In the cannabis industry, hopes are high by definition (and inhalation), but those hopes were dashed on Election Day, when all three recreational cannabis measures on state ballots failed.

Voters in Florida, North Dakota, and South Dakota rejected the proposals, leaving the tally of states with legal retail cannabis stores at 24, plus Washington, DC.

“It feels like a gut punch,” Roz McCarthy, founder and CEO of Florida-based Black Buddha Cannabis, said during an election postmortem Zoom panel on LinkedIn hosted by MJBizDaily the day after the election.

Unlike North Dakota, where 52.5% voted against the measure, and South Dakota, where 55.5% rejected it, Florida’s proposal had popular support, with 55.9% voting in favor. But in the Sunshine State, Florida voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2006 that raised the threshold to pass future constitutional amendments to 60%. (That 2006 amendment passed, ironically, with 57.8% of the vote, meaning it didn’t meet the threshold of votes that it instituted for constitutional amendments that followed it.)

Keep reading here.—AAN

Get your shopping lists ready: We’re officially entering the slightly chaotic two-week period when consumers stock up on groceries for Thanksgiving.

Shoppers spent $2.4 billion more on Thanksgiving fare last year than on an average week, with 82% of purchases occurring the week before and week of the holiday, according to Circana’s Thanksgiving Outlook.

This year, surveys conducted by Circana found that 34% of consumers are anticipating spending more $$ on their Thanksgiving haul, but that won’t impact the amount they buy. Inflation on Thanksgiving essentials is cooling, however, with this year’s prices 2% above last year’s (but up 26% since 2020). Prices are down 2% for turkey and beverages, and up for sides (4%), pies (2%), and baking items (3%).

Keep reading here.—EC

Amazon’s mobile shopping experience may look different for some US shoppers, as the tech giant has rolled out its discounted storefront, Haul, in beta. The site will likely be a direct competitor to the likes of Chinese-linked e-commerce retailers Temu and Shein, which also sell low-priced items online.

Haul has a young and cheeky vibe, represented both in the bright color scheme of the storefront and the language used to describe items sold. The storefront carries items under categories like “social faves” and “tiny treats.” It also has an “in the spotlight” section with topics like tees, travel, and beauty tools.

Haul will enable US shoppers “to discover even more affordable fashion, home, lifestyle, electronics, and other products with ultra-low prices,” Amazon said in a blog post. All items sold under Haul are priced at $20 or less, with the majority of them priced at $10 or less, while some items cost as low as $1.

The kicker, though, is that Haul offers slower delivery times compared to Amazon Prime.

Keep reading here.—VC