An Arizona cannabis dispensary chain will no longer accept products tested by two laboratories that have been cited by state regulators for inaccurate testing results, the Arizona Republic reports. In an email obtained by the Republic, Story Cannabis said it would no longer accept products from Kaycha Labs and Level One Labs “with a Certificate of Analysis test date on or after October 1, 2026” due to “multiple compliance violations and concerns related to the testing.” 

Kaycha was recently fined $88,500 for inaccurate testing results, the report says, while Level One was found to have inflated the potency of its samples. 

In the email, Nikole Samuelson, the state retail buyer for Story, which operates 11 dispensaries in Arizona and in three other states, said the company “takes the quality and control of the products sold in its stores very seriously.”    

In an email to the Republic, George Griffeth, Level One co-founder and CEO, said the labs problems were due to “inadvertent” software problems and “human error.” He said he believed that Story may reconsider its position.  

“Story has expressed general compliance concerns, but it has not explained to Level One the specific standards underlying its decision or how it evaluated comparable findings at laboratories. We look forward to a constructive conversation with Story about a clear path to reinstatement. We are confident that a fuller understanding of the facts and our response will give Story a sound basis to reverse its decision.” — Griffeth, in an email to the Republic 

Kaycha Labs did not comment on the email. 

Ganjapreneur: Offering daily insights since 2014, the leading digital business journal for cannabis industry professionals. Subscribe to the newsletter to join our community of over 40,000 ganjapreneurs.

Source link

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “How to stop vaping on 5% nicotine”, you’re not alone. At 5% nicotine or 50mg/ml, satiating your nicotine ingestion can feel constant and overwhelming. Delivering high doses of nicotine in a short time, you may feel the constant urge to vape, which can inadvertently affect your health. Which, now, may be the adverse goal when you first started vaping- to quit smoking. Not only satisfying, but also a reliance – the habit feels chemical, and that’s because it is.

Whether you’re ready to stop entirely or still figuring out what works, this guide helps you understand the science behind nicotine, avoid common pitfalls, and start your tapering journey with confidence.

What Makes 5% Nicotine So Addictive?

The nicotine in your vape isn’t just strong-it’s engineered to be hard to quit. Most 5% vape devices use nicotine salts, a modified form of nicotine that absorbs faster into your bloodstream. Unlike traditional freebase nicotine found in older vape juices, nicotine salts are smoother to inhale at higher concentrations, meaning you can take longer, deeper puffs without throat irritation- making it easier to ingest considerable amounts of nicotine.

A typical 5% vape contains around 50mg of nicotine per milliliter, which is roughly the same as or sometimes even more than a whole pack of cigarettes. The difference is in delivery. Cigarettes burn out. But with a 5% vape, you can take hundreds of hits without interruption, and the act of vaping is so discreet that it fits into more moments of the day: waking up, working, driving, scrolling your phone.

That constant access leads to repeated dopamine spikes, which rewire the brain’s reward system over time. Every hit reinforces the behavior, training your brain to seek more. Eventually, you’re not hitting your vape because you enjoy it-you’re doing it to avoid the discomfort of not having it.

Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse shows that nicotine increases activity in the same areas of the brain that light up from gambling, food, and other addictive behaviors. The more often you stimulate those circuits, the harder they are to turn off. And with 5% nicotine products, stimulation happens fast and frequently.

There’s also a behavioral layer. High-strength vapes are easy to conceal and socially accepted in ways that cigarettes aren’t. That means no smoke breaks, no shame, no limits-just a product you can reach for any time. This blurs the line between occasional use and compulsive use until you’re reaching for the device without thinking.

So when people say quitting 5% nicotine is tough, it’s not an exaggeration. You’re not just quitting a product. You’re breaking a chemical loop, a mental habit, and a lifestyle pattern at the same time.

But the brain can adapt. Once the cycle is interrupted and nicotine is removed, dopamine pathways slowly rebuild. That’s when cravings start to lose their grip, and you regain control over the habit.

Want to learn more about how nicotine salts work? We’ve broken it down on our blog.

Understanding Withdrawal from 5% nicotine

Stopping a 5% nicotine vape leads to pushback from your body and mind. Common withdrawal symptoms include:

These symptoms typically peak in the first 3-5 days. While physical symptoms ease, mental cravings may last weeks or months.

Learn more in our guide on our blog on the side effects of vaping.

Tapering: A Strategy That’s Gaining Ground

Cold turkey works for some, but many vapers find success in tapering-gradually reducing nicotine before quitting altogether.

