Hit the ground running when you arrive in D.C.!
Get fully prepped for NCIA’s 13th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days & National Stakeholder Summit with this AI-generated podcast designed just for participants. The episode walks you through the full schedule of events, offers a deep dive into key federal cannabis legislation, and shares essential talking points and insider tips to help you make the most of your time on Capitol Hill.
In Episode 3 of NCIA’s Voice of Cannabis Podcast, produced in partnership with Pro Cannabis Media, we’re diving into the evolving relationship between cannabis and Big Pharma—and exploring the competitive edge of New York’s emerging retail market. NCIA CEO Aaron Smith and broadcaster Jimmy Young are joined by two standout voices in the industry:
Dr. Shane Johnson, CEO of Bay Medica (a division of InMed Pharmaceuticals), shares insights on the growing role of pharmaceutical companies in cannabinoid research and what that means for independent cannabis operators.
Arana Hankin-Biggers, President & CEO of The Travel Agency, one of NYC’s hottest new dispensaries, discusses how retail innovation, consumer education, and cultural shifts are transforming the New York cannabis scene.
In Episode 2 of NCIA’s Voice of Cannabis Podcast, produced in partnership with Pro Cannabis Media, we’re joined by Gillian Schauer, Executive Director of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA).
Aaron Smith and Jimmy Young sit down with Gillian to discuss the evolving role of regulators in shaping cannabis policy, the challenges of balancing public health and business innovation, and how CANNRA is working to bridge gaps between state and federal frameworks. Topics covered include the role of state regulators in federal cannabis reform, insights into the rescheduling process and regulatory readiness, public health considerations in cannabis legalization, the importance of collaboration between industry and regulators, and more.
Tune in for an inside look at the conversations driving the future of cannabis policy across the U.S.
In the premier episode of NCIA’s Voice of Cannabis Podcast, NCIA CEO and Co-Founder Aaron Smith joins veteran journalist and PCM Founder Jimmy Young to unpack the evolving landscape of federal cannabis reform, the latest on rescheduling, and what it all means for cannabis operators across the country. Topics covered include what’s next after the HHS recommendation to reschedule cannabis , the future of Section 280E and federal taxation, advocacy strategies for real policy change, and more. Don’t miss this in-depth, timely conversation at the intersection of policy, business, and advocacy in America’s fastest-growing industry.
Mr. Black is an accomplished and results-driven analytical chemist, Material Scientist, and Quality Manager/Engineer. With over 35 years of experience practicing quality engineering and management, working in manufacturing, R&D, working as a food safety scientist and Preventive Control Qualified Individual (PCQI), practicing as a cGMP consultant in cannabis, and Quality/Process Consultant for the sports equipment PPE industry.
He is the Principal Consultant for CK Black Group providing GMP services to the cannabis and food industries, Sports Equipment PPE regulations/quality systems, and auditing services.
Mr. Black is currently the Chairman of ASTM D37.06, the Personnel Training, Assessment, Credentialing in Cannabis subcommittee. Throughout his 19 years of experience working with ASTM, Mr. Black has been the technical contact and principal author of 9 ASTM standards.
Justin M. Brandt is Founding Partner at Bianchi & Brandt. He blends nearly a decade of business litigation experience with business-development savvy, setting the course for Bianchi & Brandt’s top-down, holistic support of licensed cannabis operators. In addition to overseeing the firm’s litigation practice and daily operations, he excels in proactive risk management and business transaction strategy.
He has been named Top 40 Under 40 Rising Stars by Marijuana Venture and Top 40 Under 40 by the Phoenix Business Journal, receiving notable recognition as a cannabis attorney and business leader.
Bianchi & Brandt was founded in 2019 and is a full-service Arizona-based law firm specializing in the burgeoning cannabis and psychedelic industries. Partners Laura Bianchi and Justin Brandt have a combined 24 years of experience balancing the irregularities of state versus federal legalities largely unknown to other attorneys.
The firm has served as a strategic partner to more than 500 clients to date and not only assists with legal matters but is also an expert at risk management, compliance, M&A, expansion, real estate, and human resources issues that present unique challenges in highly regulated industries.
Isaac Bock has served as a member management/ executive team of AlphaRoot for the last 2+ years. Prior to helping spin AlphaRoot, Isaac was a leading member of the Customer Success (renewal/client advisory) team of Founder Shield, which is the company AlphaRoot was initially founded. He brings 6+ years of cannabis-specific experience and 8 years of client advisory work.
