Curaleaf and Trulieve Lead the 5W AI Intelligence Cannabis Citation Ranking

Curaleaf, Trulieve, and Green Thumb Industries Capture 17.5% of All Cannabis AI Citations as Schedule III Reset Reshapes the Category; Cookies Leads Branded Products, Charlotte's Web Leads CBD, and 28% of Cannabis Prompts Trigger AI Engine Hedges or Refusals — the Highest Rate of Any Consumer Category 5W Has Measured

NEW YORK, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 5W, the AI Communications Firm, released the Cannabis AI Visibility Index 2026, a new ranking of the top 25 American cannabis brands by AI citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The Index is the latest installment in 5W's AI Visibility Index Series, the agency's proprietary research franchise measuring how generative AI engines surface brands in consumer search. 

The findings land at the largest single citation reset cannabis has experienced since legalization began. President Trump signed an executive order on December 18, 2025 directing the rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule III. The DOJ and DEA finalized the order on April 23, 2026, placing FDA-approved marijuana products and state-licensed medical marijuana into Schedule III. A broader rescheduling hearing is scheduled for June 29 through July 15, 2026. 

5W ran more than 50 consumer-intent prompts through the major AI platforms in Q1 2026, tracking citations across five sub-categories: U.S. multi-state operators (MSOs), branded cannabis consumer products, CBD-specific brands, dispensary aggregators and tech, and ancillary services. 

Top Findings 

• Curaleaf, Trulieve, and Green Thumb Industries together capture an estimated 17.5% of all cannabis-category AI citations — the dominant MSO citation tier.
• Cookies leads all branded consumer cannabis products by a wide margin, with a citation gap to second place wider than the gap between Curaleaf and Trulieve at the MSO tier.
• Charlotte's Web has held the #1 CBD position for five years and the moat is widening.
• Leafly and Weedmaps each capture more aggregator citations than every individual MSO except Curaleaf.
• Approximately 28% of cannabis prompts produced AI engine refusals, hedges, or prominent disclaimers — substantially higher than any other category 5W has measured.
• The state-specific content multiplier in cannabis is approximately 2.8x — the largest signal effect 5W has measured in any tracked consumer category.

Top 15 Brands by Estimated Cannabis AI Citation Share (Q1 2026) 

1. Curaleaf — 7.5%
2. Trulieve — 6.5%
3. Cookies — 5.5%
4. Leafly — 5.0%
5. Charlotte's Web — 4.5%
6. Green Thumb Industries — 3.5%
7. Weedmaps — 3.5%
8. Wyld — 3.0%
9. Stiiizy — 3.0%
10. Kiva Confections — 2.5%
11. Cresco Labs — 2.5%
12. Verano Holdings — 2.5%
13. Cann — 2.0%
14. Cornbread Hemp — 2.0%
15. PAX Labs — 2.0%

"Cannabis is the most legally fragmented major consumer category in America, and that fragmentation has produced the most volatile AI citation surface we've ever measured," said Ronn Torossian, Founder of 5W. "Twenty-eight percent of cannabis prompts produce AI hedges or refusals — five to ten times higher than any other category. The brands winning citation share are the ones that build content addressing exactly the topics AI engines hedge on: state-specific legality, medical applications, dosing, drug interactions. The brands waiting for federal clarity are losing citation surface every quarter to brands that built infrastructure during the volatility. The Trump rescheduling executive order resets the surface again. The window stays open for the brands paying attention. It closes for the rest." 

The full Cannabis AI Visibility Index 2026 — including the complete Top 25 ranking, methodology, sub-category analyses, and the Cannabis GEO Playbook — is available at https://www.5wpr.com/ai-visibility-index/cannabis-ai-visibility-index-2026/. The web version is free to read and the PDF download is ungated.

About 5W

5W is the AI Communications Firm — building brand authority across the platforms where decisions now happen: ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, and influencer channels. 5W combines public relations, digital marketing, Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), and proprietary AI visibility research to help clients measure and grow their presence in AI-driven buyer research.

Founded in 2002, 5W is recognized as a Top U.S. PR Agency by O'Dwyer's, named Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards®, honored as a 2026 Top Place to Work in Communications by Ragan, and named to Digiday's WorkLife Employer of the Year list. 5W serves clients across B2C sectors — Beauty & Fashion, Consumer Brands, Entertainment, Food & Beverage, Health & Wellness, Travel & Hospitality, Technology, and Nonprofit — and B2B specialties including Corporate Communications, Reputation Management, Public Affairs, Crisis Communications, and Digital Marketing across Social, Influencer, Paid Media, GEO, and SEO.

Learn more at 5wpr.com

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SOURCE 5W Public Relations