The Mary Jane Society Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Mary Jane Society
Studio 420 Cannabis Marketing Agency presents the Mary Jane Society Podcast. "If you haven’t tuned in to our podcast to meet the innovators, entrepreneurs, scientists, and trailblazers shaping the cannabis industry, you should because that’s where the conversation is."
Today, we are talking SEO with Samuel Fisher from Green Dispensary Marketing. Sam and his team help dispensaries manage their online web presence and build traffic-generating assets. Sam explains why you should dump WeedMaps and Leafly. Green Dispensary Marketing will help maximize your traffic and ensure it converts to sales.
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Lisa Haag has been a journalist and public advocate for cannabis rights in Germany since 2017, and is often seen on stage at B2B events throughout Europe because of her in-depth knowledge of the industry. She publishes Krautinvest, an online B2B magazine that reports on cannabis policies, global news, social justice, scientific medical research, and interviews with industry experts. Her business consulting company, MJ Universe GmbH, helps companies navigate the European cannabis ecosystem through her team of experts.
Lisa gives us insights into the current opportunities in the German cannabis market.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-haag-60656097
https://krautinvest.de/ueber-krautinvest-de/#team
https://www.mjuniverse.net/about
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Meet Kirsten Velasco, the inventor of VapeNProp. One of the first cannabis-themed products to enter the promotional products category. It's a vape pen accessory that holds your pen upright to keep it safe from leaks, clogs, and dropping and breaking.
Kirstin is running out of the gate with Curaleaf as her first customer. They are celebrating 420 by giving away VapeNProps as gifts in their Ohio, North Dakota, PA, and Illinois stores.
Kirsten talks about her journey in inventing, designing, and launching VapeNProp.
https://vapenprop.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenvelascocannabisadvocate/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Jamie Pearson is known for leading the West Coast-infused chocolate bar brand Bhang for five years as CEO. She is now the founder and CEO of The New Holland Group and has her eyes set on Europe. Now that Germany has opened the spigot and legalized cannabis, she is using her proven expertise to help others navigate global opportunities.
Jamie is a regular speaker at the cannabis B2B conferences sweeping the EU as global entrepreneurs descend on Europe. She gives us insight into the discussions taking place and where she is bullish on the EU cannabis industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamielpearsonnhg/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Cherissa Jackson is a 23-year veteran of the Air Force as an officer and nurse who has seen combat three times in Iraq and Afghanistan.
She is now the Founder and CEO of WeDecode. It provides DNA testing to determine deficiencies in a person's endocannabinoid system and match cannabis products that will help them achieve homeostasis. Many apps are available that track consumer experience with specific cannabis products, but identifying deficiencies in a person's endocannabinoid system is a game-changer and the future of precision cannabis medicine.
https://wedecode.me/about/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/cherissa-jackson-37957060/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Kieve works with US cannabis companies to expand their product line to Latin America. He shares market insights and which country in South America he is the most bullish on for brand expansion. He got his start in the cannabis industry in California with the launch of Heavy Grass, a portfolio of pre-roll brands. He expanded the product line into Mexico, built relationships throughout Latin America, and is a frequent guest speaker at B2B Conferences in Mexico and Columbia.
Kieve Huffman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kievehuffman/
Engager Global: www.kievehuffman.com
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Puffco has dominated the hash space with its cutting-edge hardware for ten years. Today, we meet Chelsea Kossower, their VP of global expansion, to learn how she is elevating the hash culture around the world, spreading the Puffco brand, and building community.
Chelsea Kossower : https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-kossower/
Puffco: https://www.puffco.com/pages/about-us
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Alex Rogers has been a cannabis activist on the West Coast since the 1990s and has worked under people like Jack Herer, to name a few. He moved to Europe and continued his quest to legitimize cannabis. In 2017, he took the chance and started what has become one of the best-known cannabis B2B trade shows in Europe, The International Cannabis Business Conference, which is held in multiple countries each year. His next show is in Barcelona on March 15th in partnership with Spannabis.
Tune in to hear Alex give us insights and opportunities in the EU market, especially given Germany's big step toward legalization last week.
The International Cannabis Business Conference.
The Talman Group
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Peter Homberg is a partner in the Dentons Berlin law office and heads up the European Cannabis Division. Peter joined The Mary Jane Society podcast to share his insights about Germany's recent step toward cannabis legalization and what it means for businesses in the US looking to enter the European market.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-homberg-90618519/
https://www.dentons.com/en/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Ross Hunsinger is the director of food and beverage innovation at Abstrax Hops. In 2023, Abstrax Tech added an official hops division at Ross's suggestion, and they are now on track to disrupt the beer industry by introducing cannabis to the equation. They partnered with many of the best cultivators and brewers to study their cannabis and hops profiles to create the world's most advanced terpene formulations using botanicals.
The consumer trend toward non-alcoholic drinks is causing brewers to figure out where they fit in and how to stay relevant and forcing them to change.
The team at Abstrax Hops is stewarding the conversation about how brewers should adopt cannabis into their product lines.
Abstrax Hops: https://abstraxhops.com
Ross Hunsinger: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-hunsinger-b747bb264
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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2024 could be a big year in so many ways for the cannabis industry aside from rescheduling. Hish Jain breaks it down for us on the latest episode of the Mary Jane Society podcast. Hirsh is thefounder of Ananda Strategy. He is a cannabis industry consultant and government policy expert and helps guide a company's competitive licensing efforts, expansion strategy, regulatory compliance, M&A activity, and venture capital raises.
Hirsh shares current policy developments unfolding in key states around the country and how they may affect a cannabis business strategy.
We are lucky to have Hirsh share his knowledge and welcome him to the show.
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Is there a future for strain-based drinks? Flower is the number one selling category in the country. Legacy growers, connoisseurs, and enthusiasts are obsessed with the nuances of the plant and how it can make you feel. Of course, there are significant challenges to maintaining consistency, quality, and scalability when manufacturing these beverages.
Our guest today is Randy Reed; he recently exited successfully from an infused beverage company and is now the VP of Scientific Solutions at AVD. He is an award-winning commercial cannabis scientist with over twenty first-place finishes across multiple product categories. He's created novel products like CO2 Live Resin and "Terp Tonics," the world's first cultivar-specific beverage at the time. This episode is jam-packed with information.
Randy Reed, Co-Founder, High Level Coffee www.HighLevelCoffee.com
@HighLevelCoffee
Randy Reed, VP Scientific Solutions, Advanced Vapor Devices (AVD)- https://avd710.com
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Michael Sassano, a former Wall Street banker turned real estate developer, is known in the US for building 16 large-scale cultivation facilities in Nevada. He left for Europe in 2019 to get a head start in the European cannabis market and launched Somai, a cannabinoid pharmaceutical company based in Lisbon, Portugal. Michael shares their strategy and readiness for Europe's impending cannabis legalization and his predictions for 2024.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/somaipharma
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsassano3/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Many of you probably have heard of our next guest, A.C. Moon. She has been toiling away in the California cannabis industry for about 25 years where she earned a degree in horticulture, endured raids, and dealt with a federal indictment. She has opened dispensaries and developed one of the first line of edibles, back in the day.
