Vertically integrated BeLeaf Medical in Missouri inked an acquisition deal that will double its retail dispensary footprint in the state through the purchase of BesaMe Wellness.

Each company already has five operational cannabis dispensaries in Missouri, according to the Division of Cannabis Regulation, but while BeLeaf’s are all clustered around St. Louis, BesaMe’s are primarily in the Kansas City metro area, with one in central Missouri. That will give BeLeaf a much broader reach to customers, Greenway Magazine reported.

BesaMe’s five shops are located at 5901 NW Barry Rd. in Kansas City, 5918 Southview Dr. in Liberty, 13518 US-169 in Smithville, 1041 Burlington St. in North Kansas City, and 219 W. Young Ave. in Warrensburg, according to the DCR website.

The acquired five shops will be rebranded to BeLeaf’s Swade retail brand, Greenway noted.

Joey Pintozzi, chief strategy and revenue officer at BeLeaf Medical, told Greenway that the company’s vertical integration will make it easier for the new owners to supply the BesaMe shops.

“The resources and tools that we’re able to give those awesome teammates and great operators, it’s going to be something special,” Pintozzi told the online magazine.

Vancouver-based Vext Science Inc. (CSE: VEXT) (OTCQX: VEXTF) on Friday announced the sale of its Kentucky medical marijuana license through a subsidiary for $880,000 in cash, and said its business in the Bluegrass State going forward will only be in the hemp sector.

The cannabis processing permit was won by Vapen Kentucky LLC and a partner; Vext bought out the unidentified partner last month “utilizing non-cash consideration,” it said in a press release.

Kentucky only began awarding medical marijuana permits last fall, but already many of the winners have resold their licenses for a tidy profit.

The sale is intended to have a twofold effect for Vext: to give it more working capital and provide more flexibility to refocus on its core marijuana markets of Arizona and Ohio, CEO Eric Offenberger said in the announcement.

“By divesting the processing license in Kentucky, we are deepening our focus on our core operations in Arizona and Ohio, where we see the most compelling opportunities to drive long-term value,” Offenberger said. “The proceeds of the sale strengthens our balance sheet and will support the build out of our Ohio retail footprint as we continue to prioritize profitability and cash flow growth.”

After the sale closes, which is expected sometime in the second quarter this year, Vapen Kentucky will pivot to being a hemp-only company, Vext said.

Vext posted a $9.2 million loss in the most recent quarter, and a net loss of $22.4 million for 2024.

Tilt Holdings (Cboe: CA:TILT) (OTCQB: TLLTF) on Thursday provided more details to investors regarding its defaults to its cannabis landlord on two properties in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. The Arizona-based multistate operator said it’s facing the possibility of both leases being terminated and legal action over nonpayment of $4.1 million in back rent.

The legal reckoning, with marijuana landlord Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE: IIPR), was first made public on Monday, when IIP notified its investors of a trio of companies that were in default, including Tilt.

The other two companies facing defaults are Arizona-based 4Front Ventures Corp. (CSE: FFNT) (OTCQB: FFNTF) and California-based Gold Flora Corp. (Cboe Canada: GRAM) (OTCQB: GRAM), the latter of which is also heading into receivership and going up for sale.

According to Tilt, it owes Innovative Industrial $2.9 million over a property in Taunton, Massachusetts, that has long been used by Tilt subsidiary Commonwealth Alternative Care and another $1.1 million for a property in White Haven, Pennsylvania, that has been utilized by Tilt subsidiary Standard Farms LLC.

The debts are for back rent, late charges, interest and security deposit replenishment, the company said in a press release, and it faced an April 4 deadline to pay up. Missing that deadline gives Innovative the right to evict Tilt and sue over the unpaid bills.

Tilt attempted to negotiate with the real estate investment trust, but the best deal it could get was an agreement that Innovative would hold off on pursuing eviction in exchange for “payments in satisfaction of the April rent obligations,” it said in a release.

“The company is committed to negotiating in good faith to resolve the outstanding amounts and secure favorable terms for its operations,” Tilt said in the release.

Tilt lost $41.4 million in the fourth quarter of last year and $99.7 million for the entire 2024 calendar year, the company reported in March. At the end of last year, Tilt had just $4.3 million in the bank.