High Rise: Cannabis MSOs, Products & Market Analysis: Recent Episodes

Headset, Inc.

A laid-back, data-backed discussion on the cannabis market with notable industry leaders.

In this year-end edition of The High-Rise, Cy Scott (Headset) and Emily Paxhia (Poseidon) revisit their 2024 cannabis industry predictions to see where they hit the mark and where reality diverged from their forecasts. They delve into the growth (and growing pains) of key state markets—highlighting Ohio’s adult-use ramp-up, New York’s steady climb in retail availability, and the stalled progress in Florida and Pennsylvania. They also discuss the swirling uncertainties around hemp-derived THC products, as states implement—or contemplate—stringent regulations to keep these products out of unregulated channels and away from children.

Cy and Emily reflect on the year’s challenges, including the ongoing push for federal reform that has yet to materialize, and look ahead to 2025. Will next year bring long-awaited legislative clarity, or will states continue to forge their own unique paths in managing adult-use cannabis and hemp-derived products? Tune in to hear their insights, data-backed analysis, and predictions for what the next chapter of cannabis legalization might hold.

Topics Covered:

2024 Prediction Recap: Reviewing last year’s forecasts for Ohio’s adult-use sales, Florida’s ballot efforts, and Pennsylvania’s stalled legalization push.
Progress in Key Markets:
- Ohio: Adult-use launch and near-$100M monthly sales targets.
- New York: Steady increase in licensed cannabis retail and brand growth amidst ongoing legal and regulatory challenges.
Hemp-Derived THC Products: Exploring how intoxicating hemp sales exploded in 2024 and the ensuing state-by-state crackdowns on unregulated sales, with particular attention to recent actions in California, Texas, Tennessee, and Illinois.
State-Level Regulations vs. Federal Stasis: States forging ahead with their own rules to protect consumers, while federal reforms remain elusive.
Looking to 2025: Predictions on potential movement from the new administration, the Supreme Court case, and what evolving hemp regulation frameworks might mean for the broader cannabis industry.

If you’re looking for a clear-eyed, data-driven year-end wrap-up and a practical preview of the cannabis industry’s future, this episode offers valuable insights. Cy and Emily’s grounded perspectives will help investors, operators, and stakeholders navigate the uncertainty and identify trends to watch in 2025.

Show Notes:
- Headset Vapor Pen Data (Bringing the Receipts)

Headset

Cy & Emily return fresh (or maybe not so fresh) from MJ BizCon in Las Vegas to dish on their 25-second meetup, cowboys everywhere, and what happens when you mix cannabis conference attendees with rodeo folks and AWS techies! 🤠

Plus:

Green Wednesday numbers are in! Beverages went absolutely bonkers with a 130% spike (Cy may have helped with that...)
The scoop on a game-changing brand that's "making cannabis fun again"
Texas says "y'all need to stop" to thousands of hemp-derived THC stores
Canada flexes on the illegal market with some seriously impressive stats
Pennsylvania considers state-run cannabis stores (Emily has thoughts™️)

Fun fact of the episode: OnlyFans started as a recipe and DIY website! Who knew? 👩‍🍳

Bonus: Listen for Cy's attempt at a "news broadcast" sound effect - it's... something!

Join us for another laid-back, data-backed conversation about all things cannabis, from MSOs to LPs, products and market analysis. Whether you're an industry veteran or just cannabis curious, pull up a chair and hang with us! 🎧

cannabis #data #industry #MSO #retail #cannabisbusiness #MJBizCon

Show notes:
- CAKE: She hits different
- Headset's Green Wednesday Retailer Benchmarking Tool

Headset

If you have any information on a weed burrito, be sure to contact Washington Township NJ police department at 856-589-0330!

In this conversation, Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia discuss the significance of Green Wednesday in the cannabis industry, particularly during the Thanksgiving holiday week. They analyze sales data from previous years, highlighting trends in consumer behavior, discounting practices, and the impact of Thanksgiving on overall sales. The discussion also delves into promotional strategies that retailers can adopt to maximize sales during this period, emphasizing the importance of understanding consumer preferences and market dynamics. The conversation also touches on a humorous delivery incident involving marijuana disguised as food, and concludes with their personal plans for Thanksgiving, emphasizing the role of cannabis beverages in their celebrations.

Links:
- Weed burritos in New Jersey [ABC 27 News]
- Judge halts cannabis licensing in MN [Minnesota Public Radio News]

Headset

In this episode of The High Rise, Cy Scott and Emily Paxia discuss the latest developments in the cannabis industry, focusing on the implications of the Farm Bill and its potential revisions. They explore the impact of intoxicating 'hot hemp' products on the legal market and the ongoing legislative efforts to address these issues. Next, a look at Ohio's burgeoning cannabis market, analyzing sales data and the dynamics of local operators.

Links

Local Moratoriums for Ohio Adult Use Marijuana Operator (OSU)
Headset data presentation (Headset)

Takeaways

The Farm Bill's language may need revisions to address intoxicating hemp products.
Ohio's cannabis market is experiencing significant growth following legalization.
Local operators in Ohio are gaining market share despite overall market challenges.
The cannabis industry is still evolving, with many opportunities for growth.
Regulatory frameworks vary significantly by state, impacting market dynamics.
The importance of understanding local market conditions and consumer preferences.
Moratoriums on cannabis sales exist in various jurisdictions, affecting access.
The cannabis market is not a monolith; different operators have unique strategies.
The potential for job creation in the cannabis industry is significant.
Future legislative actions will shape the landscape of the cannabis market.

Sound Bites

"We're back, baby."
"Hot hemp?"
"Time will tell."

Chapters

00:00
The Farm Bill and Its Implications

15:51
Ohio's Cannabis Market Overview

18:23
The Growth of the Cannabis Market

24:42
Competitive Pricing and Market Dynamics

30:49
Understanding Moratoriums in Ohio

37:00
Community Impact and Economic Benefits of Cannabis

42:21
Looking Ahead: Future of the Cannabis Industry

46:20
hr-outro.mp3

Headset

The High-Rise Episode 162: Welcome Back to the High-Rise!

Join hosts Cy Scott (Headset) and Emily Paxhia (Poseidon) as they return to analyze October cannabis market data, discuss Q3 MSO earnings, and explore emerging industry trends. After a brief hiatus, The High Rise is back with data-driven insights on the state of the cannabis industry.

Episode Highlights
- Deep dive into October 2024 retail sales data across major markets
- Analysis of Florida's market decline and the impact of recent hurricanes
- Spotlight on New York's market growth and standout brands
- Q3 MSO earnings review and market performance
- Discussion of Florida's failed adult-use ballot measure
- New Zealand study reveals cannabis's impact on other substance use

Key Market Insights
- California maintains market leadership with $350M in October sales
- Arizona shows concerning 25% year-over-year decline
- New York continues strong growth trajectory
- Missouri stands out with ~8% year-over-year growth
- Florida sees significant declines across multiple product categories

Notable Brands in New York
- Ayrloom (Top performer in 4 categories)
- Off Hours (Edibles)
- Ruby Farm (Pre-Roll)
- Dank by Definition (Flower)
- MFNY (Concentrates)

Episode 141: Cannabis & Alcohol
The presentation data

Headset

Hey Headsetters, we're back with a new interview episode, this time with Verano's George Archos and Aaron Miles. We cover their wholesale strategy, a unique approach to loyalty and visions for the future. Listen closely and you might actually catch the date that Schedule 3 is scheduled to happen (not really).

In this conversation, George Archos and Aaron Miles from Verano discuss their company's performance in Q1 and their position in the cannabis industry. They talk about Verano's footprint, retail composition, and brands. They also discuss their focus on customer loyalty and the launch of their exclusive membership program, the Cabbage Club. The conversation touches on the growth of Verano's wholesale business, particularly in markets like New Jersey and Illinois. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities of opening doors in different markets and the importance of data-driven decision-making. The conversation concludes with a discussion about Verano's plans for expansion in Ohio and Florida. Verano Holdings is preparing for the launch of adult-use cannabis in Ohio and expects to see significant demand in both their stores and the wholesale market.

Takeaways

Verano has a sizable footprint in the cannabis industry and is celebrating its 10th year anniversary.
Verano focuses on high-quality products and has a range of brands catering to different market segments.
Verano places a strong emphasis on customer loyalty and has launched the exclusive membership program, the Cabbage Club.
Verano has seen growth in its wholesale business, particularly in markets like New Jersey and Illinois.
Opening doors in different markets can be challenging, but Verano has been successful by building relationships and offering unique, innovative products.
Verano is planning for expansion in Ohio and Florida, with expectations of significant sales growth in these markets. Verano Holdings is preparing for the launch of adult-use cannabis in Ohio and expects significant demand in both their stores and the wholesale market.
Verano focuses on creating their own brands rather than acquiring existing ones, but they may consider acquisitions in the future.
They are cautious about entering the hospitality aspect of the cannabis business, such as music festivals and lounges, due to regulatory hurdles and the difficulty of making the economics work.
Verano is excited about the potential benefits of rescheduling cannabis, including being treated like a normal business, accessing banking services, and improving their marketing capabilities.
They anticipate better polling numbers in Florida and potential news on Pennsylvania.
Verano is well-positioned for future opportunities and is focused on being prepared for inclusion in the capital markets.

Keywords

Verano, Q1 performance, cannabis industry, footprint, retail composition, brands, customer loyalty, Cabbage Club, wholesale growth, opening doors, data-driven decision-making, expansion, Verano Holdings, adult-use cannabis, Ohio, wholesale market, product offerings, acquisitions, hospitality aspect, regulatory hurdles, rescheduling cannabis, banking services, marketing capabilities, Florida, Pennsylvania, future opportunities, capital markets

Headset

In this conversation, Cy and Emily discuss the recent announcement by the DEA that they will recommend rescheduling cannabis to Schedule III. They explore the potential implications of this decision, including its impact on the capital markets, banking reform, and the ongoing Commerce Clause case. They also touch on the significance of this shift in the federal government's view of cannabis and the challenges that lie ahead in the implementation process. Overall, they express cautious optimism about the future of cannabis legalization in the United States.

Takeaways

The DEA's recommendation to reschedule cannabis to Schedule III represents a significant shift in the federal government's view of cannabis and acknowledges its potential positive benefits.
While rescheduling alone does not immediately change the criminality around cannabis or allow for uplisting and banking reform, it sets a strong foundation for future progress.
The rescheduling decision may pave the way for discussions on capital markets and banking reform, as well as potential memos from the DOJ and the impact of the Commerce Clause case.
The implementation process and potential challenges, including legal battles and administrative procedures, will play a crucial role in determining the actual impact of rescheduling.
Despite the uncertainties and challenges, there is a sense of cautious optimism about the future of cannabis legalization in the United States.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview
03:02 DEA Recommends Rescheduling Cannabis to Schedule III
09:26 The Trauma and Optimism of Cannabis Legalization
13:49 The Implications of Rescheduling
16:13 The Commerce Clause Case and Fair Application of the CSA

Keywords

DEA, rescheduling, cannabis, Schedule III, capital markets, banking reform, Commerce Clause case, implementation process, federal government, legalization

Headset

Watch out Florida Man, the new headline is going to be about the big numbers that Florida will be putting up in a post adult-use legalized cannabis world. Join Cy Scott (CEO of Headset) and Emily Paxia (Managing Partner of Poseidon) discuss the exciting news that adult-use cannabis legalization has been approved for the November 2024 ballot in Florida - how we got here and what it means.

Links:

Florida Amendment 3 Ballot [Ballotopedia]
Florida Supreme Court approves ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana [ Politico]

Headset

The commish is cracking down in New York, bringing the full might of the OGS to the legal cannabis market. Emily Paxhia and Cy Scott take a laid-back data-backed look at all the latest headlines coming out of New York -- good and bad!

New York Must Figure Out How to Fix Cannabis Mess, Hochul Orders [NYTimes]
Jenny's cannabis sales [Headset]
The Comish [Wikipedia]
Homeland Security, NYPD team up on cannabis smuggling investigation [Green Market Report]
Top state cannabis official Damian Fagon put on administrative leave following NY Cannabis Insider investigation [NYup.com]

Headset

Okay, so it's been a little while but we are back (by popular demand)! The High-Rise returns with an all-new episode where we discuss what's coming for the show this year, and cover the stories we think we'll be talking a lot about during this upcoming year.

New York City vs. Upstate, Ohio timelines, Vapor Pen sales continued rise and Hemp D9 THC is everywhere! It's good to be back.

Show links:

NYC vs. NY cannabis sales analysis [Headset]
Ohio is on schedule [FOX19]

Headset

We did it everyone, 2023 is done!! Well, for the High-Rise podcast anyway.

On this episode, Emily and Cy wrap up the year with a podcast episode discussing the significant growth and trends in the cannabis industry throughout 2023 and a look back at what was discussed throughout the year from 75 episodes worth of content! They wrap up the podcast and the year by thinking through 2024 and what is ahead for California.

Thanks to everyone who's been with us this year, I hope your 2023 was great and your 2024 will be even better.

Headset

In the latest High-Rise, Cy and Emily discuss the latest updates on cannabis legalization in New York and Ohio. They cover the settlement in New York and the approval of licenses for existing medical operators to transition into the adult-use market. They also discuss the disappointing progress of the cannabis industry in New York over the past year.

The bulk of the discussion is on the recently legalized Ohio, where they explore the recent legalization and the proposed changes to the law, including tax increases, home cultivation limits, criminal expungement, and more. They also touch on the potential impact of these changes on the Ohio market and the use of Luster Pods in the state.

Links:

https://www.headset.io/industry-reports/ohio-cannabis-market-overview
https://www.marijuanamoment.net/ohio-senate-marijuana-bill-keeps-criminalization-and-undermines-equity-despite-expungements-and-home-grow-advocates-warn/

Headset

New York is (probably) back baby! So, in our latest episode, we dove into New York's cannabis scene – and let me tell you, it's been a wild ride. We kicked things off talking about how New York's retail footprint in cannabis exploded by 2600% - that's going from 1 to 27 stores, which is huge, right? But there's a catch; it's still just 27 stores, and we've got thousands of unlicensed ones around.

We chatted about the CAURD program - that's the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary program. It's been a bit of a slow burn, honestly. There was this lawsuit from disabled veterans that really put things on ice. Now, there's a proposed settlement that might just shake things up, and we might see these stores finally opening up.

There's a lot of potential brewing in New York's cannabis market. It's about getting those doors open, making sure everyone's included, and maybe, just maybe, we'll see some serious growth. Let's keep our fingers crossed and see what unfolds!