A 6-week tapering plan may look like this:

• Week 1: Track and limit daily puffs.

• Week 2: Switch to 3% nic juice.

• Week 3: Mix 3% and 2% options.

• Week 4: Use only 2% juice.

• Week 5: Replace with zero-nicotine vape juice.

• Week 6 (optional): Go device-free with supportive routines.

While variying for all individuals, we have found this roadmap to be realistic for those who are trying to taper their nicotine ingestion.

Tapering vs. Cold Turkey: Which Is Better?

It really depends on the invididual. Tapering from nicotine is a safe option, as being heavily reliant on nicotine can cause irritability in comparison to cold turkey. Where with cold turkey, some individuals have less reliance- or can handle the chemical shifts better.

Tapering can help you reduce your nicotine intake- and soften the landing. Where this method of tapering may be the most ideal for heavy usage. On the other hand, cold turkey- if manageable, can help individuals by immediately starting the healing process of reliance. A rather more abrupt break, it significantly improves the detoxing timeline.

There’s no universal “best” way. What matters is choosing a method that aligns with your habits and mindset. Some people even combine the two tapering for a few weeks, then cut it off entirely once they reach a lower level.

Supporting Your Quit with Nutrition, Sleep, and Movement

Your body is doing a lot of work when you quit vaping. It’s healing and rebalancing systems that high levels of nicotine have disrupted. Supporting that process with healthy routines can make a noticeable difference.

Start with what you eat. Certain foods, such as bananas, eggs, almonds, and leafy greens, can naturally support dopamine production and help reduce cravings. Drinking plenty of water flushes toxins and eases withdrawal headaches. Moving your body also plays a significant role. Even light exercise boosts mood and cuts anxiety, which is a major trigger in the early stages of quitting.

Among nutrition and rebalancing your system, sleep is also one of the most important steps you can take when detoxing from nicotine. As nicotine disrupts your sleep cycle, getting a quality rest is equally essential to ensuring that your pathways are improving from the detox. Having a set wind-down routine of cutting screen time or going to bed a consistent bed-time can all help your body with realligning your system through nicotine detox.

How Long Does It Take to Detox from 5% nicotine?

Physically, nicotine leaves your system in about 72 hours. Mentally, recovery takes longer:

Real change usually takes 12 weeks. It’s rough at first, but every milestone is real progress.

What Happens If You Don’t Quit?

Staying stuck on 5% nicotine often feels easier in the short term, but it can cost more than you think. As you probably have noticed, your brain builds tolerance to nicotine- which then needs more nicotine to feel similar effects- and heavier usage. Aside from the brain reliance, you may notice increased heart rate, blood pressure, and difficulty breathing. Adding that with the hefty cost of higher usage, you can easily rack up more than a few grand from the disposable products alone.

The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to break the habit. But the moment you decide to change, even if you’re exploring the idea, you’ve already started to take that power back.

Let’s Quit Together: Your 30‑Day Quit Timeline.

Here’s your 30-day roadmap:

• Days 1-3: Hydrate, track triggers, use distractions

• Days 4-7: Focus on sleep, movement, and healthy meals

• Week 2: Shift routines, find new habits

• Week 3: Add journaling or a support group

• Week 4: Celebrate one month vape-free

Share Your Story

While we encourage our community to a smoke-free lifestyle, maintaining healthy habits will always be paramount. Available in nicotine-free options, Ruthless encourages every person to take the necessary steps to ensure the longevity of their life. Whether lowering your nicotine usage, only vaping every few days, or plan on quiting, tell us your story! Leave a comment below. 

Source link

The legal weed business taught customers to chase the next deal, and independent dispensaries are paying the price.

Twenty percent off flower. Buy two vapes, get the third for a penny. Thirty percent off the entire store until noon. Double loyalty points on Wednesday, unless Thursday’s sale turns out to be better. 

Cannabis retail has become a relentless hunt for the next markdown. In mature markets, falling cannabis prices have made legal weed dramatically more affordable for consumers. They have also left retailers fighting over shoppers who may have no reason to return once the coupon expires. 

Cortney Brown, Marketing Chair at the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and CMO at cannabis advertising and analytics company MediaJel, believes retailers helped create the problem themselves. 

“I think we’ve trained them,” Brown told High Times. “Consumers love finding value, but they don’t wake up hoping to wait until Friday to buy cannabis. The industry created that behavior by teaching customers that if they wait another day, someone will inevitably offer a better deal.”

