Cannabis Tech Talks

Recorded live at ICBC Berlin 2026 , Chuck sits down with Rachel Wright of Verdant Strategies to discuss building a sustainable business in an industry defined by constant change. From navigating regulatory uncertainty and international expansion to creating financial roadmaps that actually work, Rachel shares why strategy, not just growth, is the key to long-term success. The conversation explores...

When your Halloween party draws 700 people, you're doing something right. Katie Mattox, VP of Marketing at SphereX, explains how a distillate vape company captured 20% of Colorado's market by throwing roller skating parties and giving away unexpected gifts instead of just pushing products. Drawing from a decade at an event agency working with Budweiser and Michelob Ultra, she translated liquor mar...

Starting from caregiving and cultivation in Colorado, Krysta and Sanja eventually created THC Girls to connect community members with businesses. Their marketing agency and community network now operates across New York, Miami, and Denver, using an app-based platform to maximize reach through their ambassador network. Their advice for new entrepreneurs? Evaluate your personal alignment with busine...

Recorded live at ICBC Berlin 2026, Chuck Warner sits down with Michael Lucchino, Executive Vice President of Sales at Cannatrol, to discuss one of the most overlooked yet critical stages of cannabis cultivation: post-harvest processing. While cultivators often focus heavily on genetics, lighting, nutrients, and environmental controls, Michael explains why drying, curing, and storage can ultimately...

Recorded live from ICBC Berlin, Charles Warner sits down with Steve Fuhr of SciPhy Systems to discuss one of the hottest topics in the global cannabis industry: EU GMP compliance. Steve shares insights from his journey through cannabis cultivation, CBD manufacturing, and extraction technology while explaining why GMP standards are becoming increasingly important for companies looking to compete in...

After watching pre-roll production slow his Arizona dispensary to a crawl, Tony Pagni knew there had to be a better way. He and his business partner spent three years developing the Apehex automated pre-roll machine, eventually catching the attention of Raw Rolling Papers founder Josh Kesselman. Now they're revolutionizing the industry with solventless products. The Apehex machine produces joints...

Michael Mejer’s definitive shift into cannabis PR was sparked by a moment of absolute clarity. He witnessed an elderly man, wracked by severe tremors, find instant relief through a cannabis tincture, a profound transformation that happened in seconds. That powerful experience became the catalyst for his entire career, prompting him to walk away from a traditional PR and book-publishing trajectory....

Big Mike of Advanced Nutrients joins the podcast to discuss the future of cannabis, the importance of building world-class teams, and why industry-wide collaboration may be the key to long-term success. While alcohol and tobacco industries have benefited from unified advocacy and cooperation, Big Mike argues that cannabis remains too fragmented. He shares his vision for the One Plant Alliance, an...

Max Van Sluys, president of Dialed In Gummies, reveals how his company is changing the edibles game with rosin-based, solventless products that deliver a full-spectrum experience. Founded in 2020 in Colorado, Dialed In has pioneered an alternative to distillate-dominated products (most edibles on the market today still use distillates). The company now operates in five states including Ohio, Misso...

In this sit-down, CannMed CEO Brendan McKernan joins the show to talk about the evolution of cannabis science, the future of precision medicine, and what attendees can expect from CannMed26 as they approach their 10th-anniversary event. Join us June 15–18 in Lake Tahoe, and save $300 on the Signature Summit Package with code CM26CTT. WEBSITE: https://cannatechtoday.com/ Make sure to follow our oth...

Rob Pero discusses key barriers tribal nations face when entering the cannabis and hemp industries, emphasizing that elders are increasingly recognizing economic opportunities despite initial skepticism. A major challenge is finding trustworthy, vetted consultants to execute plans, which ICIA is addressing by curating a network of credible vendors. The speaker explains how recent federal hemp amen...

Mary Jane Gibson interviews Blazy Susan VP of Sales Shuang Han on the brand's evolution from a pink-themed tribute into a global, woman-focused smoking accessories leader known for its iconic spinning tray and rose wraps. Han outlines the company’s expansion into European and Canadian markets, its commitment to community-supported colorways, and a "non-plant-touching" strategy that aims for mainst...

Microbial contamination is quietly costing cannabis cultivators up to 15–20% of their harvest, but new technology is changing that. In Episode 219, Arthur D. Cordova, CEO of Zeal, explains how radio frequency decontamination uses the plant’s natural moisture to eliminate mold and pathogens without damaging product quality. Drawing from decades in food safety, Cordova breaks down how this “pasteuri...

