Green Entrepreneur

Guest David 'Big Papi Ortiz' is three-time World Series Champion and former World Series MVP and a recent inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now you can add cannabis entrepreneur to his long list of accomplishments. Papi Cannabis is a new line of premium cannabis products available in dispensaries across Massachusetts.

Guest ALLISON MARGOLIN a Los Angeles-based criminal defense and civil rights lawyer and one of the nation's leading experts in cannabis licensing and law. She has a new book out called Just Dope: A Leading Attorney's Personal Journey Inside the War on Drugs, which is part memoir and part argument for a commonsense approach to drug use and legalization.

Cannabis became recreationally legal in New Jersey four months ago. So how's weed doing in the Garden State? To give us a perspective from the ground, we're joined by Sharon Ali who is Regional General Manager, Mid Atlantic at Acreage.

THC-infused beverage company Cann celebrated a major milestone this month: 10 million cans sold. Co-founder Luke Anderson joins the podcast to give an emotional interview about how they grew the company so rapidly and what other cannabis companies can learn from their success.  

Many small cannabis companies dream about being acquired by a multi-million-dollar public company, but what if that dream becomes a nightmare? Hayley Dineen and Lana Van Brunt lived through that harrowing experience, but rather than back down they took matters into their own hands. They are the Brooklyn-based duo behind Sackville & Co., a design-focused contemporary cannabis lifestyle brand. What happened to them offers valuable lessons into how to M&As in your own business.

Jones Soda is a well-known quirky craft soda company with drinks like Blue Bubblegum Cane Sugar Soda. Last April, the company launched Mary Jones in California, which includes cannabis-infused product lines of soda, syrup, and gummies. Bohb Blair, Chief Marketing Officer at Jones Soda, joins the pod to talk about why Jones got into the weed market, how they plan to stand out from the pack, and the state of cannabis-infused beverage industry

Economists Robin Goldstein and Daniel Sumner have a fascinating new book out called CAN LEGAL WEED WIN?: The Blunt Realities of Cannabis Economics. Though extensive research, they argue that the legal weed business presents an economic conundrum—while nearly 40% of Americans can walk into a dispensary and purchase weed legally, many still buy it illegally. On the show, they talk about why legal weed is a mess, what we can do to save the legal weed industry, and how small business owners can survive.

Since its launch in 2019 in California, Jeeter has grown into bestselling preroll company in the U.S, with a $400 million revenue projected this year. Co-founders Lukasz Tracz and Sebastian Solano join the show to talk about the five strategies they used to break through the pack and stand out.

Kim Myles is host of the lively new show High Design on Discovery Plus, in which she makes over dispensaries that could really use some freshening up. On the episode, she talks about her entrepreneurial journey from hair stylist to reality TV show winner to TV show and personality. She also shares her tips on how to transform your retail business to better serve your customers.

Ketamine has been shown to treat depression, PTSD, and anxiety. In recent years, clinics have been popping up in cities across America and Canada. Guest Matt Stang is co-founder and CEO of Delic Corp, the largest infrastructure of psychedelic wellness clinics in the U.S. Matt started his career as an intern at High Times and rose up the ranks to be its owner. Now he's embarking on a new journey in psychedelics such as ketamine. Here's why he think ketamine is so powerful and his predictions for the future of the psychedelics industry.

Andreas “Dre” Neumann is Chief Creative Officer of Jushi, a publicly-traded MSO that includes retails locations, brands, and grow facilities. He is also a photographer who has shot such artists as the Foo Fighters, Iggy Pop, and the Queens of the Stone Age. In fact, it was the latter that led him into the cannabis business. We talk to Dre about why this big advertising exec got into the cannabis business, and what advice he has to other creatives about branding.

Despite stigmas, Asian American and Pacific Islanders are making a big difference in the cannabis industry. On this episode, we're joined by Eunice Kim, founder and CEO of HiVi, a digital cannabis product that matches people to the right cannabis products, and Judy Yee co-founder and CEO of K-Zen, a cannabis beverage company. They talk about why they got into cannabis and the challenges they've had to overcome.

