Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Nick Thomas
Halloween Memories: A Youthful Scam
Trick or treating has changed since the 1950s. Boomer reader R.G. Begora shares Halloween memories of his youthful hunts for candy, including one particularly creative strategy. For those who have read some of my essays, you will realize that I was a handful for my mom. From almost burning the house down (twice) to almost getting arrested by the FBI, I would be considered a rambunctious little guy. This saga continues with my memories of Halloween.
Environment and Sustainable Development 5 Minute Fix 38: Resources
NT: Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing Final Implementation Report published In 2018, the Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing, chaired by Justice Rachel Pepper, concluded in its final report that risks posed by the onshore gas industry could be managed if all of the Inquiry's 135 recommendation were implemented.
‘Finding Your Sass After Sixty’
Liz Kitchen’s inspiring and humorous book for “Lady Boomers” empowers women to tackle their third act with confidence and sass. In this excerpt from “Be Brave. Lose the Beige! Finding Your Sass After Sixty,” a couple infuses a little something extra into their relaxation and escape time. ‘Got Gummies?’ Talk about a lightness of spirit! A 2016 article in The Washington Post noted that marijuana use among those fifty and older has ballooned since 2006.
A Task ChatGPT Cannot Perform
ChatGPT cannot perform nostalgic activities like this one, declares humor writer Greg Schwem in Humor Hotel. See if you agree. Lately I have been messing around with ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot destined to make our society even lazier than it is now.
Valentine’s Day Advice
Wondering what to get your sweetheart for February 14? Writer Nick Thomas provides tongue-in-cheek Valentine’s Day advice. Lovers beware. Forgetting your sweetheart on February 14 may invoke a tsunami of fury that makes the 1929 Chicago Valentine’s Day Massacre look like a church picnic. And even if you do remember to buy a gift, choose judiciously. I once alerted a girlfriend she would be receiving a special bunch of “flowers” for Valentine’s Day.
‘Punny’ New Year’s Resolutions
Some old puns for a new year Looking for some new goals for the upcoming year? Writer Nick Thomas provides tongue-in-cheek New Year’s resolutions that you can adopt as your own. In the past, I’ve been rather unsuccessful adhering to New Year’s resolutions. But this time will be different because I’ve composed a feasible list of goals for 2023 and, as everyone knows, Liszt was a great composer.
Revisiting Early Outer Banks Lodging
Nags Head was one of the first true tourist destinations in the United States. Beginning around 1830, wealthy plantation owners from surrounding counties began sending their families to the village to escape the malaria and oppressive heat of the interior. By 1840, there was a hotel on the sound side, with a grand ballroom, boardwalk to the beach and a dock for the steamships that plied the sounds. The hotel didn’t survive the Civil War.
You searched for social equity
Keywords: social equity Cannabis industry assets for minority business opportunities, social equity Published 49 mins ago Like protesters around the U.S. who seek to address issues raised by the death of George Floyd and other instances of police violence, the cannabis industry has taken action to promote social equity and business opportunities in the sector.
Cannabis industry remains 'stuck' on tax issues, attorney with IRS ties says
Published May 3, 2020 | By Nick Thomas (This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the May-June issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.) When Nick Richards talks about tax issues that impact the marijuana industry, cannabis business owners need to listen. Besides his experience dealing with what he calls “tax controversy” issues, Richards previously worked in the private sector and – perhaps more significantly for cannabis entrepreneurs – for the IRS.
Investment veteran Tim Seymour offers his insights on the marijuana sector
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas (This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the April issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.) As a frequent contributor to CNBC, Tim Seymour is the face of cannabis for the business news network. He also is the owner and manager of the Amplify Seymour Cannabis Exchange Traded Fund, a New York-based company that opened for business July 23.
Cannabis firm Harvest Health admits to litigation over Interurban purchase
Published 1 min ago Phoenix-based multistate marijuana operator Harvest Health & Recreation is in litigation with Interurban Capital Group, the former owner of the Have a Heart dispensary group that Harvest acquired in March for $85.8 million. Harvest CEO Steve White unveiled that news during his company’s quarterly results call on Tuesday. White said Harvest and Interurban entered the acquisition discussions in good faith.
Experts say cannabis multistate operators lag on social equity leadership
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas The U.S. cannabis industry’s record on social equity is patchy at best, and it is the large multistate operators who have generally failed so far to take significant leadership on the issue, according to social equity advocates. Recent news might well support that claim.
Cannabis group iAnthus defaults on interest payments, delays earnings
Published 9 mins ago Multistate marijuana operator iAnthus, partially blaming the coronavirus, said it is unable to meet interest obligations totaling $4.4 million on $157.5 million in debt. The New York-based company also delayed announcing its quarterly earnings results.
