Cannabis Economy

Tulsi Gabbard joins us and shares her views on getting past partisan politics in the federal government: "We would have far more bipartisan and nonpartisan work being done if we set aside the politics and the political interests and actually said, "Hey, here's a challenge that is common to people in my district and people in your district. Let's sit together and bring our different ideas to the forefront and actually figure out how to solve it."

Carlos Curbelo joins us and shares his beliefs on how solving issues regarding immigration can help sort out other legislative problems: "I think that solving immigration is important because as we discussed earlier, we need workers. We need an immigration system that's compatible with our economy. It has to be fair. We've always been a welcoming nation. It speaks to our values. But most importantly, if we solve immigration, that's when we actually start healing our country's politics, healing our society. That not only is healthy, but will make it easier to reach consensus on other issues like cannabis reform, like climate change and what to do about that"

Denver Riggleman joins us and shares his thoughts as to how to advance cannabis legislation by giving the states more power: "I think we need to get in front of this and I think we're to a point now that we need to let the economy work, get the federal government out of the way, and let the states dictate how they want to deal with cannabis."

Charlie Bachtell joins us and shares how Cresco Labs and other medical cannabis providers have to adapt to pass regulation audits: "The objectives of the state are to make sure that you are tracking everything from seed to sale, that you are putting out as consistent and safe of a product as you, possibly, can, every time. While most things are black and white, there's, also, some things that are gray. But, if you're doing it for the right reason, for the right purpose, addressing the intent of that regulator, of that administration, chances are, they're going to be okay or they're going to work with you or they're going to realize that, maybe, they didn't have an answer for that question, yet, and you just gave them the answer that made the most sense."

Ro Khanna joins us and shares his perspective on advancing Cannabis legislature: "Make sure you're picking one or two key bills to rally around, and then talk to legislators to get them onboard."

Paige Figi joins us and shares her views on the shifting perspectives in the cannabis industry: “People are wanting that supply and complaining that there isn't enough and trying to get it, it's those big guys taking control and doing that. So, while we're complaining about it, we're also complaining about the solution. It all has to sort of wash out. It all seems so new.”

Eleanor Holmes Norton joins us and shares her perspective on free speech and advancing the power of the people: "people are used to people like me defending all of us on the right side. But the lesson I'm trying to teach, such as it is, is that we can't have free speech unless they do. It's a pretty simple lesson, and it works for this country."

Karan Wadhera joins us and shares how companies use branding and how it relates to the infrastructure of creating a product that sells:"I think we've always been very fascinated with brands. And if you see how traditional industries have shaped over time, and where a lot of the value ends up being held... And it ends up being in those consumer-facing brands, and does not end up being more towards what you would consider the commodity."

Ben Larson joins us and shares the importance of creating white space in your everyday environment: "What I like to think of white space is this: doing my best to clear out all the thoughts in my head. As an entrepreneur with so much stuff going on, especially in the cannabis industry where you have many things pulling at you, even beyond the course of normal business, sometimes you need to find a way to just separate yourself and create that white space so that you can actually think and be strategic and prioritize as you see fit."v

Kris Krane joins us and shares how global shifts in perspective are helping to change Cannabis laws in the US: "Where the dynamic has shifted is that in the past, the United States as a government, the United States as an entity, has been very successful in persuading the rest of the world to go along with its prohibitionist policies. And now we're starting to see real cracks in that global consensus, primarily out of Europe where they're doing a to more research or in Israel, they're doing a lot more research. They're calling for more research. "

Kyle Kinglsey of Vireo joins us and shares the upside to giving access to Cannabis for those who really need it: "If you give this to a population of 2000 people with PTSD, what are the outcomes? I can tell you there are a lot of people who claimed benefit with cannabis in the setting of PTSD, they should have access independent of the evidence across populations. Unless we're doing a lot of harm, that's a different thing. In my mind, the harm just doesn't seem to be there."

Shanita Penny and the MCBA join us to share their plans to push for successful and legal business practices in the US cannabis market: "he rest of the year is staying close to DC, making sure that we have a seat at the table as it relates to providing input, recommendations, perspectives that they may or may not be aware of, and also opening up our businesses to these elected officials and making sure that they have a firsthand view of what it is that we're asking for, the issues that we're facing, and solutionizing for it."

U.S. Representative Jared Huffman has been in favor of legalization even before it was politically convenient; Huffman publicly supported ending cannabis prohibition during his time in the California State Assembly before being elected as a U.S. Representative. Nowadays, Huffman’s congressional district includes the Emerald Triangle – the largest cannabis-producing region in the United States. Huffman notes the special burdens placed on small business owners in the industry, including the hesitance and inaction California has seen at the local level. Although federal legalization may take time, Huffman says, there are plenty of incremental reforms that may help us get there sooner.

At root, Bridget Conry is an herbalist with a steadfast faith in the power of plants. Besides believing that everyone should be able to grow their own medicine, Conry also discusses the importance and efficacy of educating people about cannabis in a patient and professional manner. She also notes that communities will likely gain more confidence in the industry once we start to see more regulation, which is happening sooner than we think. Conry believes that the industry will, indeed, become normalized, but only with time and hard work.

Tahira Rehmatullah is in impressive leadership positions at not one, not two, but three major cannabis companies – it is no surprise that she has plenty of nuanced insights about the business side of the industry. For example, she notes that larger companies have been strategically diversifying their revenue streams in order to stay afloat amidst competition and fluctuating tides. As well, she believes that it is only a matter of time before countries stop importing products from Canada and start self-producing at half the price. Besides business, Rehmutallah predicts how medical cannabis might eventually look in the U.S. and shares her predictions for the 2020 election.

Mickey Dor, Senior Medical Advisor of the Medical Cannabis Unit for the Israel Ministry of Health, tells the story of regulated cannabis in Israel and notes the different types of changing winds that he has seen over the years. Although every country has a different approach to cannabis, Dor believes that the first step must always be teaching. If we prioritize research and educating physicians, then legislation and funding will naturally follow.

For eleven years, Dr. Michael Segal has been treating PTSD patients – mainly IDF veterans – with medical cannabis. Segal describes the incredible improvements he has seen in his patients: “If you see a post-traumatic patient before and after cannabis, you see two different persons.” Segal compares this type of success in Israel to the lack thereof in the United States in order to emphasize how important it is to prioritize our veterans’ mental health.