A.C. is also a multi-patented inventor, educator, and Emerald Cup judge. Her international work is expansive, but in the past few years, she has worked in the Caribbean teaching cultivation and helping farmers protect their genetics, and family recipes through intellectual property.
A.C's company: https://www.indicainnovations.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/a-c-moon-cameron-709a73bb/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Jason Reposa is the founder of Good Feels, a line of cannabis beverages in Massachusetts. We talked about his manufacturing operations, his business challenges, and how he is using a hemp version of Good Feels to build national brand awareness. He is constantly tinkering in his R&D lab to produce the best beverages on the market and is taking his time growing with the industry.
Good Feels
Jason Reposa
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Curio Wellness has been operating in Maryland's medical market since 2018 before they recently flipped to adult use. They are a family-owned vertical operation and are on the move with expansion plans by offering franchise opportunities with their Far & Dotter dispensary business model. They expanded cultivation facilities in Missouri as a stepping stone into that state. Their scientific advisory board is behind the development of patented products and they are active on Capital Hill by educating lawmakers on the benefits of the plant.
Meet Wendy Bronfein, co-founder and policy director at Curio Wellness.
0:35: Who is the Maryland cannabis consumer + Curio Wellness + Far & dotter?
9:37: How are beverages doing in Maryland?
12:36: Why is everyone excited about the Maryland market and what policy changes are needed?
15:35: Curio Wellness scientific advisory board and how they are developing and acquiring patented cannabinoid products.
23:30: Curio’s partnership with Clemson University in cultivation program.
24:44: Far&Dotter’s franchise operations.
31:45: Curio’s expansion plans.
35:42: What are the future plans for Curio Wellness? Wendy’s focus on policy to move the industry forward and working with Congress.
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Activism, cannabis, and the queer culture are at the heart of NYC's Flamer pre-roll brand. Co-founders Wyatt, Matias, and Khalil met through NYC's gay community and discovered they shared a passion for activism during their involvement with the Black Lives Matter movement during COVID-19.
Flamer is a brand built out of authenticity and influenced by the trio's experience in the NYC queer community. When marketers talk about the benefits of branding from authenticity, this is what they mean.
https://www.heyflamer.com/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Our latest guest is Paul Weaver, who is head of R&D for Boston Beer's cannabis division based in Toronto. They are the creators of TeaPot, a THC-infused iced tea brand they are testing and perfecting in Canada with plans to launch in the US when the time is right. So far, they are accruing accolades and awards for Teapot. Great name.
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Christian Chavez, CEO and co-founder of Statis Cannabis Co., is the first dispensary to open in the Bronx just a few months ago. Christian tells us how he went from running a successful construction and real estate business to being a dispensary owner with plans to open more around the city. Statis represents urban luxury and plans to elevate the culture in the Bronx. Find out how things are going for Christian and his team so far.
https://statiscannabis.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian...
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Colin Decker was born and raised in Upstate NY and has been growing cannabis since he was about 13 when his mother gifted him with a tin of seeds a Dutch friend gave her. Colin went from legacy to legal and launched his preroll brand, 7 Seaz. He is determined to be a dominant brand in the state and is innovating with a triple-infused preroll called the Tsunami.
Colin is giving back to the community with a non-profit he started that will eventually help to subsidize cannabis farmers in need of funding. And his packaging is made of recycled plastic retrieved from the ocean.
Hear how Colin is carving a path in NY's cannabis industry.
https://www.7seazco.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/colin-decker-senseigrowth
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Today I speak with Hirsh Jain, founder of Ananda Strategy. Hirsh is a cannabis industry consultant and expert in government policy. He helps guide a company's competitive licensing efforts, expansion strategy, regulatory compliance, M&A activity, and venture capital funds across North America and Western Europe.
Hirsh shares current policy developments happening state-by-state and how they can affect a cannabis business strategy.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirsh-jain/
https://anandastrategy.com/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Adrian Adams, Ed.D. is the NY Director for Minorities For Medical Marijuana and has spent years working as an advocate for the social equity community in many ways. And once again, he is looking for innovative ways to uplift those who deserve a chance to thrive in the cannabis industry. Adrian is brokering deals to bring together successful business owners and license holders who need their expertise to attract investor capital.
It's a solution that will give investors the confidence to invest in social equity entrepreneurs and give everyone a fair shake in the industry.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ontogenbotanicals/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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When entrepreneurs decide they want to start a cannabis-based business, most likely they get distracted with the arduous process of applying for a license. However not getting the layout and design of their facility right can cost more to fix in the long run due to the legal complexities of the industry.
Today we meet Brian Anderson, co-founder of Massachusetts-based architectural firm, Anderson Porter. In addition to designing dispensaries, they have experience building pharmaceutical-grade and compliant facilities that require safe and secure protocols. Brian shares valuable insights into what you need to consider when building a cannabis facility of any type.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bdanderson/
https://www.andersonporter.com
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Many know Nikki Lawley in the cannabis industry for sharing her true story about how she used cannabis to help her heal from a brain trauma injury.
Nikki is on a mission to help bridge the gap between the medical and recreational communities and get both sides communicating instead of the hateful rant toward corporate cannabis. Nikki is shining a light on both entities hoping they will find a way to work together to build the cannabis industry.
Nikki and I take a deep dive into NY's medical program and how it will evolve now that medical dispensaries are about to enter NY's recreational market.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-lawley
https://www.nikkiandtheplant.org/
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Thank you to our SHOW SPONSOR-- WWW.ARVANNA.COM
A well-known cattle rancher and craft lettuce farmer in the tiny town of Millerton, NY, teamed up to join the cannabis industry and launched the brand, Alchemy Pure.
I spoke to Chris Regan, Alchemy Pure's head grower and co-founder. We talk about what makes them stand out, their plans for launching a line of tinctures and gummies into the marketplace, and how they plan to establish their brand and compete with West Coast cultivators once the borders open up.
They are a small, but mighty farm that is determined to make it in NY's turbulent industry rollout.
Alchemy Pure
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Thank you to our show sponsor--- ARVANNA
This Cannabis Franchise Is Making Inroads In The North East
Partnering with a franchise is a great way to fast-track a business, and get a built-in team of professionals, especially in the highly regulated cannabis industry.
Sweet Spot Farms, a franchise in the NE has been quietly building cultivation facilities and dispensaries to support its franchise operations. They have licenses in Vermont, Rhode Island, NJ, Maine, and Maryland.
Franchise veteran Eugenia T. heads up their operations and joined the podcast to share their plans for becoming the top cannabis franchise operation in the country.
https://sweetspotfarms.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenia-tzoannopoulos
The Mary Jane Society is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a marketer and publicist specializing in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to talk about your business strategy or to explore working with her at pam@TheMaryJaneSociety.com.
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Thank you to this show's sponsor: ARVANNA ( https://arvanna.com/ )
Ruben Lindo is well known as someone working hard to make sure that everyone gets a fair shake in the cannabis industry. He started down the path of medical school and ended up developing a CBD-based product to help his daughter battle a disease that was causing her hair to fall out. It worked and that's when he launched Phoenix Nutraceutical. He went on to start a THC brand in Michigan called Balk Mar Farms and is eyeing his home state of NY for his next venture. But that won't be for a while given the mess NY is in with their cannabis rollout. Ruben has so many irons in the fire and has his heart in the right place.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruben-lindo19/
https://herbncouture.com/
https://blakmarfarms.com/
Show Sponsor: ARVANNA, a leading private label CBD and rare cannabinoid manufacturer of edibles, topicals, and tinctures.
