What does social equity look like in the cannabis industry? How can companies work to repair damage caused by the war on drugs and address challenges pertaining to diversity, education, community, and sustainability?   Rabbi James Kahn is the executive director of Liberty Cannabis Cares. LCC is the social impact and corporate responsibility team at Holistic…

Welcome to part two of our MJ Unpacked experience! In this episode, we take some time to reflect and share some final thoughts on our trip to the MJ Unpacked conference. We’ll discuss our biggest takeaways and highlight some of our favorite moments and products. We also have another special interview for you. Our guests…

Welcome to our recap of the MJ Unpacked Conference from Las Vegas. MJ Unpacked is the first cannabis event connecting retailers, THC CPG brands, and investors with opportunities to connect, collaborate, and get access to capital.  We spent our time walking the floor and attending a wide array of seminars. We learned what a number…

These days, everyone’s talking about supply chains and the challenges they’re facing when it comes to sending and receiving virtually anything from one part of the world to another. As you might expect, since cannabis is still federally illegal, it comes with its own set of challenges, and relies on complex networks that aren’t easy…

Today, we’re talking to Amy Weinstein, co-founder of Other People’s Pot–a Canadian sales agency where cannabis lovers and industry vets put pot products in the hands of other people. They equip cannabis brands with the knowledge, tools, and strategy to build a better industry. Before co-founding Other People’s Pot, Amy worked in sales and marketing,…

Media companies are finally changing their tune when it comes to cannabis. After decades of reporting from all sorts of outlets about cannabis as a problematic drug, the New York Times changed the conversation by calling for the legalization of cannabis in 2014—and one of the people to have a real conversation with the head…

When Julia Jacobson developed chronic migraines in her 20’s, with the advice of an E.R. doctor, she started treating her migraines with cannabis. And it completely changed her life. Having been freed from the cocktails of medications that never worked, she’s turned her focus to the cannabis industry. Julia is the CEO and co-founder of…

The cannabis industry feels like an unstoppable locomotive right now. Business is growing and scaling all over the country, and there are extraordinary opportunities to build businesses within the industry. But when a cannabis brand needs help, who can they turn to for resources and guidance? Meet George Jage. He’s a leading cannabis executive with…

If you want to use digital marketing to grow your business, there’s a pretty good chance your plan involves buying ads on Google and Facebook. But what happens when not just those platforms, but almost every major advertising platform, won’t take your money? Sam Hollander is determined to solve this issue. He’s the Chief Data…

For the uninitiated, CBD can be a confounding product category. It can’t simply be labeled fat-free or sugar-free, called natural or organic, and isn’t reliably or consistently dosed from product to product. Andrea Wightwick is working to change this. She’s the Founder and CEO of Hapsy–a CBD brand that puts power back in the hands…

How does one cross over from working in the corporate world to the cannabis industry? What does that journey look like, and what are the common challenges along the way? And how can you identify opportunities to lend your skills and transform a fast-growing but still nascent industry?  Dasheeda Dawson is a global cannabis advocate,…

For some consumers, going into a dispensary for the first time can feel scary. The retail environment rarely caters to first-time buyers, and there are still countless stigmas associated with cannabis and “weed culture” that feel like they should have died out years ago, but still persist today. Mimi Lam is on a quest to…

420 is a perfectly natural holiday for the cannabis industry. It’s also a great opportunity to look back on past episodes of this podcast, what we’ve learned along the way, and to examine the state of the industry. We started this podcast in September of 2019 to explore the cannabis industry, to educate ourselves, and…

There are many talented people working to demonstrate the link between positive health outcomes and cannabis use, but what about in sports and athletics?  To help us answer that question, we’re speaking to Jim McAlpine. Jim is a snowboard company executive and an early advocate for cannabis use among athletes. He created the 420 Games…

The audience for cannabis content has grown rapidly over the last decade – but who writes it, what value does it provide, and what challenges make this niche so unique? Here to answer these questions is Lauren Yoshiko. She’s a writer, cannabis journalist, magazine editor, and the host of Broccoli Talk, Broccoli Magazine’s official podcast….

In the age of social media backlash and deep distrust in “influencers,” how can one be a responsible ambassador and advocate for cannabis?  Here to help us answer that question is Brooke Burgstahler. She’s a writer, producer, host, and actress in TV, online media, and film. She’s the star of BigMike and Advanced Nutrients’ show,…

In the early days of legal cannabis edibles, it was hard to find anything that seemed “healthy.” Most products were full of sugar, dyed with synthetic colors, and prone to leaving their consumers completely incapacitated.  This is why Gillian Levy, the President of Humboldt Apothecary, set out to change things. She holds a degree in…

In one sense, the cannabis industry is like any other: when you identify a gap in the market, there’s an opportunity to achieve success by filling it.  Space Coyote’s high quality pre-rolls, available all over California, do just that. Today’s guest, co-founder Libby Cooper, has helped to create a truly unique brand that marries the…

In America, a criminal record can make it much harder not just to get a job, but to launch a business. Social equity programs are working to change this, and have helped former felons and victims of Reagan-era drug policy to start innovative companies – sometimes in formerly criminalized industries.  Chris Ball is the founder…

The legal cannabis industry is astoundingly white and astoundingly male – and the barriers to entry for everyone else are astoundingly high. Entrepreneurs of color struggle to raise funds, shake social stigmas, and become part of an industry that hasn’t fully reckoned with its history. Entrepreneurs like Ashley Stallworth don’t just know this firsthand –…

The stereotypes around “stoner culture” – Bob Marley posters, ridiculous looking photos of bongs, and the associations with criminals, addicts, and drug dealers – have been around for decades. As the perception of cannabis, both in medicine and adult use, changes, people are finally pushing back against this imagery.  Serial entrepreneur Ophelia Chong is a…

There’s no one-size-fits-all career, especially in the world of cannabis. However, there’s one thing we’ve learned in our conversations with industry insiders and talented people building incredible companies: there’s a long way to go before the stigmas around stoner culture, slacking off, and being lazy are gone for good. Jay Jackson, aka Laganja Estranja, is…

Direct to consumer subscription services have filled a wide variety of niches and become massively popular over the last several years. For reasons both obvious and not so obvious, the cannabis industry is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this business model, but also faces extremely specific challenges that other subscription goods services do not….

