Business of Cannabis: Cannabis News | Cannabis Views | Cannabis Trends

What does purpose-driven leadership look like inside a fast-growing medical cannabis clinic? In this special edition of the Business of Cannabis Podcast, Tim Kirby, CEO of Releaf, sits down with Professor Chris Shambrook, renowned performance psychologist and long-time advisor to the British Olympic rowing team. Together, they unpack how high-performance principles drawn from elite sport can trans...

In this special edition of the Business of Cannabis Podcast, we go From Anecdote to Evidence with Dr Anne Katrin Schlag, Head of Research at Drug Science, and Graham Woodward, Chief Operating Officer at Releaf. Together, they explore how the UK can move from anecdotal patient stories to robust, real-world evidence — and why this shift is vital for expanding safe, trusted access to cannabis-based m...

The third in our series of guest episodes features a discussion between CEO of Releaf, Tim Kirby, and Robert Jappie, Partner Fieldfisher’s Regulatory Group. Tim and Robert discuss Together, they explore the disconnect between the UK’s 2018 rescheduling of medical cannabis and the lack of meaningful access for patients today. Robert outlines the legal and regulatory hurdles that continue to obstruc...

The second in our series of guest episodes features a discussion between CEO of Releaf, Tim Kirby, and James Duckenfield, CEO of Glass Pharms. Tim & James discuss the challenges and progress within the UK's medical cannabis industry since its legalisation in 2018, highlighting the previous stagnation due to various factors including inconsistent supply chains and a lack of a healthcare-focused app...

Business of Cannabis: Podcast | E14 🎙   Next up we're speaking with Simone Van Breda, Chairman of the Union of Coffeeshop Retailers. Simone is the chairman of the Union of Coffeeshop Retailers in the #Netherlands, working at the national and international level to advance regulation of cannabis and to professionalise the emerging industry. She is one of the key figures who advocates legalisation o...

Next up we have a special episode with Tim Kirby, Chief Executive Officer with Releaf and Michael Sassano, CEO and Chairman of the Board with SOMAÍ Pharmaceuticals.

Business of Cannabis: Podcast | E13 🎙   Next up we're speaking with Vladimir Bautista is a leading advocate in the cannabis space and co-founder of Happy Munkey LLC. Known for his connections with the cannabis elite and success in music, hospitality, and events, Vlad offers corporate access to NYC's cannabis scene. Under his leadership, Happy Munkey hosts VIP events uniting diverse professionals o...

Business of Cannabis: Podcast | E11 🎙   Next up we're speaking with Kate Holste , Head of International Sales at Boveda Inc. Kate is an accomplished relationship builder with a strong focus on creating value, driving efficiency, and delivering insightful analysis. With a versatile ability to connect with a diverse range of customer profiles, she brings extensive experience in events and brand mana...

Business of Cannabis: Podcast | E11 🎙   Next up we're speaking with Ohla Stefanishyna. Olha has over 15 years of experience in top government and public sector roles, including as Deputy Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine and a Member of Parliament. Elected to Parliament in 2019, she played a key role in healthcare reforms, submitting nearly 100 bills, with 20 becoming law, including the groundbrea...

Business of Cannabis: Podcast | E10 🎙   Next up we're speaking with Dr Mikael Sodergren, Chief Medical Officer at Curaleaf International. He leads the pre-clinical and clinical medical cannabis research programmes in Europe and is responsible for the cannabis clinic roll-out across the continent. Alongside founding Sapphire Medical Clinics, Mikael is also a Senior Clinical Lecturer and Consultant...

Next up is episode 9 with Andrew Lowitz, CRO, Terpene Belt Farm. Andrew Lowitz is a career Commercial Executive, Chief Revenue Officer, Executive Team Advisor and Board Member - and is responsible for strategic and operational commercial leadership, modeling and execution across Marketing, Business Development, Sales, Customer Growth/Retention. Andrew is also the Co-Founder of Cannabis Collective...

Next up is episode 8 with Amy Weinstein, co-founder, Other People's Pot. Join us as our host Shahbaaz Kara-Virani chats with Amy at Cannabis Europa 2024. Business of Cannabis is a cannabis industry platform marrying cannabis news, video and podcast content, newsletters and online and real-world cannabis events. This channel highlights the cannabis companies, cannabis brands, cannabis leaders and c...

Next up is episode 7 with Helene Servillon, Founding Partner, Journey One Ventures. Helene Servillon is a Marijuana Ventures 40 under 40 awardee who has been investing in the cannabis industry since 2018. She is the Founding Partner of JourneyOne Ventures, an early to growth stage fund that invests at the frontier of wellness industries across software, biotech and consumer companies that innovate...

