Best Digital Asset Management Tools for Cannabis Brands

Common signs you have hit a wall

You can usually feel it before you can explain it. Someone on the team asks for a file you know you have, but no one can remember which folder it lives in. A product description on a live menu looks slightly off, and you realize an old version slipped through somewhere. 

Dispensaries started using outdated logos because they grabbed whatever they could find. And budtenders struggle selling your products not because they don’t want to, but because their education around your product is limited.

Marketing and brand teams reach the point where they rename files with “final_v3” or “use_this_one” just so they can keep things straight. And when a compliance rule changes, hold on tight! The next few hours are about to be spent digging through old folders, hoping you didn’t miss a version hiding in a random spot.

That is usually the moment teams realize the system is not really a system anymore. It is a patchwork of folders, guesses, and good intentions. And it is often the turning point where cannabis brands start looking for something more reliable.

What Cannabis Brands Need From a Digital Asset System

To keep up with constant changes in the industry, cannabis brands need a system that can separate brands by state, but allow them to share the contents of an entire portal or kit with a single link. Some of the common requirements of a DAM from cannabis brands include:

• Asset storage with no limitation on the number of spaces created
• Keep versions clear and easy to understand
• Bundle assets with descriptions so they move together
• Protect access with simple permissions (e.g. public, private, and password protected)
• Allow teams to share curated groups of files for different audiences
• Make everything searchable so you don’t waste time digging

With that in mind, let’s look at the actual options cannabis teams use.

The Main Options for Cannabis Digital Asset Management

Cannabis brands generally fall into four buckets. Some stick with DIY storage. Some move to traditional DAM platforms; others choose enterprise-level tools. But, the most organized teams pick a brand-centric system designed for real-world sharing.

DIY Storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, Airtable + Google Drive, SharePoint)

What it is

These tools are document management systems. You can create folders and move files, and most people know how to use them. The sophisticated DIY storage management solution ties Google Drive to an Airtable to make it easier to share assets with third-parties.

When it works

For early-stage brands with a small catalog, DIY may likely feel fine. When you only have a handful of products and not many partners asking for assets, there is less of a need for robust sharing. 

Where it breaks

As soon as you enter multiple states or grow your SKU count, problems show up. These tools cannot link product images to their descriptions in a structured way. Dispensaries and POS partners may still download outdated files and it becomes more difficult to identify discrepancies.

When your brand expands, DIY storage becomes a maze that slows everyone down.

Canto (Traditional DAM for Growing Teams)

Canto is a long-standing digital asset management system. It offers better organization than Google Drive and helps teams store, find, and share files across a company.

Strengths

• Good library and search
• Basic portals for sharing
• Helpful tagging and metadata
• Clear permissions and roles

Where It Struggles for Cannabis

Canto does not understand cannabis workflows out of the box. You have to create your own structure for SKUs, markets, compliance rules, and packaging versions. You also need to configure how product descriptions connect to files. To do this, you need to have two Canto products: Canto DAM + Canto PIM, and that can lead to hefty overhead.

It works, but you must build and maintain everything yourself.

Brandfolder (Enterprise DAM With Strong Portals)

Brandfolder is a popular DAM with strong public-facing portals. Many cannabis brands use it to share state-specific collections.

Strengths

• Clean, easy-to-browse portals
• Good tools for distributing approved assets
• Strong permissions and metadata options

Where it struggles for cannabis

Like Canto, Brandfolder is a general DAM. It does not offer cannabis-specific workflows. You must create your own tagging system for state rules, descriptions, and asset variations. Sharing assets with POS systems or menu partners also requires manual setup and ongoing work.

It is powerful, but expensive, and you build the logic yourself.

Lingo (Brand Guidelines + DAM + Cannabis-Ready Asset Sharing)

Lingo blends brand guidelines, digital asset management, and curated sharing into one digital brand hub. It is built for teams that want one place for their brand, visuals, and controlled distribution.

Strengths

• Kits let you bundle product images and descriptions into one fluid and flexible canvas for easy product pairing between digital assets and their metadata
• Portals make it easy to share the right files with POS partners, retailers, or internal teams
• Marketing gets clear version control and real context aligned together
• Marketers keep full control over what each audience sees
• Clean interface that helps teams work quickly

Why it works especially well for cannabis

Cannabis brands change assets constantly: new strains, new packaging, new compliance rules, and new states that all require different requirements. Lingo helps teams make updates once and share them in a structured way.

It also solves the core cannabis challenge: assets and descriptions need to move together, and they must be shareable with others. With Lingo, they do.

Choosing the Right DAM for Your Cannabis Brand

Questions to ask yourself

• How many SKUs do we have? How do we want to structure this information? 
• How often do product details or compliance language change?
• Do we work with multiple POS or menu platforms?
• Do retailers need files from us every week?
• Do we need to control access by state or product line?

Simple guidance

• If you are small and early, DIY may work for now.
• If you have a large catalog, you need a real DAM.
• If you care about brand consistency and compliance control, a brand-first system like Lingo will save time and reduce mistakes.

FAQs About Cannabis Digital Asset Management

Do cannabis brands really need a digital asset management system?

Yes. Once you handle more than a handful of products or states, keeping assets organized in simple folders becomes difficult and risky.

What makes cannabis asset management different from other industries?

Cannabis requires strict, state-specific marketing content and needs to be shared to point-of-sale systems at dispensaries, too. One product can have many SKUs that update at a rapid pace. Without a structured system, old images and descriptions slip into circulation.

Is Google Drive enough to manage cannabis brand assets?

It works early on, but it cannot handle version control or scalable, organized sharing with retailers and POS platforms.

How do cannabis brands keep product descriptions and images consistent across partners?

They use a DAM that stores descriptions and images together and makes sharing them simple and controlled.

What is the best digital asset management platform for cannabis brands?

Lingo is the best overall fit because it supports asset storage, brand guidelines, curated kits, and cannabis-style sharing workflows.

How do I share assets with dispensaries and retailers without losing control?

Use portals or kits so partners only see the files you want them to have, not your entire library.

How can a DAM simplify POS and menu integrations for cannabis products?

A DAM lets you pair descriptions and images so partners receive clean, complete product information without the manual rework.

What features should cannabis brands look for in a DAM?

Easy sharing, clear permissions, strong search, simple version control, and the ability to bundle assets with product descriptions.