Interview with Gary George, CEO of The Real Canna Consulting
From a long career in the music industry as a recording rap artist, audio engineer, and marketing agency owner, Gary George stepped into the cannabis industry when his son asked him for help applying for a NJ dispensary license. He ended up consulting and writing applications for other social equity entrepreneurs and launched a yearly conference to support their business growth called The Real Cannabis Entrepreneur. It's a two-day business boot camp and will have its 5th show in Newark, NJ, on October 4th and 5th.
Gary knows the NJ cannabis industry inside and out. and shares hot tips on how to navigate the marketplace.
Listen in!
Gary George, founder of The Real Cannabis Entrepreneur Conference in New Jersey.
Jaime Gorman and Laurel Mason. Two great women from Upstate NY that love making bubble hash and have jumped into the gummy game by launching hash rosin gummies in NY (Soccer mom alert!). They are self-taught and inspired by the late Frenchy & Madame Cannoli, Mila the Hash Queen, among others. Solventless extraction products have been very popular on the West Coast for years, and NY is about to catch up thanks to these ladies from Highland Goat.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/highland-goat/people/
https://highlandgoat.com/
Today we meet Robert Beasley, the CEO of Fluent, a Florida-based vertically integrated cannabis company with operations also in Pennsylvania and Texas, and more on the way.
He felt his company missed out on opportunities the last two years when the rest of the industry was flying high, and MSOs were scooping up licenses in a state-by-state expansion frenzy. But, actually, Fluent may have dodged the bullet.
While companies were on a spending spree, Robert was brought in to restructure Fluent and scale down operations. Now, as the rest of the industry is tightening operations, Fluent is fiscally sound and has its eyes on expansion. Hit play to hear more.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-beasley-1972fluent/
https://getfluent.com/dispensaries/
Today we meet Hayley Dineen and Lana Van Brunt, the ladies behind the cannabis lifestyle brand and design company Sackville & Co. They both have years of experience in luxury product design and brand development. They stepped into the cannabis y introducing a line of accessories that speaks to the Gen-Z and Millennials. And they have forged partnerships with the likes of Sundae School and Playboy to create cannabis branded accessories.
We talk about their approach to branding a whole new industry and how they are helping cannabis users learn to have a new relationship with the plant now that we don't have to hide our stash in drawers. We talk about the different consumer archetypes in cannabis and the opportunities to reach them through branding.
https://sackville.co
Universities across the country are working in all areas of research and development to advance cannabis cultivation, medicine, drug delivery and technology. But these innovations are collecting dust because universities are not in the business of business and taking products to market.
Today we meet Lance Anderson he is a partner at the law firm Dickinson Wright and is uniquely positioned to play matchmaker to research universities, entrepreneurs, and VC s to help them create partnerships and uncover cannabis innovations they could adopt through partnerships.
Mr. Anderson has a technical background in life sciences, including proprietary plants, genetics, and plant-derived products. He also served as in-house counsel and lead IP attorney for both a large public research university system and an early-stage venture capital company, overseeing numerous facets of research and development enterprise and intellectual property development, management, and commercialization.
https://www.dickinson-wright.com/our-people/k-lance-anderson?tab=0
https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-lance-anderson-b6175a2/
Sensory science is the next step to elevate product development for cannabis brands. Today we meet Dr. Ed Szczygiel. He is an expert in sensory science and head of product development at Cambium Analytica, where he partners with cannabis brands to create products based on sensory science.
Ed has created one of the first Cannabis Aroma Lexicons to assist brands in developing unique and standout products based on sensory science. He claims that terpenes are just one class of hundreds of aroma-active compounds in cannabis. Lets meet Dr. Ed to learn more.
Cambium Analyticais a leading research organization focused on leveraging its expertise in drug discovery and method development. It is a research partner for new innovative companies in the botanical medicines space.
New research suggests that cannabis products are well-situated to become luxury goods. Our focus is on applying analytical techniques in combination with sensory, product development, and consumer research to drive advancement in natural product quality and innovation.
Cambium Analytica created a Cannabis Aroma Lexicon to assist brands in developing standout products (luxury) based on sensory science analytics. They want to streamline the public perception of what constitutes a high-quality cannabis product and how it affects you.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-szczygiel-0a304848/
https://www.cambiumanalytica.com/
Today we meet Corinne Devine, a biochemist and Director of Lab and Product Development for Bristol Extracts, a cultivation, processing, and manufacturer in Upstate NY. Corinne walks us through the seed-to-sale operations for their Senior Moment product line. Why they chose to focus on seniors and how their products are specifically formulated for this demographic and how they are rolling things out in NY!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinne-devine/
https://www.bristolextracts.com/
Franny Tacy is laying the groundwork in Asheville, NC, for when the state turns recreational. She began as a hemp farmer, added a 420-friendly B&B to her property, opened a handful of CBD stores, started a franchise that spans multiple states, and has a line of hemp-based pasta she said she can't keep in stock. Franny is a smart and strategic businesswoman diversifying and waiting for the cannabis industry in North Carolina. Let's see how she is doing it.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/franny-ta...
https://frannysfarmacy.com/
Today we dig into the science behind cannabinoid treatment for the elderly with Dr. Swathi Varanasi. She is an Integrative Health and Medical Cannabis Pharmacist and the co-founder of CBD company Element Apothec. She has spent significant time educating providers and physicians, speaking at events such as the Cannabis Science Conference to, lecturing at pharmacy schools and medical schools, and working with organizations like the American Psychiatry Association and National Kidney Foundation.
Available on all major podcast platforms and YouTube: https://bit.ly/3Iw3FSt
https://www.linkedin.com/in/swathi-varanasi/
https://elementapothec.com/
Thinking about regulations is the least sexy part of the cannabis industry, says CEO Marion Mariathasen of Simplifya. But it's necessary for cannabis businesses to use compliance tools to stay one step ahead of regulators. We discuss the repercussions and how easy and cost-effective it is with tools like Simplifya.
We talk about their challenges, partnerships, and the work they are doing with regulators and banks in preparation for national legalization.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marionmariathasan/
https://www.simplifya.com/
Is New York State doing social equity entrepreneurs a favor by putting them first in line for cannabis business licenses that will cost them millions to launch? It's clear from the recent news that CAURD license holders signed a public letter claiming their extreme concern about the state's fumbled role out of the social equity program.
Meet Dezo El, born and raised in the projects in Brownsville, Brooklyn, a legacy grower, cannabis activist, and someone who has served time because of it. Dezo wants to participate legally in the industry and benefit from the plant that unjustly jailed many in his community, but, he realized the high financial risk it would be if he tried to open a dispensary or cultivation facility. He decided to take things into his own hands to enter the legal market without NYS's help and the exhorbitant cost to participate.