Isaac earned his Master’s in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics from the University of Maryland and graduated with Honors from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds his Associate in Risk Management (ARM) credential, which he earned during his first year as a professional.
We get into what’s happening at the state level, starting with New York, which has seen criticism for its slow roll-out of adult-use licenses. With that, there’s some frustration around that. We talk about what Isaac sees as an important thing for new dispensary license holders to understand and keep in mind as they launch in New York.
Chris Chiari is a driven entrepreneur and award-winning film producer with a wealth of experience in corporate strategy and regional politics. Skilled in marketing and messaging, he has engaged exclusively with the cannabis industry since 2011 and is a tireless advocate for cannabis policy reform and fostering industry growth.
Chris is a former Deputy Director of Colorado NORML, serving for over eight years. When not working on The 420 Hotels portfolio, Chris likes to stay involved with grassroots advocacy and advancing social reform
Chris owns and operates Denver’s historic Patterson Inn, the keystone of The 420 Hotels portfolio. As CEO, he uses his expertise in hospitality, operations, and community outreach to address the stigmas and ignorance that still exist around cannabis use while creating a unique and upscale environment for cannabis consumption. The 420 Hotels aims to be amongst the nation’s first hotel chains where guests will be able to consume cannabis onsite in legally licensed lounges.
Justin Battles is a passionate advocate for service-disabled veterans in the cannabis industry. After serving in the Army for 8 years, including time as an airborne infantryman and quartermaster chemical repairer, he was medically discharged due to knee injuries from his airborne service. This led Justin to pursue his interest in horticulture business management and cannabis studies.
His journey in the cannabis industry began with growing his own cannabis for pain management, anxiety, and ADHD. He intends to apply for a microbusiness license to further expand his involvement in the industry. Justin serves as the Co-chair of the Veterans Committee of the Cannabis Association of New York (CANY), where he works tirelessly to help as many veterans as possible find success in the cannabis sector.
His primary goal is to ensure that veterans have access to licenses, resources, funding, and affordable cannabis products in a fair and equitable industry. With a vision for the future that includes equal opportunities and access for service-disabled veterans, Justin Battles is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of those he serves.
Ricardo Baca is a 20-year veteran journalist and cannabis futurist, widely respected in both modern media and drug-policy circles. He was appointed The Denver Post’s first-ever cannabis editor in 2013 and founded the news vertical The Cannabist, where he extensively covered the advent of the U.S. adult-use cannabis market and related issues around the world, as seen in the feature documentary Rolling Papers.
Ricardo launched Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency in 2016 to work directly with business leaders in highly regulated industries, from cannabis and psychedelics to spirits and healthcare. Grasslands is a journalism-minded marketing and public relations agency working with bold brands in cannabis and psychedelics.
Named one of Fortune’s 7 Most Powerful People in America’s Marijuana Industry in 2016 and Marketer of the Year by AdCann in 2019, Ricardo has received numerous accolades for his trailblazing work.
They talk about the challenges of advertising in cannabis, social media plays a crucial role in this. Recently Twitter sort of “opened up” some of the cannabis advertising capabilities so we dive into that and much more.
On the latest Cannabis Minority Report with Mike Lomuto and Chris Jackson: Mary Jane Oatman. Each week on the show, we highlight the journeys, successes, and challenges of Global Majority (aka Minority) leaders in our industry. Mike interviews a leader who has had to navigate innovatively and who believes in the potential that cannabis brings to the reshaping of our nation and communities.
We also provide our take on select news stories, in particular how these stories impact diverse communities.
On this episode: Mary Jane Oatman, Founder of THC Magazine and Executive Director of the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition. Mary Jane is a descendant of Chief Looking Glass of the Nez Perce Tribe of the Columbia River Plateau, wants to change the public perception of the indigenous population of the Americas and cannabis.
Originally from Kamiah, in north-central Idaho, she is launching a nonprofit company called the Indigenous Cannabis Coalition. One project is to develop an interactive map that shows all the Native American cannabis and hemp cultivators, processors, testing facilities, and dispensaries in the nation. This directory, which will include companies run by tribes as well as those run by tribal members, will encourage Native American-owned cannabis businesses to support one another and band together.