US marijuana firm Columbia Care to trade on Canadian Securities Exchange
Published 9 mins ago Columbia Care, a New York-based multistate marijuana operator, said it will start trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange on Tuesday. The company also said it will maintain its listing on Toronto’s NEO exchange, where it trades as CCHW. Columbia Care will have the same ticker symbol on the CSE. The dual listing is a different approach than another U.S.-based MSO, Ayr Strategies, which gave up its listing on the NEO once it joined the CSE in August 2019.
Coronavirus impact felt in cannabis industry M&A as Harvest Health-Verano deal scuttled
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas The once-booming market for cannabis mergers and acquisitions is now feeling fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, on top of all the other problems that have brought M&A activity to a virtual halt in the industry. Harvest Health & Recreation’s planned acquisition of privately held Verano Holdings was called off Thursday, with the companies citing “prolonged obstacles” that include the coronavirus crisis.
Cannabis companies produce, donate hand sanitizer for coronavirus fight
Published 7 mins ago | By Nick Thomas Formulating hand sanitizer in a cannabis facility. (Photo courtesy of Aloha Green Holdings) Many state authorities have deemed U.S. cannabis companies “essential” businesses during the coronavirus pandemic and allowed them to keep their doors open – and now some marijuana businesses are producing an essential product to help combat COVID-19: hand sanitizer.
Good Tree Capital founder Seke Ballard on cannabis funding
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas (This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the March issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.) When Seke Ballard founded Good Tree Capital, his goal for the Seattle-headquartered online platform was to raise funds from accredited investors and, in turn, use that money to underwrite loans for small, licensed cannabis companies around the United States.
Founders leaving US cannabis companies signals new phase for industry
Published 13 mins ago | By Nick Thomas A number of high-profile founders of U.S.-based cannabis companies have stepped down in the past several weeks amid continuing struggles to move their firms toward profitability. Industry experts suggest this is a sign of maturation among marijuana businesses as investors demand they focus more on profits than raising capital and relying on previously booming stock prices. That focus is common in mainstream industries.
California's Indus secures $14.5 million for cannabis expansion
Published 1 min ago Indus Holdings, a California-based vertically integrated marijuana company, said it secured up to $14.5 million in loan financing to complete a greenhouse and boost the company’s profitability path. Indus, which said it will close the deal in April, also use the proceeds for renovations and as general working capital “to become profitable and self-sustaining.” Geronimo Capital and Merida Capital are providing the financing.
Harvest Health confirms $85.8 million Have A Heart cannabis deal
Published 1 min ago Harvest Health & Recreation, the Arizona-based multistate cannabis operator, confirmed its $85.8 million plans to acquire Interurban Capital Group, owners of the Seattle-based Have a Heart dispensary company. The company first announced its intention to acquire Have A Heart last January. Also last January, Harvest said it was terminating its planned acquisition of Falcon International. Meanwhile, Harvest also said its executive chairman, Jason Vedadi, resigned.
Washington state to allow social equity applicants exclusive access to revoked cannabis licenses
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas Social equity applicants for marijuana businesses in Washington state will be able to apply exclusively for a number of revoked cannabis retail licenses after legislators passed a law Tuesday aimed at boosting the participation of minorities in the industry. Gov. Jay Inslee is due to sign the bill into law before the end of the current state legislative session March 12.
Marijuana firm Vireo Health raises CA$10.5 million
Published 1 min ago Bruce Linton, the high-profile executive chairman of multi-state cannabis operator Vireo Health, invested $1 million in the Minneapolis-based company through a private placement stock offering that he organized. Linton, who was named executive chairman of Vireo last November, acquired 1.74 million of the 13.65 million units issued in the private placement. The units consist of one share and one warrant to buy a share at CA$0.96.
Distressed assets for sale create cannabis investor opportunity
Published 3 mins ago | By Nick Thomas Could it be a win-win deal? An increasing number of investors – including mainstream investment banks new to cannabis – have begun seeking out cash-strapped marijuana companies with the aim of pumping money into them to provide a financial lifeline. The investments offer the distressed companies a chance to get back up on their feet.
Cannabis ETFs post steep declines in line with marijuana stocks, but longer-term prospects appear bright
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas Cannabis-focused exchange-traded funds have emerged over the past few years in the United States, Canada and now Europe, but their recent sharp declines have mirrored tumbling marijuana stocks and made it tougher for some ETF operators to attract investors. But the longer-term outlook for ETFs – where baskets of marijuana securities are traded as one stock – appear bright, industry experts said, citing the future growth potential of the cannabis industry.
