Last Week in Cannabis #13
Last Week in Cannabis
August 24–30, 2026 | Issue #13
Hey friend — welcome back to Last Week in Cannabis. This is one of the bigger weeks we have had in a while. Canada just set a new sales record, and one of the most dramatic corporate stories in Canadian cannabis history is playing out in real time. Let's get into it.
1. CANADA — Canada Just Had Its Biggest Month of Cannabis Sales Ever
Statistics Canada data released this week shows that legal cannabis sales across Canada reached $517.8 million in June 2026 — a new all-time monthly record, surpassing the previous record of $510.4 million set in May. Both May and June now exceed the prior record of $508.6 million set in December 2025. Through the first six months of 2026, Canada's legal cannabis market has generated approximately $2.9 billion in sales.
To put June's number in perspective: Canada's $517.8 million in June converts to roughly $374.5 million USD — which actually exceeded California's $372.4 million USD for the same month. For the first time on record, Canada generated more cannabis revenue in a single month than any US state.
Mary Jane's Take: This is a meaningful milestone. Canada became the first G7 country to federally legalize cannabis in 2018, and eight years later it is now — at least for one month — the largest cannabis market in the world by revenue. That is not a small thing. It is also a reminder that a well-regulated national market, with consistent rules, tested products, and legal access in every province, works. The legal market is winning over consumers month by month, and these numbers show it.
2. CANADA — A US Cannabis Company Just Launched a Hostile Takeover Bid for Aurora
This is the biggest corporate cannabis story in Canada in years. US-based cannabis operator Curaleaf Holdings formally launched a hostile takeover bid for Aurora Cannabis on August 18th, going directly to Aurora's shareholders after Aurora's leadership declined to engage in a deal. Curaleaf is offering $4 per Aurora share — a mix of Curaleaf stock and $0.75 cash — representing a 45% premium over Aurora's recent share price, for a total deal value of approximately $272 million USD.
Aurora has urged shareholders to take no action and rejected the bid, saying Curaleaf made inaccurate claims about Aurora's business performance and that the offer undervalues the company. Aurora also struck back with some moves of its own — announcing the acquisition of two UK pharmaceutical entities, Internode Pharma Limited and HAP Pharma Limited, to expand its footprint in the British medical cannabis market while the takeover drama plays out.
Mary Jane's Take: A hostile takeover bid is rare in any industry and genuinely unusual in Canadian cannabis. What Curaleaf is really after is Aurora's global medical cannabis infrastructure — its EU-GMP certified facilities, its established presence in Germany, the UK, Poland, and Australia, and the hard-won regulatory relationships that come with them. Aurora spent years and enormous resources building that platform. Whether Curaleaf's offer is fair compensation for it is something Aurora's shareholders will ultimately decide. This story is far from over.
3. UNITED STATES — 17% of American Adults Now Say They Smoke Cannabis
A new Gallup survey released this week found that 17% of US adults say they currently smoke marijuana — tying the record high reported in 2023 and more than doubling the 7% recorded in 2013. An additional 15% report consuming cannabis edibles. Meanwhile, cigarette smoking sits at a record low of 11% — meaning more American adults now smoke cannabis than smoke tobacco.
Mary Jane's Take: The cultural shift this number represents is hard to overstate. A decade ago, cannabis was still broadly stigmatized and federally classified as more dangerous than fentanyl. Today, nearly one in five American adults uses it — more than smoke cigarettes. These are the people whose consumption remains federally illegal. The gap between where public behaviour is and where federal law sits has rarely been wider.
4. GLOBAL — Germany's Appetite for Medical Cannabis Is Reshaping the Global Market
MJBizDaily reported this week that Germany's rapidly growing medical cannabis market is threatening to reshape global supply dynamics and trigger a race among major international producers to secure their position. Canada remains the world's largest cannabis exporter and currently supplies a majority of Germany's imports, but domestic German cultivation associations continue to grow — nearly 900 applications for adult-use cultivation associations have been submitted to date — and other international producers are working aggressively to qualify for the EU market.
Mary Jane's Take: Germany matters enormously to the future of global cannabis — it is the largest economy in Europe, has a highly developed healthcare infrastructure, and its medical cannabis program is expanding rapidly. Canadian producers currently have a significant advantage through their EU-GMP certifications and established supply relationships. But advantages in a fast-growing market do not last forever. The race to supply Germany is one of the most consequential competitive dynamics in the cannabis world right now.
That's your week — two from Canada, one from the United States, one from the global market. See you next Monday.
— Mary Jane