Show notes:

Adult-Use License Types
$83M for 3Qs in New York

Headset

Hey all, hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

In this episode of the "High-Rise Podcast," co-hosts Cy and Emily delve into the intricacies of Green Wednesday in the cannabis industry as its happening, focusing on emerging trends, market comparisons, and the nuances of consumer behavior. They examine the distinct dynamics between markets like Missouri and California, highlighting the differences in discounting strategies and sales patterns. The episode further explores the impact of store closures and shortened hours on sales trends, offering a unique perspective on how these factors influence market behavior.

A significant portion of the discussion is dedicated to the evolving landscape of vaping in the cannabis industry. The co-hosts dissect the popularity of vaping among Gen Z consumers, emphasizing how this preference is shaping the market. They discuss the technological advancements in vaping, drawing parallels to the evolution of smartphones, and explore how these innovations are influencing consumer choices and preferences. The episode also touches on regulatory aspects and market compliance, providing a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities within the cannabis industry.

Headset

This episode explores 'whole day units' in Ohio's medical cannabis program and their impact on the market. Hosts Cy and Emily compare Ohio's cannabis regulations with other states, focusing on patient counts, dispensary numbers, and sales. They discuss Ohio's transition to legal adult cannabis use and speculate on its potential effects.

The conversation also covers Snoop's decision to quit smoking and its implications for the industry. A significant portion of the podcast is dedicated to 'Green Wednesday,' highlighting consumer trends and sales patterns in cannabis before Thanksgiving.

Show notes:

Washington's Dream on SNL
Snoop Dogg says he’s giving up smoking after years of marijuana use

Headset

Join Emily Paxhia and Cy Scott in the latest episode of High-Rise, where they unpack Ohio's surprising jump into legalizing adult-use cannabis. It's a big deal, not just for Ohioans, but also for the political chessboard.

The conversation then takes a turn into the world of cannabis heavyweights, diving into the Q3 financial drama of Multi-State Operators like Ascend, GTI, Terrasend, Verano, Trulieve, and Curaleaf. Emily lends her sharp expertise to dissect trends, successes, and the not-so-small matter of navigating the infamous 280E tax code. They also touch on the potential seismic shifts in federal policy and what this could mean for cannabis businesses.

Wrapping up, our hosts explore the evolving strategies of cannabis companies, showing us how the industry is growing up, getting smarter, and maybe, just maybe, figuring it all out. Whether you're deep in the cannabis game or just casually tuning in, this episode is a delightful blend of insight, analysis, and just the right touch of humor - perfect for anyone who enjoys a smart take on the ever-evolving cannabis industry. 🌱🎧

Show notes:

Ramaswamy's lame excuse for voting NO
What the heck is a buckeye

Headset

In this 150th episode of The High Rise podcast, hosts Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia celebrate milestones for the show and Cy's company Headset.

Headset recently processed its 50 billionth dollar in cannabis point-of-sale data, equating to nearly 1 billion transactions. They also launched a free tool called Brand Explorer that lets anyone search and analyze cannabis brands and their performance.

The hosts then discuss normalization and mainstreaming of cannabis, including Total Wine putting THC beverages on display in Minnesota and Green Thumb partnering with New York bakery Magnolia for cannabis edibles. They see these major brand crossovers as helping destigmatize cannabis use.

Headset Cannabis Brand Explorer
THC at Total Wine
GTI & Magnolia Bakery Collaboration

Headset

Join Emily and Cy as they host Darren Weiss, President of Verano as they discuss the genesis of the historic lawsuit filed against the federal government challenging cannabis prohibition under the Commerce Clause. The lawsuit argues that the federal government's current contradictory stance on cannabis - where it is illegal at the federal level but allowed and regulated in many states - violates the Commerce Clause by interfering with intrastate cannabis commerce.

The lawsuit is spearheaded by law firm Boies Schiller Flexner with support from a coalition of cannabis companies. Verano president Darren Weiss explains how the Commerce Clause was originally intended to regulate commerce between states, not commerce within states. He argues the federal regulation of intrastate cannabis markets contradicts the original intent.

Cy, Emily and Darren discuss how the contradictory federal policy impacts businesses of all sizes, from multi-state operators down to small social equity licensees. The lawsuit aims to open up banking, reduce tax burdens, and create fairness across the industry. While the case will likely take years to reach the Supreme Court, it represents a new front in the ongoing fight for cannabis law reform.

Headset

In this episode of the podcast, Cy and Emily dive into the latest pre-roll industry report from Headset. They discuss how pre-rolls are exploding in popularity, especially in Canada where they now make up a third of all cannabis sales.

Cy compares Canada's love of pre-rolls to Ned Flanders' Canadian counterpart and his fondness for doobies. The hosts talk about the growth of the connoisseur pre-roll segment, which has fueled much of the category's growth. They also touch on the rise of multipacks and some of the production challenges in scaling pre-roll manufacturing.

Show notes / links:

Headset Industry Report - Pre-Rolls: Analyzing category performance & sales trends
"They warned me Satan would be attractive." - Ned Flanders

Headset

In this week's episode, Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia dive deep into the shifting dynamics of the cannabis market. They begin with a closer look at Missouri, where the top 5 local cannabis brands are emerging strong, now accounting for almost 30%. What's fueling this rise, and what does it signify for other regional players?

The discussion then transitions to a recap of the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago. Cy and Emily recap the High Rise's first-ever live episode on stage at the event—a few key takeaways, and what a blast it was to podcast in front of a live audience. Emily also recapped on Meadowlands another industry event in Norther California organized by Meadow a leading point-of-sale tech platform in the industry.

Last but not least, they delve into the data, breaking down the sales metrics for cannabis in September. With their unique blend of expert analysis, casual banter, and a dash of humor, this episode promises to be both informative and entertaining for all listeners.

https://www.benzinga.com/events/cannabis-conference/

https://meadowplatform.com

https://www.headset.io/markets

Headset

We are live! Or, were live for that matter.

Cannabis pioneer Kris Krane joins the High Rise at Benzinga in Chicago to reflect on his 25+ year career. He discusses pivotal moments like legalization in 2012 and his shift from advocacy to industry. Krane also provides an insider perspective on dynamics shaping the Illinois market and future growth opportunities. Tune in for a fascinating, in-depth interview with one of the leading voices in the cannabis reform movement.

Headset

This week, Cy and Emily dive deep into the transformative shifts in the cannabis industry. The much-anticipated SAFE Banking Act is finally approaching a Senate Committee vote, a monumental step in ensuring the industry's legitimacy. But the progress doesn't stop there!

The Cannabis Users’ Restoration of Eligibility (CURE) Act aims to break barriers in federal employment due to marijuana use. Plus, with a majority of the US population now having access to adult-use legal cannabis, Cy and Emily ponder if we've reached the pivotal tipping point in cannabis acceptance. With parallels to the journey of gay marriage legalization, the momentum in the cannabis space is palpable.

As always thanks for streaming in with us here at the High Rise, if you like what we’re doing, or if you have any feedback about the podcast, please let us know by leaving a review at www.highrise.fm !

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/key-senate-committee-officially-schedules-marijuana-banking-vote/

https://www.fincen.gov/sites/default/files/shared/305326_MJ%20Banking%20Update%204th%20QTR%20FY2021_Public_Final.pdf

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/congressional-committee-will-vote-on-removing-marijuana-as-barrier-to-federal-employment-or-security-clearances/

https://www.mpp.org/news/press/states-surpass-$15-billion-in-tax-revenue-from-legal-adult-use-cannabis-sales/

Headset

In this episode, Cy and Emily discuss the shifts in Maryland's cannabis scene. They reference a Brookings Institute study which highlights surprising support for cannabis in the state's November '22 election. Interestingly, even traditionally conservative regions in Maryland backed the move to legalize cannabis, proving that the topic transcends typical political lines.

Maryland's approach to cannabis equity stands out. The state's decision to open its first adult-use marijuana license applications exclusively for social equity businesses is noteworthy. These changes also come with a new outlook on regulations, including the significant step of not allowing police searches based on marijuana odor.

On the sales front, Maryland has seen an impressive uptick in numbers, especially since recreational sales began. Price trends show increased costs in specific product categories, hinting at changing consumer preferences. The episode also sheds light on top-performing cannabis brands in Maryland, including the likes of SunMed, which has ties to the established Van Wingerden greenhouse legacy, and others such as Curio Wellness and gLeaf.

Tune in with Cy and Emily to get an insightful overview of the evolving cannabis market in Maryland.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/marylands-cannabis-politics-offers-insights-for-the-nation/

https://crabcakescannabis.com

https://www.headset.io/markets/maryland

On this episode of the High Rise Cy and Emily decide not to talk too much about the recent news of the U.S. government’s potential move to reschedule cannabis to a schedule III controlled substance. At this point there’s no need to pontificate amongst all of the speculation bouncing around the industry until we get a substantial update from the government…so stay tuned everyone!

Shifting gears, our hosts get into a thorough analysis of August's cannabis industry sales figures, putting a spotlight on some of the top brands making waves this month along with he following insights:

The overall market performance.
The competitive landscape in Maryland's burgeoning cannabis market after its second month of sales – Who's coming out on top?
A detailed breakdown of breakout brands, including the Elfbar clone in WA.
The varying performances of MSOs in wholesale across different markets, with a case study contrasting &Shine's journey in Nevada vs. Illinois.
An overview of top brands, basket trends, and a projection on how 2023 might wrap up for the industry.

Stream through to the end of this data-backed episode to get a good 360-degree view of the current state and potential future of the cannabis industry.

In this episode of High Rise, Cy and Emily delve into the unfolding narrative of Ohio's imminent cannabis ballot initiative. The hosts unpack the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol's journey to secure signatures, detailing the suspenseful race against time and the subsequent validation process. They outline the proposed legal framework, including the creation of a Division of Cannabis Control and a 10% sales tax on marijuana, with revenue dedicated to a social equity program.

By drawing parallels with Michigan's successful revenue model, Cy and Emily project a substantial market potential for Ohio. The hosts discuss the intricate balance between public sentiment and political opposition, providing insight into the potential influence of Governor Mike DeWine's stance on legalization.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWIhLmIiYzA

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/ohio-marijuana-legalization-measure-falls-679-signatures-short-of-november-ballot-but-activists-now-have-10-days-to-fix-that/

On this episode of the High Rise Cy and Emily paint a vivid picture of how cannabis brands are quenching their thirst for beer ventures specifically, Tilray purchasing eight beverage brands from AB/InBev. The discussion explores the implications of this cross-industry relationship on the evolving landscape of both markets. Our hosts also take a quick look into the recent Ohio cannabis legalization initiative that will make its way to the state’s November ballot. Stream the entire episode so you don’t miss a thing!

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/ohio-marijuana-legalization-initiative-will-appear-on-the-november-ballot-state-officials-announce/#google_vignette

Join Cy and Emily in an insightful conversation with John Hartmann, the new CEO of Ascend Wellness, as they delve into the dynamic world of leadership, strategy, and growth in the cannabis industry.

The discussion takes a deep dive into Ascend Wellness's strategic operations. John shares unique insights gained from spending extensive time at each of the company's dispensaries and cultivation facilities. The CEO sheds light on the impact of limited licenses in generating high revenue per store and discusses the strategic approach for states that are further from legalizing adult use. The conversation also touches upon Ascend's immediate near-term objectives for improvements across the company, with a focus on data-driven strategies and planning for market transitions from medical to adult use.

https://www.awholdings.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hartmann-821210/

Join Cy and Emily on The High Rise as they explore the dynamic landscape of New Jersey's cannabis program. In this episode, they begin by delving into the recent amendments made by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, prioritizing cannabis licensing for social equity applicants for three months starting September 27. The hosts discuss the implications of these changes, the focus on wholesale, distributor, and delivery licenses, and how it impacts diversely owned businesses.

The conversation continues as Cy and Emily address the grilling of the Cannabis Regulatory Committee of New Jersey before a Senate Judiciary Committee. Learn about the concerns raised, including cannabis accessibility to minors, the challenges faced by medical-only dispensaries, and the debate surrounding the state's expensive marijuana prices. They also shed light on Curaleaf's decision to reduce production amid claims of an ample marijuana supply in the state.

Discover the latest statistics and market trends in New Jersey, including the decline in the medical market and the impact on patient numbers. The hosts examine the state's current licensing status and the challenges posed by neighboring states' market expansion.

In this episode of The High Rise, Cy and Emily provide a comprehensive look at the state of Illinois' cannabis program, exploring recent modifications to 55 new adult-use licenses. Tune in as they discuss the key changes in the licensing process, the use of a lottery system for selecting winners, and the removal of residency requirements and bonus points for military veterans.

Our hosts also shed light on the challenges faced by entrepreneurs awarded licenses in raising necessary funds to open their stores.

Join the conversation on The High Rise as Cy and Emily delve into Illinois' social equity initiatives established by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). Learn about the technical and financial assistance provided to social equity applicants to level the playing field and foster their successful participation in the legal cannabis industry. Gain valuable insights into the criteria for social equity applicants and how these measures aim to support individuals and communities historically impacted by cannabis-related arrests and imprisonment.

As the episode continues, our hosts discuss Headset's Insights product launch for Illinois coverage, providing data on sales growth, category performance, and market trends in the state. Discover how Illinois' cannabis market has evolved over the years, its position as the third-largest market in the US, and the opportunities and challenges it faces amidst fluctuating sales growth.

https://dceo.illinois.gov/cannabisequity.html

In this episode of The High Rise, Cy and Emily dive into the intriguing phenomenon of THC inflation in the cannabis industry. They begin by addressing Organigram's recent earnings call, where CEO Beena Goldenberg highlighted the issue of falsely labeled cannabis products with exaggerated THC levels. Shockingly, nearly 50% of cannabis flower sales in Q3 were found to be labeled as containing 26% or more THC, a figure that has doubled in the last 10 months. The hosts discuss the impact of THC inflation on consumer trust, market dynamics, and the need for regulatory enforcement.

https://mgmagazine.com/business/retail-merchandise/edibles-trending-toward-high-potency/

In this episode of The High Rise, we delve into the latest news in the cannabis industry regarding a trademark infringement case. Tune in as we discuss the case involving the popular marijuana strain Zkittlez, which recently faced legal pressure from confectioner Wrigley, the owner of the Skittles trademark. Don't miss this episode that sheds light on the evolving landscape of intellectual property in the cannabis space.

https://mjbizdaily.com/wrigley-wins-lawsuit-to-keep-skittles-name-off-marijuana-products

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/weed-edibles-kid-friendly-packaging-doritos/#:~:text=Feds%20crack%20down%20on%20companies%20marketing%20weed%20edibles%20in%20kid%2Dfriendly%20packaging,-By%20Megan%20Cerullo&text=Edible%20cannabis%20products%20sold%20in,Federal%20Trade%20Commission%20said%20Wednesday.

https://www.leafly.com/strains/runtz

Join Cy and Emily as they uncover some of the buzz around Maryland's initial weekend of legal cannabis sales. Plus, get a nice little breakdown on 4th of July sales trends across the U.S. cannabis industry, delving into the evolving dynamics of cannabis consumption that occurs during this festive summertime holiday.