New York-based cannabis firm iAnthus takes investment group to court in Canada
Published 3 mins ago iAnthus, a vertically integrated multistate marijuana operator, is taking legal action against an international investor group that claimed the cannabis company has defaulted on a $25 million convertible debt deal. The legal action, filed in a court in Ontario, Canada, centers around claims that New York-based iAnthus has not kept to the terms of the deal struck last year with Oasis Investments, an Austin, Texas-based group with headquarters in Hong Kong.
Jeff Schultz of Navy Capital is bullish on the cannabis industry
Published 14 mins ago | By Nick Thomas (This is an abridged version of a story that appears in the February issue of Marijuana Business Magazine.) New York-based investment firm Navy Capital is bullish on the cannabis industry. Since 2016, the company has invested about $200 million in roughly 40 different cannabis companies. About 90% of those investments are in U.S. cannabis businesses, and over half of those are in the plant-touching space.
Canadian cannabis firm Canopy sees stock soar on revenue growth
Published 3 mins ago Canadian marijuana giant Canopy Growth on Friday reported fiscal third-quarter net revenue that soared 62% from the second quarter, jumped 49% from its third quarter in 2019 and drove up its stock by double-digit figures. The Ontario-based company, which has an estimated 22% share of the Canadian recreational marijuana market, reported revenues of 123.8 million Canadian dollars ($93.4 million) in the 2020 quarter ending Dec.
Large US cannabis companies look to debt funding versus equity and sale-leaseback deals
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas Big marijuana companies in the United States increasingly are turning to debt as a funding tool, spurred by falling cannabis stock prices and terms that are more attractive than those for real estate sale-leaseback deals. Multistate operators Curaleaf, headquartered in Massachusetts, and Cresco Labs, based in Chicago, have led the way by announcing debt raises of up to $300 million and $200 million, respectively, in recent weeks.
Acreage secures $100 million in debt to fund marijuana growth
Published 1 min ago | By Acreage Holdings, a New York-based multistate operator, on Friday said it had secured a credit facility of up to $100 million with an institutional lender. In addition, the company has agreed to a separate $50 million loan as collateral to the credit facility. Part of that $50 million is funded by Acreage CEO Kevin Murphy.
Some struggling US cannabis companies may look to Canada for possible bankruptcy protection
Published 10 mins ago | By Nick Thomas With capital constraints a growing factor in the marijuana industry, U.S. cannabis companies facing financial pressure are increasingly eyeing Canadian bankruptcy protection as a possible solution to their problems. “It’s a growing trend,” said Zachary Kobrin, special counsel of government affairs at Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Akerman.
Nick Thomas
Nick has an extensive journalism background, having worked in a variety of media and industries including as a reporter on the UK utilities sector for Bloomberg in London. He was also an early employee for successful digital M&A company Mergermarket where he served as the Content Editor. Originally from the UK, he has a BA in modern languages from the University of Wales (Bangor) and an MA in international studies from the University of Denver.
Which California city might show the way for cannabis social equity?
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas Some marijuana industry watchers are keeping a close eye on Sacramento, California, as a possible example that other municipalities in the state could follow as they look to expand or develop new social equity plans.
Jeff Smith
Jeff is an award-winning business journalist who has worked as a reporter and editor for daily newspapers in Colorado, Maine, New Mexico and Alabama. He also has worked as a journalist overseas in Asia and West Africa. His stories have appeared in National Geographic online and The New York Times, among other publications.
Cresco Labs secures up to $200 million in debt for marijuana operations
Published 1 min ago Cresco Labs, a multistate cannabis operator based in Chicago, said it has secured up to $200 million in debt funding from a syndicate of lenders. The money is earmarked to: Expand operations in Illinois, where it’s based. Finance pending acquisitions Fund other growth initiatives. The company expects to draw down up to an initial $100 million of the total by the end of January. The remaining maximum of $100 million will be a mutually agreed-upon figure with the lenders.
Illinois social equity cannabis applicants laud licensing help from consultants, technology
Published 31 mins ago | By Nick Thomas Many marijuana industry watchers tout the social equity program in Illinois as one of the most far-reaching and likely to succeed in the U.S. cannabis industry. However, experts also note that for all the Illinois program’s positive intent, it is still a sometimes prohibitively expensive and burdensome undertaking for any social equity applicant.
Florida Cannabis Business, CBD & Medical Marijuana Legal News
Week in Review: US lawmakers call for more marijuana research, some Cresco Lab employees in IL unionize, Trulieve addresses short sellers & more Published January 18, 2020 | By Marijuana Business Daily staff U.S. lawmakers and experts tell a congressional panel that the federal government needs more cannabis research, some marijuana employees in Illinois vote to unionize, Trulieve refutes a short-seller report – and more of the week’s top MJ business news.
Trulieve fights short-seller report in Florida cannabis market
Trulieve Cannabis, the predominant player in Florida’s medical marijuana industry, is fending off attacks raised in a recent negative research report as competitors try to cut into the company’s nearly 50% market share in the state. Grizzly Research promotes itself as doing in-depth research of publicly held companies, but its website doesn’t list a headquarters address or the names of its principals.
