Cannabis Economy

Bruce Schulte had been working in commercial architecture in California, until one day he decided to book a one way ticket to Fairbanks, to fly bush planes full time and experience the beauty and freedom of Alaskan life. Nineteen years later, he is active in state and local politics, and a prominent member of the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Legislation. As Alaska prepares to open up a marijuana market in their state, Bruce gives us a detailed account of how it came to pass, where the legislation stands now, and what work still needs to be done. 

Andy Joseph, President of Apeks Supercritical, cut his teeth in service of our country, as part of the US Navy’s Nuclear division. The integrity and discipline he learned there stuck with him throughout his varied professional life, which saw him working in manufacturing as a machinist (and even as a UPS package handler!) before ultimately making Apeks Supercritical the industry giant that it is today. Though he may have initially believed he was building machines for “Lavender” extraction, Andy focuses on providing environmentally conscious equipment to properly process flower. 

If you're in the Cannabis industry, you probably know Leslie Bocskor's face better than you know his name- he's the guy with the eyebrows.  He's also the Chairman of the Nevada Cannabis Industry Association and the Managing Partner of Electrum Partners.  He takes us through his background in banking and finance and what brought him to the industry.  If you're a keen listener, you'll hear that Leslie simply can't sit still...which he demonstrates in both his career and his chair.  He's always moving and shares where he's going in Cannabis.

Scott Greiper knows homeland security.  And now he knows Cannabis; he has started Viridian Capital Advisors based on the success of the Secure Strategy Group.  He draws parallels between the two industries, discusses similarities and common themes...and shares lessons learned from the beginning of the century to what's happening now.

Cynthia Franklin was appointed by the Governor of Alaska, Bill Walker to head up the Alcohol Beverage Control Board.  She knew when appointed that she would head up Cannabis regulation as well.  Cindy let's us know exactly what's happening on the ground regarding cannabis regulation in Alaska at the moment.  A former prosecutor, she seems to understand every side of the equation and demonstrates that she's the right person with the right mindset for the job.

The Medicine Man backstory continues with Andy Williams who expands on the his and his sibling's various early business offerings; mowing lawns, shoveling snow, paper routes and baby-sitting, expounding on his mother’s message of never quitting. Stop and start entrepreneurship continued through adult life until an October 2009 Justice Department announcement changed everything.

The largest cultivator in Illinois, Tim McGraw is an unlikely activist. He started out as a loan officer at age 19. He started his own mortgage company at a young age. Despite financial success, nothing connected until he found the industry of cannabis. As a bonus, Tim brings his bona fide Chicago accent to the interview.

Patrick Rea is running Canopy Boulder, a business accelerator exclusively in Cannabis. At the time of the interview, Patrick was about two months into the first cycle. We’ll check back with him at the close of that cycle (around the middle of the year) for an update and Part II.

Doug Leighton has been investing in companies since he was in college. A few years out of school he and his partner started Dutchess Capital, which he has run for the past 20 years. Doug takes us through his early investments in the Internet and Wi-Fi, through the economic apocalypse of late 2007 and 2008, around the world in establishing a global footprint (over a three week period) to mitigate risk and up through to his present-day cannabis industry investments.

May 2015: Trent provides updates on Connecticut, Massachusetts, Nevada, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, New York, Florida, Maryland, Oregon, DC, Alaska, Missouri, Canada, the UK, Uruguay and Jamaica…along with a little bit about what brought him to Cannabis in the first place. Also listen for Trent’s account of being behind the counter at his cousin’s dispensary on January 1, 2014 when Adult-Use cannabis legalization in Colorado went into effect.

From NORML to SSDP to the NCIA, Kris Krane has legitimate cannabis industry bona fides.  He takes us through how an early semester abroad informed his world view.  He explains how his father's use of cannaibs as medicine ensured that he got involved in the movement as a colleage student.  And he discusses his long tenure as an industry activist and how that activism informs how he runs his business.

A former (and future) baskeball referee, Bob Hoban went from New Jersey to Wyoming to providing legal council in cannabis in the 1284 days.  And he's been at it ever since.  He takes us through a few of his cases as well as what's happening on the ground in a number of stages and countries.

Jay Czarkowski, with business partner and wife Diane, have been cultivators and dispensory owners.  They were active in the campaign for Amendment 64- that was them with the sign in High Times.  They've been on the legal cannabis Colorado scene since 'back in the day.'  Jay shares his account from past to present. And if you like a dry sense of humor, you'll appreciate Jay's narrative.

Lezli Engelking is establishing standards for the Cannabis industry.  She's got a gargantuan task in front of her, but she's perfectly suited for the task.  Informed by her mother's leadership in mental health, she was able to serve patients in that space through her job at a major pharmaceutical company.  She then ran the first and leading medical cannabis dispensary in Arizona.  Footnote: The General mentioned at around the 2 minute mark is General John Vessey who later became Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff.

Cannabis has been John Davis’s life for over a quarter century now.  He began as a grass-roots activist for drug policy reform, and helped produce HempFest in its early years. As he began to sense that the national tide was turning in regards to cannabis, he found a way to marry his professional life completely with his passion, by leveraging years of experience in construction and permitting to consult and manage fledgling dispensaries. From there he created the Northwest Patient Resource Center. John shares his wealth of experience, opinion, and knowledge.

Fresh off his Time Magazine cover story, “The Highly Divisive, Curiously Underfunded and Strangely Promising World of Pot Science," Bruce Barcott shares his own story with us.  From his start at Seattle Weekly, to his years at Outside and National Geographic, Barcott honed his way with words before diving into the subject of cannabis for his 2015 book, Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America. As Barcott tells us, any story is only as good as the characters involved, so as you can tell, that’s good news for The Audio Archives as we continue to document the oral history of legal cannabis in real-time.

Rock drummer turned cannabis entrepreneur Bob Eschino tells us about how he started Medically Correct LLC, driven by a desire to make high-quality, properly-tested edibles, that could help patients the same way cannabis helped his own grandmother. He discusses his work on the Edibles Council and how he's committed to raising the bar, not just for businesses in his category, but for the industry at large.

Julie Dooley has carved out a niche for herself in the industry by focusing on making the highest quality, gluten-free, sugar-free, and pesticide-free edibles on the market. She talks about how her personal health problems led her on this path, and her full journey from stay-at-home mom to cannabis entrepreneur. Enjoy!

Looking for on-the-ground retail insight in Cannabis?  'Pot Baroness' Jamie Perino of Euflora explains that when deciding to develop a dispensary, she and her partner set out to establish something competely different.  They sought out a location on the tourist-heavy 16th Street Mall.  Once they solidified their location, they filled the environs with a plethora of digital screens thus creating the "Apple Store of Cannabis."  Jamie and her partner have since openned a second location in Aurora, CO...and are in the process of investigating what states might be a good fit for Euflora moving forward.

Charlie Rutherford has nothing in common with what is presented as the stereotypical legal cannabis advocate.  That's not his only surprise- he has made decisions that very few people have made, when given the choices he was given.  A motorcycle accident presented this avid outdoor sportsman with the opportuniy for a less active life with both feet...or to keep going, sans left foot- he said "it's just a foot." When traditional pharmaceuticals left him feeling off, medical marijuana more evenly eased his true and phantom pain.  His story is amazing; his decsion-making is inspiring.