In this episode of The High Rise, Cy and Emily are joined by special guest Mitch Trellis, co-founder of Remedy, a leading retail chain in Maryland. Join them as they dive into an exciting discussion about Maryland's highly anticipated launch into adult-use recreational cannabis. Mitch provides valuable insights into the state's regulatory framework, market dynamics, and the potential impact of this milestone on the industry. Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the preparations, challenges, and opportunities that come with Maryland's transition.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mitchelltrellis/

https://remedymaryland.com

In this episode of The High Rise, Cy and Emily delve into the latest cannabis news and industry updates. They start by discussing the significant development that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is conducting an administrative review of cannabis scheduling, with plans to present President Joe Biden with a federal cannabis scheduling decision later this year, as revealed by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. Join our hosts as they analyze the potential implications of this review and its impact on the cannabis landscape.

Additionally, Cy and Emily address the recent news of the closure of HERBL, a prominent California cannabis distributor. They examine the reasons behind HERBL's shutdown and use it as a starting point to explore the broader concept of industry shakeouts. Our hosts shed light on how businesses in any industry, including cannabis, undergo natural cycles of restructuring and consolidation. Stick around to end of this episode as they discuss the lessons and implications of industry shakeouts for the cannabis sector.

https://hbr.org/1997/03/strategies-for-surviving-a-shakeout

https://www.benzinga.com/markets/cannabis/23/06/32884597/federal-cannabis-scheduling-decision-expected-this-year-says-bidens-health-secretary

In this episode of The High Rise, Cy and Emily explore the exciting developments surrounding Alabama's upcoming medical marijuana program. Join them as they discuss the state's journey, from the signing of the program into law in 2021 to the preparations for the launch expected this year. Delve into the details of Alabama's medical marijuana program, including the licensing process, product categories (gelatinous cubes any body?) its potential impacts, and the overall cannabis landscape in the state.

In this exciting episode of The High Rise, Cy and Emily bring their insights straight from New York City as they delve into the rapidly evolving cannabis market in the state. Joining them is special guest Jeffrey Schultz, an attorney and investor with extensive knowledge of the industry. Together, they explore and analyze the unfolding landscape of the New York cannabis market. From regulatory updates to investment opportunities, they provide a deep dive into how the market is taking shape and what it means for entrepreneurs, investors, and consumers. Don't miss this enlightening conversation that uncovers the dynamics and potential of the New York cannabis industry, exclusively on The High Rise.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyschultz/

https://mjbizdaily.com/cannabis-msos-set-to-enter-new-york-adult-use-market/

In this week's episode of The High Rise, Cy and Emily dive into the latest update on the SAFE Banking Act. Join them as they discuss the recent developments and insights gained from Emily's investigating the hearings in Washington D.C. Get an inside look at the progress and potential impact of the SAFE Banking Act on the cannabis industry.

In this special rerun episode, we're revisiting our conversation with US Representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina. Pulled from the archives, we sit down with Representative Mace to discuss The States Reform Act, a bill she introduced that seeks to remove cannabis as a Schedule I drug. We also dive into her personal journey in the cannabis industry and the potential positive impacts that cannabis legalization could bring to Americans in the future. Don't miss this insightful and timely discussion, exclusively on The High Rise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRKeDSsxqig&t=120s

https://twitter.com/donmurphy12a/status/1649101872710533140

This week on The High Rise, we're discussing recent bank failures and closures and their potential impact on the SAFE Banking Act. As more states legalize cannabis, the need for secure banking solutions for cannabis businesses becomes increasingly pressing. Join Cy and Em for a timely discussion on the latest developments in cannabis banking and the potential impacts on the SAFE Banking Act.

In this week's episode of The High Rise, we're covering 4/20, the unofficial holiday celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts worldwide. Join us as we examine the cultural phenomenon of 4/20 and its impact on the cannabis industry, including exclusive insights into sales numbers from Headset's Insights platform. Don't miss out on this highly informative and fun post 4/20 breakdown.

https://www.headset.io/posts/a-look-at-last-years-4-20

In this week's episode of The High Rise, we're thrilled to welcome back Andrew Carter, Director and Consumer Analyst at Stifel. Andrew joins us to delve into the latest notable moves being made by Canadian cannabis LPs (Licensed Producers) and to provide his expert analysis on these developments. Tune in for an insightful and engaging discussion on the current state and future of the Canadian cannabis market, exclusively on The High Rise.

https://www.greenmarketreport.com/canopy-growth-reaches-deal-on-c100-of-debt/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-17/toronto-exchange-fights-to-keep-stock-listings-in-canada-over-us?sref=jT1g8YPW&leadSource=uverify%20wall

In this week's episode of The High Rise, we're excited to welcome back Matt McGinley, a Managing Director at Needham & Company and a regular guest host on the show. With his wealth of cannabis industry analysis and financial knowledge, Matt joins Cy and Emily to dive into the latest earnings news from major industry MSOs, as well as insights into the current state and future of the cannabis market. With so much to unpack, you may want to listen twice to catch all the valuable info shared on this episode.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-mcginley-4827516/

https://www.needhamco.com/team_members/matt-mcginley/

So the market for T-shirts, hats, paintings and even motivational speeches is going to get a lot smaller in Washington D.C. and for good reason! They are finally building out their ‘adult-use’ market. For a city known for its dysfunction, the news this week on the new law around DC shows some meaningful progress.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/d-c-medical-marijuana-expansion-bill-eliminating-licensing-caps-becomes-law-following-congressional-review/

https://gentlemantoker.com/how-do-i-get-weed-in-dc#layout-xMmjzufsEgyeUlzz

https://www.businessinsider.com/district-derp-marijuana-washington-dc-dog-paintings-2020-5

https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2022/08/16/dc-crack-down-marijuana-gifting-shops

It seems like with each new legal adult use recreational market that opens up, there’s usually some kind of litigation involved—and the state of New York is no exception. On this episode of the High Rise, Cy and Emily shed some light on some of the drama happening in NY and why several major cannabis companies have had it with the way policy makers are trying to run things.

https://cannabis.ny.gov/dispensary-location-verification

Happy Pi Day! Speaking of numbers, banking in the cannabis industry is still a total mess. In light of the recent collapse of Silicone Valley Bank, Cy and Emily felt compelled to talk about the ever persistent banking issues that plague the industry, as well as the historic (now 10 years old) Cole Memo.

If any category has the ability to differentiate and innovate itself more than most others, its Vapor Pens. Give this episode a full stream to hear Cy and Emily’s data backed analysis on this highly adaptive product category.

https://www.headset.io/industry-reports/a-look-at-cannabis-vapor-pen-sales-trends#form

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-02-27/vape-ip-center-of-attention-as-blinc-faces-off-against-chinese-competitor

This week on the High Rise, Cy and Emily dive into the topic of pricing trends around the industry at large. MJBizDaily recently published an article that scratches the surface on cannabis sales in California falling in 2022. Our hosts decided it would be a good idea to drill into this story much further and look at the pricing data in each market to find out why dollar sales are falling amid these inflationary times the world is going through right now.

https://mjbizdaily.com/californias-annual-cannabis-sales-fell-in-2022-for-the-first-time-since-adult-use-launch/

Twitter has just announced that they will now open up advertising on its platform to cannabis companies. This is huge news for an industry that's been previously prohibited to advertise on mainstream social media channels. Cy and Emily get into all the interesting details and data points around this positive news, as well as kindly critique a Marvel movie or two along the way.

Welcome back to the High Rise! We’ve got another great episode for you as Cy and Emily welcome a very special guest, Kyla Sirni CEO and co-founder of Dispense.

Dispense is an e-commerce software that empowers cannabis dispensaries to list and sell products on their own website, giving owners the ability to utilize their online menus to increase SEO, drive sales, all while creating and owning their own customer database.

Prepare you ears for some fascinating cannabis tech talk, where Cy, Emily, and guest Kyla share their stories and passions for wanting to help business owners succeed in this exciting and ever evolving industry.

https://www.dispenseapp.com/about

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylamoore/

Missouri wasted absolutely no time in setting up its legal cannabis program — the state even opened its doors ahead of schedule! Cy and Emily marvel at this refreshing example of how a new adult use market can legislatively get out of its own way and get things done — unlike many other states that shall not be named here.

https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/thc-infused-red-hot-riplet-brownies-st-louis-missouri/63-f512c8e2-db4c-4508-ab66-83c067f5dbbd

https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-illinois-marijuana-okay-dispensary-20230202-5v2m5kf6rjgdtf4ug56cymslii-story.html

On this episode of the High Rise Cy and Emily talk about Emily's recent winter trip to New York where she had a chance to visit a couple of the new fully legal cannabis shops in NYC. Our hosts also get into the top of interstate commerce from California and how that ties into other markets on the East Coast.

https://twitter.com/mkarnes/status/1620215988519313409

https://www.syracuse.com/marijuana/2023/01/finally-some-information-about-nys-200m-cannabis-fund-managers-sees-the-light-of-day.html

https://www.leafly.com/brands/fire-ass-mids

Already at the top of the year we’re seeing 4 new states that will soon take us to 25 total states in the US with legal cannabis programs—almost halfway there! Stream the whole episode as Cy and Emily reveal who’s on the docket for legalization and some interesting insights that only the High Rise can give ya.

Now you can legally buy recreational cannabis in New York! The first legal sale of recreational weed took place in a dispensary in Manhattan, just meeting the state’s deadline to open a store in 2022.

Housing Works Cannabis Co., on Broadway and East 8th Street, and the dispensary’s first customer before the doors were opened to the public at 4:20 p.m. Cy and Emily dig into the all the details behind this one of a kind store with a couple other headlines to roll it all up.

https://hwcannabis.co

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/29/nyregion/ny-weed-sales.html

https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/133584089

https://illinoisnewsjoint.com/illinois-cannabis-curbside-pickup-ends-jan-1/

Welcome back to the High Rise! On this episode we wanted to share a Q&A session from a webinar series produced by Trailblazers, a cannabis content community that seeks to advance the industry, unified by a shared ethos and vision of the future. We hope you enjoy hearing from Cy and Emily while they field some great questions around a 2022 recap and some forward looking predictions for 2023

https://www.trailblazerspresents.com

https://alpharoot.com

This week on the High Rise we are very excited to have two great guests join us on the pod. Sara Stewart CEO and Co-founder of Ritual Cannabis Hospitality and Scot Rutledge Partner at Argentum Partners who'll be breaking how cannabis consumption lounges will work in the great state of Nevada.

https://ritualteam.com

https://www.instagram.com/mssarastew/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mssarastew/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scot-rutledge/

https://argentumnv.com/scot-rutledge/

https://ctrust.io

As the holiday season has gotten into full swing, we are starting to take notice of cannabis brands rolling out some festive holiday specific products. Cy and Emily are taking this as a great sign that this small but mighty industry is starting to normalize by slowly taking on some proven tactics that many well established CPG companies have done for decades.

https://www.kivaconfections.com/flavor/holiday-punch

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z84u4dBEQPq9P9_U4yctmw

Joe Biden turns the Medical Marijuana Research Bill into law, changing how American scientists can do research on the plant. This is another very positive step forward in cannabis legislation getting passed at the federal level. While this doesn’t change things instantly overnight for rescheduling or full legalization, Cy and Emily posit that this will be instrumental in speeding up the machinery to get everything done soon.

https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/bidens-health-secretary-shares-marijuana-scheduling-news-at-420-again/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dariosabaghi/2022/12/03/biden-signs-medical-marijuana-research-bill/?sh=795c4a4c7c69

Nevada marijuana regulators announced on Wednesday that they will be holding lotteries at the end of the month to select 20 independent cannabis consumption lounge licensees.The state’s Cannabis Compliance Board anticipates the first lounges to be licensed and able to open during the first half of 2023.

Cy and Emily can barely contain their excitement around all the potential upside, hospitality innovations, and interesting brand plays that this can bring to the industry.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/nevada-marijuana-regulators-announce-lotteries-for-states-first-consumption-lounge-licenses/

New York issued its first 36 cannabis dispensary licenses on Monday which is great right? Absolutely.

There are a quite a few things around the state’s regulations however that has Cy and Emily wondering how this is all going to play out.

Are we looking at fiasco similar to what happened with California in 2016, or will things be totally fine? Stream this information dense episode of the High Rise to find out!

House Democrats and Republicans have co-published a ‘joint memo’ ahead of a congressional subcommittee meeting on cannabis this Tuesday.

Here at the High Rise Cy and Emily dig into the details of what will be presenting at this meeting and why it’s taking so long to seize the day on cannabis reform ahead of the upcoming lame duck session in congress, the answers will simply amaze you.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/booker-says-marijuana-reform-can-pass-now-during-lame-duck-or-many-years-from-now-after-gop-takes-house-control/

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/house-democrats-and-republicans-publish-joint-memo-on-marijuana-ahead-of-congressional-legalization-hearing/

It’s a big week here in the US with the midterm elections wrapping up soon. So it makes sense that Cy and Emily would do a little state-by-state run though of the various cannabis legislation on the docket this election cycle.

For industry veterans that’s seen many a cannabis legislation come through during past election seasons, expectations are definitely tempered. However there are a few states the can help tip the scales if cannabis gets a W, tune-in to find out more!

https://mmcc.maryland.gov/Documents/2022_PDF_Files/Monthly%20Dispensary%20Reports/Dispensary%20monthly%20sales_OCT22%20%282%29.pdf

https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/missouri/article267498153.html

Welcome back to another great episode of the High Rise! Today Cy and Emily got to catch up with longtime industry friend Kyle Sherman. Kyle started his cannabis retail platform back in 2015 and continues to innovate on solutions that help cannabis retailers elevate the shopping experience for their customers.

Sit back and go with the flow as we get into the nitty gritty details of basket sizing, how payment vendors contribute to more sales, manual entry vs integration, staffing, optimizing around the holidays, and other such cannabis retail goodness.

https://flowhub.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylesherman/

Zee Germans have signaled that adults will soon be able to purchase and possess up to 30 grams of cannabis for recreational use. Just imagine what future Octoberfests will be like.