Mary Jane has been dedicated to reclaiming Indigenous cultures and restoring pre colonial economies in hemp and cannabis. She has worked for her tribe and other communities to advocate to state and federal agencies to protect tribal sovereignty and to ensure more effective government to government relationships are steered by building bridges between diverse stakeholders. In 2009, Oatman was the youngest member appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education.
We record live every Monday, on NCIA’s LinkedIn Live, at 10am PT / 1PM ET. So be sure to tune in, as well as to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms.
Andrew J. Kaye is a chief commercial officer at Sweet Leaf Madison Capital. He has been involved in all aspects of the financial services industry, working as a fund portfolio investment manager, investment banker, family office investor, and attorney. Kaye has worked with startups on their first raise and supported global enterprises undertaking billion-dollar stock offerings. He also has significant investment experience in the cannabis industry.
Financing cannabis is a myriad of challenges. Not only raising capital for a federally illegal business but also regular banking issues for businesses that are regularly losing their bank accounts or struggling with those services. We talk about some other financial challenges cannabis businesses are facing.
It’s an exciting but challenging industry, especially as each state operates independently due to the federal status, so we dive into how federal legalization would impact how states are operating in addition to solving what we call the cannabis banking crisis.
As part of his cannabis responsibilities, he led the expansion of the medical program, directed the launch of the State’s cannabinoid hemp program, and drafted and negotiated the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA).
The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) was established upon passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) in March 2021 to implement a regulatory framework for medical and adult-use cannabis and hemp in the state of New York. This includes but is not limited to production, licensing, packaging, marketing, and the sale of cannabis.
On the latest Cannabis Minority Report with Mike Lomuto and Kay Villamin: Damian Fagon, Chief Equity Officer for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management. Each week on the show, we highlight the journeys, successes, and challenges of Global Majority (aka Minority) leaders in our industry. Mike interviews a leader who has had to navigate innovatively and who believes in the potential that cannabis brings to the reshaping of our nation and communities.
We also provide our take on select news stories, in particular how these stories impact diverse communities.
On this episode: Damian Fagon. Mr. Fagon was appointed as the Chief Equity Officer of the NYS Office of Cannabis Management in June 2022. In this role, Mr. Fagon oversees the social and economic equity initiatives laid out in the MRTA. As a 3rd-generation farmer with a background in international development, agriculture and small business, he has led development initiatives with castor farmers in Jamaica, rice growers in Sierra Leone, and coffee exporters in Guatemala. Mr. Fagon has also launched and advised commercial cannabis operations in South Carolina, New York, and the Caribbean.
We record live every Monday, on NCIA’s LinkedIn Live, at 10am PT / 1PM ET. So be sure to tune in, as well as to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms.
Last year we began to emerge from the restrictions of the pandemic and we were able to return to Washington D.C., but in the interim, we hosted some VIRTUAL LOBBY DAYS to fill the gap. And then returning in person, finally, in September last year, it was just like riding a bike, but with a few limitations. Mainly the security protocols for getting into the various House and Senate buildings, but things went mostly smoothly, so we discuss our guest’s experience.
Some of our goals at Lobby Days have been consistent since Day One, which is generally educating Congress as to why cannabis should be federally legal, and of course, licensed business owners who want to see banking protections and 280E tax reform.
It’s important that we keep doing this work and keep adding to the conversation as it becomes more complex and sophisticated. We discuss the possibility of newer issues or topics that we’re bringing to Capitol Hill more recently or at this next Lobby Days event and much more.
Aaron Smith is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the National Cannabis Industry Associatio., Prior to launching NCIA, 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 in 2005, and then as the California state policy director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project until founding NCIA in 2010.
Monica Gray is from Nice Guys Delivery and is also an NCIA Board member. Nice Guys Delivery was incorporated in 2016 by Monica Gray-Fong and her husband Adam Fong. Nice Guys Delivery is a knowledgeable, high-level delivery service that offers the highest-grade flowers, edibles, lotions, teas, tinctures, and more. The couple owns and operates Nice Guys Distribution and Nice Gals, a CBD online retailer.
On the latest Cannabis Minority Report with Mike Lomuto: Kay Villamin of HUSH. Each week on the show, we highlight the journeys, successes, and challenges of Global Majority (aka Minority) leaders in our industry. Mike interviews a leader who has had to navigate innovatively and who believes in the potential that cannabis brings to the reshaping of our nation and communities.
We also provide our take on select news stories, in particular how these stories impact diverse communities.