Many executives in the cannabis industry will be heading to New York City this month for the MJ Unpacked conference from May 18 to 20—and not just to see Ghost Face Killah in concert. The event, only in its second year, offers a chance for cannabis CPG brands, retailers, and investors to make deals, network, and get excited about the NYC market. Guests George and Kim Jage are the founders of MJ Unpacked. They talk about why they started the event, what to expect, and their predictions for the legal cannabis biz on the east coast.

Guest Ben Larson is CEO of Vertosa, a cannabis company that creates active ingredients for infused products including its patented and patent-pending emulsion systems. Ben is also an outspoken critic of delta 8 and says he would never work with a delta 8 client.

Grassdoor is a leading cannabis delivery service in California. Despite fierce competition, they've managed to be successful thanks to a proprietary tech platform that enables brands to white label their services. We talk to CEO Zack Ein about how he went from being the company's first delivery driver to overseeing a team of 450 full-time drivers. He also talks about the challenges and costs for DTC services and where the business is going.

Canopy Growth is an international, publicly traded cannabis MSO. Their offerings include Martha Stewart's CBD line. Our guest is Sol Clahane VP & General Manager of the Canopy Growth Corporation in the U.S.. She talks about what Canopy does, how their relationship with Martha Stewart came to be, the biggest challenges CBD companies like theirs face, and why you shouldn't be scared of MSO operators gobbling up the little guys.

There are 13.5 million Christians in the state California, 6.8 million of which have used a cannabis product. My guest Craig Gross wants to shine a light on this topic and invite the Christian community to to explore cannabis without shame or judgment. Craig is a well-known pastor and founder of XXXChurch.com. He recently launched Christian Cannabis, which offers high-CBD, low-THC cannabis strains cultivated specifically for Christian consumers.

We're all busier than ever. And we need help. But a dwindling number of job applicants and great need for efficiency has led many to consider new solutions to getting the help they need. Guest TaJanna Mallory says she has a solution: Virtual assistants. Guest TaJanna is Founder and Chief Executive Officer at CannAssistants, a virtual assistant (VA) agency that provides administrative support to mid-size cannabis companies, founders, and business executives. Here's what VAs do and why you may need on ASAP.

While a large majority of Americans support the legalization of cannabis, many get squeamish when a dispensary tries to open its doors in their neighborhood. The phenomena is known as NIMBY – not in my backyard. Guests Lauren Carpenter and Dustin Moore are co-founders of Embarc, a northern California cannabis retailer that has a unique and community-friendly approach to cannabis sales.

We talk a lot about the Green Rush, but few actually strike gold in this industry. Our guest, Cameron Forni, did after Curaleaf bought his company Select for an estimated $948 million. creating the world's largest legal cannabis company by revenue. Cameron recently launched Hypescale Ventures, focused on investing in forward-thinking founders and technology. On the podcast, Forni talks about some of the investments he's most excited about, including cannabis consumption lounges.

Raj Grover is the founder and CEO of High Tide, the largest Canadian retailer of recreational cannabis as measured by revenue. This is the story of how he grew his 500-square foot smoke shop of 2 employees into a cannabis empire with other 1000 employees spanning North America and Europe.

Kyle Kazan is th co-founder and CEO of California-based Glass House Group, one of the largest privately held, vertically-integrated cannabis and hemp companies. He sits down with Nick Gaulin, editor in chief of Marijuana Retail Report to discuss their the company's most recent acquisition of PLUS Products and the current state of the world's largest adult-use market.

You probably know Anthony Sullivan from starring in those OxiClean ads with his friend the late Billy Mays. But more recently Sullivan has turned his sites to CBD. He is CEO of MontKush that uses organic CBD rosin from Vermont. Mont Kush also contains the compound CBDA, which made news recently after it was discovered that it may prevent the virus that causes Covid-19. On the show, he shares tips on how to pitch your product in a crowded market.

Luxury cannabis is here to stay On the pod, we talk to Cheyne Nadeau, VP of Marketing for Hervé, which makes high-end cannabis-infused macarons and hard candies. We discuss why the luxury cannabis category is so hot, who is buying this stuff, and the opportunties and challenges for entrepreneurs in the space in the next few years.