It’s still early innings for bringing this program to life, but it looks like the nation has its sights set for 2024. As always Cy and Emily break down the details and explore how this might play out for this burgeoning world wide industry that is cannabis.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/26/germany-marijuana-cannabis-legalize/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-26/germany-to-legalize-purchase-of-up-to-30-grams-of-cannabis

A couple recent headlines from Canopy Growth has the industry buzzing lately. Cy and Emily dig into what CGC’s recent move of closing all of their Canadian retail doors could mean to US cannabis markets. Too early to tell, but one thing seems clear, there will be more big moves coming soon in this fast moving industry!

https://www.canopygrowth.com/investors/news-releases/canopy-growth-us-cannabis-market/

We are very excited to bring a couple of special guests onto the podcast for you this week. Brian Vicente and Mason Tvert from the powerhouse law firm Vicente Sederberg will be taking all things cannabis reform with Cy and Emily on this episode.

Vicente Sederberg has been at the leading edge of cannabis law and policy since the inception of the regulated cannabis industry. Brian took part in drafting Colorado’s groundbreaking Amendment 64 and Mason headed up the campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, which was also tied into Amendment 64 in the Centennial State.

https://vicentesederberg.com/people/brian-vicente/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianvicentecannabislaw/

https://vicentesederberg.com/people/mason-tvert/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/masontvert/

https://www.thecannabist.co/2014/01/20/nancy-grace-mason-tvert-marijuana-viral-snl-saturday/3002/

MSO Verano Holdings Corp. terminated previously announced deal to acquire Goodness Growth Holdings, Inc. last Friday. The acquisition was valued at $413 million when the deal was first announced last February, what went wrong? Tune in to hear Cy and Emily’s analysis of why M&A in this industry can be a major challenge.

https://mjbizdaily.com/goodness-growth-vows-to-take-legal-action-after-verano-scraps-cannabis-acquisition/

https://www.newcannabisventures.com/verano-ditches-deal-to-buy-goodness-growth/

It’s kind of hard to believe, but the High Rise has made it to its 100th episode already! This industry is constantly on the move and always evolving, so it makes sense that our weekly coverage of each news cycle has brought us to this point already.

Because the High Rise has hit this sweet little milestone, Cy and Emily thought it would be pertinent to reflect on how far the industry has come and how it’s affected their own personal journeys as well.

But that’s not all though, we thought it would be even better to share a few quick interviews from some key industry players at the Hall of Flowers event in Santa Rosa California last week. Cy and Emily brought their interview A games to the floor and asked the following two questions: What is something that has surprised you about the cannabis industry? And what keeps you going everyday?

Thank you to our listeners who has supported us during this first year as we stumbled and started to prove out the relevance of this podcast. Please keep on streaming us as the High Rise makes its way to 200 episodes soon!

Last Thursday President Joe Biden pardoned thousands of individuals convicted of possessing marijuana, saying the current system “makes no sense” and sending pot stocks soaring on the news. This is a good step forward for criminal justice, but how much does this move the needle for federal decriminalization and legalization? Cy and Emily break this down a little further on this episode of the High Rise.

We are delighted to bring you a special guest to this episode of the High Rise, Suzan Nickelson owner and CEO of Holistic Solutions in New Jersey.

Suzan’s family come from the bloodline of escaped slaves who landed on the shores of Jamaica. The women in her family were herbalists and passed down generational knowledge of working with various herbs for healing and spirituality. Today she is using that valuable family knowledge to run her cannabis business in The Garden State.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzan-nickelson-6829ba21b/

On this episode of the High Rise we are joined by Gerrel Olivier a senior analyst at Pura Vida Investments. Gerrel leads Pura Vida’s cannabis investment strategy where he has been able to help minority cannabis entrepreneurs partake in this unique value creation opportunity that the industry currently offers.

Mr. Olivier illustrates just how important it is that we get the timing right to help level the playing field for black and brown entrepreneurs via proposed legislation such as the CLIMB Act. Solidifying this type of legislation will help provide access to lending and investment opportunities as well as allow access to the Wall Street system…all huge steps towards making cannabis a truly equitable industry.

https://www.puravidainvestments.com/profiles/gerrel-olivier-2/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerrel-olivier-622a444/

On this episode of the High Rise Cy and Emily take a look into how the state of Minnesota has structured their laws around hemp derived cannabinoids including THC and CBD. Turns out, the Land of 10,000 lakes has been innovating on their cannabis laws to figure out what works best for operators and consumers while maintaining sensible state regulations all on the fly. How has it been working out so far? Stream on to find out!

https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/09/22/twin-cities-restaurants-add-thc-seltzers-to-the-menu

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/minnesota-medical-marijuana-company-sues-state-for-the-right-to-sell-thc-edibles-to-all-adults-not-just-patients/

Leading cannabis information resource Leafly has just released their 2022 Opt-out report, which shines a spotlight on what happens when local municipalities that opt-out of local cannabis businesses in their towns. Cy and Emily discuss some of the details around this well written report which ultimately highlights that prohibition seems to be more trouble than it’s worth.

https://leafly-cms-production.imgix.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/21143531/OptOutReport2022.pdf

Here at the High Rise we are truly honored to have Dr. Peter Grinspoon join us for a very special discussion on cannabis. Peter Grinspoon, M.D. is a primary care doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital, an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, life coach, author, and cannabis specialist for over twenty-five years.

Cy and Emily engage Dr. Grinspoon in a conversation that touches on the history of cannabis, psychedelics, and his father’s (Dr. Lester Grinspoon) legacy of countering cannabis misinformation (amongst many other notable accolades) while hanging out with Carl Sagan a giant in astrophysics and astronomy. We are genuinely stoked to share this episode with you and hope you enjoy this illuminating discussion.

https://www.petergrinspoon.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Grinspoon

https://www.petergrinspoon.com/book/#SSTS

The High Rise is back after a short week off, Cy and Emily have a nice bit of industry items to catch you up on. First a little recap of the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago. Next a breakdown of the upcoming midterm elections where legalization is on the ballot in many a GOP states. Finally a brief bit on a new MK Ultra program…’it’s little strange’.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/poll-gop-cannabis/2022/09/14/id/1087401/

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/09/legalize-weed-midterms-fetterman-oz-crist-desantis.html

Last week in Ohio, a Democratic candidate Matt Kilboy attacked Republican congressional incumbent Dave Joyce on Twitter for his slated speaking engagement at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago next week.

Cy and Emily breakdown why this does not seem like very good optics for a potential congressional candidate where voters in 7 cities will decide on cannabis decriminalization at the ballot this November.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/democratic-congressional-candidate-deletes-marijuana-tweets-criticizing-pro-legalization-gop-incumbent-but-questions-his-motives-in-interview/

We have a very exciting episode of the High Rise with legendary investor Danny Moses and cannabis pioneer Brady Cobb to talk about their newest project in the state of Florida. Cy and Emily utilize every minute to make this a special laid back, data backed conversation you won’t want to sleep on.

https://twitter.com/dmoses34

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-tape/id1545205930

https://twitter.com/BCobblaw

Some interesting news sprang up this week with Aurora Cannabis acquiring Bevo Farms the largest supplier of propagated vegetables in North America. Cy and Emily take a deeper look into what this long term investment play in the vegetable agriculture space could mean for Aurora.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aurora-cannabis-acquires-controlling-interest-in-bevo-farms-301612222.html

https://www.auroramedical.com

https://weedmaps.com/news/2022/02/weedmaps-broccoli-censorship/

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere and that means its beverage time! On this episode Cy and Emily discuss the cannabis beverage category and how it’s relatively safe to say that this format is now part of the mainstream.

The New York Times recently put out an article about cannabis beverages which attempts to compare the effects of alcohol and cannabis beverage consumption and their associated safety hazards—with just a hint of journalistic bait framing. As you would expect, our hosts provide a rational take on this mainstream publication’s write up about this popular product category.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/19/well/eat/weed-cannabis-drinks.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes

https://www.headset.io/posts/5-rising-cannabis-beverage-brands-in-the-us-canada

https://hubermanlab.com/what-alcohol-does-to-your-body-brain-health/

If you managed to get through our previous episode with super-analyst friend of the show Matt McGinley, then you may very well feel a little domed by all the rapid fire industry stats and projections that came though. For this reason, Cy and Emily wanted to take some time to decompress, be a little more laid back, and focus on some of the standout bits from Mr. McGinley’s treatise on the industry’s Q2 earnings.

We are very excited to have Needham & Company’s Matt McGinley once again on the High Rise to give all of us a well rounded breakdown on the state of the industry.

This episode is probably our longest one yet and for good reason, Matt helps Cy and Emily cover A LOT of ground from legacy market headwinds, emerging market tailwinds, taxes, margin progression, inflation impacts, financial highlights from practically every major MSO in the game, and other bits & bips. Clear your mind and schedule for this one, you won’t want to miss a single data point!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-mcginley-4827516/

https://www.needhamco.com/team_members/matt-mcginley

New York New York, a city so nice they named it twice. On this episode Cy and Emily cover the latest MSO news from the Empire State and a couple of tidbits about licensing and parking tickets.

We would love to hear from you, please leave us a review, rate the pod, and share it with everyone you know.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/weed-world-trucks-towed-over-nyc-parking-mayhem-half-million-bucks-in-ticket-debt/3733962/

https://pix11-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/pix11.com/news/local-news/police-in-nyc-seize-20-trucks-selling-cannabis/amp/

On this episode of the High Rise, we take a look at Headset’s recent industry report that examines recent declining sales in US cannabis sales. Cy and Emily dive into many of the details around this topic including how the pandemic brought on a surprising boom in sales and how we seem to be seeing a softening effect today. What does this all mean for the business? Stream this entire episode to find out!

https://www.headset.io/industry-reports/an-analysis-of-declining-growth-in-recent-us-cannabis-sales#form

Now that the state of Kentucky has ruled Delta-8 hemp products as legal, Cy and Emily thought now would be a good time to discuss what this could all mean for the industry going forward.

This ruling is seen as a huge win for farmers and retailers in the Bluegrass State as it would halt law enforcement from shutting down operations for businesses. Overall though, are Delta-8 products going to help the industry in the long run? Why is Delta also referred to as ‘diet weed’? Without lab testing on this hemp derived THC, safety will be a concern for many—remember ‘vapor gate’ back in 2017? Stay tuned to get some well rounded perspective on this topic.

https://mjbizdaily.com/delta-8-thc-hemp-products-legal-are-legal-in-kentucky-judge-rules/

https://www.gpb.org/news/shots-health-news/2022/07/31/states-look-regulate-weed-alternatives-delta-8-sales-explode

You may have read an in-depth article on Forbes recently regarding how America has botched legal cannabis. If you didn’t then that’s okay, because we have Forbes journalist Will Yakowicz the writer of that article on this Episode of the High Rise. Cy and Emily chat with Will about this ‘boots on the ground’ story and how greed started the cannabis industry off on the wrong foot. It’s not all bad news though, give this episode a full stream and find out more!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2022/08/02/how-america-botched-legalizing-cannabis-berner-cookies-kim-rivers-trulieve-steve-deangelo/?sh=d1a327744894

https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-yakowicz-2822231b/

On this episode Cy and Emily discuss an interesting story about how Canadian growers needed to destroy a crazy number of unpackaged cannabis in 2021—425 million to be exact. That’s pretty much 500 tons!

So what leads to this much product having to get destroyed? You’ll have to stream this episode to find out! Thanks for listening and give is a rating and share the High Rise with your friends.

https://mjbizdaily.com/canadian-growers-destroyed-a-record-425-million-grams-of-cannabis-in-2021/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=MJD_20220803_NEWS_Daily

https://www.yahoo.com/video/colombian-town-shrouded-marijuana-cloud-232055102.html#:~:text=Colombian%20Town%20Shrouded%20In%20Marijuana%20Cloud%20After%20Police%20Seized%20%26%20Burned%201.5%20Tons,-Amara%20Amaryah&text=Residents%20of%20Bello%2C%20a%20Colombian,cloud%20slowly%20engulfing%20the%20region

Is it us, or does it seem like there’s new cannabis legislation coming out every other week? On this episode, Cy and Emily follow up on all the latest cannabis reform news and discuss many of the finer details.

More and more these days, our politicians are starting to speak out and write bills that are aimed at making cannabis legal, safer, and accessible for all citizens. At the same time our politicians are striving (at least in rhetoric) to make a positive shift towards remedying past wrongs that have ill-affected many poor and minority communities in decades past—this might be where Federal legalization actually starts happening.

Thank you as always for steaming the High Rise, please leave us a positive review and share often!

If you love music, music festivals, entrepreneurship, and cannabis—then this High Rise is for you! On this episode Cy and Emily are excited to welcome Mark Farman who is co-founder of Superfly, a highly innovative live events company that has created some of the most iconic festivals on the planet.

Mark gives us an in-depth look at how his company Superfly came to be, and how they specialize in creating live experiences that connects with culture (especially cannabis culture) in more meaningful ways beyond predictable marketing activations and sponsorship plays.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rick-farman-a04a8223

https://superf.ly

https://twitter.com/Superfly

https://www.sfoutsidelands.com

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism held a hearing on decriminalizing cannabis at the federal level earlier this week. While it’s always great to see a discussion happening at this level, it’s also frustrating to see how there are challenges on the prohibition side for anything comprehensive to make its way into these discussions.

On this episode Cy and Emily discuss some of the lowlights and highlights around the state of affairs for cannabis decriminalization and eventually full legalization at the Federal level. If you love what we’re doing here on the High Rise, then think about leaving us a review or share it with all your friends—we’d be very happy if you did!

https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/meetings/decriminalizing-cannabis-at-the-federal-level-necessary-steps-to-address-past-harms

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/house-debates-bipartisan-marijuana-research-bill-with-vote-expected-imminently-before-heading-to-the-senate/

On this episode of the High Rise, Cy and Emily breakdown for us the story of Juicy Fields a cannabis “investment” platform that purports to connect micro investors with small cannabis farmers to fund crop cultivation via fiat and crypto currencies.

Juicy Fields (not to be associated with Juicy Couture) as it turns out, ran a pretty lucrative ponzi scheme—and they aren’t the only platform out there doing this. Our hosts get into just about all of the juicy details of how this latest scam made its way into the cannabis space, specifically in Europe where the industry is just getting started and ripe for fraud.

https://hightimes.com/business/the-unsurprising-implosion-of-juicy-fields/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dariosabaghi/2022/07/25/juicyfields-may-be-the-biggest-scam-in-the-cannabis-industry/?sh=88fa03a62932

https://myfirstplant.eu/?lang=en

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-hZvjVI3s8

It’s no secret that businesses in the cannabis space have to play their marketing game on hard mode with all of the various restrictions and regulations currently placed on the industry. This episode of the High Rise delves into marketing side of cannabis with a couple of special guests from Range Marketing.