On this episode: Katherine “Kay” Villamin has been an entrepreneur since 2007 and has provided photography, design, branding & marketing services in the last 15 years. Currently, she owns KV Creative – an agency providing photography & creative marketing services and is also the co-founder & creative director of HUSH Chicago: a full-service event & marketing agency for the cannabis industry.
Having her own photography business since 2011 has allowed her to participate in a wide gamut of industries & exposure to a diverse clientele, which eventually evolved her business to provide more services such as branding, marketing, graphic and web design.
Currently, she provides leadership, strategy, creative direction, and consulting for the company and its clients. Kay’s goal is to continue to lead the development & growth of the company, be a strong influence in the global cannabis community, and be an all-encompassing resource for brands big & small by providing support through creative services, purposeful marketing, mentorship, and business development.
She is a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association & currently serving as Chair for the State Regulations Committee.
Kay is also a member of the Cannabis Equity Illinois Coalition, Albany Park Chamber of Commerce, and now sits on the board as VP of Economic Development for the North River Commission in Chicago.
We record live every Monday, on NCIA’s LinkedIn Live, at 10am PT / 1PM ET. So be sure to tune in, as well as to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms.
On the latest Cannabis Minority Report with Mike Lomuto: Benjamin Larson of Vertosa. Each week on the show, we highlight the journeys, successes, and challenges of Global Majority (aka Minority) leaders in our industry. Mike interviews a leader who has had to navigate innovatively and who believes in the potential that cannabis brings to the reshaping of our nation and communities.
We also provide our take on select news stories, in particular how these stories impact diverse communities. In the news this week, from BeardBros, The Cannabis Community Must Come Together – Even with Your Competition, from MJBiz Daily, Metrc threatens to close accounts of Michigan cannabis firms over late payments, and in California annual cannabis sales fell in 2022 for the first time since adult-use launch.
On this episode: Benjamin Larson is the CEO of Vertosa, the multi-state infusion technology company specializing in beverages and other fast-acting form factors. Prior to Vertosa, Mr. Larson co-founded Gateway Incubator, California’s first business accelerator and co-working space dedicated to the emerging cannabis industry.
He’s a Director and Mentor at Founder Institute where he formerly managed global operations and helped expand the program into over 100 cities around the world. Mr. Larson is a host of the Marijuana Today podcast; a founding board member of the Cannabis Beverage Association and founding member of ATACH’s Cannabis Beverage Council; and he was recently appointed to the Board for the National Cannabis Industry Association. Mr. Larson was a recipient of the San Francisco Business Times 40 Under 40 and was recognized by Forbes in 2022 as one of the 42 pioneers to watch in the green rush.
We record live every Monday, on NCIA’s LinkedIn Live, at 10am PT / 1PM ET. So be sure to tune in, as well as to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms.
On the latest Cannabis Minority Report with Mike Lomuto: Rebecca Colett, CEO of CALYXEUM. Each week on the show, we highlight the journeys, successes, and challenges of Global Majority (aka Minority) leaders in our industry. Mike interviews a leader who has had to navigate innovatively and who believes in the potential that cannabis brings to the reshaping of our nation and communities.
We also provide our take on select news stories, in particular how these stories impact diverse communities.
On this episode, Rebecca Colett. Rebecca is an experienced serial entrepreneur, technologist, and cannabis advocate. She has over 6 years of experience in the legal cannabis industry championing minority inclusion, veteran access programs, and workforce development.
The News This Week: Record Sales in December Pushes Michigan Adult-Use Market Past $3 Billion, Founders of Black and Brown Economic Power in Cannabis have a product now on shelves, Mario Vital and LaDarius McKency are new committee members at NCIA.
Michigan based cannabis venture, Calyxeum produces products including dry herbs, concentrates, and topical ointments under a wholesale organic brand and distributes them to dispensaries and providers throughout the state of Michigan.
We record live every Monday, on NCIA’s LinkedIn Live, at 10am PT / 1PM ET. So be sure to tune in, as well as to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms.
On the latest Cannabis Minority Report with Mike Lomuto: Dr. Mila Marshall, Principal Consutant at Herb & Planning Associates. Each week on the show, we highlight the journeys, successes, and challenges of Global Majority (aka Minority) leaders in our industry. Mike interviews a leader who has had to navigate innovatively and who believes in the potential that cannabis brings to the reshaping of our nation and communities.