Next up is episode 6 with Nikos Beis, CEO & Vice President of the Board, Tikun Olam Europe. Nikos Beis is an experienced executive with over 15 years of expertise in banking, real estate, and a profound dedication to the European cannabis sector for over 6 years. As a dynamic and results-oriented CEO, he excels in navigating intricate regulatory frameworks, spearheading strategic endeavors, and fo...

State of Play Session: Ukraine  ◦ Olha Stefanyshyna - Member of Parliament (MP), Parliament of Ukraine ◦ Hanna Hlushchenko - CEO, Ukrainian Cannabis Consulting Group Historically, Ukraine was a significant producer of hemp, cultivating over 150,000 hectares by the 1950s - primarily for oil and fiber. In 2019, a petition to legalise medical cannabis garnered momentum and by 2020, a referendum demon...

Next up is episode 5 with Pat Cash , the 1987 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Tennis Champion. Post-retirement in 1997, he transitioned into coaching elite players and hosting tennis-focused shows like CNN's Open Court. Despite enduring 14 sports-related surgeries, Cash remains active, crediting #CBD oil for alleviating his injuries. Recently, Cash announced plans to launch his own CBD product line, aimin...

State of Play Session: The Netherlands  ◦ Paul Depla - Mayor of the city of Breda, Gemeente Breda ◦ Simone van Breda - Chairman of the Union of Coffeeshop Retailers, Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten ◦ Kaj Hollemans - Consultant, KH Legal Advice ◦ Tjalling Erkelens - CEO & Chairman of the Board, Bedrocan Though the #Netherlands may be synonymous with cannabis liberalisation in Europe, its legal canna...

Next up is episode 4 with Chris Violas, CEO of BLAZE. BLAZE was developed by former cannabis operators and tech entrepreneurs who understand the unique challenges that dispensaries encounter daily. The software is designed to be flexible, accommodating various fulfillment methods and compatible with multiple hardware configurations. BLAZE provides a comprehensive suite of tools for dispensaries an...

State of Play Session: Greece ◦ Jacqueline Poitras , Director & Founder, MAMAKA - Mothers for Cannabis ◦ Adonis Georgiadis , Minister of Health, Hellenic Republic ◦ NIKOS BEIS , CEO & Vice President of the Board, Tikun Olam Europe ◦ Ben Stevens , Editor, Business of Cannabis / Business of Cannabis | Europe In February this year, Greece officially made medical cannabis available to patients for the...

Next up is episode 3, with CEO of Project Evolve and Co-Founder of the GCNC Chris Day. Chris is the co-founder of the Global Cannabis Network Collective and CEO of Project Evolve, with over 25 years of experience in corporate reinvention, small business growth, and marketing excellence.   Join us as our host Shahbaaz Kara-Virani chats with Chris about some of the issues the GCNC is tackling today....

This fireside discussion offers a deep dive into the expansion plans and business objectives for Curaleaf International; their strategies for entering new global markets, potential regulatory challenges, and how they plan to leverage their position as a leading cannabis company. Join us at Cannabis Europa 2025 www.cannabis-europa.com Keep up to date with the company's vision for global growth, pot...

Episode 2 is here, and this time Luc Richner joins Shahbaaz in the hot seat to chat about his journey, Switzerland and sustainable cannabis business models in the future. If you don't know Luc, he's the CEO and co-founder of Vigia, the company behind the compliance software suite Cannavigia. With over 12 years of experience in building and managing companies across various industries in Europe, th...

This quarter two seismic shifts occurred in the United States and Germany with a common denominator: the DEA advanced the rescheduling of cannabis from a narcotic to a Class III drug in the USA, and Germany completed the rescheduling with passage of the Cannabis Reform Law April 1. However, the implications are different for the two largest cannabis markets. Join us for a fireside chat with Arthur...

Strap in for Episode 1 of our brand new series, Business of Cannabis: Podcast at Cannabis Europa 2024. Kicking things off, CEO of Ziel, Arthur de Cordova joins our host Shahbaaz Kara at the Barbican Centre during our recent Cannabis Europa event - Europe's gateway to global cannabis and thought leadership.

This week's stories: In a major development for the US cannabis industry, Members of the Senate Banking Committee have voted to approve the SAFER Banking Act, paving the way for its final vote in the Senate.  Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced a new bill which would legalise adult-use cannabis consumption, the possession of up to five ounces for over 21s, and remove criminal penalties for those u...