He obtained a hemp nursery license and opened a storefront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and hopes to enter the recreational market once he builds his brand, BMilk Grow Supplies. He gives classes twice a week on how to grow cannabis at home and sells all the supplies you need to get started.
He aims to provide the tools to people who can benefit from cannabis but can't afford it by educating them on how to grow it.
WWW.BmilkGrowSupplies.com
Today we meet Willie McKenzie, founder and CEO of Left Coast Holdings, a vertically integrated operation in Michigan. He started growing in the medical market in Northern California, but after building a costly cultivation infrastructure in preparation for the recreational market, he discovered that his property was not properly zoned. This decreased the value significantly, and in addition to the taxes and regulations, Willie decided to uproot his business to Michigan, where everything was more affordable.
It was good move because he now has a vertical operation with three dispensaries and is surviving the downturn of the Michigan market.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-mckenzie-ceo/
https://www.leftcoastholdings.com/
Nathan Johnson, CEO of Verne Bioanalytics, an innovator in cannabis genetic and pathogen testing and analysis. They work with seasoned and new cultivators to educate them on the dangers and pitfalls of pathogens, and they help cultivators obtain the cannabinoid genetics they are specifically looking for.
Nathan is also the CTO of the company Cannabisque. They are building a database of known cannabinoids based on scientific literature and cataloging their effects on the body. They use AI to create a label for products based on its COA to show how the product may work in your body. More precise than other platforms documenting user experience for specific products.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-t-johnson/
https://vernebio.com/
https://www.cannabisque.org
What Does It Take To Start A Cannabis TV Channel?
A few have tried, but the industry was too new, and the general public was still adjusting to cannabis being legal.
Today we meet Kerri Accardi, she has been documenting the cannabis industry since 2014. She has knocked on the doors of mainstream networks and made deals with the likes of CBS to produce educational cannabis content. Kerri talks about how she launched Cannected TV, the challenges she faces, who she is working with, and her plans for the future of cannabis TV.
There are many challenges to getting the cannabis industry off the ground, and one is getting doctors on board to study the endocannabinoid system. But getting overworked doctors to study is a challenge.
After working for 15 years in a VA Hospital treating many veterans whose health and wellness had been compromised by alcohol abuse, Dr. Jordan Tishler, a Harvard-educated medical doctor, started to explore cannabis medicine as an alternative treatment. Today he is a cannabis activist and practicing cannabinoid specialist.
He started InhaleMD, where he and his team treat patients through cannabis therapeutics. And he is the President of The Association of Cannabis Specialists.
https://inhalemd.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-tishler-md/
Ben Gilbert was a journalist and editor at the Business Insider newspaper before he burned out on the work and pivoted to cannabis to start the media company ALL CAPS™, where he specifically works with the LEGACY market in New York.
Ben said that All Caps is not only a MEDIA AGENCY that produces EVENTS, GHOSTWRITING, MARKETING and PUBLIC RELATIONS but an incubator or accelerator program that helps the person growing weed to be a person who is operating a legitimate company.
Ben kicked off All Caps last year with the inaugural NY Growers Cup that was featured in the NY Times.
Ben also gives us a recap of his trip to Barcelona for Spannabis.
https://www.thisisallcaps.com/what-is-all-caps
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminrgilbert/
What does it take to go from legacy to legal in Arizona?
Meet Chris Martin, he grew up in foster care in Kansas and moved to Arizona, where he was busted for cannabis, served time, and had another brush with the law and faced life in prison.
Most people would crush under these circumstances, but Chris fought back for himself and his family. He now owns multiple cannabis CPG brands, a non-profit, and was recently awarded licenses for a vertical operation in NM. He claims Arizona is not welcoming to mom-and-pop or legacy operators because operating costs are prohibitive for anyone other than a well-funded corporation. Lots to talk about!
Www.ChrisMartinstory.com
Www.zonkamiles.world
HempfulfarmsCBD.com is our CBD website
Www.ogzonka.com is our cannabis brand website
2019-Www.hatersmakemefamous.com is our podcast/book/documentary
Today we speak to Joe Schafer, a lawyer with Lippes Mathias Law Firm in Buffalo, NY, for his insights into how entrepreneurs are dealing with the states slow industry rollout. We talk about the legal injunction holding up social equity licenses, and why Upstate NY urgently needs dispensaries open for farmers and brands to sell their products and to get money flowing through the marketplace. Farmers are sitting on 300,000 pounds of cannabis crop from their last harvest and are at risk of losing one billion dollars in resale value if they don't sell it.
Meet Joe Schaefer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-schafer-63339a90/
Joe's Law Firm: https://www.lippes.com/
If you have a website and running an e-commerce business, you need SEO to drive website traffic and build brand awareness. I interviewed Efrain Sanchez, CEO of Growth Logiq, a cannabis-focused SEO company that will get your brand ranking high on Google. We talk about:
- How to make Sure Your Website Content Has Topical Authority on Google.
- The lack of content quality in the cannabis space.
- How websites are killing their SEO with duplicate content.
- The importance of knowledge graphs.
- Symantec keyword research tactics and more...
https://growthlogiq.co/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/efrain-sanchez/
Today our guest is Thanisorn Boonsoong, the young CEO of Eastern Spectrum Group. He is from a family of manufacturers at the helm of one of Thailand's few integrated hemp cultivation and manufacturing facilities. They plan to lead the world in producing industrialized hemp and to be Thailand's top-producing seed-to-sale CBD manufacturer.
Nohtal Partansky is a former NASA engineer turned cannabis entrepreneur who raised a few million dollars to start his company, Sorting Robotics.He invented a patent-pending infused pre-roll machine and recently introduced automated robot machines that can fill and cap vape pens.
My favorite part of the conversation was when he explained how infusing pre-rolls changes the physics when it burns, and how he sees the market moving toward rosins and why you get the most out of rosin when infused in pre-rolls.
Nohtal explains how highly variable IOT manufacturing is the future and his plans to build it.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nohtal/
https://www.sortingrobotics.com/
Today our guest is Tanya Griffin, CEO of OhYess, a CBD sex product, and Uh Huh Honey, a patented process that produces CBD honey by feeding cannabis to bees. Before she started the two CPG brands, she opened and sold multiple dispensaries in Illinois and other states. She also heads Water and Trees Cannabis Consulting based in Denver.
And finally, she recently found time to launch a nonprofit that distributes free Narcan, a life-saving Fentanyl overdose treatment.
Wow, lots of experience and advice from Tanya.
Water + Trees Cannabis Consulting
Tanya Griffin LinkedIn
oOHYes
Our guest today is Sarah Hashkes, head of scientific research into psychedelics at Red Light Holland and CEO of Radix Motion, a technology company advancing psychedelic research.
Sarah talks about her research into how VR and psychedelics can increase plasticity in the brain. Her and her team at Red Light Holland are ahead of science in understanding psychedelics. Listen to the latest episode to take a deep dive into the newest tech in psychedelic research.
Tune into a fascinating conversation!
http://radixmotion.com/
https://redlight.co/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarit-sarah-hashkes-4a86b977/
Today we meet Ryan Douglas, a sought-out expert on cannabis cultivation. Before launching Canopy Growth's cultivation program, he spent 15 years cultivating flowers and hydroponic vegetables. He started his own consulting company, advising others on building and operating cannabis cultivation facilities.
