Blunt Business

Artemis Holdings Group LLC with Founder and Board Chair of Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation Sheri Orlowitz today on Blunt Business only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest is an experienced entrepreneur, venture capitalist, turn-around expert, board director, corporate leader, attorney, and former federal prosecutor. She represents an organization that will speak about, looks to “ensure that federal regulations are informed by and grounded in science, best business practices, sound public policy, and social justice principles.” As an emerging industry with sky-high revenue projections, lofty social-justice promises, and ground rules currently being written from scratch, no business in America prompts ready comparisons to Silicon Valley like legal cannabis. They speak about exponential growth fueled by the beginning of adult-use sales in East Coast states like New York and the potential of a legal national market, as the U.S. Senate for the first time seriously debates federal legalization while Californi

What's Next for Cannabis in 2022-Part 2: What Federal Government Will Get Done to Help the Cannabis Industry in 2022. Cannabis CEOs aren't waiting around for the US government to legalize. Some are eyeing international markets for expansion. The CEOs say they expect narrow reform around banking ahead of legalization. If you really wanted to create an industry that’s dependent on gangs and cartels, make it all cash. It’s almost like the system that is there now is oriented towards promoting things that we don’t want,” said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), speaking at The Hill’s Regulating Cannabis event. If you own or operate a cannabis-related business, don’t expect to jump on the refinancing bandwagon the next time home loan interest rates drop. In fact, your best bet is probably to purchase your home—and any other assets—outright, in cash. Because cannabis is still federally illegal, FDIC-insured banks are unlikely to consider income from a marijuana business in a mortgage application, which elimin

What's Next for Cannabis in 2022-Part 1: New Disruptors in Cannabis: The Rise of Psychedelics and New Cannabinoids. Studies of MDMA, ketamine, psilocybin mushrooms, and other psychedelics have shown tremendous potential for therapeutic applications. In May 2021, Nature Medicine published the results of the most advanced trial of psychedelic therapy to date. In our Phase 3 trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, 88% of participants who received MDMA in conjunction with trauma-focused therapy experienced a clinically significant reduction in symptoms; 67% of participants no longer met the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. Many participants reported MDMA-assisted therapy helped them address the root cause of their trauma for the first time. Using a process his lab developed in 2015, Chang Lu, the Fred W. Bull Professor of Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering, is helping his Virginia Commonwealth University collaborators study the epigenomic effects of psychedelics. Their findings give insight int

Zoned Properties with Chief Executive Officer Bryan McLaren today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Mr. McLaren is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Zoned Properties, a strategic real estate development firm whose primary mission is to provide real estate and sustainability services for the regulated cannabis industry. McLaren has a strong professional background in the social, economic, and environmental development of complex business organizations. For more than a decade he has successfully implemented programs and projects for corporate and community organizations. McLaren holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and Ethics Studies from the University of San Diego, a Masters of Sustainable Development from Northern Arizona University, an Executive Masters in Business Leadership from Arizona State University, and an MBA from Marylhurst University.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Medical Marijuana, Inc. & Kannaway with CEO Blake Schroeder today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest has extensive business experience in the nutrition industry ranging from legal and regulatory insight to overseeing all aspects of global sales, product development, marketing, distribution, and operations. He now oversees the world’s first-ever cannabis-derived nutraceutical products, brands, and supply chain. Blake recently stepped into the role of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and President of MJNA replacing Stuart Titus. Before the appointment, he handled international market development, financial performance management, product development, rebranding efforts, and operational development of the Company as a whole. We have enjoyed speaking with Stuart over the years here on Cannabis Radio since our inception.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Urban-Gro With Sam Andras SVP of Design Services today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest is the Executive Vice President of Professional Services, a fully integrated architecture, engineering, and cultivation systems integration company serving the commercial cannabis and food-focused Controlled Environment Agriculture sector. To date, he has been involved in the design of over 100 cultivation projects and 50 dispensary facilities in 21 states and three countries, totaling over 8 million square feet. Urban-gro Inc. recently closed on acquiring MJ12 Design Studio and parent company, 2WR+ Partners of which you are senior principal and partner. You now serve on the executive leadership team, heading Urban-gro's architecture, engineering, and design offering. We talk about Sam's entry into a fast-growing publicly traded cannabis company.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

