Cannabis Industry Leaders - Who to Watch in 2024

In 2024, we are sure to see more growth within the cannabis industry, and just like with any industry we can look to leaders for news and inspiration. Here are some cannabis industry influencers and leading businesses to look to this coming year.

Chris Ball

If you’re into sports, you have something in common with CEO and founder of Ball Family Farms, Chris Ball. After Ball graduated college, he practiced with the San Francisco 49ers then played professionally in the Canadian Football League. It was in Canada where he began to gain interest in medicinal cannabis. As of now, according to Leafly, “Ball Family Farms is the first vertically integrated and minority-owned commercial cannabis facility based in Los Angeles, California.” Last year, the Ball Family Farms brought actor, and creator of The Chi, Lena Waithe’s new cannabis brand, First Draft, to life. With a joint venture like that in the books, the future of Ball Family Farms looks bright.

Redman

Redman may be one of the most well-known people on this list. If you don’t know, Redman, according to IMDB, is an “American rapper, DJ, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame in the early 1990s as an artist on the Def Jam label, and group. He is well known for his collaborations with his close friend Method Man, as one-half of the rap duo Method Man & Redman”. He is currently one of the bigger names in cannabis and continually hosting or supporting cannabis events. He is a huge cannabis advocate. In the summer of last year, he and Methodman headlined the Ypsilanti, Michigan, Spark in the Park cannabis-friendly festival. Then in the fall, he and Methodman partnered with the first-ever High Times Cannabis Cup in New Mexico. Most notably, he is a cofounder of the National ConsensUS/Cannabis Party, a political party meant to advocate for not only cannabis but all people too. The NCP website explains its stance this way: “The National ConsensUS Party is the only of its kind. We are the only All-Partisan, ConsensUS-based Presidential Electoral Party, sanctioned by the United States Federal Elections Commission (FEC), with "The People" registered as its Presidential Candidate. This allows for "The People" to participate in the development of the party structure at its core, and have the power to change politics from within.”

Tilray Brands

Tilray Brands is a big name in the cannabis business community. This brand has locations all around the world, not just in North America. Tilray Brands cultivates their own brand, Aphria, Broken Coast, Symbiosis, Good Supply, Solei, RIFF, Canaca, Chowie Wowie, and The Batch. They also have alcohol brands, hemp and CBD brands, Australian brands, New Zealand brands, and European brands. Just last year, Tilray had a jump in profits after they continued to expand their brand list, this includes a jump in cannabis profits in their Canadian areas. They also recently acquired a new company called Truss Beverage, an adult-use cannabis company in Canada. It did great things for their already expansive profile and has shown investors that they are someone to watch in 2024.

Aurora Cannabis

Aurora Cannabis is a Canadian company that has been moving quickly up the cannabis ranks in the past few years. In 2018, Aurora Cannabis purchased the company MedReleaf in a 2.5 billion dollar deal. It was one of the biggest cannabis deals that had been recorded so far. Aurora Cannabis has a few brands: Aurora Drift, San Rafael '71, Daily Special, Tasty's, Whistler, Being and Greybeard. They are more focused on medical cannabis, rather than recreational, even though they do well in both areas. At the moment, this company is set to be a heavy hitter this year. Since their creation, they have expanded to Europe and the United States and did very well in both markets. If you’re big into Canadian cannabis, they might be the brand for you.

Curaleaf

Curaleaf is a huge business with over 150 locations in 19 states with nearly 5,500 team members. The brands that Curaleaf curate are Select, Grass Roots Cannabis Co, Find, JAMS, Zero Proof Beverage Enhancers, B Noble, and Plant Precision. The Curaleaf brand itself can be found all over legal states. Their products range from vape oils and concentrates, flower (in all its forms), topical lotions, capsules and tinctures, mints and lozenges, and edibles. This company is also “rooted in good.” They are focused on diversity, equity, inclusion, sustainability, and well curated partnerships, for example, they place some of their focus on “addressing the disproportionate impact the War on Drugs has on communities and recognizing our responsibility to the environment.” As for Curaleaf’s future, there are many people and businesses that feel they should be looked to in the stock market positively. It wouldn’t be surprising if Curaleaf made some big moves this year!

Green Thumb Industries

Green Thumb Industries is an award winning national company with locations in over 5 states. The brands they represent are RYTHM, Dogwalkers, incredibles, Beboe, Good Green, Doctor Solomon’s, and Shine. Green Thumb Industries is a company that “believes in the plant’s potential to improve health, happiness, and comfort.” One of their brands, incredibles, can be found in a majority of dispensaries in Colorado, they’re actually really good and one of my frequent buys. This business has been around for a while and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It is also another popular choice in the cannabis stock market for 2024. They are expected to expand even more than they are.

Verano Holdings Corp.

The Verano Holdings Corp is a business who shows us that “cannabis can and should be better”. The corporation's brands are Savvy, Bits, (the) Essence, Encore Edibles, Verano, On The Rocks, Holy Union, Avexia, and MÜV. Verano Holdings has over 160 strains, 14 cultivation & production facilities spanning 1,000,000 square feet, over 120 dispensaries, and over 4,000 employees. They also remain offering access to new careers to anyone who wants to start their cannabis journey. Their careers include cannabis advisors, cultivators, customer care, and production; each team has their place and helps keep the company at the high level that it is, a company is only as good as their employees. For the upcoming year, this is another business that cannabis stock holders should be on the lookout for.