Cy and Emily welcome special guests Spencer Rubeck CEO and Mark Wallace Director of Partnerships of Range Marketing to chop it up about helping the industry trek through the wilderness of cannabis marketing. Small spoiler alert: without data, you get no where!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerrubeck/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/msw021/

https://rangemarketing.com

While it would have been great to have Woody himself on the High Rise to chat with us about his new shop in West Hollywood, Cy and Emily take some time to talk about opening his unique cannabis retail experience and its counter positioning against practically all other models today.

The Woods is a one of kind cannabis dispensary that opened up in May of this year by none other than actor and activist Woody Harrelson. Mr. Harrelson did not do this alone, he had some help from a kind group of friends and cofounders such as Devon Wheeler and comedian Bill Maher to make it all happen.

Why is the Woods different? The concept aims to go against the current price pressure reality of today’s corporate cannabis expansion and bring consumers into an organic, high quality shopping experience building upon a legacy that cannabis has always stood for which is: nature, wellness, culture, and community.

https://www.thewoodsweho.com

On this episode of the High Rise, our hosts dig into the jobs market as it relates to the leisure and hospitality sectors for entry level jobs. In the cannabis space this means budtenders and production staff.

These roles have gone down considerably since February 2020, even though full-time job openings in cannabis have been going way up—what is going on? Why has there been so much turnover in these positions? Cy and Emily offer some data and perspective as to why this is happening.

https://www.headset.io/industry-reports/an-analysis-of-employee-turnover-in-cannabis-retail?unlock

https://mint.intuit.com/salary/budtender

https://www.shopify.com/retail/employee-retention

The mayor of Washington D.C.signed emergency legislation on Wednesday that will allow people to self-certify as medical cannabis patients and access dispensaries, without a doctor’s recommendation—interesting way to fast track legalization and help eliminate the grey market.

In semi related news, Snoop Dog teases a new strain that appears to be aimed at a certain someone who occupies the highest office in D.C. Fingers crossed that this product will see the light of day because cannabis and laugher can be the best medicine.

Thank you for listening to this episode of the High Rise podcast, give us a shout on social media—is there a topic you would like Cy and Emily to cover? Let us know! See you on the next one.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/d-c-mayor-signs-bill-to-let-medical-marijuana-patients-self-certify-without-doctors-sidestepping-federal-blockade/

https://www.newsweek.com/snoop-dogg-mocks-biden-sleepy-joe-og-weed-strain-1723588

A spate of news articles have been circulating recently that throws some serious shade on high potency cannabis products. From linking phentynal and gun violence to cannabis use, to teens in California ‘scromiting’ from consuming high THC products.

Cy and Emily shine as much daylight and rational thinking around why these stories are attempting to use scare tactics instead of reliable data balanced reporting—insert thinking emoji here. Thank you for streaming the High Rise into your lives, please remember to rate and share this episode with all your good friends and family—we’ll catch you on the next one!

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/23/well/mind/teens-thc-cannabis.html

https://www.foxnews.com/media/editor-cannabis-medicine-warns-high-thc-psychosis

https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/health/mos-health/197931/californias-legal-cannabis-became-a-public-health-disaster?contentLayout=Mail%20On%20Sunday%20Health

https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/marijuana-addiction/what-is-scromiting/

With loopholes and grey market challenges in many legal states, there’s been quite a bit of chaos around how certain types of THC(ish) compounds make their way into various cannabis products—specifically in the edible category.

On this episode, Cy and Emily take a dive into how the state of Minnesota deftly created a unique way of establishing a regulatory framework in how cannabis edibles are produced in the Gopher State. Thanks as always for streaming the High Rise, if you love the podcast, subscribe and give us a high rating.

https://youtu.be/hOTZBUXfBmg

Minnesota Governor Signs Bill to Clarify Legality of CBD Infulsed Hemp Food and Drinks

This loophole makes hemp-derived delta-9 THC legit

Each year during the summer months music festivals pop up everywhere for many music lovers to take part in. It seems that primarily in the state of California we have seen innovative music-meets-cannabis experiences as part of the line up.

Why doesn’t this happen at more festivals across the U.S. in states where cannabis is legal? On this episode of the High Rise, Cy and Emily dig into this topic and chat about their own music festival experiences.

Independence Day 2022 is days away and as far as summer holidays go in the United States, it’s a day of celebration with family, friends, food, drink, and cannabis products. On the this episode of the High Rise Cy and Emily get into some stats, compare product categories, look at various markets, and high light a couple of brands that see significant bumps in sales around the 4th of July. There’s also talk about fireworks and getting high—because that’s just part and parcel of the American experience during this important holiday.

Thank you for steaming our podcast, please remember to subscribe and we’ll see you on the next one!

Welcome back to another conversation about all things cannabis here on the High Rise. We are joined by a very special guest, Bryan Gerber CEO and founder of Hara Supply. Bryan, Cy, and Emily to talk about the state of Pre-Rolls and the category’s interesting journey to scale over the years.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanmgerber/

https://harasupply.com

On this episode of the High Rise Cy and Emily talk about what the Federal Government has been up to lately with the ‘War on Drugs’.

Intelligence agencies might be about to relax on hiring employees who’ve used cannabis in the past. The DEA has been seizing more illegally grown cannabis than ever before. The Secretary of Transportation is looking to fly Air Force One around the country to visit lawmakers’ hometowns to convince voters to push for legalization. The EPA still prohibits their workers from using cannabis or directly investing in the industry. What will it take to get legalization across the finish line here?

Stay tuned for the entire conversation to learn and as always we thank you for streaming the High Rise each week…see on the next one!

Senate Committee Votes To Let People Who’ve Used Marijuana Work For CIA, NSA And Other Intelligence Agencies

DEA Marijuana Busts Increased In 2021, Seizing Over 5.5 Million Plants

Attorney General Garland Reconfirms the DOJ’s Hands-Off Approach Toward Federal Marijuana Prosecution

Cy and Emily give us a classic ‘laid back data backed’ convo exclusively around the beverage category on this episode of the High Rise.

There is a soon to be released in low dose THC drink called Leisuretown, from celebrity skateboarder Rob Dyrdeck and super star DJ/producer Diplo via HERBL in California. Our hosts get into the how and why a small but mighty cannabis beverage category is an important one to watch out for in the next couple years.

As always thank you for streaming the High Rise, make sure to rate and subscribe so you don’t miss any of our future episodes!

In this episode Cy and Emily delve into the recent news of Parallel, one of the largest privately-held, vertically-integrated, multi-state cannabis operators in the U.S. Parallel. In 2018 Beau Wrigley Jr (heir to Wrigley’s chewing gum) had envisioned building a cannabis MSO juggernaut that could one day surpass the success of his family’s chewing gum business.

There was lots of hype built up around Parallel, investors were tripping over each other to get involved, projections were high, a SPAC was getting set up, and then something not so great happened — some gold old fashioned securities fraud.

We hope you enjoyed this highly focused episode. Thank you for streaming us and please rate and subscribe to the High Rise asap!

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/06/12/weed-wrigley-lawsuit-00036864

In this episode Cy and Emily delve into the recent news of Parallel, one of the largest privately-held, vertically-integrated, multi-state cannabis operators in the U.S.
. In 2018 Beau Wrigley Jr (heir to Wrigley’s chewing gum) had envisioned building a cannabis MSO juggernaut that could one day surpass the success of his family’s chewing gum business.

There was lots of hype built up around Parallel, investors were tripping over each other to get involved, projections were high, a SPAC was getting set up, and then something not so great happened — some gold old fashioned securities fraud.

We hope you enjoyed this highly focused episode. Thank you for st

On this episode of the High Rise, Cy and Emily talk about Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH) banding together with other prominent cannabis businesses to sue the federal government over what they believe to be unconstitutional policies that are impending their operations. AWH has tapped the famous law firm Boies, Schiller Flexner to help them bring this case all the way up SCOTUS if they can garner enough support, and it definitely sounds like they do.

Make sure to stream this at 1x speed, as there are many details Cy and Emily cover that go beyond the headlines of this latest story to come out of the cannabis industry. As always we thank you for listening and please remember to rate and subscribe to the High Rise wherever you get your podcasts.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/marijuana-companies-teaming-up-to-sue-federal-government-with-all-star-legal-firm-multi-state-operator-ceo-says/

https://atach.org/capital-markets-council/

Welcome back to the High Rise! We are very excited to try out a new format that’s quite a bit more focused and attention span friendly for everybody.

So what is this new format exactly? We are shorting our laid back data back conversations to be about 15 minutes each and dropping 2 episodes per week.

With so much happening in the industry on any given week, we think snack-sized episodes that are dedicated to just one topic will make for a better overall listening experience and actually help with being able to retain the information therein…especially for those of us who are cannabis forward.

We’d love to know what you think of this, please feel free to comment on social media and let us know how it’s going.

On this episode Cy and Emily talk about the cannabis beverage category and the latest move by The Boston Beer Company. This longtime beer producer just announced a new drink that's slated to be released in Canada first. They call it ‘TeaPot’ and it’s got some interesting specs that seems to be a departure from the seltzer fad that’s been all the rage for a while now. Stay tuned as our hosts break this down further and provide some interesting perspective on what this means for the category, the Canadian market, and for The Boston Beer Company.

https://drinkteapot.com/about-us/

Hello and welcome back fellow High Risers! We have another industry information packed episode for you once again.

Cy and Emily get right into it with a little cannabis business events recap from MJ Unpacked in New York to Lyft&Co in ’Trono’

After that our hosts talk about the state of New Jersey’s successful first month of adult use legal cannabis ($5 per week) amazing.

Continuing on, the conversation stays on states news, where we learn that Delaware’s current governor has vetoed a legalization bill — maybe it’s not as bad as it sounds. Meanwhile The ocean state Rhode Island is fired up and ready to go with adult use cannabis, excited to hear about small but mighty sales to come out of there soon.

Concluding, Cy and Emily discuss JW AM suing RIV and Samuel Adams getting into the beverages category by releasing an infused tea…so customers can enjoy tea parties more often.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, we look forward to serving up many more laid back, data backed conversations for you each week. Please remember to like and subscribe!

https://www.headset.io/industry-reports/the-new-jersey-cannabis-market-the-first-month-of-sales

https://grownin.com/2022/05/23/185-illinois-adult-use-dispensary-licenses-might-finally-officially-be-awarded-this-friday/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/riv-capital-announces-receipt-of-application-in-connection-with-etain-acquisition-301553474.html

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-boston-beer-company-introduces-teapot-a-new-line-of-cannabis-infused-iced-teas-301552330.html

https://quartr.com

Hello High Risers! Welcome back to another great week and another great episode of our small but mighty podcast. Cy and Emily get right into the latest news cycle in the world of cannabis by cracking into some 420 data — apparently people like shopping at stores vs online.

The brand Houseplant showcased it’s actual house in Architectural Digest and there were no cannabis products in sight strangely enough.

In market news, New Mexico’s Cannabis Control Division (CCD) reported just over $22M in sales during the month of April. Cy and Emily reveal a bit more about those numbers and the story behind them. In New Jersey the state’s first day of sales reached $1.9M — not bad ay Tone?

Finally the conversation rounds out on a bit of a low note, and our hosts talk about the sorry state of our stock markets. It’s not all gloom and doom though as cannabis has proven to be recession proof, so we got that going for us…

Thanks as always for streaming the High Rise. Remember to like and rate the podcast, the algorithms love that and so do we.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGqYP1sKJ2Y

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-09/meme-stock-frenzy-fuels-record-tax-haul-with-no-bounce-for-biden?srnd=premium&sref=jT1g8YPW

https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/nyc-gray-market-nft-gifting-lounge-gelato

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/27/style/nj-ny-marijuana-sales.html

And we’re back! Our ‘famous’ High Rise hosts return from many action packed, data backed, poolside sessions and into the regular cannabis news cycle of the week.

In this episode Cy and Emily start out by giving us a little debrief of the poolside sessions at Benzinga — a huge success but no actual swimming happened.

Into the news, our hosts talk about the freshly open for business, adult use sales that’s happening in the state of New Jersey. Lines out the door and around the block make for a pretty successful opening for many NJ stores — Cy and Emily talk about the data behind this new east coast market.

Moving onto the state of NY, the CCB chair told the pubic recently that adult use cannabis products are slated to hit retail shelves by autumn of this year, just in time for apple picking. Stay tuned for some data around that!

In MSO news our hosts touch on Verano and their unaudited Q4 numbers. In Canada a slew of layoffs from Canopy Growth (one of the most funded CA MSOs) just happened. Cy and Em talk about some of the possible root causes and lessons learned.

We hope you enjoy streaming this episode of the High Rise as the month of April comes to a close. Remember to rate and share this podcast as it really helps us keep the conversation going — thanks see you on the next one!

The High Rise podcast is once again on location, this time for the week of 4/20 at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in beautiful Miami Beach Florida.

Our hosts Cy and Emily set up poolside to have more laid back, data-backed conversations with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

On this episode, we have Brady Cobb CEO of One Plant back on to talk more about the investing and finance side of things, his continuing journey in cannabis, and what the future might hold for this still nascent industry.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast and stay up-to-date on all the latest episodes!

https://twitter.com/BCobblaw

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brady-j-cobb-1954a0b/

The High Rise podcast is once again on location, this time for the week of 4/20 at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in beautiful Miami Beach Florida.

Our hosts Cy and Emily set up poolside to have more laid back, data-backed conversations with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

On this episode, we have Karson Humiston CEO over at Vangst join us to talk about her experience at Vangst, her own personal history with cannabis, and what the future might hold for this still nascent industry.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast and stay up-to-date on all the latest episodes!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/karson-humiston-64572b97/

https://mgretailer.com/business/human-resources/vangst-founder-ceo-karson-humiston/?doing_wp_cron=1650651088.8479700088500976562500

The High Rise podcast is once again on location, this time for the week of 4/20 at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in beautiful Miami Beach Florida.

Our hosts Cy and Emily set up poolside to have more laid back, data-backed conversations with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

On this episode, we have Nancy Whiteman CEO over at Wana join us to talk about her experience at Wana, her own personal history with cannabis, and what the future might hold for this still nascent industry.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast and stay up-to-date on all the latest episodes!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-whiteman-0a4783/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/irisdorbian/2018/08/02/meet-nancy-whiteman-a-cannabis-exec-making-serious-coin-with-gummies/?sh=43efc5232e31

The High Rise podcast is once again on location, this time for the week of 4/20 at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in beautiful Miami Beach Florida.

Our hosts Cy and Emily set up poolside to have more laid back, data-backed conversations with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

On this episode, we have Kim Rivers CEO of Trulieve back on to join us and talk more about some current developments over at the most profitable MSO in the US, her own journey in cannabis, and what the future might hold for this still nascent industry.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast and stay up-to-date on all the latest episodes!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-rivers-b6873745/

https://investors.trulieve.com/corporate-governance/executive-team/

The High Rise podcast is once again on location, this time for the week of 4/20 at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in beautiful Miami Beach Florida.

