“It is essential that policies are designed to encourage a more equitable marketplace and reduce the risk of the cannabis industry becoming an oligopoly.”
Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the New York cannabis market is at an all-time high. Four of New York’s ten vertically integrated medical cannabis companies are actively seeking regulatory approval to sell their New York license. While the terms of each acquisition differ, analysts have estimated that the value of a New York cannabis license may be worth as much as $300 million.

There are many variables driving these blockbuster numbers—including the value of the company’s real estate assets and intellectual property—but the most valuable aspect of these vertically integrated licenses is their scarcity. Simply put, the fact that New York, a state with a population of 20 million people, has only awarded ten vertically integrated licenses and has opted to prohibit vertical integration for any new adult-use licensees, makes these ten licenses extraordinarily valuable.
Read the full article published on Marijuana Moment.
Op Ed written by Ari Hoffnung, CEO of Bridge West Consulting and published in Marijuana Moment.