The nascent culture surrounding adult-use cannabis is still finding its tone of voice, and brands are still struggling to fully define themselves. Many companies that produce materials for the industry are either cold and clinical and make you feel like you’re looking at something from a pharmacy. Others fully embrace all of the stereotypes of…

Huge amounts of wealth have been created for entrepreneurs and businesses seeing success in the cannabis industry today. However, there are still many people all over the country incarcerated for cannabis-related offenses, and there is so much work to be done as we reckon with the legacy of cannabis prohibition. Andrew Deangelo has spent decades…

The cannabis industry faces many unique challenges, and making sense of the data it produces requires specialized tools. To name just a few, there’s an astounding amount of product out there, tons of variables at play at every stage of manufacturing and distribution, and the nuances of legality across states. To turn this information into…

With the onset of the COVID-19, lifestyles all over the world have changed in major ways. More than ever before, people are relying on delivery services to get their groceries, meals from their favorite restaurants, alcoholic beverages, and a whole lot of other things. However, for many reasons, some of which might be obvious, cannabis…

In November of 2018, Missouri voted to legalize medical use of cannabis, making them the 33rd state to do so. As the state builds momentum toward adult use, a number of interesting things are happening that prove how different just every path to legalization is. Today’s guest is Internist Mimi Vo. Mimi graduated from medical…

The COVID-19 pandemic and surrounding crises have impacted virtually every industry all over the world, and cannabis is no exception. Though cannabis businesses, much like liquor, have been deemed essential, there are myriad issues facing producers and users at this time – and they may ultimately impact the long journey to full legalization. As 2020…

When cannabis businesses need funding, they can’t simply get traditional loans. A number of legal and regulatory hurdles stand in the way for many operators, and the rules surrounding lending vary greatly from state to state. For investors who do lend to cannabis businesses, finding great partnerships isn’t easy – and differs in a number…

The cannabis beverage space is a fascinating one. Much like the craft beer movement, which grew from the work of a few hobbyists in the 1980s and 1990s into a multibillion dollar industry today, we’re seeing pioneers invent new product categories, take big chances, and create new consumer experiences.  In Colorado, Keith Villa is doing…

Even as both medical and adult use cannabis legalization has continued across the United States, growers and resalers have faced a number of challenges, like how to standardize and regulate a product that isn’t always easy to measure. In the CBD space in particular, it’s easy to end up with “hot” product where THC levels…

Though adult use cannabis is rapidly maturing in many parts of the United States, the medical cannabis industry is still developing as well. It faces a different set of operational hurdles and challenges, is continuing to shift and develop, and remains the sole source of legal cannabis in a number of states, including New York….

Drug laws at the city, state, and federal levels have been used for almost a century to disproportionately punish people of color. Despite making up only 31.5% of the United States’ population, 46.9% of people arrested for violating drug laws are Black or Latino, and it’s never hard to find news stories of white offenders…

Maine legalized medical use cannabis in 1999, long before many other states. However, after adult-use cannabis was legalized by a vote in 2016, it effectively stayed inaccessible for another two years, with licenses finally going live and prohibition being lifted on December 5 of this year and retail sales not starting until March of 2020….

If you dive deep into the history of federally forbidden substances, you start to see clear parallels in the history of alcohol and cannabis when it comes to how prohibitions occur (and why they fall apart). Dr. William Rorabaugh is here to talk all about it. Dr. William Rorabaugh is a Professor of History at…

Throughout human history, economics has played a major part in setting policy and inspiring actions of all kinds, including prohibitions – and few have a deeper understanding of prohibitions than Dr. Mark Thornton. Dr. Thornton is a Senior Fellow at the Mises Institute and an economist who’s written and spoken extensively on the topic of…

In the last episode of our podcast, we talked all about how cannabis was widely prescribed in the 19th century, fell out of favor, and was ultimately outlawed at the federal level. Today, we continue this guided tour throughout cannabis history as it ping pongs from being celebrated to vilified (and back again), and there’s…

Cannabis usage in America didn’t start a few years or even a few decades ago. In fact, cannabis has a long, storied history including a period of extensive medical use before the prohibition that is just now coming to an end. Few know more about this history than Adam Rathge. Adam Rathge holds a Ph.D….

The vast majority of American states now have medical cannabis programs, and 11 states plus Washington D.C. have adult (or recreational) use programs as well. However, cannabis is still federally illegal, and the rules and regulations vary greatly depending on what side of the industry you’re in and where you’re doing business. Few people understand…

Welcome to the very first episode of The Green Repeal: the story of legal cannabis through the lens of marketers who know the unique challenges of working in highly regulated industries. Today, our guest is Sean Everett. Sean is an operating advisor to high growth companies in the consumer product space. He has 20 years of…