The Cannabis Price Wars Were Trained Into Existence

Price compression is not necessarily bad news for the person standing at the register. Lower prices can make legal cannabis accessible to people who were previously priced out, particularly in states where taxes and regulatory costs pushed dispensary weed far above traditional-market prices. 

The problem starts when lower base prices collide with a retail culture built around constant promotions. 

According to Headset’s analysis of cannabis retail margins, average U.S. gross margins fell from 52.6% in 2021 to approximately 42.7% during 2025. That decline has consequences beyond the sales floor. Less gross profit can mean tighter payroll, smaller purchasing budgets, late vendor payments, and less money available for expansion or product development. 

Brown traces the discount spiral to a familiar pattern. Supply increased, markets matured, and competition got nastier. Retailers pulled the fastest lever available. 

“Price compression is really the result of an industry-wide race to solve a long-term problem with short-term tactics,” she said. “Markets matured, supply increased, competition intensified, and retailers understandably reached for the fastest lever they had: discounting.” 

Promotions worked, at least initially. They moved inventory, boosted traffic, and gave customers a reason to choose one shop over another. Then every shop started speaking the same language. 

“The problem is that when every retailer follows the same playbook, discounting stops being a differentiator and becomes the expectation,” Brown said. “Eventually, the conversation shifted from ‘Why should I shop here?’ to ‘Who’s offering 30% off today?’” 

Once that happens, the store is no longer selling selection, knowledge, trust, or identity. It is testing how much margin it can surrender before the customer walks across the street. 

Brown helped develop the Cannabis Price Wars initiative through a partnership between MediaJel and the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce after seeing retailers across the country face the same challenge: shrinking margins, increasing promotional pressure, and declining customer loyalty.

Rather than simply pointing out the problem, the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce has made it a priority to help operators navigate it. Through the Price Wars Campaign, the Chamber is providing free educational webinars, practical playbooks, industry discussions, and a 90-Day Discount Escape Plan designed to help retailers build healthier, more sustainable businesses. The initiative encourages operators to compete on customer experience, retention, and long-term value, not just deeper discounts.

The campaign does not argue that every sale is a mistake. Instead, the Price Wars Campaign encourages retailers to shift their focus from short-term discounts to long-term customer value by measuring profitability instead of revenue alone, personalizing offers instead of blanket promotions, strengthening loyalty through better customer experiences, and building brands customers choose for trust, education, and community, not simply because they’re the cheapest.

Promotions can clear aging inventory, introduce a new product, attract first-time shoppers, or turn a cannabis holiday into an actual event. Trouble arrives when the sale calendar becomes the entire marketing department. 

“Discounting becomes a problem the moment it starts replacing strategy,” Brown said. 

A Discount Can Rent a Customer, but It Cannot Buy Loyalty

Cannabis businesses tend to measure the immediate result of a promotion: traffic rose, units moved, and the daily sales total looked healthy. Those numbers do not necessarily show whether the shop made money or created a customer who will ever return. 

In a report examining millions of customers across more than 1,000 retailers in nine states, Headset found that two in three cannabis customers never return after their first visit. That retention gap suggests acquisition alone cannot carry a dispensary, no matter how packed the store looks on 4/20. 

“The biggest mistake is assuming discounts create loyalty,” Brown said. “Most discounts simply rent customers.” 

The distinction matters. A loyal customer chooses a store because it consistently delivers something they trust. A rented customer appears when the price drops and disappears when another dispensary offers an extra 5% off. 

Brown argues that retailers need to look past daily revenue and examine gross margin after discounts, repeat purchase rates, average order value, customer acquisition costs, and customer lifetime value. Those measurements show whether a promotion produced a worthwhile relationship or attracted a wave of bargain hunters. 

Retailers also burn money by offering the same deal to everybody. A regular customer who already visits twice a month may not need 30% off. Someone who has not returned in six months may need a thoughtful reminder. A first-time customer may respond better to patient service and credible product guidance than another automated text shouting about gummies. 

“Not every customer needs an incentive to buy,” Brown said. “Loyal customers may simply want recognition. Dormant customers need a reason to come back. First-time shoppers need trust.” 

Constant markdowns can also ripple back through the supply chain. When retailers sacrifice margin, brands face pressure to lower wholesale prices, fund promotions, or accept unfavorable payment terms. Cultivators, manufacturers, and small vendors absorb the squeeze. 

