High Fidelity: Recent Episodes
Bridget Conry
We are super busy preparing to open our retail store, so this week we are taking a little break and re-introducing you to Dan Pomerantz of Rebel Grown. Dan was our first guest on the show in Season 1 and our conversation continues to be one of our most downloaded episodes. We caught up with him recently to learn how things are going as he heads into his second outdoor harvest here in Vermont and where things stand with his social equity application. We’ll also give a sneak peek into our new retail experience coming soon to downtown Burlington.
Links:
Rebel Grown
Brio Coffeeworks
High Times
Rebel Grown feature in Grow Magazine
The Winter Breeding Project in Skunk Magazine
Vermont Cannabis Control Board social equity definitions
Jorge Cervantes
California Proposition 215
California Proposition 64
Show Notes:
0:00 Lift off
1:33 Our retail store update
3:00 We're hiring!
3:46 Dan's media and advocacy cred
5:43 Update on Rebel's upcoming harvest and Dan's social equity status
11:29 Intro to Episode 7 revisted
12:57 "Legacy" defined
14:29 An early relationship to cannabis
17:41 Dan's first trip to Vermont
21:36 Dan moves to Humboldt County
24:21 The origins of the Emerald Triangle
29:00 The birth of Rebel Grown
35:05 The draw back to Vermont
38:11 Rebel Grown's Tier Five license in Vermont
40:38 Dan's take on the application process in Vermont
43:05 Dan denied social equity status in Vermont
46:32 Rebel Grown's first offerings in Vermont
48:56 Dan's love for sharing genetics
51:06 Dan's vision for Rebel Grown as a lifestyle brand
55:48 Cannabis as the "connector"
Local, seasonal and decadent AF; that's chef and herbalist Fiona Lucia Genadio-Allen, and it's also what you can expect from her tantalizing array of products at Wolfpeach. Tune in to learn how you can tastily add tonic herbs and superfoods to your everyday selfcare routine while supporting your neighboring farms and makers.
Links:
Wolfpeach
Kori Gelinas, Medicine Womyn Healing & Apothecary
Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism
Zack Woods Herb Farm
generation herb
Perfect Circle Farm
Hillside Botanicals
Flag Hill Farm
Ballymaloe Cookery School
The Conduit
Little Duck The Picklery
First, Catch by Thom Eagle
Caiger & Co.
Trenchers Farmhouse
Urban Moonshine
Adam's Berry Farm
Burroughs Chocolate
Show Notes:
0:00 Lift off
3:07 What "craft" means to Fiona
4:43 Wolfpeach, the marriage of Fiona's herbal and culinary experiences
6:12 Fiona's herbal education
8:43 Fiona's culinary background
13:49 London as a food mecca
17:27 Wolfpeach takes shape at Vermont farmers markets
20:50 Sourdough pasta, labneh and jun
22:45 What's in a name? Wolfpeach explained
24:55 Food is political, consider the sources of your food
28:15 Oxymiels, the OG of tinctures
32:40 Herbal salts as a gateway to tonic herbalism
33:52 Electuaries, herb-fortified honeys
37:15 Farm shout-outs
39:35 Apple brandy tinctures
41:28 Raw Cacao as a medium for herbs
42:50 Tonic herbs defined and identified
45:30 Fiona's personal plant allies
46:36 Singing the praises of micro-dosing psychedelic mushrooms
49:20 Fiona's relationship to cannabis
52:45 Fiona's current selfcare practices
The good, the bad and the ugly; Bridget and Dave walk us through the cannabis wins and losses at the Vermont Statehouse this year. What comes next in 2024 plus, why the road to progressive cannabis reform dead-ends at the Governor's office.
Links:
https://silbermanplc.com/about/
https://floravt.com
Act No. 65 Summary
CCB Proposed Changes to Rule 2
CCB Guidance on Convention Displays and Event Sponsorships & Tabling
Notes: 0:00 Lift off,
1:10 Important updates on proposed changes to Rule 2.2.
5:33 Key legislators in support of cannabis businesses
8:51 Propagation license created
11:09 The "Charlotte provision", or the CCB's ability to override municipal control
12:43 Total THC content in edibles packages increased to 100mg
14:53 Commerce between different types of licenses expanded
15:37 Medical cannabis program improvements
21:49 Removal of DLL oversite of paraphernalia in cannabis retail
22:35 Vape tax removed on cannabis products
23:34 What didn't pass and why, Governor Scott's stance on cannabis
29:16 Projections for 2024 legislative session
32:17 Proposed changes to Rule 2.2.4, product restrictions based on shelf stability
35:38 Why the VT Dept. of Health needs to regulate cannabis kitchens and retailers
38:10 Proposed ban on cannabis products formulated with herbal supplements
41:58 Dave's thoughts on SAFE Banking and Federal rescheduling of cannabis
45:04 California market as a bellwether for the state of industry?