MariMed Inc with COO Tim Shaw today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest represents one of the largest multi-state cannabis and hemp operators in the US. Across its branded products, this company is at the forefront of precision-dosed branded products for the treatment of specific medical symptoms. They currently distribute its branded products in select states and are expanding licensing and distribution to numerous additional markets encompassing thousands of dispensaries. MariMed is reportedly considering markets like Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, and you have been in discussions in Ohio and Michigan. Given the momentum that legalization is getting, talk to me about the importance of having enough markets running and influx in preparation for federal legalization.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Cannabis Department at Greenberg Glusker with founder Priya Sopori today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermia only on Cannabis Radio. Celebrity endorsements are a popular marketing tool for brands seeking to gain wide attention from targeted consumers in a relatively short period of time. Within federally regulated industries, these endorsement deals are often straightforward. This week we will talk about the ever-changing legal landscape of trademark and copyright enforcement to the possible perils of associating a cannabis brand with an already iconic image. RollingStone wrote back in April: Cannabis legalization is rippling across the country — with New York, Virginia, and New Mexico all passing cannabis reform bills. A total of 17 states (plus D.C.) have legalized cannabis for adult use. As cannabis goes mainstream, plenty of famous folks are getting into the cannabis business.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Senior-High with Karen Lustman, founder and CEO, and Lewis Lustman, Chief Marketing Officer today on Blunt Business only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guests run a woman-owned health and wellness company that advocates for safe and effective cannabis products for seniors. They recently opened their website at www.senior-high.com providing information that enables seniors to confidently choose the right cannabis products to help relieve sleeplessness, aches and pains, anxiety, and other ailments common to seniors. Karen stated “We’re thrilled to offer seniors a site designed by seniors specifically for seniors. There are more than 90 million seniors in the U.S., an enormous segment that is aware that cannabis can help with the problems that accompany growing older but lack a great deal of basic information. " The target market for S-H is those regarded as Baby Boomers or older This demographic is largely ignored by the cannabis industry. Senior High believes that prior to the pandemic the majority of Boomers

Safe hemp and CBD products with Jonathan Miller General Counsel of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable and Member-In-Charge at the Frost Brown Todd Law Office in Washington, D.C. today on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest serves as general counsel for the hemp industry’s national advocacy organization, a coalition of dozens of leading companies and organizations committed to safe hemp and CBD products. From a recent press release, The U.S. Hemp Roundtable applauds the California Legislature for its overwhelming passage of AB 45, which will explicitly permit the retail sale of products containing non-intoxicating hemp-derived extracts and cannabinoids, such as CBD. Upon signature from Governor Gavin Newsom, the era of CBD prohibition in California will come to an end.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Turning Point Brands with Eric Anwar (Sr. Director of Marketing) and Lorenzo De Plano (Vice President) today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest markets one of the most widely sold cannabis adjacent products on the market. When you think of rolling papers you are most likely thinking of their majorly featured brand, Zig-Zag. We start by talking about the importance of Zig-Zag to the Cannabis Industry. Seeking Alpha wrote: How does Turning Point Brands factor into this cannabis craze? Well, Turning Point Brands is really a tobacco products company. The company sells products such as chewing tobacco and tobacco alternatives such as vape products. But Turning Point Brands has a very popular tobacco brand that is a marijuana adjacent product in Zig-Zag. As can be seen, Zig-Zag is one of the most popular cigarette rolling papers and also has a 75% share of the cigar wrap market. The Zig-Zag brand is also synonymous with marijuana "joints" while cigar wraps are tradit

US Cannabis Council with President & CEO Steven Hawkins today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. In 2020, just $4 million was spent on marijuana lobbying, according to Open Secrets. That’s measly compared to the $27 million that was spent by tobacco lobbyists, and roughly $30 million from the beer, wine, and liquor industry. Happy to welcome this week the President and CEO of the United States Cannabis Council, an omnibus group that includes many of the largest industry players, namely a strategic alliance of 65 companies and nonprofits working in the licensed, medical, and adult-use cannabis industry in the United States, and Executive Director of the Marijuana Policy Project, the leading national organizations advancing the legalization of cannabis for adult use and medical treatment.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

HERBL with Founder And CEO Mike Beaudry today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest founded California's largest cannabis supply chain solutions company servicing more than 850 storefront and non-storefront retail licensees. They also boast exclusive brand partnerships with the #1 selling flower, vape, and concentrate brands. Recently the company announced its acquisition of Blackbird, a premier cannabis distributor and direct-to-consumer software solutions company based in Nevada. The transaction allows HERBL to leverage Blackbird’s ecosystem of national retail and logistics insights to enter the Nevada market and create the most comprehensive supply chain platform in the industry.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Dymapak with CEO Ross Kirsh today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. The U.S. cannabis industry is expected to add $92 billion to the country's economy in 2021, according to MJBizDaily. As the industry continues its upward momentum, producers of cannabis products that range from mints to gummies to dissolvable powders are seeking ways to reduce plastic packaging while remaining compliant. Dymapak is the leading solution provider to meet the growing need for safety packaging solutions across a variety of applications and industries. Recently, Dymapak, along with client HEXO, an award-winning licensed producer of innovative products for the global cannabis market, and Plastic Bank®, announced a partnership to offset all plastic in packaging. You said about this: “Ocean plastic is a critical issue with increasing challenges,” said Ross Kirsh, CEO at Dymapak.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Unrivaled Brands CEO Frank Knuettel today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest has decades of experience in working with and advising public and private companies on financial management and controls, M&A, capital markets transactions, and operating and financial restructurings. Bob Hoban in Forbes recently wrote: There are indicators, not the least of which was the House’s passage of the MORE ACT, that senior members of the Biden administration, like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are moving toward federal cannabis legalization. This is building a wave of momentum for U.S. cannabis investment and goes hand in hand with the trend of industry consolidation we’ve seen in recent months. With this growing enthusiasm and confidence, increasing mergers and acquisition activity, and investors looking for companies to fund, one must ask the question – how does one evaluate cannabis investments? So we talk about the opportunities that Unrivaled Brands is focusing on an

FlowerHire with CEO David Belsky today on Blunt Business with Jorge Hermida only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest runs a leading staffing and talent strategy firm serving the regulated cannabis industry. It has filled over 300 positions in 10 states since its inception in 2017. To bring listeners up to speed, David built his career in executive search over the course of 16 years. During that time, he spent 13 years with the same company, focusing on tech. Since our chat last June, he launched the FlowerHire X application platform. David told Benzinga he created FlowerHire X, to help job seekers understand what type of job in cannabis is relevant for them and help companies hire the right type of folks in the right type of job to unlock the potential of their workforce and reduce turnover. We talk about this new platform and the solutions he hopes this will provide.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Nirvana Group with CEO Arshad Lasi today on Blunt Business only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest runs one of the most prominent and well-known cannabis companies in Oklahoma, which boasts a sprawling 30-acre cultivation facility, 3,000 square foot production center, wholesale distribution company, multiple house brands, and an ever-expanding roster of medical dispensaries. Delays in implementing Oklahoma’s “seed-to-sale” tracking system for medical marijuana have sowed confusion for businesses in the fast-growing cannabis industry as law enforcement authorities step up their enforcement efforts for illicit marijuana products. Oklahoma voters approved medical marijuana in 2018 under State Question 788. Most states with legal medical or recreational cannabis markets have some type of tracking system to verify that products are grown, processed, transported, and sold under the law.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Pure Craft CBD with CEO Jason Navarrete today on Blunt Business only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest is a serial entrepreneur, real estate investor, and adjunct professor, who recently sold his cannabis growing company for $250 Million and is now launching a CBD company with nanotechnology that he has developed with MIT engineers. seed to sale approach and hybrid business model is said to be a precursor to the evolution of the cannabis industry in the coming decades. “We only partner with farmers that understand the importance of genetics and science in regard to cultivating premium hemp biomass. Our products are made following the strictest guidelines and quality control measures, allowing us to call them a pharmaceutical grade."Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Flourish Software with Colton Griffin and Pam Pho today on Blunt Business only on Cannabis Radio. Flourish started with a trip to California in 2017. The creators of Flourish met a team of experienced cultivators who were impressed with their supply chain and enterprise software background. They discovered that while cannabis was set to explode, the industry lacked sophisticated systems to support this growth. At that time, we were working on supply chain analytics and process improvement projects for traditional logistics operations and saw strong parallels between the Flourish background and the industry’s needs. As passionate supporters of legalization, they saw their opportunity to support the most exciting industry in the market and created Flourish.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Emjay with CEO Chris Vaughn today on Blunt Business only on Cannabis Radio. Our next guest is a serial entrepreneur and leader in the tech, lifestyle, and Bev-alcohol industries, who has redefined how the Bev-alcohol industry connects with consumers online. He has consulted the likes of AB-InBev, Pernod Ricard, Universal Music Group, Tesco, Diageo, Bevmo, and 7-Eleven. Emjay is a vertically integrated cannabis retail and delivery company that, thanks to a merger with Saucey last October, has existing access to 22 U.S. markets for alcohol deliveries and a robust on-demand cannabis delivery service throughout Southern California. Warren Bobrow at Forbes explained Emjay as “helping destigmatize cannabis distribution by disrupting the traditional supply chain in cannabis delivery.” Chris told Forbes: “Just seven years ago the largest alcohol companies in the world had almost no involvement in online shopping or last-mile delivery. We built one of the largest Bev-alcohol marketplaces in the country, and through th