Welcome to Rise & Roll, a bi-weekly newsletter that keeps you smart, savvy, and always in the loop on the latest in cannabis.

Here’s what we have on deck for today…

1. NHL players trade booze for balanced edibles

2. Medical cannabis beats pain meds in NIH study

3. Cannabis CEO’s advice from 20+ years in the restaurant biz

NHL players trade booze for balanced edibles

In a recent survey of NHL players, 38% of NHL players reported using cannabis during the regular season.

"For younger players, the stigma has disappeared," says Florida Panthers' Nate Schmidt, noting a major culture shift from his early days.

While veterans might raise an eyebrow, younger players see cannabis as a better way to unwind.

This shift mirrors broader changes in pro sports, with the NFL, NCAA, and UFC all recently relaxing their cannabis policies.

Medical cannabis beats pain meds in NIH study

A groundbreaking NIH study just dropped some game-changing numbers:

Medical cannabis patients are 2.6 times more likely to see improvements than those using traditional pain meds.

Even better? Cannabis users cut their opioid use by nearly 40%.

The study tracked 440 medical cannabis patients and over 8,000 prescription med users. After three months, about 39% of cannabis patients reported major improvements in pain and overall well-being.

This isn't just another study — it's solid proof that cannabis deserves a seat at the medical table, especially as healthcare providers look for better pain management options.

Cannabis CEO’s advice from 20+ years in the restaurant biz

Former restaurant industry veteran Gibran Washington is bringing operational excellence to cannabis as CEO of Ethos Cannabis.

With 20+ years of experience managing national brands, he's applying lessons from high-pressure, thin-margin environments to build sustainable systems in the emerging cannabis space.

His approach? Focus on hard data while building a culture of accountability.

"You can't fix what you don't measure," says Washington.

At Ethos, this means optimizing every step from cultivation to retail – without losing sight of the customer experience.

If you enjoyed this edition of Rise & Roll, please share it with your friends!

We’ll be back with another edition on Friday. See you then!

To stay up-to-date on cannabis news, visit us at riseandroll.news.