Live from DC, Lobbying for the cannabis industry, most were talking to Congressional offices about SAFE Banking, 280E, and comprehensive reform like the CAOA. We discuss what was the focus of the hemp team during their meetings with members of Congress. As wellas, what was the guest's overall strategy?  James Granger has built an extensive career focused on the blooming medical and recreational cannabis industry and holds a deep knowledge of cannabinoid effects, extraction, and processing,...

Today we talk about real estate in the cannabis industry with Bryan McLaren of Zoned Properties. Real estate is a weird topic these days in the housing market but we talk commercial real estate for cannabis. We discuss why this aspect is important in the grand scheme as we move toward federal legalization and sensible regulations. We've got about 10 years of history under our belt to look at as far as how the cannabis industry has experienced commercial real estate services. Knowing that we...

In Part 1 we covered Cannabis Consumption Lounges, what purpose they serve, as well as how the business models compare and contrast to other industries. We began to dip our toes into the liabilities and risks associated and how consumption lounges can protect themselves from something going wrong, or what to do if and when something does go wrong. We pick back up there with Jodi Green and Matt Grimes, as well as What else comes to mind about the risks associated with cannabis consumption...

NCIA is talking to Etienne Fontan, and Michael Krawitz of the Veterans Action Council. Being in D.C.s recently with NCIA for our 10th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days event, lobbying for the cannabis industry, most were talking to Congressional offices about SAFE Banking, 280E, and comprehensive reform like the CAOA. We discuss what the VAC members' focus was on during their meetings with members of Congress, and how those meetings went. Then we dive into the current bills out there that...

Lobbying Congress Virtually as an NCIA Evergreen Member with Khurshid Khoja is founder of Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, P.C., a California business law firm. Khurshid founded the law firm in 2012, which represents clientele from across numerous sectors in the legal cannabinoid industries, on regulatory, start‐up, corporate, intellectual property, finance, and other commercial and transactional matters. Khurshid currently serves as Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors of the National...

The Full Spectrum And Gray Areas, of the Hemp Industry Hemp Committee with Liz Mason and Keith Butler today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on Cannabis Radio. Liz Mason is the Director of Operations at Aurum Labs and Aurum Hemp. Both companies focus on compliance testing for Marijuana and Industrial Hemp products. They were one of the first certified cannabis testing labs in Colorado and in the US. They are USDA, ISO 17025 accredited, and Colorado state-certified. Keith was brought...

Extraction Equipment History and Regulatory Challenges with Jack Naito, Luna Technologies today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice on The Cannabis Radio. Jack is a former Boeing aerospace engineer turned cannabis entrepreneur who started Portland, Oregon-based Luna Technologies, which manufactures cannabis extraction equipment, with his childhood friend, Kyler Buck, in 2016. At the time, most of the equipment available was re-purposed from other industries including breweries and...

A Busy Summer in Congress for Cannabis Policy Reform Michelle Rutter Friberg, NCIA's Deputy Director of Government Relations. Now that it’s August Recess we take a moment to cover some of the developments we’ve seen in Congress since the beginning of the year. Seems like things are starting to feel somewhat back to normal, but we had to adjust and pivot as an organization in many ways. We hosted a couple of VIRTUAL lobby day events earlier in the year, so we dive more into those events, and...

Cannabis Mom, Podcasting Boss, and Bravo TV Fan, Jenny Blaze today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on The Cannabis Radio. Jenny Blaze is a Digital Entrepreneur, Content Creator, Cannabis Advocate, and host of GoodPods #8 in the Top 100 Indie TV Reviews Chart, the Bravo & Blaze with Jenny Blaze podcast. She is focused on bridging the gap between mainstream pop culture media and the Cannabis industry to modernize the perception of cannabis consumption and empower others to safely...

A Conversation with the Cannabis Regulators Association Dr. Gillian Schauer, CANNRA today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on The Cannabis Radio. Dr. Gillian Schauer was elected CANNRA’s first Executive Director in 2021 and served as a Senior Advisor to CANNRA before the organization’s founding. Dr. Schauer has worked in public health and policy for nearly two decades and has a decade of experience working with federal and state agencies on cannabis policy, data monitoring, and research...

Designing Cannabis Facilities With Mindful Sustainability Facilities Design Committee, Kevin Quinlan (Mintropy. Kevin is a principal of the Chicago-based engineering firm Mintropy. He is a professional mechanical engineer, specializing in the design of HVAC, plumbing, and process systems for the cannabis industry. Using his experience in traditional engineering methods throughout his past, he applies his team’s depth of knowledge to create efficient and economically sound solutions for...

The Rise of Cannabis Consumption Lounges: Risk and Opportunities Mathew Grimes (The Grimes Law Group), Jodi Green (Miller Nash) NCIA’s Risk Management and Insurance Committee. Cannabis consumption lounges, we start by talking about what they are, how they work, why they exist, and why we need or want them? We compare a business model like this to something else that already exists in the alcohol industry, Bars. Also for fine cigars, there are special cigar lounges. So we talk about how this...

NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice takes a look back at our featured interview with Colorado Governor Jared Polis. We dive into his reasoning for being a vocal supporter of cannabis reform when it was still really a fringe issue. We also talk about more of Governor Jared Polis's efforts over the years including how he Introduced the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act many times during his time in Congress. Governor Jared Polis, born and raised in Colorado, is an entrepreneur, education leader,...

Evolutions In Vaporizer Technology and Cannabis Oil Cartridges with Mike Hogan And Thompson Duke today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on The Cannabis Radio. Today we start by talking about the vaporizer market. The devices are one part, and the actual cannabis oil formulas go into the cartridges. There’s kind of a standard, mass-produced vape pen battery you can get for $10, and most cartridges fit them, but there are also proprietary designs that require specific pods or cartridges....

New Dispensary Facility Design Trends In Cannabis with Andy Poticha, Cannabis Facility Construction today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on The Cannabis Radio. Founder and CEO of Cannabis Facility Construction, a division of Mosaic Construction, a national design-build firm based in Northbrook, Illinois. Since 2015, Andy helped CFC become a national industry leader in full-service cannabis facility design-build working with multiple MSOs, independents, and start-up cannabis companies...

Myths and Misinformation About Cannabis Banking Services with Green Check Verified CEO Kevin Hart today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on The Cannabis Radio. Green Check Verified is a leading provider of cannabis banking solutions and expert advisory services for financial institutions. He is an experienced, passionate, team-oriented leader that has held executive positions in venture-backed technology companies. Hart specializes in developing strategic plans coupled with...

Navigating The Process of Cannabis Technology Patents with Paul Coble today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice today on Cannabis Radio. Paul is an intellectual property attorney with Harris Bricken and Chair of NCIA’s Cannabis Manufacturing Committee; Scott Seeley is an intellectual property attorney with Eastgate IP and is an Organizer of the Cannabis Manufacturing Committee. We dive into some high-level topics surrounding patents in the cannabis industry. You can get a patent for just about...

Crafting New Jersey’s Cannabis Laws & Regulations with Fox Rothschild, Fruqan Mouzon, today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on The Cannabis Radio. Fruqan helped craft the adult-use cannabis legislation in New Jersey, giving him a very unique perspective on the market in that state. We discuss what his role was and what the process was like writing that legislation, as well as what he believes were the mistakes and lessons learned in hindsight. Fruqan also explains some of the...

The New Cannabis and Hemp Symbol Standardization Planning with CMC, Darwin Millard, David Vaillancourt. NCIA’s Cannabis Manufacturing Committee members Darwin of TSOC and David Vaillancourt of the GMP Collective, from NCIA’s Cannabis Manufacturing Committee and Facilities Design Committee. The CMC focuses on reviewing existing business practices and state regulations of concentrates, topicals, vaporizers, and edibles, ensuring the manufacturing sector is helping shape its destiny. The big...

The Future of Social Equity and Interstate Commerce with Mark Slaugh, DEI Committee today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice. CEO and owner of iComply, Mark works in the specialist sector of compliance for the medical, retail, and hemp industries and has over 13 years of experience in cannabis industry development, consulting, and operational compliance and over 22 years experience in regulations and risk management. He is a qualified expert witness on cannabis compliance and regulations in...

Sorting Through The Chaos of Expanding Into New Cannabis Markets with Jennifer Spanos from CannaBusiness ERP today on Cannabis Radio. Jennifer Spanos is the VP of Product and Vertical Strategy at CannaBusiness ERP. She has 15+ years of experience in cannabis and food software and operations, working to maximize the efficiency and profitability of customers’ businesses. Jennifer started out doing research and development for food companies, launching new products across North America. She is...

How Cannabis Companies Pivoted Marketing During COVID with Dan Serard today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on Cannabis Radio. Dan has been working in the cannabis industry for over four years. Currently, he heads business development and strategic partnerships for Cannabis Creative Group – a top marketing agency in the cannabis industry. He is a member of many cannabis associations and serves as a committee member of the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Marketing and...

NCIA Education Committee on Design and Development of Educational Programs with Mila Marshall and Dale Sky Jones today on NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice only on Cannabis Radio. They discuss how the committee helps identify emerging topics in the cannabis space. They also discuss the challenges surrounding education in cannabis for those just entering the industry, as well as those who are long-term veterans of cannabis? Mila Marshall is a doctoral candidate in Ecology & Evolutionary...

Governor Jared Polis, born and raised in Colorado, is an entrepreneur, education leader, and public servant. Prior to becoming Governor, Polis brought medical experts, advocates, attorneys, and scientists to D.C. to legitimize cannabis legalization in the national conversation, and led the way for new market opportunities for agriculture while serving as the Congressman for Colorado's 2nd Congressional district. From growers to producers to every strain of innovator in between, Governor Polis...

Learn more about robbery, theft, and other crime risks in cannabis with Kevin Mullins, Vice President, 3SI & Doug Esposito of AssuredPartners, members of NCIA's Risk Management and Insurance Committee today on NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Voice on Cannabis Radio. With the recent increases in theft and robberies in cannabis dispensaries, the NCIA’s Risk Management and Insurance Committee is hosting this podcast to discuss how these crimes are affecting the industry and best practices to...