47:54 Inversion & diversion concerns in Vermont
52:25 Economies of scale and pricing in the Vermont market, 55:53 Vermont's protectionist perspective
Turns out it is screen time. Cary has been on the computer a lot this year as the CCB develops its own database for inventory tracking. He admits to “building the ship as we’re flying it” and speaks to the challenges of operating a system that went live without a teaching component in place, for staff or licensed operators. And what’s that about analyzing terpene profiles to establish terroir as a potential compliance data point? We’re listening....
Links:
VT CCB Cultivator Inventory Tracking Training Recording
VT CCB Emergency Rule on Synthetic and Hemp-Derviced Cannabinoids
Proposed Changes to Rule 2, the Regulation of Cannabis Establishments
NCS Analytics
Eurofins
Show Notes:
0:00 Lift off
1:12 Intro
5:22 Compliance assistance is a key component of the job
6:35 Compliance agents have geographic territories
7:14 Different types of compliance inspections
9:54 Is VT CCB's current staffing sufficient?
12:05 Licensees are biggest asset in keeping other licensees in check
13:26 Trends in violations
14:48 Easing advertising restrictions would free up time for compliance team
15:30 Status of inventory tracking system
18:00 NCS Analytics consulting agreement
19:00 Daily sales data to be available soon
21:10 Inversion & diversion in VT
24:25 Terpene profiles and terroir, a future compliance data point?
29:08 VT's emergency hemp rule explained
35:45 FDA pulling the rug out from under CBD market?
36:50 Proposed changes to Rule 2.2.4 explained
38:00 The need for DOH regulation of cannabis kitchens
40:00 CCB closing loophole for hydrocarbon extraction at home
43:20 The proposed ban on cannabis products containing nutitional supplements
47:05 What keeps Cary up at night?
48:00 Cary's plan for selfcare this summer
Bridget gets down and dirty on the benefits of green cleaning and sanitizing solutions with Anselm Doering of Ecologic Solutions. Anselm is a clean tech pioneer and respected leader in sustainability. In 2020 he was recognized as one of “70 Environmental Leaders You Should Know” next to Jane Goodall and Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia. He is now turning his attention to the cannabis industry, helping growers and manufacturers alike, address our industry's common pathogens. This episode is for all of you operators out there that want to be clean and green.
Links:
EcoLogic Solutions
Plant Envi
Medicinal Genomics
CannMed 2023
Pub Med Article: The Use of ECAS in Plant Protection
Show Notes:
0:00 Lift off
1:11 Welcome to Season 3 of the podcast
2:29 Introduction to Anselm and EcoLogic Solutions
5:15 Anselm's "Why"
9:36 The importance of having a "clean captain"
11:21 Absence of cannabis industry standards for cleaning and sanitizing
12:23 Anselm's focus on food and farming
13:28 ECA Technology defined
17:22 Applications of "Hypo" or hypochlorous acid
22:33 Environmental benefits of onsite ECA technology
24:20 Plant Envi, plant care from seed to harvest
28:28 Cannabis Industry applications of ECA technology
30:05 Hypo fog for pathogen prevention
31:00 Hop latent viroid
34:17 Call for early adopters of ECA technology
35:49 Improving crop value
40:29 Nature & nurture, Anselm's morning selfcare routine
The third and final episode in our three part series on how to navigate Vermont’s emerging cannabis marketplace. Episode 3 focuses on preparing for a positive cannabis experience; what you can do prior to consuming cannabis to set the stage for an enjoyable, targeted outcome. We also offer 5 Pro-Tips on how to possibly ease an uncomfortable high should it arise. A High 5 goes out to Charlotte’s Web™ for their deal with Major League Baseball and we share some quick hits on the licensing process in Vermont.
The second in a three-part series on how to navigate Vermont's new cannabis marketplace. Episode 2 focuses on quality and which questions you can ask budtenders in order to make informed decisions about your purchases. A High 5 goes out to President Joe Biden for his federal pardons on simple cannabis possession and Bridget checks in with John Sikes, Director of Retail Sales at Ceres Collaborative, to learn how the first week of retail sales unfolded at their store in downtown Burlington.
The first in a three-part series on how to navigate Vermont's new cannabis marketplace. Episode 1 explores our top 7 things you need to know to purchase and consume cannabis in Vermont.
The High Fidelity Podcast launches November 1st, 2022. Exploring the intersection of cannabis, integrative selfcare and the arts. Hosted by Bridget Conry, an herbalist, foodie, art-lover and cannabis entrepreneur based in Burlington, VT. Tune in for quick hits on the emerging Vermont cannabis marketplace, pro tips on how to incorporate cannabis into a healthy lifestyle and engaging conversations with members of the cannabis community; no hate in this space, just High Fidelity.