Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ $7.2-billion purchase of GW Pharmaceuticals last week is the biggest tie-up yet for the cannabis industry. And it’s probably just the beginning. The blockbuster deal, which dwarfs Tilray Inc. and Aphria Inc.’s $3.8-billion merger as well as Constellation Brands Inc.’s multibillion-dollar investment in Canopy Growth Corp., shows the growing interest in pharmaceutical-grade cannabinoids. With big money flowing into this market and the broader industry, it also portends more major deals ahead. “Capital is back in the cannabis sector,” Bill Doran, a partner in Benesch’s Chicago office specializing in mergers and acquisitions, said last week. After a financial drought for even some of the biggest multistate players, activity is heating up just as the march toward U.S. legalization — at both the state and federal levels — picks up pace, creating a perfect environment for an M&A boom.
Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 02/08/2021 09:59:00