“Margins fund innovation,” Brown said. “When retailers and brands are constantly sacrificing margin, they have less to invest in, product development, staff education, merchandising, technology, marketing, and customer experience.” 

That is where the price war stops being a clever promotion and starts reshaping what reaches the shelf. 

Independent Dispensaries Cannot Outspend the Chains 

Large multistate operators can use scale, purchasing power, and vertical integration to survive prolonged price battles. An independent dispensary rarely has the same cushion.

Trying to beat a national operator by offering cheaper weed is therefore a fairly efficient way for a neighborhood shop to bleed out. As recent High Times reporting on small cannabis operators documented, lower prices and increasingly mature markets can produce a brutal environment for businesses without deep reserves. 

“Independent retailers shouldn’t try to out-discount national operators,” Brown said. “They should out-experience them.” 

Experience can sound like empty retail jargon until it becomes concrete. It is the budtender who remembers that a customer hated the last disposable they bought. It is a menu curated by people who have actually tried the products. It is a local vendor pop-up, a patient education session, or a store that does not make a first-time shopper feel silly for asking a basic question. 

The broader point is not that every independent dispensary needs couches, events, or an aggressively quirky identity. It needs a reason to exist beyond proximity and price. 

The Cheapest Store Will Not Always Win 

Cannabis spent decades building communities outside conventional retail. People passed down genetics, shared cultivation knowledge, warned friends away from bad flower, and remembered the person who always came through with something special. 

Legalization brought testing, bright menus, rewards programs, and online ordering. Somewhere along the way, parts of the industry started treating the customer relationship like a coupon-delivery system. 

“Cannabis has always been about community,” Brown said. “Long before legalization, it was built around shared experiences, education, and connection. I think we’ve lost some of that in the race to compete on price.”

None of this means consumers should feel guilty for shopping within their budgets. Cheap weed is sometimes exactly what a person needs, and falling prices have created genuine benefits. The responsibility belongs to retailers that trained shoppers to believe full price is a sucker’s game and then acted surprised when loyalty vanished. 

A healthier market would leave room for fair prices without forcing every operator into permanent clearance mode. Promotions would serve a defined purpose. Staff knowledge, product curation, community relationships, and consistency would carry the rest of the weight. 

Brown hopes initiatives like the Price Wars Campaign encourage retailers to see that they don’t have to solve these challenges alone. Through the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, the goal is to give operators practical resources, real-world education, and opportunities to learn from one another so they can build stronger businesses without relying on perpetual discounts. The campaign reflects the Chamber’s broader mission of strengthening the cannabis industry by supporting operators with actionable tools, not just commentary. 

“The cannabis industry doesn’t have a discount problem, it has a differentiation problem,” Brown said. “When every dispensary looks the same, price becomes the only thing left to compete on. The retailers that thrive over the next decade won’t be the cheapest. They’ll be the ones that create so much value that customers stop asking, ‘What’s on sale?’ and start asking, ‘When can I come back?’” 

The stores that survive may not be the ones sending the loudest 30%-off text every Friday morning. They will be the ones customers remember after the sale ends.

Source link

The popular point-of-sale and payments service Square says it will no longer allow CBD and other hemp-derived products to be sold on its platform, according to an email obtained by Marijuana Moment.

The communication, sent to a business that uses Square, cited an upcoming change to federal law that will recriminalize many hemp products that were previously legalized by Congress.

Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that will redefine hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container will remain legal after November 12.

“Because of this change, selling CBD and hemp-derived products — online or in person — will no longer be permitted on Square’s platform,” the email said.

“Your Square account remains open, and you can continue selling all of your non-CBD products on Square as usual, to the extent permitted under Square’s policies,” it continued. “Only the affected CBD/hemp items are impacted.”

Businesses are being directed to “remove any CBD, hemp and hemp-derived items from your Square catalog (both in-person and online)” by October 15.

“After that date, these items will no longer be permitted on Square platform,” the email said. “We know this is a significant change, and we want to give you as much time and support as possible to prepare.”

A Square spokesperson told Marijuana Moment that “a new federal law taking effect later this year places new restrictions and requirements on hemp-derived products, including those containing CBD.”

“To ensure compliance with this new law, we’re notifying impacted sellers and, where we’re able to, helping them update their catalogs so they can continue processing on Square,” they said.

A now-deleted page on Square’s website previously pitched its services specifically to hemp businesses, saying it could help them “sell CBD online and in-store to reach every customer.”

