PAIROPS

Groundwork

A weekly read on what shipped, what moved in the industry, and anything worth knowing as a member of this network.

Groundwork Issue 15

California makes the certificate of analysis a counter document in January, the DEA opens registration to medical growers, makers, and labs, and 280E lands on Treasury's work plan.

October 9, 2026

Testing
Policy
California
State
Rescheduling
Policy

Groundwork Issue 14

A Colorado vape recall reaches 405 stores through a flavoring ingredient the state did not yet test for, a Las Vegas dispensary is sued over its ID scans, and Connecticut switches to a flat cannabis tax.

October 2, 2026

Testing
Policy
Colorado
State
Enforcement
Policy

Groundwork Issue 13

An Arizona retail chain stops accepting two state-certified labs, Michigan issues a $2 million fine and revokes a processor, and Colorado's forecast puts a number on cultivators leaving.

September 25, 2026

Testing
Policy
Arizona
State
Enforcement
Policy

Groundwork Issue 12

A worker died at a licensed California farm. The search warrant found banned pesticides, untagged plants, and 20,000 gallons of contaminated liquid across a million square feet of canopy.

September 18, 2026

California
State
Enforcement
Policy
Labor
Policy
Hemp
Policy

Groundwork Issue 11

A federal appeals court voids a $31.8 million cannabis contract verdict, Schedule III survives its first court test, and pairops.com gets a new front.

September 11, 2026

Contracts
Policy
Rescheduling
Policy
Lending
Capital
Massachusetts
State
Platform updates
Platform

Groundwork Issue 10

Congress holds the hemp ban back to December 11, Aurora's board rejects Curaleaf, and California signs new packaging rules for 2028.

September 4, 2026

Federal policy
Policy
M&A
Capital
California
State

Groundwork Issue 09

The rescheduling transcript goes public, Aurora pushes back on the hostile bid, and FBI arrest data puts a number on the enforcement gap.

August 28, 2026

Rescheduling
Policy
M&A
Capital
Enforcement
Policy

Groundwork Issue 08

The DEA files its closing argument for Schedule III, Curaleaf launches a $272 million hostile bid for Aurora Cannabis, and Illinois opens a new path to 280E relief.

August 21, 2026

Rescheduling
Policy
M&A
Capital
Illinois
State

Groundwork Issue 07

The Senate votes 90-6 to preserve the hemp delay, a Canadian lender forecloses on an American operator for $842 million, and the first bill to carve hemp beverages out of the November ban lands in the House.

August 14, 2026

Hemp
Policy
Lending
Capital

Groundwork Issue 06

The federal hemp THC ban reaches the Senate floor with 35 attorneys general demanding no delay, Q2 earnings confirm the profitability turn is real, and enforcement actions put hard numbers on the illicit market.

August 7, 2026

Hemp
Policy
Earnings
Capital
Enforcement
Policy

Groundwork Issue 05

The largest cannabis strike in the industry's history, a consolidation wave picking up speed, and Virginia becomes the 38th state to finalize a retail framework.

July 31, 2026

Consolidation
Capital
Labor
Policy
Virginia
State

Groundwork Issue 04

One of the industry's earliest companies is sold for parts, Congress moves on hemp before the November ban lands, and the Deadline Tracker gets a sharper edge.

July 24, 2026

M&A
Capital
Hemp
Policy
Deadline Tracker
Platform

Groundwork Issue 03

Two calculators that put a real number on what your people cost, Massachusetts reaches the November ballot with a repeal question, and the DEA hearing closes with no clock left to watch.

July 17, 2026

Calculators
Platform
Massachusetts
State
Rescheduling
Policy

Groundwork Issue 02

A Cash Runway Calculator, email notifications that keep you in the loop, and a look inside the DEA rescheduling hearing now underway.

July 11, 2026

Cash Runway
Platform
Notifications
Platform
Rescheduling
Policy

Groundwork Issue 01

Five platform updates and a look at what the DEA rescheduling hearing actually means for cannabis operators.

July 3, 2026

Platform updates
Platform
Rescheduling
Policy