Our hosts Cy and Emily set up poolside to have more laid back, data-backed conversations with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

On this episode, we are stoked to have US Representative Nancy Mace from South Carolina join us to talk about The States Reform Act, a bill she introduced which seeks to remove cannabis as a schedule I drug. We also talk a little bit about her own journey in cannabis, and what the future might hold for this still nascent industry the positive impacts cannabis legalization will bring to Americans going forward.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast and stay up-to-date on all the latest episodes!

https://mace.house.gov/about

https://mace.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-nancy-mace-introduces-states-reform-act

The High Rise podcast is once again on location, this time for the week of 4/20 at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in beautiful Miami Beach Florida.

Our hosts Cy and Emily set up poolside to have more laid back, data-backed conversations with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

On this episode, we have Aaron Miles CIO and Sammy Dorf Co-Founder, President & Chief Growth Officerover at Verano join us to talk about their roles at a world class cannabis MSO, their own journeys in cannabis, and what the future might hold for this still nascent industry.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast and stay up-to-date on all the latest episodes!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-miles/

https://investors.verano.com/overview/default.aspx

https://twitter.com/SammyDorf

https://medium.com/authority-magazine/sammy-dorf-of-verano-holdings-5-things-i-wish-someone-told-me-before-i-started-leading-a-cannabis-7bf7c7df0f8d

The High Rise podcast is once again on location, this time for the week of 4/20 at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in beautiful Miami Beach Florida.

Our hosts Cy and Emily set up poolside to have more laid back, data-backed conversations with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

On this episode, we have Morgan Paxhia co-founder & managing director of Poseidon join us to talk about the world of cannabis investing, cannabis ETFs, his own journey in cannabis, and what the future might hold for this still nascent industry.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast and stay up-to-date on all the latest episodes!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganpaxhia/

https://www.poseidonassetmanagement.com/about-us

The High Rise podcast is once again on location, this time for the week of 4/20 at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in beautiful Miami Beach Florida.

Our hosts Cy and Emily set up poolside to have more laid back, data-backed conversations with some of the industry’s movers and shakers.

On this episode, we have Abner Kurtin founder & CEO of Ascend Wellness Holdings join us to talk about his role, his own personal history with cannabis, and what the future might hold for this still nascent industry.

Thank you as always for streaming in to the High Rise, be sure to rate and subscribe to the podcast and stay up-to-date on all the latest episodes!

https://awholdings.com/management/abner-kurtin/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abner-kurtin-78b8b66b/

What’s good High Risers! We have another fun episode in store for you this week. No guest this time but Cy and Emily hold down a fun fact, laid backed, data backed conversation that covers a lot of ground from the world of cannabis.

The state of New Jersey has finally been able to open up some adult use retail shops across the state — bong-a-bing! New Mexico has also launched their adult use sales program, very exciting spot in the US to have cannabis retail available for the people. Cy and Emily discuss some of the finer details of how these states are making it work.

The great state of New York has launched their own 280E tax provision that lets cannabis companies get some much needed tax relief and benefits — a huge win and important acknowledgment by the state that they understand some help in this regard is much needed.

Finally our hosts chat about preparing for another 420 ‘high holiday’ and the sales bonanza that it’s proven to be all these years, and how it seems to be evolving — plus some pretty pretty good data to share about the holiday.

As always we think you’re going to enjoy listening to some great banter from Cy and Emily as they tie it all into the important topics of the day in this amazing industry. Please remember to rate and subscribe to the High Rise wherever you stream your podcasts from and stay tuned for next episode!

https://nypost.com/2022/04/11/nj-approves-seven-cannabis-facilities-for-recreational-sale/

https://www.crainsnewyork.com/cannabis/new-york-cannabis-firms-get-new-tax-break-state-budget

https://norml.org/blog/2022/03/02/new-mexico-adult-use-marijuana-sales-on-track-for-april-1st-launch/

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17901867730738674/

Hello and welcome to the High Rise! In this episode we bring back financial analyst Matt McGinley to help break down earnings season as it wraps up in April.

As always our hosts Cy and Emily keep the laid back data-backed flowing around the latest news of the week in world of cannabis. They crack right into a few major industry updates with the MORE Act passing the house. The state of New Jersey seems to be dragging its feet with their legalization efforts, and RIV makes a nice acquisition in New York.

Be sure to give this episode a full listen, it’s packed with so much industry news and analysis, you’ll need a little sativa just to keep up! Thanks again for streaming the best podcast in cannabis and please remember to rate and share the High Rise with everyone you know.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-mcginley-4827516/

https://www.needhamco.com/team_members/matt-mcginley/

Welcome to the 50th episode of the High Rise! So many great conversations with so many fascinating guests already, we’re excited to keep it going to at least 500! And to help mark the occasion, we have yet another fascinating guest who will be joining Cy and Emily for episode 50 — Scott Kenyon CEO of Wurk.

This conversation is centered around the cannabis workforce and the various aspects of what it means to be employed in an entire industry made up of startup companies. Our hosts delve into California’s big push to help navigate regulatory landscape by launching their CannaConnect Compliance Hub.

Next, they chat about market expansion with the state of New Jersey gearing up to launch in a matter of weeks. Continuing on with the topic of employment in the cannabis category, our hosts get into some recent news about Amazon helping clear the way for cannabis legalization, by backing the MORE Act, plus the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, and States Reform Act — great things ahead for a new workforce in a new industry!

We hope you get a lot out of this High Rise conversation, and thank you for staying with us all the way to episode 50! Please remember to rate and subscribe to our podcasts and share with everyone you know and love.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stkenyon/

https://www.enjoywurk.com

https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/policy-news-views/amazon-is-supporting-the-effort-to-reform-the-nations-cannabis-policy

This week, the High Rise is on location at SXSW bringing another laidback data-backed set of conversations we call the Poolside Sessions.

On this episode we are pleased to have Brett Heyman join us as our special guest. Brett is the Founder & Creative Director at Flower by Edie Parker. Ms. Heyman has plenty of experience under her belt and we’re excited to learn more about her journey and the experience she has brought to the cannabis industry and Flower by Edie Parker.

https://www.marijuanaventure.com/living-the-dream-brett-heyman/

https://edieparkerflower.com

This week, the High Rise is on location at SXSW bringing another laidback data-backed set of conversations we call the Poolside Sessions.

On this episode we are pleased to have Julia Germaine join us as our special guest. Julia is the Operating Partner at Kindrun. Ms. Germaine has plenty of experience under her belt and we’re excited to learn more about her journey and the experience she has brought to the cannabis industry and Kindrun.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliagermaine/

https://www.kind.run

This week, the High Rise is on location at SXSW bringing another laidback data-backed set of conversations we call the Poolside Sessions.

On this episode we are pleased to have Dustin Moore join us as our special guest. Dustin is the CoFounder & Chief Strategy Officer of Embarc. Mr. Moore has plenty of experience under his belt and we’re excited to learn more about his journey and the experience he has brought to the cannabis industry and Embarc.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dustin-moore-2535274b/

https://goembarc.com

This week, the High Rise is on location at SXSW bringing another laidback data-backed set of conversations we call the Poolside Sessions.

On this episode we are pleased to have Tahira Rehmatullah and Jacqueline Bennett join us as our special guests. Tahira is the CoFounder & CEO and Jacqueline is the Chief Growth Officer at Commons. Both of these strong leaders have plenty of experience under their belts and we’re excited to learn more about both of their journies and the experiences they’ve brought to the cannabis industry.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tahirar/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelinebennett/

https://www.commons.co

This week, the High Rise is on location at SXSW bringing another laidback data-backed set of conversations we call the Poolside Sessions.

On this episode we are pleased to have Aaron Trahan join us as our special guest. Aaron is the Head of Customer Operations at Texas Original. Mr. Trahan has plenty of experience under his belt and we’re excited to learn more about his journey and the experience he has brought to the cannabis industry and Texas Original.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-trahan-6135909/

https://texasoriginal.com

This week, the High Rise is on location at SXSW bringing another laidback data-backed set of conversations we call the Poolside Sessions.

On this episode we are pleased to have Valda Coryat join us as our special guest. Ms. Coryat is the CMO at Trulieve. Valda has plenty of experience under her belt and we’re excited to learn more about her journey and the experience she has brought to the cannabis industry and Trulieve.

https://investors.trulieve.com/management/valda-coryat

https://www.linkedin.com/in/valdacoryat/

This week, the High Rise is on location at SXSW bringing another laidback data-backed set of conversations we call the Poolside Sessions.

On this episode we are pleased to have Mikaela McLaughlin join us as our special guest. Mikaela is the VP Of Business Development at springbig. Ms. McLaughlin has plenty of experience under her belt and we’re excited to learn more about her journey and the experience she has brought to the cannabis industry and springbig.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaelafromspringbig/

https://springbig.com/about-us/

This week on the High Rise we are pleased to bring back one of our regular guest hosts Matt McGinley. Matt is a managing director at Needham & Company who brings a trove of cannabis industry analysis and financial knowledge — just in time to report on some earnings news with Cy and Emily. This episode is dense with interesting insights from some of the major industry MSOs and their recent quarterly earnings. Caution, 2x listening might be too fast to catch everything!

As always thanks for joining us for another great High Rise podcast and remember to rate and share us out to all your cannabis industry friends out there!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-mcginley-4827516/

https://www.needhamco.com/team_members/matt-mcginley/

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/03/03/2396098/0/en/Tilray-Brands-Announces-Proposed-Agreement-for-Strategic-Alliance-With-Hexo-Corp.html

This week on the High Rise we had the great privilege of talking with Joe Bayern CEO of Curaleaf. Joe has an expansive background in leading the success of many well known traditional CPG brands such as VOSS, Dr. Pepper, Snapple, and Cadbury. This is another great conversation you won’t want to miss!

Our hosts Cy and Emily dive into Joe’s background and get some stories of what his life was like before making his way into the exciting world of cannabis. Then moving on from there, we learn from Joe about the parallels between traditional commodity brand building and cannabis brand building, as well as some of the challenges of what CPG means in this new industry.

We also get a glimpse into how Curaleaf plans to stay relevant with existing consumers while at the same time making new pathways towards tomorrow’s cannabis consumers. Whether it’s heavy R&D, creating emotional connections with branding, or tapping into stories of cannabis helping improve people’s lives, Curaleaf is planning for the longterm.

Our hosts also chat with Joe about how pricing works in such an ever changing industry and some of the challenges there, as well as a recent acquisition of EMMAC a European cannabis company. Finally we get a couple gems of wisdom from Joe about what it means to be the CEO of an operating company in this cannabis industry.

Yet another great conversation with another great guest here on the High Rise. Thank you for tuning-in, we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did. Please remember to like and share this podcast with everyone you know, and we’ll see you next time!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-bayern-5857a05/

https://twitter.com/Joe_Bayernref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

https://ir.curaleaf.com/management-team?item=60

This week on the High Rise our hosts Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia have a fun and fascinating conversation with Troy Datcher, CEO of The Parent Company. Datcher represents the first time a Black CEO has lead a major public U.S. cannabis organization. Previously in his career he served as Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer at The Clorox Company where Troy was responsible for the Company’s worldwide sales organization. During his tenure, Datcher deployed global sales plans for over $6.7 billion in annual revenue across The Clorox Company's vast portfolio of brands…no big deal. Mr. Datcher’s business acumen has lead his career down many other interesting paths, including NASCAR and The Procter & Gamble Company.

In this episode Cy and Emily start off by learning about Troy’s background and what lead him down the path of becoming a cannabis CPG company leader. Then the conversation moves into talking about the California market and likening it to being like an endurance athlete training at altitude — highly competitive and always breeding the best outcomes.

From there, our hosts dive into The Parent Company’s outlook for the year ahead and their brand portfolio, where authenticity and connection to the plant is a guiding force for being able to speak directly to consumers. Finally they discuss social equity programs and why it is such an important mission for the cannabis industry to get right.

We say it every week, but we think you’re going to really enjoy this episode. Troy was such a fun guest to have join us for another great conversation on the High Rise. Please remember to rate and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to tell your friends about us!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/troy-datcher-9a84664/

https://ir.theparent.co/governance/executive-management/default.aspx

https://www.josephineandbillies.com

https://www.peakz.com

This week on the High Rise our hosts cover yet another packed news cycle in the cannabis world. Cy and Emily are joined by this week’s special guest Dai Truong. Dai is the Managing Director at Arlington Capital Advisors as well as the editor and host of Highly Objective, a hugely informative Substack and weekly podcast.

The discussion starts with even more projections and predictions as 2022 gets underway in February. In the news our hosts cover a couple notable M&A events that took place between Gold Flora and SSO Airfield Supply Co, along with Verano’s Goodness Growth acquisition. Then onto some pretty big news, Leafly (the world’s most trusted destination to discover cannabis products) goes public!

We hope you enjoy this week’s chat. If you love the podcast please rate us and remember to share with everyone you know!

https://www.highlyobjective.com

https://www.arlingtoncapitaladvisors.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/truongdai/

https://www.tmz.com/2021/04/06/rapper-ralo-marijuana-charges-prison-biden-clemency-program/

https://www.tmz.com/2021/12/07/largest-edible-brownie-sold-massachusetts/

https://www.leafly.com/newsroom/209619-leafly-commences-trading-on-nasdaq

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/northern-lights-acquisition-corp-announces-entering-into-a-business-combination-agreement-with-safe-harbor-financial-the-leading-provider-of-financial-services-and-access-to-banking-solutions-for-the-us-cannabis-industry-301481232.html

https://nypost.com/2022/02/14/snoop-dogg-smokes-weed-ahead-of-super-bowl-2022-halftime-show/

Here we are again with another great episode of the High Rise! This week our hosts Emily and Cy cover some big news coming out of Delaware and Wisconsin. Both states have bills in place to legalize cannabis, but with a couple of interesting caveats to consider.

The state of New York is refreshing its rules around medical marijuana which is shaping up to be a better experience for doctors, patients, and dispensaries than before.

Our hosts then delve a little bit into some MSO news with Curaleaf moving into the state of Arizona and a little bit of news about Amazon and its support for legalization…spoiler alert, it’s about the jobs!

Thanks as always for tuning in, we love seeing our podcast grow each week. Be sure to leave us a rating and subscribe to the High Rise wherever you get your podcasts — we’ll see you next week!