We also provide our take on select news stories, in particular how these stories impact diverse communities.
On this episode, Dr. Marshall, an ecologist with a focus on the intersection between the environment and the economy, runs a company whose mission is sustainable cannabis rooted in equity. The Herb & Planning team of grassroots experts provides a range of services for entrepreneurs and coalitions seeking to use the emerging marijuana market to address systemic urban social and environmental inequities. They strive to connect leaders, decision makers, entrepreneurs and communites to resourcces and strategies that are economically viable and scaleable.
We record live every Monday, on NCIA’s LinkedIn Live, at 10am PT / 1PM ET. So be sure to tune in, as well as to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms.
Charlie Alovisetti is a partner at Vicente Sederberg and chair of the firm’s Corporate Department. He is recognized by Chambers & Partners as one of the top cannabis lawyers in the United States and is the co-author of The Business of Cannabis: Understanding Law, Finance, and Governance in America’s Newest Industry (Routledge, 2020).
Prior to joining VS, Charlie worked as an associate in the New York offices of Latham & Watkins and Goodwin, where he represented public companies and private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a range of corporate transactions.
So bigger picture here, cannabis companies have a myriad of challenges in operations and financial issues and banking. Some cannabis companies are finding it difficult to operate and keep their heads above water in a sustainable way for their businesses to survive. Considering 280E and banking issues, this is a tenuous situation so we dive into that and much more.
Michael has been at NCIA for over 9 years, and Michelle is close to her 9-year anniversary working at the organization. That date back to when two states, Colorado and Washington state, was just rolling out their adult-use cannabis laws for the first time. So with this, we discuss the tone and temperature when it comes to pro-cannabis policy reform in the halls of Congress at that time.
Lobby Days is easily our favorite NCIA event, and we think many people share the sentiment. Pre-COVID pandemic was always encouraging to see, year after year, the number of NCIA members attending Lobby Days in D.C. grow and grow, reaching over 300 in 2019. So now we see more and more Congressional offices take our group and our concerns seriously. We talk about what are our guest’s reflections on that and much more!
Michelle Rutter Friberg is deputy director of government relations and has worked at NCIA since 2014. Michelle graduated from James Madison University in 2012, where during her studies, she held a year-long internship with Virginia House of Delegates member Tony Wilt (R).
Michael Correia is the director of government relations for the National Cannabis Industry Association. Prior to joining NCIA, Michael spent many years working on Capitol Hill, including working for Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), who retired in 2010, and the House Committee on Resources, serving three different Chairmen. Previously, he was director of federal affairs for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and senior project manager for the Committee for Responsible Federal Budget.
Tune in to hear more about NCIA’s recent Lobby Days event for the cannabis industry, where most were talking to Congressional offices about SAFE Banking, 280E, and comprehensive reform like the CAOA. We discuss what the focus of the hemp team was during their meetings with members of Congress.
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, cannabis chemistry, regulation, management, consulting, politics, operations, product development, and more. In 2018, James joined The Clear (Now Clear Colorado Group) team to re-build and streamline operations, Now, as Chief Political Officer of Clientele Capital, a Denver-based venture capital firm that provides funding and strategic consulting to growth-oriented companies in emerging markets, James spearhead’s the company’s goals of staying ahead of extensive regulatory changes, challenges and nuances the company may face in the new developing cannabis industry.
Chris Hope has 20 years of experience in the cannabis industry. He founded, Sequoia Wellness (SW), a retail cannabis delivery service in 2013, serving the Los Angeles area. In 2016, he founded Sequoia Management Group (SMG), as a cannabis & hemp business development and consulting company. Today, SMG is focusing on the burgeoning industrial hemp industry with a focus on fiber, food, grain, seed, and building materials. Chris was, a founding member and Director of Member & Sponsor Relations for Angeles Emeralds (AE), a cannabis advocacy and lobbying group for Los Angeles County. As a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) since 2015, and In 2020, Chris became the Committee Organizer for the Hemp Committee (HC) with NCIA for the 2020/21 term. He now serves as the Chair for the HC, as well as contributing to both the NCIA Sustainability Collaboration/Council and the Novel, Synthetic, and Minor Cannabinoid Collaboration.
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 lounges and more!
