DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS CUP

OG article by An Independent Investigative Analysis of the Texas Compassionate Use Program's Applicants

November 26, 2025

The website "Don't Mess With Texas CUP" scrutinizes applicants for Texas's Compassionate Use Program (CUP) licenses, expanded under 2025's HB 46 by the Department of Public Safety. It exposes potential conflicts, transparency lapses, and troubling histories among multi-state operators (MSOs) vying for 12 dispensing slots—nine from Phase I (April 2023) and three from Phase II (September 2025).

Spotlights include Curaleaf's $758 million federal tax debts, Russian funding links, and vendor disputes; Trulieve's $700 million liabilities, aggressive Florida lobbying, and worker fatalities; Verano's trafficking suits, antitrust probes, and insider trading claims; Village Farms' DPS lobbyist ties; Justice Cannabis Co.'s fraud accusations; Cookies' THC exceedances; MedMen's bankruptcy and deception allegations; Ayr Wellness's restructurings and fines; and Cresco Labs' violation tally.

Affiliated entities span Ayr, Cresco, Curaleaf, and international players, with the site cataloging Texas operations like Surterra Holdings (dba Parallel, led by Marcus Ruark), Lonestar Compassionate Care (Green Thumb Industries affiliate, ex-president Armen Yemenidjian), PharmaCann (Cronos Group-backed, CEO Brett Novey), and others tied to MariMed, STIIIZY, Cookies-Curaleaf, Ayr-Trulieve, Canopy Growth-MedMen, and more.

Through detailed profiles of leadership transitions, acquisitions, and legal statuses, the platform advocates for thorough vetting to ensure equitable, ethical licensing in Texas's nascent medical cannabis market, preventing dominance by flawed out-of-state giants.