Some marijuana firms turn to small investor opportunities in tight funding climate
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas Cannabis companies in the United States currently face a tough environment in terms of raising money. However, as an example of how marijuana businesses are looking to address this funding challenge, one California producer is turning to mom-and-pop investors as opposed to venture capital.
Marijuana Sales, Funding & Banking News
Marijuana businesses raise millions of dollars by cashing out of real estate through sale-leaseback deals Published January 6, 2020 | By John Rebchook Large cannabis companies increasingly are selling their own cultivation, processing and storage facilities and immediately leasing them back as a way to instantly raise tens of millions of dollars at a time when outside financing is scarce.
Cultivating Marijuana News | Cannabis Cultivation News
Marijuana Business Magazine 2019 retrospective: A look back at the year’s cover stories Published January 4, 2020 | By Kate Lavin The new year kicked off with a major state legalization move forward as recreational marijuana sales in Illinois launched on Jan. 1, but even as that was happening, the staff of Marijuana Business Daily was already hard at work on the spring 2020 issues of Marijuana Business Magazine.
Publicly Traded Cannabis Companies
Stock slump, layoffs and turning a cannabis company around: Q&A with MedMen CEO Adam Bierman Published December 30, 2019 | By John Schroyer The new year always offers a chance for a fresh start, which is exactly what MedMen CEO Adam Bierman believes he needs.
Donna Mills: Lil' Ole Winemaker
Toasting the New Year by raising a glass of wine on December 31 is a tradition with many families and friends. But unlike most year-end revelers, actress Donna Mills can welcome the New Year with a bottle of wine … from her own vineyard.
Cannabis Vendor & Supplier News
MassRoots’ cannabis website back up, but financial status still uncertain Published December 23, 2019 The website for cannabis technology company MassRoots is back online, but questions linger about the Denver company’s financial condition.
A Lassie Christmas with Jon Provost | BoomerMagazine.com
During the seven years Jon Provost starred as little Timmy Martin in the CBS TV series “Lassie” from 1957 to 1964, several end-of-year Christmas episodes aired. Most still stand out in Provost’s mind for one reason. “The crazy thing is we would be filming a Christmas episode during summer in Southern California where it was 90 degrees,” said Provost from his home north of San Francisco. “We were all bundled up like it was 30 degrees and just dying from the heat.
Q&A with cannabis investor and 'Big Short' subject Danny Moses
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas (Editor’s note: Danny Moses will provide the keynote presentation at the Investor Intelligence Conference Dec. 9-10 as part of MJBizCon Week in Las Vegas.) Danny Moses is an adviser at New York-based cannabis investment group Merida Capital Partners and founder of Moses Ventures, a marijuana-focused investment fund in Connecticut.
New law a boon for capital in the Colorado marijuana industry
Published 6 mins ago | By Nick Thomas Colorado Gov. Jared Polis was lauded in May when he signed into law legislation allowing outside money to be invested in the state’s cannabis industry. Since the law went into effect Nov. 1, outside capital has already begun flowing into Colorado marijuana businesses.
Cresco terminates VidaCann acquisition, highlighting cannabis industry's focus on saving cash
Published 12 mins ago | By Nick Thomas Chicago-based multistate cannabis operator Cresco Labs said it is ending its agreement to buy Florida’s VidaCann, becoming the latest U.S. marijuana M&A deal to unravel and highlighting the steps companies are taking to navigate a rocky business environment.
Cresco Labs, Origin House revamp cannabis merger
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas Cresco Labs, a Chicago-based multistate cannabis operator, and Origin House are overhauling the terms of their merger announced earlier this year, as falling cannabis stock prices and other factors slashed the value of the transaction in half to approximately $400 million. Because of the revised terms, the transaction also will now not close until approximately mid-January, two months later than initially expected.
Marijuana company Vireo Health wagers on former Canopy co-CEO Linton to expand nationally
Published 11 mins ago | By Nick Thomas Bruce Linton is joining multistate operator Vireo Health as executive chair. To help expand its national footprint, multistate marijuana company Vireo Health International has hired Bruce Linton, one of the biggest names in the cannabis industry and former leader of Canopy Growth before his surprise firing in the summer.
Tight funding environment weighs on marijuana companies still seeking profit
Published 1 min ago | By Nick Thomas Which came first? Poor paths to profitability for North American cannabis companies or limited funding for them to build their businesses? The reality: It’s a bit of both. Funding opportunities for marijuana firms do exist, but investors are increasingly unlikely to lend if cannabis companies cannot meet their revenue and profitability targets.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Nick
Contact Nick, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack