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. Operating in 11 states across the country, Vireo Health is a fast-growing medical cannabis company. Founded by a doctor and backed by scientists and physicians, they are a seed-to-sale business building several brands in the medical and wellness spaces.  Joining us ..read more

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 to bring others along on our journey. In this special episode, we’re touching on themes that have come up time and again with our guests: issues of representation, the restorative justice that needs to come with full legalization, and which of our guests’ predictions have come tr ..read more

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 to untangle. Fortunately, there’s people like Peter Huson. A former rocket scientist, Peter is Chief of Operations at Backbone–a fully customizable supply chain management platform that tracks production compliance, cost of goods sold, yields, and audit reporting d ..read more

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 - they have a deep understanding of how to navigate these challenges and advocate for others to break into this industry. Ashley is the owner and founder of Present Naturals and Bio Fiber Industries. He is also on the management team of ab ..read more

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 of the consumer. Andrea has a long, storied career working with brands you probably use daily, and she used her experience to create a CBD brand that’s pure, discreet, true, and transparent. Today, Andrea joins the podcast to share the story of how she discovered CBD ..read more

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 is a particularly tricky product to legally deliver.  Meredith Mahoney is facing these challenges head-on. She’s the president of Lantern, a cannabis business solely owned by Drizly. Currently serving customers in Massachusetts, Lantern helps people shop by ..read more

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 biology and botany from Humboldt State University and advocates for healthy lifestyles rooted in good food, exercise, and holistic use of plant-based medicines. She’s a foodie and a mixologist with a deep understanding of not just traditional cocktail ingredie ..read more

There’s always been a connection between cannabis and music, but how do legal cannabis brands authentically connect with music lovers? To answer that question, we’re talking to Kieve Huffman. Kieve is the founder and CEO of Engager Brands–a portfolio of cannabis lifestyle brands focused on reaching under-marketed music audiences. He builds authentic awareness for brands like Heavy Grass and Neon Roots by meeting people at concerts and music festivals. Before launching Engager, Kieve worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, including Apple. Microsoft, MTV, Warner, Universal, and Sony. To ..read more

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 the University of Washington. He’s also the author of several books, including The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition, American Hippies, and Prohibition: A Concise History. Outside of writing and teaching, he's held several distinguished positions, including Board President for the ..read more

The potential health benefits of cannabis are not strictly limited to humans. In fact, animals of all kinds have seen positive results from all sorts of different kinds of cannabis use, including dogs, pigs, and other species as well. Few people know this as well as holistic pet and medical cannabis expert Angela Ardolino. She’s the founder of CBD Dog Health and host of the It’s a Dog’s Life Podcast. She’s also the co-owner of Beautify the Beast, a pet grooming and boarding house, and the CEO of House of Alchemy, where she’s working to cultivate and process the purest medical cannabis products ..read more