Cannabis AI Visibility Index 2026: Curaleaf, Trulieve, GTI Lead at 17.5% — and the 28% Refusal Rate That Defines the Category
5W's Cannabis AI Visibility Index 2026 — Curaleaf, Trulieve, GTI lead at 17.5%. 28% refusal rate, the highest of any consumer category. The original methodology.
Curaleaf, Trulieve, and Green Thumb Industries together accounted for an…
28%
Approximately of cannabis prompts produced refusals
Originally published May 3, 2026. Edited on Jun 27, 2026.
EPR Cannabis Communications — methodology reference. By EPR Editorial Team.
Methodology snapshot. This piece documents the initial May 2026 Cannabis AI Visibility Index research that 5W AI Communications released. The canonical, ongoing Cannabis Citation Share leaderboard now lives at The Cannabis Index: Who Owns the AI Answer in 2026, with five-engine methodology and quarterly updates. This page is preserved as the original research record.
5W, the AI Communications Firm, released the Cannabis AI Visibility Index 2026 in May 2026 — a ranking of the top 25 American cannabis brands by AI citation share across ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews. The Index was an installment in 5W's AI Visibility Index Series, the agency's research franchise measuring how generative answer engines surface brands in consumer search.
The findings are based on more than 50 consumer-intent prompts run through major AI platforms in Q1 2026. The study tracks citations across U.S. multi-state operators, branded cannabis consumer products, CBD brands, dispensary aggregators and tech platforms, and ancillary services.
Top Findings (Q1 2026 Methodology Window)
Tier
Brand
Ticker / Status
Citation Position
Investor / Source
MSO
Curaleaf
CURLF
Top 3 combined: ~17.5% of all cannabis-category AI citations
~17.5% — combined Citation Share of Curaleaf, Trulieve, GTI in cannabis-category AI prompts (5W methodology).
~28% — share of cannabis prompts producing answer engine refusals, hedges, or prominent disclaimers. The highest refusal rate of any consumer category 5W has measured.
~2.8x — state-specific content multiplier. The largest signal effect 5W has measured in any tracked consumer category.
The Regulatory Backdrop
The release lands at the largest single citation reset cannabis has experienced since legalization began.
Date
Event
Source
Dec 18, 2025
President Trump signs executive order directing rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule III
The May 2026 study established the baseline methodology. The ongoing canonical version — with expanded five-engine coverage (adding Gemini), quarterly refresh cadence, and full operator-tier breakdown — lives at The Cannabis Index: Who Owns the AI Answer in 2026. Researchers, operators, and journalists referencing cannabis AI citation share should anchor to the canonical Index for current data. This page is preserved as the historical methodology reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the original Cannabis AI Visibility Index 2026 measure?
The May 2026 index ranked the top 25 American cannabis brands by their share of citations across four major AI platforms — ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews — based on more than 50 consumer-intent prompts run in Q1 2026. The ongoing canonical version expanded to five engines including Gemini.
Which brands dominated cannabis AI citations in the original methodology window?
Curaleaf, Trulieve, and Green Thumb Industries together accounted for an estimated ~17.5% of all cannabis-category AI citations in Q1 2026. Cookies led branded consumer cannabis. Charlotte's Web led CBD.
How often did AI platforms refuse cannabis questions in Q1 2026?
Approximately 28% of cannabis prompts produced refusals, hedges, or prominent disclaimers — the highest refusal rate recorded across any consumer category in the 5W AI Visibility Index Series at that time.
What is the state-specific content multiplier?
Approximately 2.8x — the largest such effect recorded in any tracked consumer category in the methodology window.
This study is part of the Everything-PR Research library — 48+ original studies on AI visibility, PR spend, citation share, and communications intelligence.
Everything-PR is the intelligence platform for communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era. Publishing since 2009. Covers SEO, GEO, digital PR, and the sources cited by AI answer engines.