Recorded live at MJBizCon 2025, this episode of Cannab!s Tech Talks features host Mary Jane Gibson in conversation with Jeff Heeren and Josh Early of Greenway Herbal. Sponsored by SHOPLINE in association with ICBC, the discussion cuts straight to two areas where cannab!s operations are evolving fast: facility safety and product efficacy. The conversation centers on CannaGuard Pro, a sodium chlorid...

Hosted by MJGibson live at MJBizCon 2025, this episode—sponsored by SHOPLINE in association with ICBC—features Grant Schuster and Jim Pivaldi of AccelerantManufacturing on how Swiss-engineered automation is reshaping cannabis cone production. From laser-engraved customization and 200M+ monthly output to a production-as-a-service model that redefines scalability, the conversation cuts straight to w...

Recorded live at MJBizCon 2025, this episode features Jake Kuczeruk of Grow Club and I Love Growing Marijuana (ILGM) in conversation with Mary Jane Gibson about what makes cannabis culture worth protecting. From judging top-tier pre-rolls at the MJ Bowl to helping new growers feel confident at home, Jake breaks down cultivation, community, and why education still matters in a hype-heavy industry....

What happens when a cannabis manufacturer decides to challenge the industry’s biggest problem: products that are overpriced and underdosed? In this episode sponsored by SHOPLINE in association with ICBC and hosted by Mary Jane Gibson on the MJBizCon 2025 show floor, Carl Clouse and Preston Jackson of Bellasoft CBD explain how their Fresno operation expanded from a 500-square-foot startup to a 3,50...

Recorded live at MJBizCon 2025 , host Mary Jane Gibson sits down with Dawne Morris, CEO of Proteus 420 , to talk about building privacy-first cannabis tech that helps operators compete smarter. From early compliance challenges to the launch of Phoebe AI , this conversation explores how secure, business-owned data can support better pricing, stronger retail performance, and more trustworthy cannabi...

Recorded live at MJBizCon 2025, this episode of CannaTech Talks features host Mary Jane Gibson interviewing Simon Knobel, CEO and co-founder of Calyx Containers. Sponsored by SHOPLINE in association with the @International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC), the conversation traces Knobel’s leap from selling Bitcoin at 22 to building an 80-person cannabis packaging company. We discuss Calyx Cure’...

Recorded live at @MJBizCon 2025, this episode of Cannabis Tech Talks , hosted by Mary Jane Gibson and sponsored by @SHOPLINE in association with ICBC, features @Brett Harris, founder and CEO of LuvBuds. Known as the “King Bong,” Harris built a company now supplying roughly 30% of American dispensaries by helping retailers navigate federal tax code 280E through ancillary product sales that unlock l...

With more than 30 years in banking, Michael Andrud founded Lüt to confront one of the cannabis industry’s most entrenched obstacles: a payments system dominated by networks that penalize banks for serving the sector. In this episode hosted by Mary Jane Gibson live at MJBizCon 2025, Andrud details how Lüt developed the first new proprietary payment rails in 50 years, bypassing Visa and MasterCard t...

When cannabis products began failing state microbial tests, @Radsource turned to an unexpected solution: medical x-ray technology. In this episode, George Terry and David Hyde explain how photonic, through-transmission decontamination eliminates pathogens like salmonella, E. coli, and aspergillus without harming cannabinoids or terpenes. This conversation, hosted by MJ Gibson live at MJBizCon 2025...

On this episode of Cannabis Tech Talks , host Mary Jane Gibson sits down with Darwin Millard, Technical Director at Cannabis Safety and Quality (CSQ), for a sharp, science-forward conversation on what really defines quality in modern cannabis. With nearly two decades in extraction, Millard breaks down live resin vs. live rosin vs. bubble hash, explains why terpene profiles matter more than THC cha...

This episode features Blythe Huestis, Vice President of Retail for Sun Theory, in conversation with host Mary Jane Gibson. With more than 13 years in cannabis, Huestis traces her path from Arizona’s medical market to overseeing 13 retail locations across Colorado, spanning four distinct brands built to serve both loyal locals and visiting consumers in one of the country’s most established cannabis...

In this episode of Cannabis Tech Talks, host Mary Jane Gibson sits down with Will Read, founder and CEO of CannaPlanners, for a candid conversation recorded at MJBizCon. Read reflects on attending his first conference in 2017 with credit card debt and a lot of nerve, and how that gamble led to building a creative and digital agency that has helped launch nearly 300 cannabis brands. WEBSITE: https:...