NCIA Leading During COVID-19

Tune in to this episode to hear more about the day-to day-work at NCIA during COVID-19 with Aaron Smith, NCIA’s CEO and co-founder.

We chat about what’s fresh and new at NCIA that we rolled out this year. First of all, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee (DEIC) is one of their 13 member-driven committees, and NCIA’s Membership Manager – Tahir Johnson – based in D.C. is simultaneously overseeing the EQUITY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. During this super strange year of COVID-19, events are postponed, but cannabis is essential in most states where it’s legal. The cannabis industry is also stepping up to do things like donate PPE equipment or actually manufacture and produce hand sanitizer. We dive into what the cannabis industry is doing during this time and what the new day to day operations are from NCIA and other companies like it.

Prior to launching NCIA in 2010, Aaron distinguished himself as a public advocate for marijuana policy reform — first under the auspices of a California-based medical cannabis advocacy group, Safe Access Now, and more recently as the California state policy director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. Aaron has successfully built coalitions with elected officials on both sides of the aisle in order to advance marijuana law reform legislation in the state capitol and among the voting public. Aaron’s opinion pieces have appeared in major newspapers, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times, and he has been a frequent commentator on national television news networks. Aaron is currently based in Denver, Colorado.

The Georgia Medical Cannabis Legislative Roll Out

Tune in to learn more about the Georgia medical cannabis legislative roll out with Taylor English Duma LLP’s Reggie Snyder. Taylor English Duma LLP is based in Atlanta, Georgia, but boasts a full-service firm with 175 attorneys including a geographic scope of remote lawyers situated across the country, doing business also in California, Florida, D.C. New York, Tennessee, Texas, and so on, serving over 15 industries, Reggie is an experienced trial lawyer whose litigation practice primarily focuses on contract, construction, and real estate disputes, products liability, and personal injury.

We talk about what’s happening on the ground in Georgia where Reggie is based, where medical cannabis was just recently approved. It’s really exciting to see some Southern states moving in this direction, so we discuss what’s going on with the Georgia medical cannabis legislative roll out and what Georgia’s Cannabis Commission is up to.

Parallels Between The Wine And Cannabis Industry

Tune in to this episode to learn more about parallels between the wine and cannabis industry with COO of Fumé, Elissa Hambrecht. Founded in 2017, Fumé Brands is a vertically integrated cannabis company, operating four businesses from cultivation through retail. With active cultivation, manufacturing, and distribution channels, Fumé Brands recently launched its first consumer brand LAKEGRADE, and plans to launch other thoughtfully crafted cannabis products and experiences in the future. Nestled in the side of the mountains, Fumé’s plants are grown by a master cannabis cultivator with three decades of experience. The land has active hot springs on-site that we’re all jealous they get to soak in after a long day on the farm.

Elissa was previously in the wine industry which a lot of folks say shares a lot of parallels to the cannabis industry. Especially with her being located in the Napa Valley which is very much known for great wine, we discuss what wisdom Elissa brings from the wine industry that can be applied to the cannabis industry, as well the similarities between those industries and how they work. The science behind cannabis over the years has been great as we unravel the facts of cannabinoids and terpenes and how they impact us. We like to envision a world where we can reverse engineer exactly what we want. We want to relax but don’t want to fall asleep, we want anti-inflammatory properties but don’t want the munchies, for example. We talk about Elissa’s thoughts on that being the future of cannabis innovation and more.

Full Integration While Expanding Your Product Line

Learn more about full integration while expanding your product line with Michael Bostarr, Director of Strategy and Implementation of SPARC. Michael is a passionate organizer who produced Blunt Talks San Francisco, and helped bring to life Meadow’s first-ever camping retreat – Meadowlands. He is former Chief of Staff at Kin Slips and Michael is now the Director of Strategy and Implementation at SPARC. He is a vocal advocate for cannabis and can often be seen at local city council meetings. SPARC, whose roots began back as early as 1998 when CA Prop 215 was passed, opened its first retail facility in 2010 on Mission Street in San Francisco.

SPARC also happens to be NCIA’s first official founding member, and their executive director Erich Pearson spent many years serving on NCIA’s board of directors. SPARC is one of the oldest dispensaries in the Bay Area and has been serving medical and now adults since 2008. Starting with just that single location until expanding to 5 locations over the last few years, now they’re looking to expand even more, which is the dream and ideal for most dispensary owners who start with a single location. We talk about what that process is looking like in California which already has plenty of regulatory headaches, plus other hurdles they are coming up against. Being vertically or fully integrated, meaning they produce or grow some of what they also sell to the customers, there are other models that allow a dispensary to sell products from another separate licensee to grow or process. But full integration while expanding your product line sounds like a lot to handle so we dive into advice Michael has for vertically integrated cannabis companies like SPARC.