We talk about how to get clean, quality genetics, costs to build out a cultivation facility, how to make your grow stand out, and the importance of automating post-harvest production, to name a few.
https://douglascultivation.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandouglascultivation/
Ryan's book: From Seed To Success: https://douglascultivation.com/seed-to-success
Today we meet Ryan Douglas, a sought-out expert on cannabis cultivation. Before launching Canopy Growth's cultivation program, he spent 15 years as a cultivator or flowers and hydroponic vegetables. He went on to start his own consulting company advising others on building and operating cannabis cultivation facilities.
We talk about how to get clean, quality genetics, costs to build out a cultivation facility, how to make your grow stand out, and the importance of automating post-harvest production to name a few.
https://douglascultivation.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandouglascultivation/
Ryan's book: From Seed To Success: https://douglascultivation.com/seed-to-success
today we meet Beer, a legacy grower in Thailand who is a leader and hero for cannabis farmers. When he became tired of the underground hustle and decided to become a Monk, it wasn't long before the Minister of Health recruited him to help the government usher in the cannabis industry. He is given the authority to license farmers and train them in cultivating cannabis.
Beers operates his own grow facility and dispensary in Bangkok and is on a mission to keep foreigners and illegal imports at bay until Thai farmers can get a head start on the industry.
https://www.highthailand.com/
https://sukhumweedindustries.com/
Today we meet Beer, a legacy grower in Thailand who is a leader and hero for cannabis farmers. When he became tired of the underground hustle and decided to become a Monk, it wasn't long before the Minister of Health recruited him to help the government usher in the cannabis industry. He is given the authority to license farmers and train them in cultivating cannabis.Beers operates his own grow facility and dispensary in Bangkok and is on a mission to keep foreigners and illegal imports at bay until Thai farmers can get a head start on the industry. https://www.highthailand.com/https://sukhumweedindustries.com/
Today we meet Kate Miller, CEO of the popular Miss Grass pre-roll brand which is now in 5 states and moving across the country as they continue to build national brand awareness. I talk to Kate about their recent move to NJ. She tells us you need to be boots on the ground developing relationships in the store with budtenders, buyers, the community, and the end customer to build a brand successfully. She believes in-person and digital marketing needs to be part of the overall strategy to build a brand successfully.https://missgrass.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-miller-1352a418/
Lisa Weser had a long career in the alcohol industry as a public relations professional. She transitioned into the cannabis industry and is making a name for herself as the CEO of TrailBlaze Public Relations.Lisa and I talk about the different PR tactics working for her clients, tips on working with reporters, and how psychedelics are outpacing cannabis in media interest. Lisa gave us great insights on how to use public relations to build a brand and get noticed.https://trailblaze.co/https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaweser/
Our guest today is a contributing writer to the very popular HighThailand.com and goes by the pen name Mendel Menachem.
High Thailand is quickly becoming the go-to for reviews of dispensaries and strains in the country.
We talk about the government's position on cannabis, how the first legal harvest produced great weed, how legacy farmers are flourishing LEGALLY, the cannabis culture in Thailand and the opportunities for foreigners to enter the marketplace.
www.highthailand.com Instagram: @mendel.high.thailand Instagram: @high.thailand
Today we talk to Terry Buffalo from Buffalo Cannabis Advisors to discuss the serious issue of debt financing and how it may cause widespread consolidation if the Safe Banking Act doesn't pass to provide refinancing solutions.
Terry has over seven years of hands-on experience in the cannabis industry and a long career as a Wall Street junk bond trader in his previous life.
Terry believes cannabis companies can utilize corporate bonds to avoid industry consolidation and manage funding and debt issues creatively.
https://buffalocannabisadvisors.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-buffalo-a1a85414
Consumption lounges are emerging as the next step in normalizing the cannabis industry. Entrepreneurs and innovators are trying to figure out the concept based on vague and unwritten laws governing the lounges.
But, one company is forging ahead to set the standard for how you consume cannabis in a lounge.
Today we meet Wendy Forwell, CEO of Zenco, to find out why consumption lounges around the WORLD are knocking down their door to buy ZENCO. And they haven't even been in business for a year yet.
https://thezenco.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendy-forwell-1310a3196/
Seattle-based vape company HEYLO was recently named one of the top cannabis brands in the country by data company Pioneer Intelligence. Heylo is led by chemist Lo Friesen who started the company when she was 25.
Heylo specializes in high-terpene, full-spectrum cannabis extracts for their well-known vapes.
Lo and I talked about Extraction, chemistry, the dangers of vapes, how to start an extraction business, and Heylo's expansion plans. https://www.heylocannabis.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/lo-friesen
Our guest is Mike Zaytsev. He is the Director of Cannabis Degree Programs At LIM College in NYC.
Mike is at the helm of one of the country's first cannabis college degree programs, and he recently published a book called How to Succeed in Weed According to 50 Industry Insiders. And his wildly popular networking event, High New York, draws a huge crowd in the NYC cannabis scene.
Meet one of NY's cannabis movers and shakers, Mike Z.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelzaytsev/
Our guest today is Elana Cohen, she is a 13-year public relations practitioner who worked for various agencies and is starting her own PR firm specializing in the cannabis industry called Tree Of Life PR. Today, Elana gives us great insights into how she approaches working with clients and the different public relations strategies available. Let's meet Elana to learn the ins and outs of launching a PR campaign.
https://www.treeolifepr.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/elana-naomi-cohen/
Michael Sassano, CEO of Somai Pharmaceuticals, a European pharmaceutical, and biotech company centered on manufacturing in Lisbon, Portugal says the data is clear. The US may have more research funds, but they are stymied by the lack of legalization and Europe is about to take the lead on testing and clinical trials.
Michael is one of the most respected executives in the pharmaceutical cannabis space today. And he is celebrated in mainstream business and biopharma media as an international authority on developing large-scale cannabis infrastructures throughout the world and the most advanced pharmaceutical cannabinoid products.
He is also widely respected for successfully predicting long term cannabis market trends and movements, which he generously shares in many forums.
https://www.somaipharma.eu/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelsassano3/
If you are following cannabis news in NY, you probably have heard of Brad Racino, he is the editor for NY Cannabis Insider, It's the go-to publication to learn what's happening in NY.
With a background as an investigative reporter, he covers everything and everyone that has to do with the launch of the industry in NY.
Brad is an early mover in the state and has his finger on the pulse. Not only is he reporting on the state's progress, but he is also leading the charge by organizing informational and networking meetups for social equity entrepreneurs.
Let's meet Brad for some quick takes on what's happening in NY.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradracino https://www.newyorkupstate.com/cannabis-insider
Today we meet Lara Fordis, a cannabis market research expert and CEO of Fordis Consulting.
Lara explains how cannabis companies rely on retail data alone for market research, but it doesn't tell the whole story. She tells us the additional market research you need to make informed decisions about your product development.
Lara claims bad research is worse than no research because it gives you a false sense of security. She talks about the "invisible shopper" and how they influence the retail data without being there.