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/delaware-lawmakers-approve-marijuana-legalization-bill-in-committee-vote-2/

https://www.delawarepublic.org/post/gov-carney-weighs-marijuana-legalization-gun-bills-and-more

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/wisconsin-republicans-announce-limited-medical-marijuana-legalization-bill/

We’re changing things up a little bit here at the High Rise and jumping into to Twitter Spacesfor this episode. Our guest host Jason Wild will be joining the discussion with Cy and Emily. Jason is the Chairman of The Board over at TerrAscend. He has a long history in the cannabis space as well as a previous life in heath care and pharmaceuticals. He has a fascinating history with getting many business off the ground as well as staying true to the culture around cannabis the entire time.

The discussion kicks off with some reflections on last year and some predictions for 2022. After that our hosts start talking about the midwest and east cost markets, Michigan and New Jersey in particular. As those markets are getting started, there are many competitors looking to make solid innovations and higher quality products that would likely edge out any non sophisticated players pretty quick.

Buckle up for a high energy (yet still laid back data backed) conversation around new market expansion and the business of cannabis at large.

As always please remember to subscribe and rate us wherever you download your podcasts.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-wild-b8a7304/

https://terrascend.com

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-19/n-j-pot-sales-to-start-within-180-days-years-after-murphy-vow

https://www.newcannabisventures.com/terrascend-is-deepening-its-relationship-with-leading-cannabis-brand-cookies/

Now that we are about to see 2021 in our collective review mirrors, our hosts Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia devote most of this episode of the High-Rise to reflect on this past year and a few predictions for the year ahead.

We hope you enjoy the discussion as the new year kicks off. Thanks as aways for listening, please remember to rate and review, and continue to share the High-Rise with all your good friends in cannabis!

We are back for another week of the High-Rise! This will be the last episode of 2021 and to help us end it on a high note, we have a special guest Andrea Cabral who will be joining in.

Andrea is the Massachusetts CEO of Ascend Wellness Holdings and was listed by Forbes Magazine as one of Fifteen Powerful and Innovative Women in Cannabis. Andrea has had thus far a long standing career in government and public service as well as providing weekly commentary and legal analysis on Boston Public Radio, The Jim and Margery Show on WGBH Boston Public Radio. It’s amazing to have a force like Andrea working in the cannabis industry!

Cy and Emily start off the discussion by getting into the pros and cons of the Massachusetts market with extra insight provided by Andrea. From there, our hosts move onto the New York market and what to expect in the near future as well as an update social equity side of things.

Turning to the news cycle Cy, Emily, and Andrea talk about the recent Glass House PLUS products acquisition. Planet 13 buys Next Green Wave Holdings and Pfizer acquires Arena to start focusing on cannabinoid receptors.

The last bit of the discussion examines Headset’s latest industry report and the topic of industry slowdown. As always we hope you enjoy listening to this week’s conversation and continue to join us is 2022 for many more High-Rises to come!

https://awholdings.com/management/andrea-cabral/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-cabral-099678175/

https://www.newcannabisventures.com/glass-house-brands-to-buy-plus-products-for-25-6-million/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dariosabaghi/2021/12/20/pfizer-to-enter-the-medical-cannabis-industry-with-67-billion-acquisition/?sh=86064de60726

This week the High-Rise comes at you Live from Palm Springs for another Poolside Session. Our hosts Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia bring you coverage from the Hall of Flowers event to discuss all the major highlights around the latest retail and product innovations to come out of the Souther California market.

Also up for discussion as always is the latest MSO news. In the Canadian market Tilray just announced their recent acquisition of a whiskey distillery in Colorado — an interesting move to be sure.

Pretty big news coming out of San Francisco, the city has decided to temporarily suspend taxation on it’s cannabis business tax as a way to curb illegal sales. Our hosts ponder, why not remove this tax for the entire state?

As always we hope you get an even bigger perspective on all things cannabis from this laid back, data backed ‘Poolside’ episode. Please remember to support the podcast by subscribing and leaving reviews on your favorite podcast streaming service — see you next week!

https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/supes-unanimously-approve-suspending-citywide-cannabis-tax-to-help-businesses-curb-illegal-sales/

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/tilray-buys-breckenridge-distillery-with-plans-for-thc-beverages-upon-federal-legalization-of-cannabis-2021-12-08

Greetings High-Risers! We are excited to share this latest episode with you. Our special guest Matt Hawkins who is the founder and managing partner of Entourage Effect Capital gives us a bit of an inside scoop behind the recent Harborside/StateHouse Holdings definitive agreement in California.

In essence, this is a three way merger between Harborside, Urban Leaf, and Loudpack that will fall under one corporate name, which will be StateHouse Holdings. It's a monumental move with one of California's longest standing dispensaries since the very beginning of medical and adult use recreational cannabis.

It's exciting to hear about the future progress that this move will bring, not only for the aforementioned companies, but for the entire legal California market as well. As always we hope you enjoy this informative discussion and that you'll remember to subscribe to the podcast wherever you stream from.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hawkins-11288a2/

https://entourageeffectcapital.com

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/harborside-announces-business-combination-with-urbn-leaf-and-loudpack-creating-statehouse-holdings-a-leading-california-cannabis-company-301433467.html

Make some room just before the Thanksgiving Holiday for another episode of the High-Rise! Cy and Emily as always bring in another laid-back, data-backed conversation around the latest newsworthy events in cannabis. This week in MSO news, our hosts discuss the Terrascend/Gage acquisition and how this will help give Terrascend some proper expansion into the Michigan market. Speaking of Michigan, right now the Great Lakes state is having the highest average basket size at a whopping $152 per basket, that’s +72% vs the average! What could be the reason for this?

Next we talk about AYR and their recent earnings, as well as their recent acquisition of Dispensary 33 in Illinois. Another interesting item to mention about AYR is their new brand identity. Not only are they taking on an interesting new ‘space age’ look, but they are also making a new CPG play as part of brand strategy along with the new digs, we wonder how this will effect future earnings for this fast moving MSO.

In Canadian LP news, our hosts delve into the recent C-suite shakeup at Canopy Growth and if this will create a new focus from a product category perspective. To wrap things up Cy and Emily talk a little bit about the vapor products recall in the state of Pennsylvania and the performance impact that could have in this new market. Also some good news about a survey from the University of Houston and Texas Southern University around legalization for this major U.S. state. For those of you in the U.S. We hope you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday, be sure to catch us next week for another industry news round up from the High-Rise!

https://www.newcannabisventures.com/gage-growth-borrows-55-million-to-fund-michigan-expansion/

https://d1io3yog0oux5.cloudfront.net/_0c94e13ecb644839d370b9fa464810f3/ayrstrategies/db/710/7211/pdf/AYR-IR-PowerPoint_11.21.21+v7+FINAL.pdf

https://www.newcannabisventures.com/canopy-growth-shakes-up-c-suite-with-cfo-and-chief-product-officer-departures/

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/majority-of-texas-republicans-back-marijuana-legalization-poll-finds/

On this episode of the High-Rise, we are excited to be joined by Kim Rivers from Trulieve. Kim’s is the CEO of this successful vertically-integrated “seed-to-sale” MSO. She’s been there since the start and has been a champion for the company’s customer-centric vision, growth, and strategic initiatives.

Trulieve is headquartered in Florida and has dispensaries in over 8 US states. Before her life at Trulieve, Kim was a practicing lawyer where she specialized in mergers, acquisitions, and securities for multi-million dollar companies. Trulieve now sits comfortably in a market leading position and has been expanding as a proven top tier MSO in the cannabis industry.

Our hosts Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia have a great conversation with Ms. Rivers that shouldn’t be missed! Remember to leave a review and subscribe to the High-Rise wherever you get your podcasts so that you never miss an episode!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-rivers-b6873745/

https://www.trulieve.com

We say this often, but this week we have a very special episode of the High-Rise. Our hosts Cy and Emily along with a returning guest host — the founder of One Plant, recovering lawyer, and cannabis insider Brady Cobb.

The conversation stays focused on a single topic this week which is the States Reform Act. What does this mean for the cannabis industry? In essence this legislation would federally decriminalize cannabis and fully defer to state powers over prohibition and commercial regulation. The bill was written by Nancy Mace a Republican Representative from South Carolina. The framework for this bill differs from the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act written by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in a few distinct ways but also stays true to the spirit behind Schumer’s bill as well. We let Brady take the floor and give us a bit of an inside scoop on all the details around this new legislation and how this could finally be what brings the US cannabis industry out of prohibition forever.

As always we hope you enjoy this week’s discussion, please do leave us a review and subscribe for all future High-Rise episodes wherever you stream your podcasts!

https://twitter.com/BCobblaw

https://oneplant.us

https://www.leafly.com/news/politics/states-reform-act-republican-marijuana-legalization-bill-analysis

https://mjbizdaily.com/south-carolina-republican-reveals-marijuana-legalization-bill-shell-introduce-in-congress/

Do we have an exciting episode of the High-Rise in store for you this week!

We are honored to have Matt McGinley join us as a guest host. Matt is the Managing Director at Needham & Company and his experience in covering the markets is quite extensive. Before he started focusing solely on the cannabis industry, Matt worked at Evercore ISI and Morgan Stanley. Prior to that, he worked in brand management at Kraft Foods in the beverage category, and was an Infantry Officer in the U.S. Army before leaving the military in 2004 at the rank of Captain. He holds an M.B.A. from New York University and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh.

Our hosts cover earnings season for Q321 and because of our special guest, were able to really dig into some detail of how earnings looked for cannabis and it’s major players in the industry this season. First they talk a bit about big picture trends and how our current economy has been effecting the cannabis markets — global inflation and supply chain issues did have some impacts. Next our hosts dive into the earnings performance for a few of the major MSOs such as Curaleaf, GTI, Cresco, and Columbia Care to name a few. Stay tuned to learn about who had a ‘hot mess of a quarter’ and who are positioned have better EBITDA rates and other key metrics going into the next quarter and beyond. Let us know what you think of our earnings season coverage and leave a review, and also remember to subscribe to this podcast wherever you stream from.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-mcginley-4827516/

https://www.needhamco.com

The cannabis industry just had itself another interesting week and our hosts of the High-Rise are here to tell you all about it.

For this episode we are honored to have a special guest host W. Andrew Cater Vice President at Stifel to join us in the conversation. To start off, it was discovered that MJBizDaily published an article which misinterpreted data provided by Headset. As a result the article mistakenly showed cannabis sales plummeting from last summer.

Next, our hosts talk about how the cannabis market had a pretty rough week in terms of stock performance, plus also

discuss the latest news about JP Morgan not allowing the buying of cannabis stocks for their clients — does this mean more banks could follow suit?

After that Cy, Emily, and Andrew talk about legalization and the recent USA elections, where it seems Democrats took some serious losses. Does this mean efforts towards closing the loop on full legalization could be at risk? Will Republicans step up and ‘out progressive’ the Democrats on cannabis?

Finally we cover the Canadian market where we get a really great earnings primer from W. Andrew Carter and Stifel’s outlook on the LPs up north. This was quite a week with so much to cover, glad we could distill it down in the span of another great episode of the High-Rise for you! Please remember to subscribe and share this podcast often.

https://mjbizdaily.com/adult-use-cannabis-sales-slip-from-2020-pace-after-lackluster-summer/

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-cannabis-companies-pursue-reverse-takeovers-2018-11

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/republican-led-bill-to-legalize-and-tax-marijuana-emerges-as-alternative-to-democratic-measures/

https://stifel2.bluematrix.com/sellside/EmailDocViewer?encrypt=d0464b3a-bed5-4266-84ee-09857300ee37&mime=pdf&co=Stifel&id=cy@headset.io&source=mail

https://stifel2.bluematrix.com/sellside/EmailDocViewer?encrypt=068f948e-a5cf-4411-a467-73a82137887f&mime=pdf&co=Stifel&id=epaxhia@poseidon.partners&source=mail

We are back for another week of all things High-Rise! In this episode our hosts Cy and Emily give a good recap of MJBizCon in Las Vegas and some the goings ons and sentiment adjacent to the conference.

In US MSO news Columbia Care is the first to offer whole flower to the state of NY. Our hosts dig into some of the initial pricing consumers should expect, as well as potential effects of medical and illicit markets in NY.

In Canadian news, High Tide's Canna Cabana has moved onto a 'discount club' model — think certain grocery stores, coops, or even Costco. Cy and Emily talk a bit about how a model like this focuses on assortment size, private labeling, and loyalty. Will there be a 'Kirkland' brand of cannabis to come out of this?

Finally our hosts chat about an interesting peer reviewed research paper that was published by Nature (a London based publication since 1969!) which delves into the age old conversation around Indica vs Sativa — interesting findings for sure!

Thanks as always for listening, please do remember to rate and subscribe to the podcast from wherever you get your podcasts and we'll see you next week!

https://www.health.ny.gov/regulations/medical_marijuana/

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211020005378/en/High-Tide-Becomes-North-America’s-First-Cannabis-Discount-Club-Retailer-with-over-245000-Members

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-021-01003-y.pdf

The drop in California’s wholesale Flower pricing is a hot topic, with mainstream outlets covering the steep decline seen in 2021. Cy and Emily sit down with Steve Albarran of Confident Cannabis, a wholesale trade and testing platform in a special Trailblazers Ojai poolside session to talk about what is causing the decline in wholesale pricing and what might be ahead for California.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-albarran-78b380b/

Hot off the heels of the Coastal retail acquisition announcements, Cy and Emily sit down with Dennis O’Malley, COO of The Parent Company to discuss the California market, omnichannel sales and how the market is developing longer term. In this special Trailblazers Ojai poolside session we cover the latest from The Parent Company, including their new CEO, Troy Datcher who comes to the cannabis industry from CPG with Clorox and P&G, and is the first Black CEO to run a publicly traded company.

https://www.theparent.co

https://www.linkedin.com/in/domalley/

Recording from what is essentially Glass House Brand’s backyard in Ojai California, Emily and Cy sit down with Graham Farrar to talk all things Glass House in this special Trailblazers Ojai poolside session. Graham talks about their new facility which is the second largest greenhouse in the U.S. in Camarillo, genetics, terpenes and growing cannabis for your audience.

https://ir.glasshousebrands.com/management/graham-farrar/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamfarrar/

Get an inside look at JAY-Z and Poseidon’s recent investment into cannabis payments company Flowhub valuing the organization at $200M. Emily and Cy sit down with Kyle Sherman in a special Trailblazers Ojai poolside session to discuss cannabis tech, fundraising, social equity and ‘chewing glass and staring into the abyss’.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kylesherman/

With some of the most notable brands in the cannabis industry as clients, MATTIO Communications has brought the industry to mainstream outlets. Emily and Cy sit down with Rosie Mattio in a special Trailblazers Ojai poolside session to discuss the cannabis industry, what’s happening on the east coast and New Yorks’ ‘High Line’ cannabis district. Coopetition!

https://www.mattio.com/rosie-mattio

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosiemattio/

Welcome back to another fresh episode of the High-Rise! Our hosts Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia jump right into some exciting acquisition news with Truilieve completing the purchase Harvest. Truilieve/Harvest will now have 149 shops across 11 states with 3 major hubs in AZ, FL, and PA. In other acquisition news The Parent Company has just purchases Coastal (a retail license holder/operator with 11 locations) which will increase their footprint across the California Market. This move however comes with a few lawsuits waiting in the wings.