Shifts In Cannabis Stigma During COVID-19

Learn more about shifts in cannabis stigma during COVID-19 with Autumn Shelton, Chief Financial Officer of Autumn Brands. Autumn is a partner as well as CFO of Autumn Brands, a 50% woman-owned cannabis business located in sunny coastal Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County, California. In her position as CFO, Autumn is a strategic decision-maker for the family farm, which started in Holland more than 100 years ago. Along with overseeing the company’s financials, she is in charge of legal compliance on the local and state levels. Autumn champions the health and wellness benefits of cannabis and is committed to cultivation free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.

We start by talking about current affairs, and how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world. The silver lining is that cannabis was deemed essential in most states where it was legal during massive shutdowns. This implies that the public, and governments, see the value of cannabis. We talk about what shifts in the stigma have happened around cannabis since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Having gone through the process of launching a brand, and now Autumn is rockin’ and rollin’ and in business, we talk about the advice Autumn has for individuals who are starting this process, as well as any obstacles Autumn has come across that she can advise others on especially if you’re a woman business owner.

Cannabis Jobs During COVID-19

Learn more about Cannabis Jobs During COVID-19 with Meadow CEO and Co-Founder, David Hua. Meadow is a software company built from the ground up for California cannabis, and Y-Combinator’s first start-up to operate in the cannabis space. Meadow’s all-in-one platform allows dispensaries to sell products, manage menus and inventory, reward customers, dispatch delivery and pick-up orders, and create exceptional in-store experiences for customers. Meadow has been Headquartered in San Francisco since 2014. Hua has also collaborated with California’s cannabis community and California regulators to draft, implement, and provide stakeholder feedback of medical and Adult-Use regulations. Hua sits on the boards of the California Cannabis Industry Association, the Cannabis Distribution Association, as well as the NCIA Retail Committee.

The cannabis industry in California has had some ups and downs in the transition to adult-use laws from Prop 64, and the COVID-19 crisis is no exception. In Colorado, as in California, they almost had legal cannabis shut down alongside bars and restaurants. The announcement was reversed in about 3 hours after everyone rushed the dispensaries. We talk to David about what it looked like in California and how they as cannabis software providers reacted. Cannabis is essential but federally illegal, so they didn’t initially get access to SBA COVID-19 financial relief. Perlmutter and Blumenauer introduced a bill specifically to include cannabis. We did get SAFE Banking Language in the 2nd coronavirus relief package approved out of the House of Reps, even tho some of the senates complained about seeing the word ‘cannabis’ in the bill. David explains his thoughts on this reaction even tho the industry has been an unbelievable job creator.

The Future of Colorado Cannabis

Tune in to this episode to learn more about the future of Colorado cannabis with Jonathan Singer. Jonathan is the State Representative for District 11 in Colorado and has been based in the city of Boulder since 2012. There he serves as the Chair of Public Healthcare and Human Services Committee. He has a background in social work, including work as a peer educator at the Boulder County Safehouse, counseling, and advocacy for abused and neglected children, and has been a champion of cannabis reform here in the state of Colorado.

We start by talking about the evolution of the cannabis industry and movement in Colorado, which had a strong medical program before legalizing for adults which rolled out in 2014. Johnathan explains if he was immediately a supporter of cannabis or did he have to come around on this issue. As we look back on the last few years, Colorado was one of the first two states to legalize cannabis for adults, Jonathan rates how the state did with cannabis implementation. As well as where they succeeded, and where they fell short. We also touch what issues are next for our industry as we continue to evolve and so much more.

Environmental Assistance For Small Businesses

Tune in to learn more about environmental assistance for small businesses with Kaitlin Urso. Kaitlin is from the CO Dept of Public Health where she serves as Environmental Consultant/ Project Manager/ Small Business Assistance Program Specialist. In her role, she protects Colorado’s air, land, and water quality by enabling small business owners/operators to achieve, maintain, and go beyond compliance with federal and state environmental regulations through technical assistance, education, and communication.

Kaitlin has a passion for working in the environmental protection field and holds a degree in mechanical engineering. She specializes in consulting for the commercial cannabis and craft brewing industries to reduce their environmental impacts. Kaitlin focuses on environmental assistance for small businesses through the CO Dept of Public Health. We dive into her role and her day-to-day, as well as what’s going on this year at the department.

