Curaleaf, Trulieve Lead Cannabis Brands in AI Citation Ranking, 5W Report Finds
- Curaleaf and Trulieve are the most cited cannabis brands across major AI platforms, with Curaleaf leading at 7.5% and Trulieve at 6.5% of cannabis-related AI citations in Q1 2026, according to 5W Public Relations' Cannabis AI Visibility Index 2026.
- Curaleaf, Trulieve, and Green Thumb Industries make up the leading multi-state operator tier, collectively accounting for 17.5% of cannabis-category AI citations, while Cookies ranks as the top branded cannabis consumer products company.
- The report highlights that 28% of cannabis-related AI prompts triggered disclaimers, hedges, or refusals, a rate significantly higher than any other consumer category due to the legal fragmentation of cannabis in the U.S.
- Brands gaining AI visibility focus on content around state-specific legality, medical uses, dosing, and drug interactions, with state-specific cannabis content producing a strong multiplier effect of about 2.8 times on citation visibility.
Curaleaf and Trulieve are the most frequently cited cannabis brands across major artificial intelligence platforms, according to a new report released today by 5W Public Relations.
The firm’s Cannabis AI Visibility Index 2026 ranks the top American cannabis brands by estimated citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. The report is part of 5W’s broader AI Visibility Index series, which examines how generative AI platforms surface brands in consumer search results.
According to 5W, Curaleaf led all cannabis brands with an estimated 7.5% of cannabis-related AI citations in the first quarter of 2026, followed by Trulieve at 6.5%. Cookies ranked third overall with 5.5%, making it the top branded cannabis consumer products company in the report.
Leafly followed at 5%, while Charlotte’s Web ranked fifth at 4.5%, leading the CBD category. Green Thumb Industries and Weedmaps each accounted for 3.5% of citations, followed by Wyld and Stiiizy at 3% each.
5W said Curaleaf, Trulieve and Green Thumb Industries together accounted for 17.5% of all cannabis-category AI citations, forming what the firm described as the leading multi-state operator citation tier.
The report found that cannabis prompts produced an unusually high rate of AI disclaimers, hedges or refusals. According to 5W, about 28% of cannabis-related prompts triggered such responses, which the firm said is higher than any other consumer category it has measured.
“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.”
Torossian said brands gaining visibility are those creating content around areas where AI platforms are most likely to hedge, including state-specific legality, medical uses, dosing and drug interactions.
“The brands waiting for federal clarity are losing citation surface every quarter to brands that built infrastructure during the volatility,” he said.
The report also found that Leafly and Weedmaps each captured more aggregator citations than every individual multi-state operator except Curaleaf. 5W said state-specific cannabis content had a “multiplier” effect of about 2.8 times, the largest signal effect it has measured in a tracked consumer category.
The top 15 brands in the ranking were Curaleaf, Trulieve, Cookies, Leafly, Charlotte’s Web, Green Thumb Industries, Weedmaps, Wyld, Stiiizy, Kiva Confections, Cresco Labs, Verano Holdings, Cann, Cornbread Hemp and PAX Labs.