Cy and Emily break down some interesting numbers between average monthly sales, AIP, and total baskets between the states of Arizona and Washington. The state of Washington has typically been a powerhouse with regard to retail stats since the state went legal almost 10 years ago.

To close out this episode our hosts delve into some news from Canada, as Tilray CRO Irwin Simon posted a slightly controversial tweet where he referred to smaller LPs/competition in the pejorative as ‘ankle-biters’ which set a small wildfire in that corner of Twitter.

As usual lots of great cannabis news covered in this episode, we hope you enjoy listening — if you like what you hear then please subscribe and share to everyone you know.

https://twitter.com/jefflagerquist/status/1446105510084636673

Welcome to October! This week’s High-Rise is another remote episode — this time from The Business of Cannabis New York event.

Our hosts Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia discuss New York’s’ rollout into the industry. From lack of vertical integration, a trifecta of channels, microlicenses, to the influence of New York culture and how that will make for some memorable brands the world has yet to see!

From there our hosts discuss Columbia Care’s new production 34 acre facility and how this will power New York’s whole flower program.

Finally our hosts delve into other news items from around the industry, such as Tumblr allowing for cannabis advertising on it’s platform, California DCC progress, and Jushi buying up Apothecarium in Nevada.

As always this High-Rise delivers some of the best cannabis industry insight that you won’t get anywhere else — remember to subscribe, comment, review, and share!

High-Rise is back on the road once again, this time in California for the Hall of Flowers event in Santa Rosa. Our hosts Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia keep this episode California forward as they discuss the uniqueness of how Hall of Flowers hosts the best of established and emerging cannabis brands from across the state, showcasing premium licensed products. The trade show also features a handpicked selection of innovative technology and related accessories that are deemed relevant to cannabis retailers at large.HoF underscores just how diverse the CA market is and how it seems mark the arrival of cannabis CPG in the foreseeable future. Our hosts also discuss some of the challenges California producers are facing right now with the overproduction of flower where the price per pound has dropped to a new low of $700. Finally in the last part of the podcast we cover some general industry updates around the SAFE Banking Act and more good news coming from Amazon. As always we think you're going to get a lot of good perspective from this latest episode — be sure to subscribe and share!

SPECIAL EPISODE: High-Rise host Cy Scott is on the road exploring parts of the cannabis industry in Europe. He got the chance to have a discussion with two of the managing partners of Óskare Capital a cannabis investment firm based in Paris France. Alexandre Ouimet-Stores a chemical engineer and venture capitalist, and John Rogers a clinical neurologist, share the story of how treating epilepsy was the basis for Óskare’s formulation and the work they are doing across Europe today. We get an enlightening perspective on how endocannabinoid research, industry regulation, and investment opportunities are pursued from country to country. European cannabis startups and medical/therapeutic research companies seem to be developing the industry in stark contrast to how US cannabis businesses have been doing it — fascinating to see how this world wide industry is shaping up. Please remember to download and share this special episode of the High-Rise!

https://oskarecapital.com

https://fr.linkedin.com/in/alexandre-ouimet-storrs-b79a644

https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-rogers-631aa520/

In this week’s High-Rise, Cy Scott and Emily Paxhia have a continued discussion around the state of New Jersey as new regulations begin to develop and certain municipalities choose to opt-out. Then the conversation shifts over to California where they delve into the newly formed and consolidated state agency known as the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) and why this signals as a good sign for cannabis businesses across the state. We also talk about Nevada’s efforts to bring in public consumption lounges that are slated to open up some time in 2022. We end the discussion with recent news of Leafly challenging the state of Florida and it’s potential ban on third-party online marijuana services. As always, another great week of cannabis industry new coverage to sink your ears into — please remember to share and subscribe!

https://www.njherald.com/story/news/local/new-jersey/marijuana/2021/08/23/nj-legal-weed-dispensaries-marijuana-legalization-opt-out-in/8211230002/

https://mjbizdaily.com/california-completes-marijuana-regulatory-agency-merger/

https://mjbizdaily.com/nevada-cannabis-consumption-lounges-on-pace-to-open-in-2022/

https://mjbizdaily.com/leafly-challenges-floridas-ban-of-third-party-online-marijuana-services/

Join Cy Scott, Emily Paxhia and Jamie Mendola in a laid-back, data-backed conversation as they discuss what to expect with the recently announced structure for the New Jersey adult-use market before sales begin happening within 6 months or less. From there, a deep-dive into the beverage category, discussing Cann’s latest caffeinated cannabis drink and Levia’s sale to Ayr. We close with some MSO strategy, including Eaze’s transition into a multi-state operator with the acquisition of Green Dragon and Tilray’s investment into Medmen. Great industry coverage per usual — remember to subscribe and share!

https://mobile.twitter.com/jamiemendola

https://www.ayrwellness.com

https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/cann-launching-caffeinated-cannabis-seltzer

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/08/16/2281005/0/en/Ayr-Wellness-Enters-the-Cannabis-Infused-Beverage-Market-with-Proposed-Acquisition-of-Levia.html

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210818005164/en/Eaze-To-Acquire-Multi-State-Retail-Leader-Green-Dragon-Creating-Nation’s-Largest-MSO-Delivery-Operation-and-Biggest-California-Headquartered-MSO

https://www.barrons.com/articles/tilray-stock-marijuana-medmen-deal-51629297274

It’s earnings season and this episode of the High-Rise comes at you with a full roster of earnings news from many of the major cannabis companies in the industry. Our special guest host Brady Cobb, a veteran cannabis entrepreneur, advocate, and former CEO/Founder of Bluma Wellness joins us to help provide some fantastic takes on the performance of these major cannabis CPG companies. Make sure the battery in your listening device is fully charged as we have a long and insightful discussion for you this week.

https://twitter.com/BCobblaw

https://curaleaf.com

https://verano.com

https://col-care.com

https://www.gtigrows.com

https://www.trulieve.com

https://awholdings.com

https://www.crescocannabis.com

On this week's High-Rise we cover some positive news from the Golden State — 35 cities and counties elected to loosen marijuana restrictions and expanding the number of licenses for cannabis businesses — normalization acceleration here we come! We also get into the sales numbers for the month of July for various cannabis markets. Illinois in particular, there are restrictions on how much a consumer can buy for residents vs non residents — some interesting sales data there. We cover the latest earnings from the great MSO Jushi Holdings and a little bit of talk about what the Covid-19 Delta variant Plus could mean for cannabis sales as we go into August. Per usual many great topics discussed here on the High-Rise, please remember to subscribe and download — tell all your friends too!

This week on the High-Rise Cy and Emily get right into the brass tax of recent market news and projections both in the U.S. and Canada. They also cover the latest update on banking for the cannabis industry and why Senator Cory Booker is walking back his stance a bit on this issue. Cowen Group a financial services and investment banking firm just announced their market size projections for the industry for the next 10 years ahead and Arizona absolutely crushed it in their first year of legal adult use cannabis sales. Keep those ear buds locked-in and remember to subscribe and download this week's episode!

We are back for another High-Rise episode and this week we welcome a new special guest host Matt Hawkins, managing partner at Entourage Effect Capital. Matt brings some great perspective to the conversation as we delve into some of the latest developments on the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. It is still to early to pass this important legislation, but we break down two of its key aspects and why they’re so important to the industry. In SSO news we dig into the Harborside and Sublime deal that is currently in the works and how it could serve as a great example on how to navigate through California’s complicated state regulations in the right way. Finally we talk a bit about an MJBiz article that came out about California cannabis brands that are beginning to sell directly to consumers, (a.k.a. D2C) and how that might bypass the need for brick and mortar businesses. As always there is so much to talk about and this episode is no exception! Thanks for tuning-in please remember to download and subscribe to the podcast!

On this week’s High-Rise Cy and Emily discuss the termination of the $50M strategic investment between The Parent Company and Glass House, and some of the complex details around that decision. Jeffires Group investment banking firm and one of their top analysts Owen Bennett, released a 200 page report covering U.S. MSOs and what things can start looking like from an investment POV in the near future. In Canadian news, Sundial added $350M (CAD) to their investment arm — Cy and Emily talk about the potential for investing heavily into other regions. They of course get into the latest news about American track and field sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson who was suspended for testing positive for THC and ultimately not chosen to be join the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team — this looks like the last gasp of a tired war on cannabis. Finally our High-Risers get into California’s billboard ban for cannabis advertising and Apple helping pave the way for cannabis commerce to take place on their App Store. As always a great conversation to tune-in to, make sure to subscribe and download.

Welcome back to another week of the High-Rise Podcast! In this episode Cy and Emily are joined by Jeremy Berke, senior reporter at Insider. Jermey recently published a report which examines "The Cost of Inequity" in the cannabis industry. The High-Rise crew delves into some of the details from this report and digs a little deeper. In other news, our hosts talk a little bit about a recent statement made my U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas stating that federal prohibition laws 'may no longer be necessary'. Finally, in some MSO related news, Cy and co talk about the recent Glass House de-SPAC and some of the details around a merger with Element 7, LLC and also what's happening with Planet 13 and their opening megastores in key tourist destinations. As always, this is an episode to stay tuned-in for.

AUDIO NOTE: this episode was recored on the road where we had experienced a minor sound quality issue here and there. Thanks for bearing with us during those moments!

https://www.businessinsider.com/cannabis-industry-diversity-executives-are-white-male-insider-inequity-analysis-shows

https://www.businessinsider.com/author/jeremy-berke

California’s Biggest Cannabis Dispensary Yet Is Coming to Orange County

In this latest episode of the High-Rise we are excited to have with us Todd Harrison as a special guest host. Todd hails from a diverse background in finance, risk management, and investing that spans over three decades. He is the founding partner and CIO for CB1Capital as well as author of the book, “The Other Side of Wall Street” and is also the founder & president of The Ruby Peck Foundation for Children’s Education. The conversation for this week’s podcast takes us into an EY Report that Todd authored which addresses key cannabis sector questions to ask now in 2021.

Our hosts delve into the cannabis public market landscape and the seasonality cycles we’ve seen over the past few years. Cy, Emily, and Todd also talk about a catalyst driven cannabis market now that a huge swath of east coast states have gone legal, and how Wall Street could potentially lean into those markets.

In other cannabis related news, the High-Rise crew talks a bit about NBA player for the L.A. Lakers Alex Caruso getting arrested for possession by Texas A&M police while at the same time Seth Rogan and Conan O’Brien share a joint on live television. This episode goes pretty deep and we hope you get a lot out of it — please share and subscribe!

https://www.cb1cap.com

https://canna4good.org

https://www.athletes4care.net

https://www.michaeljfox.org

We are back for another news packed episode of the High-Rise with Cy and Emily. Big headlines in the MSO world as Columbia Care acquires CO heritage retail chain Medicine Man. Texas incrementally upgrades their MMJ program by a half a percentage — literally. The state of California makes a $100M investment in their cannabis industry, even though the state has enjoyed tax revenues from cannabis sales in the billies. We also cover the latest MSO plays happening in Canada with Cronos and Pharmacan. Lastly we delve into the emerging subject of Delta 8 THC and how this ambiguous canabinoid could potentially adversely effect the industry — or not. There so much great information in this episode, you'll want to hear the whole thing!

Here we are again for another week of our laid back data backed conversation on all things cannabis. In this episode we are joined by the one and only Alan Brochstein of New Cannabis Ventures and 420investor. Our discussion leads us to Illinois and Michigan where we get into the some of the constrains and dysfunctions these 2 US states are facing in what should be booming legal markets. We talk about California being a tough but important market for MSOs and operators to make it in, and why a retail only approach might not be the best model in the Golden State. Finally get into Canadian cannabis companies, what’s driving their stock prices, gambling on the NASDAQ, and cannabis companies who are thriving in suboptimal conditions. Keep this episode queued up wherever you are — we cover a lot of ground here!

Amazon makes an announcement that has the industry talking. We dive straight into what it all could mean with a special guest journalist from Forbes Will Yakowicz and how this might effect legalization and the industry going forward. The MORE Act has returned to Congress and we discuss the huge potential benefits if this gets passed into law soon, finally. In earnings news, we talk about Canopy Growth's EBITDA loss, their CEO's bullish take on legalization, and Constellation Brand's influence. We also talk about the recent Hexo + Redecan acquisition and how this deal could make them the number one player in the Canadian recreational cannabis market. We are also joined by a special guest host Maggie Conners Founder & CEO of besito a cannabis vaporizer company in California who shares some M&A news that speaks to vertical integration, brands, and CPG. This is one High-Rise episode not to miss.

This week we get into the weeds with AYR and Cresco to see how their earnings might pan out. We talk about Gen Z share of wallet in an adult use world, plus a Sunnyside retail X YouGov study that shows 25% of Americans now consume cannabis. Lastly we get into a side effect of high tax rates known as 'looping'. As always there's never a dull moment in our break down of the cannabis market and the players in the space. Subscribe and stick around!

In this episode we talk a bit about some recent US cannabis legalization news as it relates to members of the Republican party and about Chuck Schumer. We also talk about GTI with their G.A.R.P. and their earnings call, where GTI utilizes some groovy/dubby jams via Spotify. We get into Curaleaf and their potential investment moves into interstate commerce and some other MSO news. Lastly we talk about The Parent Company x Glass House and some 'SPAC-on-SPAC' action. Great fun as always in this discussion.

A special episode covering the Cookies x GTI collaboration with the launch of their new location on the strip.

In this episode we are joined by Emily Paxhia of Poseidon Asset Management and Matt Karnes of GreenWave Advisors where we talk about the Sundial Growers acquisition of Inner Spirit Holdings, the latest news with OrganiGram's CEO, banking rates potentially lowering as a trend as seen with GTI, and 'Tilapia'

High-Rise Cannabis MSOs, Products & Market Analysis is a laid-back, data-backed discussion on the cannabis market with notable industry leaders.

In this episode we are joined by Emily Paxhia of Poseidon Asset Management and Matt Karnes of GreenWave Advisors where we talk about Canada's upcoming CBD strategy and MSO expansion.

High-Rise Cannabis MSOs, Products & Market Analysis is a laid-back, data-backed discussion on the cannabis market with notable industry leaders.