A Homegrown Legal And Business Advisory Firm Dedicated To Cannabis In Massachusetts

A homegrown legal and business advisory firm dedicated to cannabis in Massachusetts with Blake Mensing, Founder and Chief Counsel, of The Mensing Group and Counsel to Hoban Law Group. and brings a no-nonsense approach to cannabis law in Massachusetts. The Mensing Group is first, and only, homegrown legal and business advisory firm solely dedicated to cannabis in Massachusetts. In his capacity as associate town counsel for seven towns throughout the Commonwealth, Blake has written and edited zoning and general bylaws, advised boards of selectmen on medical marijuana dispensary regulation by the Department of Public Health, worked with planning boards and zoning boards of appeal, and represented municipalities before the Massachusetts courts and administrative regulatory agencies.

We can’t avoid talking about the COVID-19 pandemic and we dive into what’s happening in Blake’s home state of Massachusetts where the industry and consumers were disappointed to learn that the Governor did NOT deem adult-use cannabis businesses as “essential. Unlike so many other states like California and Colorado who did, so we talk about that and so much more.

The Mensing Group LLC is the first, and only, homegrown legal and business advisory firm solely dedicated to cannabis in Massachusetts. They are proud to limit their practice to the exclusive service of Massachusetts cannabis business clients and they bring that singular focus to bear on the important issues facing Their clients. As the green rush changes the landscape of business opportunity in Massachusetts, they’d like to help you enter the marketplace as quickly and painlessly as possible. They will work to accommodate you at every level—they’ll even come to your home or office so you can focus on your goals, not traffic.

The Future Of Cannabis As An Essential Business – #CannabisIsEssential

Tune in to this new episode to learn more about The Future Of Cannabis As An Essential Business with Nina Simosko. Nina serves as Chief Revenue Officer for Akerna, a global regulatory compliance technology company in the cannabis space. Akerna’s companies and investments also include MJ Freeway, Ample Organics, Last Call Analytics, Leaf Data Systems, solo sciences, and ZolTrain. Nina brings more than 20 years of technology industry experience to her role. We talk about current events, and the good news during all this is that cannabis businesses have been deemed “essential.”

But there are some differences in how we’re operating. There’s delivery and curbside pickup, for example, so we walk through that customer-to-sale process now and how it’s different. Looking even further into the future, we ask if she is anticipating any further changes than what we’ve already seen, as well as how dispensaries will reach their customers and what will be new and different in how we’re operating in this new normal. Nina is extremely well suited to her current role with Akerna. She oversees all of the company’s revenue generation streams, builds strategies to drive revenue growth, and plays a pivotal role in aligning revenue generation processes across the entire organization.

Customer Loyalty Platform For The Cannabis Industry

Tune in to this episode to learn more about customer loyalty platforms for the cannabis industry with Jeffrey Harris, CEO, and Founder of Springbig. Today, we learn about an innovator in loyalty marketing technology, who serves 18 million users, establishing the company as one of the fastest-growing cannatech companies in the cannabis industry. Springbig has partnerships with some of the leading POS providers in the cannabis space, including Flowhub, Cova, MJ Freeway, Treez, and Greenbits. They have worked alongside retailers to send over 50,000 campaigns by way of over 90,000,000 text messages and have seen close to 600,000 rewards redeemed in return.

Springbig’s dedication and expertise have allowed retailers to see immediate and significant ROIs on their marketing initiatives. Billions of dollars in revenues have been created in more than half of the states in the country that now allow the medical or recreational use of the product. Growers, dispensaries, distributors, and a whole host of other indirect companies have benefited from the legal marijuana trend. Springbig uses SMS, loyalty marketing, and other tools to encourage repeat business for cannabis retailers. Prior to Spingbig, Harris founded a loyalty marketing company (Inte Q) that focused on developing and managing data-driven programs for large retail and financial services firms.

In Studio At #NECannaBizCon: ELEVATE – The Northeast Cannabis Business Conference

Listen to this special episode of NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Voice brought to you from the podcast studio on the showfloor of the Northeast Cannabis Business Conference and Expo held February 19-20, 2020, in Boston, MA, with your host, Bethany Moore!

ELEVATE Northeast Events and Education exists because of the creativity, dedication, and passion of a group of activists and professionals with a shared mission to educate and empower a diverse and inclusive cannabis workforce and to work together to end the stigma against cannabis and the people who use and work with it. Cara Crabb-Burnham has been involved with the cannabis community and policy reform since 2009 at Emerson College SSDP. She volunteered on the board of MassCann for several years and was the Dean for the first cannabis vocational training school in New England for three years.

Cara is currently developing a class for Fremont College in California called Cannabis Business and Budtending, designed for people to become more familiar with the cannabis industry and help them devise their future in the space. She became involved with cannabis after she lost her job during the recession in 2008. It has been a personal priority that she supports this industry and prepares people for positions that they wouldn’t have experience with and has been able to do this through workforce training.