Jodi Green is a business attorney in Miller Nash LLP’s Los Angeles office, focusing on cannabis and policyholder insurance recovery. Jodi is a member of NCIA’s Risk Management and Insurance Committee and was named by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in insurance coverage for five consecutive years. Miller Nash’s 140-member law firm has nearly 30 attorneys practicing in its nationally-recognized cannabis group alone. Miller Nash’s cannabis team serves cannabis companies operating in all industry verticals by providing advice in all legal practice areas, from corporate formation to employment, insurance coverage and litigation, and everything in between.
Matt Grimes is the principal of The Grimes Law Group. He sits on the Risk Management and Insurance Committee (“RMIC”) of the National Cannabis Industry Association (since 2019), currently serves as the webinar content Chairperson for the RMIC, is a Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s Cannabis Law & Policy Committee (since 2021), is a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association, and is involved with several state cannabis industry associations and advocacy groups.
Then we dive into the current bills out there that our guests are drumming up support for and how, if passed into law, would impact the lives of Veterans in the U.S. During the press conference, Etienne spoke at the podium set up in the Senate Swamp. He said shared very poetic and real sentiments about the sacrifices Veterans made with their lives and how important it is for Congress to act on their behalf.
Etienne Fontan is Vice President and Co-Owner of Berkeley Patients Group (BPG). BPG is the nation’s oldest continuously operating medical cannabis dispensary, established in 1999. He has an extensive background as an engaged activist and public speaker seeking to make cannabis legal and safe. Starting in 1993, he was a director of the Cannabis Action Network. He is an Army combat veteran of Desert Storm and served in the WV Army National Guard. He now lobbies nationally and internationally on veterans’ behalf for the use of cannabis and natural medicines.
Michael Krawitz is a disabled United States Air Force Veteran and serves as Executive director of Veterans For Medical Cannabis Access [VMCA] as well as other board and advisory roles. He successfully negotiated the first ever VA medical cannabis policy in 2010 and has since overseen the WHO process in Geneva and then the United Nations process on the WHO cannabis recommendations, ultimately removing cannabis and cannabis resin from the Single Convention Treaty “most dangerous drug category”. He also serves on the Virginia Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council.
Tune in to learn more about 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 pharmaceuticals. These Frankenstein machines were inefficient, potentially dangerous, and difficult to operate. Jack and Kyler saw a better way. We start off by talking about some of its values as a company.
Extraction equipment is complex and expensive, we’re sure there’s some training that individuals need to go through to operate them. So with that safety is an important factor so we dive into that a bit.
Extraction equipment wasn’t originally invented just for cannabis, it came from other industries. Our guests take us through a brief history of where extraction machines came from before the cannabis industry.
NCIA represents small businesses and medium businesses primarily, or Main Street Cannabis, and we have been pushing through complex state regulations and preparing for potential Federal Legalization. We discuss some of the regulations they’re currently dealing with that give them the biggest headache. Also some improvements to regulations that he sees we need to implement.
Tune in to hear more about a busy summer in Congress for cannabis policy reform with 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 how they went, plus planning for our upcoming in-person 10th Annual Cannabis Industry Lobby Days in September.
Tune in to learn more about Cannabis Mom, Podcasting Boss, and Bravo TV fan, Jenny Blaze today on NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Voice. 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 & confidently come out of the “Green Closet” through the launch of her new podcast, Cannabis Mom Boss.
A Conversation with the Cannabis Regulators Association with 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 translation.
She has a Ph.D. from Emory University, a Master of Public Health from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University. The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) is a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization of government officials involved in cannabis regulation across more than 40 states and territories.
Each week Khadijah Adams hosts cannabis industry operators, advocates, and allies to discuss issues related to social equity and highlight their experiences, challenges and success stories as people of color in the cannabis industry. This episode, Mike Lomuto guest hosts with Khadijah and is joined by Nydia Zamorano-Torres of UR Wellness LLC.
#BlackLivesMatter #StopAsianHate #CannabisIsEssential #MainStreetCannabis
© 2022 National Cannabis Industry Association and NCIA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee
Each week Khadijah Adams hosts cannabis industry operators, advocates, and allies to discuss issues related to social equity and highlight their experiences, challenges and success stories as people of color in the cannabis industry. This episode, Mike Lomuto guest hosts for Khadijah and is joined by Elizabeth Becker of hibnb.
#BlackLivesMatter #StopAsianHate #CannabisIsEssential #PRIDE
© 2022 National Cannabis Industry Association and NCIA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Committee
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