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. Cannabis startup just scored $6M (and they're already profitable)

2. Court victory clears path for Nebraska's medical cannabis program

3. Cannabis companies in crosshairs of ransomware group

Cannabis startup just scored $6M (and they're already profitable)

Cannabis ERP platform Distru just locked in a $6M Series A round led by industry Poseidon Investment Management.

Distru’s already profitable — handling $2B in annual transactions across 25 states — and they've built their success by solving a critical industry pain point: consolidating compliance, inventory, and operations into one system.

They plan to use the funding to:

• Boost their product suite

• Integrate with major players like Metrc Connect, Dutchie, and Leaflink

• And expand into 11 new states, including the emerging New York market

Just as Shopify became the backbone for e-comm, Distru is positioning itself as the must-have operating system for cannabis companies.

For operators looking to scale, investing in robust operational infrastructure is crucial. Distru's growth signals that the industry is maturing beyond cobbled-together solutions — if you're still running your business on spreadsheets, it might be time to upgrade.

Court victory clears path for Nebraska's medical cannabis program

Nebraska's medical cannabis initiatives have cleared a major legal hurdle. Lancaster County District Judge Susan Strong recently dismissed challenges to the ballot measures that passed with overwhelming voter support (71% and 67%) back on November 5th:

1. 71% in favor of allowing doctors to recommend up to 5 ounces of medical cannabis

2. 67% in favor of establishing a state commission to oversee the industry.

In a detailed 57-page ruling, Strong rejected claims of widespread petition fraud, finding that opponents "fell well short" of invalidating enough signatures to overturn the election results.

While an appeal to the Supreme Court is expected, key state officials have committed to certifying the results. Industry analysts project the market could reach $50 million in its first year of operations, growing to $100 million by 2028.

Despite pending legal proceedings, Nebraska seems positioned to become the next state to establish a regulated medical cannabis market.

Cannabis companies in crosshairs of ransomware group

A major cybersecurity threat is emerging in the cannabis industry.

The Cannabis Information Sharing & Analysis Organization (Cannabis ISAO) recently reported that two cannabis operators appeared on Everest Ransomware group’s dark-web blog.

Everest acts as “initial access brokers,” gaining unauthorized access to companies’ systems, and then selling that access to other cybercrime groups who launch ransomware attacks.

Operators: Now is the time to be proactive about cybersecurity measures.

CISA’s stop ransomware site is a great place to start. It offers step-by-step prevention guides, incident response plans, and security best practices designed to decrease the risks of ransomware attacks.

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

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

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