“Create a free online store and seamlessly accept payments for your CBD products. Or sync our software with your current site,” it said. “No matter how you run your CBD business, Square makes sure every part of it is protected.”

The platform’s new prohibition on hemp products comes amid a growing push in Congress to delay, alter or reverse the forthcoming ban on hemp products.

The U.S. Senate is expected to vote as soon as Friday on whether to extend the effective date of the hemp restrictions until December 11.

A number of members of Congress from both parties have filed or are circulating legislation that would enact regulations for hemp products in lieu of broad prohibition.

When asked whether Square would consider further revising its policies if the federal hemp product ban is delayed or reversed, the spokesperson said that “while we are constantly evaluating our policies and the broader compliance landscape to see if we can support more business types, we don’t have anything specific to share at this time.”

Read the full CBD and hemp products email from Square below:

Subject: [Action required] Important update about your Square account and CBD products

We’re reaching out with an important update about a federal law change that affects businesses selling CBD and hemp-derived products.

What’s changing

A new federal law takes effect on November 12, 2026 that redefines which hemp and hemp-derived products are legal.

Because of this change, selling CBD and hemp-derived products — online or in person — will no longer be permitted on Square’s platform.

What this means for your business

Your Square account remains open, and you can continue selling all of your non-CBD products on Square as usual, to the extent permitted under Square’s policies. Only the affected CBD/hemp items are impacted.

What you need to do

• • By October 15, 2026, please remove any CBD, hemp and hemp-derived items from your Square catalog (both in-person and online).
  • After that date, these items will no longer be permitted on Square platform.
  • If your business sells other, non-CBD products, no further action is needed — you’re all set to keep selling them.

If you have a Square Loan

Your outstanding Square Loan balance is unaffected by this change. Your remaining balance and your loan terms stay the same. Here’s how repayment continues:

• • If you sell other, non-CBD products on Square: Nothing changes about how you repay. Your loan will continue to be repaid automatically as a percentage of your daily card sales, just as it does today.

We know this is a significant change, and we want to give you as much time and support as possible to prepare. For more information or to contact us, visit our Support Center.

Source link

“Cannabis lobbying groups are arming prohibitionists by demonizing hemp—helping those who have been at war with cannabis for decades… I’ve rarely seen a more self-defeating campaign.”

By Aaron Edelheit, Mindset Capital

Are cannabis organizations working to advance reform? Or are they arming the very prohibitionists who want to stop all THC commerce?

Some regulated cannabis companies and cannabis lobbying groups are hard at work fighting hemp, which they see as unfairly competing with more regulated state-cannabis companies. They celebrated last November when Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) snuck a ban into a government funding bill. But knowingly or not, these same organizations are now working side by side with prohibitionists whose cult-like coalition includes politicians and interest groups who want to keep all cannabinoids illegal.

In my opinion, cannabis lobbying groups are arming prohibitionists by demonizing hemp—helping those who have been at war with cannabis for decades. Today’s prohibitionist movement runs on funding from those who hate THC. Every win against their hated enemy, THC, brings prohibitionists more donations, more influence, more media coverage.

The prohibitionists will do anything to win. Beyond misleading and using scare tactics, they have employed canvassers for the Massachusetts ballot initiative who misled signatories about what they were signing. This is more than just politics or business: people are being incarcerated and having their lives ruined, and families are being torn apart because of a plant that should be regulated, not banned.

The hemp ban gave them momentum: sustained energy, paid media, influencer campaigns, political muscle. Now Massachusetts faces the first ballot initiative to roll back a state-legal market, bought and paid for by prohibitionists. The op-eds and influencer campaigns are in full swing, timed perfectly ahead of a federal rescheduling decision.

What the regulated cannabis industry may not understand, is that by aligning themselves with the prohibitionists they are now fighting the president of the United States. President Donald Trump wants the ban delayed so that there is time for common-sense regulation, and it has been reported that he is personally lobbying senators to give Congress time to get it right.

I’ve rarely seen a more self-defeating campaign. The cannabis industry is waiting on rescheduling, tax relief and eventually banking access, while actively opposing the one person who controls all three.

So, here’s my plea to cannabis companies fighting hemp: stop pushing for a total ban. Don’t fight the first president to deliver real cannabis reform. If you want a fight, fight for smart regulation, not alongside the prohibitionists.

Aaron Edelheit is the CEO of Mindset Capital, a private investment firm with investments in cannabis and hemp beverage companies.

Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.

Source link