Fordis Consulting will help you nail product development with the proper market research. Let's listen in...
https://fordisconsulting.com/about/
Are you a cultivator or extractor looking to build brand awareness? Consider launching a pre-roll brand. According to Harrison Bard, CEO of Custom Cones USA, it's easier than you think and pre-rolls are the most customizable product categories in cannabis.
Harrison gives us many tips and tricks on how to turn a simple pre-roll into a brand-building catalyst by adding a unique type of filter or shape or size or a multi-pack format. Custom Cones is always innovating and was the first to release a hemp-wrap blunt cone and a tube-shaped preroll product.
Custom Cones USA is a leader in not only manufacturing preroll cones, but they are also experts with lots of great ideas on what makes an outstanding preroll. https://customconesusa.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrisonbard
Dre Neumann is a Grammy-winning photographer and the Chief Creative Director for multi-state operator Jushi Holdings.
Dre uses his experience as a photographer, filmmaker, and collaborator in the rock n roll industry to influence his creative approach at Jushi. He likes to mix cannabis with art, performance, and curated designer products to make Jushi dispensaries the heart of the cannabis culture.
He's handled partnerships with actors like Colin Hanks and is about to launch a new art exhibit in collaboration with Josh Homme from the rock band Queens of The Stone Age.
We dug into who the Jushi customer is, his vision for retail experiences, searching for diamonds in the rough, and their effort to support mom & pop brands.
https://jushico.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dremenator/
According to Interpol, South Africa is the 4th largest illegal cannabis exporter in the world. And if the country can get it together, they have the potential to legally supply the world with high-quality cannabis AND save its crumbling economy.
Helping the country get in the game is Trenton Birch, a former music and advertising executive who, aside from Oaksterdam, has started one of the first full-on cannabis academies called Cheeba Africa.
Trenton talks about the challenges and opportunities to make Cheeba Africa Academy a world leader in cannabis education.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/trentonbirch https://cheebaafrica.com
You may have heard about the “The North American Weed Tour" put on by the marketing agency, Respect My Region.
I interviewed its co-founder, Mitch Pfeifer, to find out how they assembled a network of judges to review hundreds of cannabis products across the country to help consumers connect with brands.
Respect My Region has worked with clients in both the music and cannabis industry including the likes of STIIIZY, Jungle Boys, Cookies, Weedmaps, Xzibit, The Cure Company, Wyclef Jean, and countless others.
Let's check in with Mitch to hear how things are going halfway into their North American Tour.
https://www.respectmyregion.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitch-pfeifer
As the government lags behind on regulating consumption lounges, infused cannabis events are quietly becoming the hottest ticket in town.
Chef Jordan Wagman is a James Beard nominee who is using his professional talent to experiment with cannabis as an ingredient. He curates and creates infused food and drinks experiences for brand activations and other events.
Jordon also has a sixth book on the way, and just returned from Europe speaking at events and advising others on the nuances of cooking with cannabis.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-r-wagman-4b568a10/ https://jordanwagman.com/
Cash was the most common way to buy weed before Covid hit...then everything changed. Stores closed and we were forced to buy online. We went from no one wanting to shop online for weed to everyone HAVING to shop online.
Dispensaries were not technologically capable of seamlessly merging retail and eCommerce sales because of issues specific to the industry like compliance and inventory.
Today we meet Jeremy Johnson, head of business development at Dispense, a B2B software company that offers a way to merge online sales with retail POS systems. He also explains how Dispense has an edge on their competition, Dutchie and IHeart Jane.
And how the industry is ready to use brands, strains, and product names to increase SEO website traffic, not 'dispensary near me' like everyone else is using.
Dispense: https://www.dispenseapp.com/ Jeremy/LinkediN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremystephenjohnson/
Are You Looking to Fund Your Cannabis Business?
I speak to Scott Jordan, founder of the Alternative Finance Network for the low-down on who is loaning money and investing in the mom-and-pop cannabis entrepreneurs. Spoiler alert- not many.
Scott has been brokering finance deals for the cannabis industry since 2013 and has relationships with all types of lenders, public and private. He has witnessed the industry's growth from the start of legalization in Colorado and knows how to navigate the minefields of securing financing for your business.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thescottjordan/
https://alternativefinancenetwork.com/
Today we meet Corey Burchman, Chief Medical Officer at Acreage Holdings, a multi-state operator acquired by Canopy Growth in 2019.
Corey is a nationally recognized expert on clinical cannabinoid therapeutics and has chaired multiple national conferences on the use of medical cannabis. He is an anesthesiologist and pain management physician with a career that spans over 35 years.
We talk about everything from Corey's role in educating lawmakers and the medical community on the health benefit of cannabis, product innovation, his work with veterans, and the current research on cannabis as a treatment for serious diseases like cancer.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-burchman-b99a7aab/ https://www.acreageholdings.com/about-us/
Jordan Lams, CEO of the popular brand Moxie, became aware of cannabis as an alternative medicine when his younger sister fought for her life battling Leukemia as a child and ultimately succumbed to the disease.
Later, Jordan began to work in the medical side of the industry in California during the early days when he became an advocate for the plant and its medicinal powers.
Today Moxie is winning licensing deals, has had a couple of successful exits, and has a partnership with a big MSO. Jordan talks about how Moxie is overcoming slim margins and onerous regulations as they navigate the marketplace and their expansion plans.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-lams-3b3987122/ https://www.enjoymoxie.com
Polly Lieberman and Liz Wald have impressive backgrounds in the technology world and are using their expertise to create a cannabis community at the intersection of cannabis 2.0 and web 3.0. They are the founders of thric3.io and are on a mission to normalize and help everyone navigate this new world of legalized cannabis.
Let's meet Polly and Liz to learn how they are actively taking on the challenge to build a cannabis community on Discord and in the Metaverse, to name a few.
witter @thric3offiical / Instagram @thric3official Email sign up => www.thric3.io
Merideth Mahoney is the CEO and co-founder of Lantern, a startup cannabis marketplace with an order-on-demand delivery service that was first launched in Boston and is quickly expanding to other cities across the country.
She partners with local dispensaries and delivery services to offer a wide selection of cannabis products available for purchase and delivery from the Lantern marketplace.
Merideth shares how she built Lantern from scratch and the tactics they use to drive brand awareness. Her goal is for consumers to 'think Lantern' when they want cannabis products delivered to their door.
https://lanternnow.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-mahoney/
Today we are talking to social media expert Amy Donohue. She co-founded Hybrid Social in 2015 to help cannabis entrepreneurs build their brands on social media.
She has been a guest speaker at MJBizCon, Emerge, and Imperious Expo trade shows, sharing her passion and expertise in building brands through social media.
Today Amy and I talk about how social media is the place to build brand recognition, community, and authenticity through storytelling ...not sales. Tune in to get insights on what it takes to build a social media strategy for your brand.
https://gethybridsocial.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydonohue/ amy@gethybridsocial.com
Guild Extracts is a California-based, artisanal producer of award-winning concentrates for the cannabis connoisseur. They specialize in small-batch, handcrafted “exotic” extracts that are known for their unrivaled potency, flavor, and aromatics.
I interviewed Claudio Miranda, the CEO of Guild Extracts, to learn about their patented extraction process, expansion plans, and how they are navigating the turbulent California market.
