating this year, please review the following guidelines for submissions depending on the category, as well as pricing based on the number of submissions.

Entry Requirements:

• Flower: (228) 1-gram, individually packaged and labeled Units. We will not accept any 3.5-gram units. 
• Pre-Rolls: (228) individually packaged and labeled Units capped at a 2g flower each.
• Infused Pre-Rolls: (228) individually packaged and labeled Units capped at a 2g flower & .5g Concentrate each.
• Solvent Concentrates & Vape Pens: (228) .5-gram individually packaged and labeled Units. We will not accept any 1-gram units. Batteries required for Carts.
• Non-Solvent Concentrates: (100) .5g units individually packaged and labeled units. We will not accept any 1-gram entries.
• Edibles: (100) individually packaged and labeled Units with 50mg THC max per package. We will not accept anything above 50mg THC packages.
• Topicals+Tinctures+Capsules: (100) samples. individually packaged for retail.
• Capsules: 100mg THC max per sample / Tinctures: 500mg THC max per sample

Entry Pricing:

One entry: $250, Non-refundable

Two entries : $100 each entry, Non-refundable

Three Entries: $100 refundable deposit per entry. All Deposits returned after 100% of reserved entries are submitted

Entry fees waived for top-tier sponsorships

Our primary retail partner this time around is Nova Farms, which has dispensary locations in Attleboro, Framingham, and Dracut, Massachusetts, as well as Greenville, Maine, and Woodbury, New Jersey. Nova cultivates its own cannabis on a 90-acres farm in Sheffield, Massachusetts, making it one of the largest outdoor cannabis farms in New England. They don’t use any pesticides and use only the power of the sun to grow their plants. With sustainable farming practices and the goal of keeping a low carbon footprint, Nova Farms is dedicated to producing amazing cannabis without compromising quality.

We revealed a variety of winners for the High Times Cannabis Cup Massachusetts: People’s Choice Edition in 2022. In our multiple strains categories, Happy Valley and Rythm took home two trophies, in addition to wins from other cultivators such as NETA (our intake partner from last year), Bailey’s Buds, and Nature’s Heritage.

Last year  our edibles-related category winners also put the spotlight on a variety of delectable treats, from Munchèas’ chocolate macarons and honey sticks, chocolate bars from Insa and Meltdown, and a selection of infused beverages from Happy Valley, Vibations, and Wynk. Not to mention an extensive collection of gummy offerings from brands like Incredibles, Cannatini, Kanha, Hashables, and Treeworks.

Source: https://hightimes.com/events/announcing-the-high-times-cannabis-cup-massachusetts-peoples-choice-edition-2023/