Guest Emily Paxhia is Managing Director Poseidon Investment Management. She joins us from the floor of the Hall of Flowers tradeshow to discuss the trends she's excited about—and not so excited about—for the upcoming year. Emily has reviewed over 1000 companies in her career. She had helped shape founders' pitches, their go-to-market strategies, and advised on day-to-day business operations. Emily has held board seats for multiple portfolio companies and participates as an adviser to multiple teams.

New developments in terpene research out of Israel are revealing some promising findings about the medicinal effectiveness of cannabis. At the forefront of this research is Nadav Eyal, the founder and CEO of Eybna Technologies which manufactures terpenes for dozens of cannabis brands including Old Pal and Lemon Tree. He talks to us about what his company is learning about how terpenes can help with sleep, anxiety, and even Covid-19.

Have you wanted to enjoy all the benefits of booze without the unhealthy side effects? Guest Darnell Smith believes he has a solution. He is the founder of Moon, MXXN, the first THC-infused spirits brand, creating 1:1 non-alcoholic replacements for gin, tequila and bourbon. A former defensive linemen for Notre Dame, Smith has worked with top global spirits companies for 15 years, including Diageo, Pernod-Ricard and Bacardi in product innovation and commercialization. He is now making his mark in the cannabis industry

Many cannabis entrepreneurs are flocking to Oklahoma, which boasts no limits on marijuana business licenses, few restrictions on who can obtain a medical card, and cheap land, energy and building materials. Our guest Chip Baker is all in on Oklahoma. As the founding partner of Greener Consulting Group, he helps businesses set up shop in the Sooner state.

For the past 50 plus years, the DEA only permitted the University of Mississippi to grow research marijuana. But in March, the agency finally allowed private companies to grow cannabis for research. One of those companies is the Biopharmaceutical Research Company (BRC). Guest George Hodgin is the founder and CEO and a former Navy SEAL. We discuss his inspiration for getting into the cannabis industry and what he hopes BRC can do for the future of cannabis research.

Guest Shannon Walters is the founder of LightSky Farms, a Michigan cannabis brand that has received over 35 High Times Cannabis Awards—including two in 2021. Shannon was s semi-pro skateboarded and snowboard who suffered numerous broken bones and injuries leading to an addition to opiates. Cannabis saved his life. He is also an expert winemaker and vineyard tender and has brought that skill set to his cannabis business.

THC inflation is a problem in the cannabis industry. How does it work? Knowing that many consumers want the strongest product, many growers and distributors shop around for the lab that gives them the highest THC scores. This potency inflation, also known as lying, isn't good for those attempting to manage precisely how high they become. Ben Rosman, CEO & Co-Founder of PSI Labs, joins the show to talk about the dangers of mislabeled cannabis products on the market. His serves two of the largest markets in California and Michigan and he has very strong views on this topic.

Former NBA star Al Harrington is the CEO and founder of Viola, inspired and named in honor of his grandmother. While many professional athletes talk the talk about cannabis and dabble in the industry, Al walks the walk. He is fully invested in the industry and a great spokesperson not only for cannabis but for entrepreneurs who want to get in the space. In his mission to pay in forward, Al recently announced the launch of the Harrington Institute, a school for cannabis education created in partnership with Cleveland School of Cannabis. Al will be one of our keynote speakers at the Green Growth Summit in Chicago on October 27. Get your tickets today!

From Mars to marijuana, our guest is former NASA engineer Nohtal Partansky who worked on the MOXIE instrument, a device that producing oxygen on the surface of Mars. But Nohtal left the space agency in 2018 to start his company Sorting Robotics, a robotics company that builds robots for cannabis manufacturers. He talks about the problems the robots solve and why they will never replace humans.

Rob Sims and Calvin Johnson, Jr used to be teammates on the Detroit Lions. Now they run a Michigan cannabis company called Primitiv together. Their brand is focused on understanding how medical marijuana can ease pain, especially among professional athletes. Primitiv recently collaborated with Harvard University to research how cannabis helps people with CTE, a brain disease associated with repeated traumatic brain injuries. Rob Sims joins the show to talk why he got into the business and the secret club of NFL weed smokers.