There is a reason that Claudio was named among 100 influential people to watch by High Times Magazine.
http://www.guildextracts.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbmiranda/
Today we meet Lisa Jordan, VP of Marketing for Canna Advisors. They help entrepreneurs apply for license applications and have a big focus on the NY marketplace.
Lisa joined me at the MJUnpacked show in NY to talk about the Pitch Deck contest they held and the entrepreneurs who participated in the Shark Tank-style event.
The lucky winner walked away with a sizeable investment as well as $150,000 worth of advisory counsel from the team at Canna Advisors. And they plan to make it a regular event.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisajordan2/ https://thinkcanna.com/
I got to sit down with two female founders I have admired from afar at the MJUnpacked show in NYC - Laura Eisman and Allison Krongard of Her Highness.
Her Highness is well on its way to becoming one of the first nationally recognized cannabis brands and they shared their road to success, the challenges, and what lies ahead. Listen in to meet the ladies of weed. https://www.herhighness.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-krongard-2798124/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-eisman-7302855/
Today we record the podcast from the floor of the MJ Unpacked show in NYC, where I met two brothers born in Bangladesh but grew up in NYC and left for Oregon 7 years ago to start their own craft cannabis company called Grasse.
I interviewed one of the brothers, Munib, and we talked about how they built their company and plans to expand into the NY market.
What struck me most about Munib was his absolute passion and knowledge of the plant and his plans to keep innovating in the space.
Listen in because you will learn a lot about the cannabis industry.
https://thegrasse.com/home/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/munib-bhandari/
Today we are on the floor of the MJUnpacked show in NYC with Jeffrey Hoffman. He is a NY lawyer, and I'm pretty sure he is the most qualified expert on the rules and regulations surrounding cannabis legalization in NY.
Jeffrey's legal practice focuses on clients in the cannabis industry and he has a particular interest in social equity license applicants. He also assists those convicted of cannabis offenses in getting convictions expunged from their record.
And he hosts the popular LinkedIn live show called 'Ask Me Anything About NY Legalization.'
https://www.420jurist.com/ Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/heavyj/) info@420jurist.com
Meet Kieve Huffman, co-founder of Engager Brands.
Kieve started his career in the music industry. And as cannabis was legalizing in California, he recognized the opportunity to combine his connections and talents in music to start a business in the emerging cannabis industry.
Learn how his team decides on a viable niche audience to target and the multi-layered approach they take to build a brand around it.
Kieve shares his methodology for building brands that target heavy metal music fans and other niche markets.
So many brands are going after the same audience, not Engager Brands.
Let's meet Kieve. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kievehuffman/ https://www.engagerbrands.com/
It took NJ lawyer Sarah Trent almost three years to acquire a provisional dispensary license in NJ. But, she is finally about to open her doors to Valley Wellness Medical Dispensary this Fall.
She also built an educational platform called NJ Cannabis Certified that partners with five NJ community colleges to provide a workforce development program for the cannabis industry.
Marijuana education is highlighted and prized throughout the Valley Wellness dispensary, focusing on making everyone informed and welcome. Let's meet Sarah to learn how she navigated the challenging waters of opening a dispensary in NJ.
https://valleywellnessnj.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-trent-06b1bb17/
Today we meet Ken Tays, the CEO of Green Leaf Marketers, a cannabis print-marketing company. We talk about old-school marketing tactics, specifically direct mail, and how it can help to build brand awareness and drive sales when many traditional marketing tactics are not available to the cannabis industry.
Ken brings 12 years of experience as a bank regulator and employs compliance personnel to help navigate the grey area of advertising cannabis in different states.
https://greenleafmarketers.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-tays-7ba2ba9/
If you're in the cannabis industry, you most likely have heard of George Jage. He is a leader in the trade show industry, took MJ Biz Con from a 20 table cannabis event, and elevated it to the highly regarded show it is today.
George recently introduced his latest iteration of trade show experiences and announced a new event called MJ Unpacked, which debuted last October in Las Vegas. The next show kicks off in NYC on May 18th.
MJ Unpacked is unique in that it is strictly geared toward bringing together CPG brands with investors and retailers. You must go through a vetting process to attend, and if you don't fall into any of these categories, you won't be allowed to participate in the show.
Let's hear more from George Jage and dig into his latest creation, MJ Unpacked.
https://mjunpacked.com/
Eric is a partner at Parlatore Law Group and very knowledgeable in many areas of the cannabis industry. He advises entrepreneurs looking to enter the industry, tells us what's holding up legalization at the federal level, and how the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment prohibits the U.S. Justice Department from interfering in the state-level medical cannabis industry to name a few.
Let's meet Eric to get his wise take on the state of cannabis.
https://parlatorelawgroup.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-postow-esq-39680013/
Today our guest is Eli Ben Haroosh, CEO of StickLabs, an Israeli company looking for a joint venture capital partnership to enter the US marketplace.
Imagine THC condensed into a toothpick that can be inserted into a blunt to increase THC and terpene levels.StickIt is selling the CBD version in 16 countries across Europe.
Listen to Eli's plans to bring Stickit to the global marketplace, including the US, on the Mary Jane Society podcast.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eli-ben-haroosh-880532184 https://stickit-labs.com/
Today we meet Jay Czarkowski, CEO of Denver-based Canna Advisors. Since 2013, Canna Advisors has guided entrepreneurs and startups entering the cannabis industry and cannabis companies looking to grow and expand their existing business.
Jay sees the North East as the next hotbed for innovation in the cannabis industry and recently set up a 2nd office in the Empire State Building. They are kicking it off with a Shark Tank-style Pitch Deck Competition, where the winner will receive a $50,000 - $500,000 investment if they ultimately receive a license from the state. The competition takes place at the MJ Unpacked event in NYC this May.
Let's meet Jay to get his take on the state of cannabis in the North East.
https://thinkcanna.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-czarkowski/
Because the cannabis industry is so new, little consumer data is available that can be used for digital advertising. And programmatic advertising is expensive to use if you don't have the data to back it up.
Today we will meet the team behind NXTeck. They claim to have the largest cannabis consumer database available in partnership with New Frontier Data.
NXTeck just released a way to track when someone clicks on a digital ad and consequently visits a dispensary to make a purchase. They can track a mobile device when it enters a dispensary and how long they stay.
Finally, a method for marketers to justify and track digital ad campaigns!
Let's meet the team behind NXTeck, Toby Harwood, and Max Moore.
https://newfrontierdata.com/nxteck/ (Toby Harwood) tharwood@newfrontierdata.com (Max Moore) mmoore@newfrontierdata.com
Today our guest is Nikki Lawley, a traumatic brain injury survivor who found a mobile app that helped her self-medicate with Cannabis and ultimately stop using prescription drugs. The App is Strainprint, a free medical cannabis journal available to patients across Canada and the US. Strainprint has evolved to become the largest real-world-evidence study and now gathers data across Canada, the United States, Australia, and Israel. Strainprint users journal their use of lab-verified cannabis products and learn which products provide the highest efficacy. This data is combined and analyzed with other anonymous app user data to learn how Cannabis impacts specific conditions and symptoms with people with similar health issues.
Because of this success, Nikki partnered with Strainprint to bring a Nikki and the Plant branded version of the app to the New York medical cannabis market. The data collected is generated by patients to help other patients. It is the analysis of this anonymized data that is going to unlock new therapies and improve the human condition. Strainprint has already published 9 peer-reviewed articles in well-regarded academic and medical journals and aspires to do more.
Nikki hopes the journaling app will advance clinical research of Cannabis to assist those with traumatic brain injuries.
https://www.nikkiandtheplant.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-lawley-aa281517/
Today our guest is Breck Speed, a longtime CEO in the beverage industry who has also been involved in the PET bottle manufacturing business. He shares the steps it takes to launch a cannabis beverage successfully and the challenges facing the industry.
Breck answers questions about choosing the right extraction technology to produce good flavor, bioavailability, and fast onset. He addresses the logistical challenges of bottling, packing, and distribution specific to the cannabis industry. And the economic difficulties caused by the restriction of interstate commerce.
Breck has plans to solve these problems with his new company, Farmington Research. Let's meet him to learn how he plans to do this.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/breck-speed-67ba527/ https://farmingtonresearch.com/
Today we explore why hotels are the perfect fit for a cannabis smoking lounge. We will meet Chris Chiari, the owner of Denver's 420 Hotel, and learn how he plans to monetize the lounge as an amenity to the hotel, how it will operate, and his vision to expand the concept across the country. Let's meet Chris.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-chiari-9b755188/ https://www.pattersoninn.com/
Today we meet Dawn Gordon. She owns a Five Star cannabis-friendly Bed & Breakfast located on her hemp farm in Maryland, called Fingerboard Farms. She's beating all odds facing hemp farmers across the country with her innovative ventures. She participated in a hemp research program at a local university, developed a line of CBD products, launched an eCommerce platform, started and adopt a hemp plant program. AND her latest plan is to bring FingerBoard Farms into the Metaverse. Let's meet Dawn from Fingerboard Farms to see how she does it.
https://fingerboardfarm.market/ https://www.facebook.com/FingerboardCountryInn/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnfgordon/
Today our guest is Jarell Wall, CEO of Gentleman Quinns, home to the High-Class Big Ass Blunt. Jarell and his partner, master bluntador, Austin Pflumm, are building a luxury brand in Colorado. They met as budtenders together in 2015 and saw a hole in the market for high-quality blunts. They convinced the dispensary owner to let them test a product using their unique hand-rolled blunts with no trim, no shake, no run, and no tobacco or nicotine. Let's find out how they are building a luxury brand in the Colorado marketplace.
https://www.gentlemanquinns.com/home https://www.linkedin.com/in/jarellwall/ instagram.com/gentlemanquinns twitter.com/GentlemanQuinns facebook.com/GentlemanQuinns
Today we meet Lisa Burke and Paris Caldwell. They are the Director of Retail and Operations for Redi, a Massachusetts dispensary located outside of Boston, and others in the works.
We had a chat about all that goes into operating a dispensary, from the challenges, marketing tactics, brands, tech stack, store design and layout, and their future plans. It was interesting to peek into their day-to-day operations and get an inside look at what it takes to operate a dispensary in Massachusetts. Let's meet Lisa and Paris.
Elana Frankel is a former editor for Martha Stewart Living, and now she is inspired to step into the cannabis industry and build her own house of brands. She started a magazine called Women and Weed, which sold in Whole Foods, CVS, and Barnes & Noble before turning it into a book that is sold through Simon & Schuster. Elana's introduction to the cannabis industry started when she discovered the healing power of hemp cannabinoids after a traumatic brain injury. Her self-prescribed concoction of cannabinoids brought the swelling down on her brain when doctors said it would take 1-3 years to treat successfully. It's a true and amazing story that shows the potential for cannabis plant medicine. Elana's recovery encouraged her to sell CBD products and that is when she launched the eCommerce site, Indigo & Haze. The latest addition to her empire is a grow kit + garden club ala Martha.
Meet Kaelan Castetter. He is vice president of the New York Cannabis Growers and Processors Association and founder of the Castetter Cannabis Group. A boutique firm specializing in government relations and lobbying advocacy for cannabis entrepreneurs. He helps them understand the legislation, forecast regulations, and develop a business plan around it. He's got his finger on the pulse in the NY cannabis marketplace. Come meet Kaelan to get his insights.
Michael Rivera is the owner of Better Days Delivery service based in Denver, Colorado. He is a legacy entrepreneur who was arrested and jailed at the age of 19 for possession of marijuana. But, now he is using his past knowledge to start a legal delivery service and geeking out on the industry, as he likes to say.
https://www.betterdaysdelivery.com/ https://www.instagram.com/betterdaysdeliveryco/ https://www.facebook.com/BetterDaysDelivery
Meet TILT's new Marketing Director, Amy Larson. Amy shares her approach to marketing the numerous brands and partnerships in the TILT portfolio. We also talk about their collaboration with the Shinnecock Indian Nation in NY and how it may set the standards for working with other Indian Nations as part of their social equity initiatives.
Today our guest is Philip Wolf. High Times has dubbed him the "Pioneer of the cannabis hospitality space." He is also a Rolling Stone Culture Council member. And the CEO and founder of Cultivating Spirits, it's a unique cannabis and food pairing private event experience.
These are just a few things Philip is doing -did I mention Cannabis Wedding Expos?
http://cultivatingspirits.com/cannabis-weddings/phil-wolf/https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipwolf1111/
Today, our guest is Craig Petersmark, owner of The United Green, a top cannabis staffing agency serving the cannabis industry, including cultivation Facilities, Transport, Extraction, Testing Labs, Manufacturing, and Provisioning Centers.
I was very enlightened to learn about all the nuances and support a niche staffing agency provides. Let's meet Craig. He has been in the staffing industry for over 25 years and knows a thing or two about it.
Meet Daniel Sharkey and Trei McMullen. They are partners in a security company called SYOTOS where they consult with entrepreneurs and MSOs to write their security plans for their cannabis license applications.
They also provide security plans and staffing for onsite cultivation facilities, dispensaries, and transportation. But, most importantly, they are veterans, and they hire veterans for security positions.
I was surprised to hear how many applicants overlook the need to hire security experts to write their security plans. Especially since it typically counts for 20% of the application's score. And, as Daniel points out, the competition is so fierce, you want to score 100% on the security section.
Contact: https://syotosllc.com Daniel Sharley: daniel@asymmetrix.solutions Trei McMullen: Trei.McMullen@syotosllc.com
Sheri Tarr is the Founder of '68Partners, a New York-based consulting firm that works exclusively with life sciences companies, cannabis brands, and license applicants to commercialize safe products and build sustainable businesses. A recovering lawyer, Sheri has been on the front lines of commercializing FDA-compliant brands for decades. Before transitioning into cannabis, Sheri worked for the pharmaceutical industry as a marketing executive, then flipped the script and became an attorney who held pharmaceutical companies accountable for deceptive marketing practices and defective manufacturing. Dubbed a "regulatory whisperer" by her clients, Sheri is passionate about helping cannabis entrepreneurs bring life-changing products to market-- and keep them there.
Contact: https://www.68partners.com sheri@68partners.com