Cannabis Advocate Podcast

How To Invest in a Cannabis ETF with Dan Ahrens #136 Capital investment has been on pause over the last few years as the industry waits for federal legalization. This has created a difficult situation for startups and cannabis investors. In this episode, we meet Dan Ahrens the Managing Director at AdvisorShares Investments. Advisor Shares provides actively managed Cannabis ETF in the cannabis indu...

Business Broker for Cannabis Clients with Andy Lock #135 Are you looking for help to line up capital? Are you on the cusp of a merger or an acquisition? Do you need to have your company valuated? If so our guest Andy Lock is a guy that can help broker the deal.  Andy is the Director of Business Development at Viridian Capital Advisors. Viridian claims to be the leading, corporate finance, Mergers...

Zen Leaf Roller Startup Journey #134 In this episode, we meet Bill Beauclair and Jon Allen from Zen Leaf Roller. The Zen Leaf Roller is a tool that teaches how to hand-roll marijuana joints simply and easily. I've used this device and found it a fun way to make a repeatable and smokable product. Today we discuss Bill and Jon's journey. challenges and opportunities they face. If you're working on a...

Visiting the Cannabis School Podcast #132 In this episode, we meet Brandon Elder and Jessie Angeles of the Cannabis School Podcast. I've been a long-time fan of their podcast and today we delve into the origin of the Cannabis School, how they started the podcast, and the impact they have on improving the lives of their listeners. It's such an honor to have Jessie and Brandon on the podcast. They a...

Bettering the World with Cannabis with Mark Cozzi #133 Today we enter the burgeoning market of Cannabis edibles. Our guest is Mark Cozzi, the founder of a Chicago-based luxury edible brand called The Bettering Company.  Mark has a 35-year career in the finance sector, primarily focused on growth companies and startups including 14 years on Wall Street and building an energy company.  Afterward, Ma...

The Future of Hempwood with Gregg Wilson #131 Greg Wilson is the founder of Hempwood, a hemp flooring and lumber company from Murray KY. When I think of industrial hemp, Kentucky doesn't immediately come to mind as a place for innovation. But that's not the case. There is a huge opportunity in industrial hemp and Greg is at the forefront of that market. In today's episode, we learn all about the h...

Pat's Favorite Cannabis Drink with Ben Kennedy #130 I've tried a lot of cannabis drinks and frankly most of them are horrible. If their not to sweet, they have strange smell, or a chemical aftertaste that I find wretched. With that said I know that I'm not the average customer.  I like black coffee, IPAs, and dry wines. I'm the opposite of the target customer. Or am I. Last month and MJ Unpacked I...

Cannabis Microdosing with Jason Durnett #129 Microdosing is taking the "low & slow" approach to cannabis. It refers to titration, the process of finding out how much or how little CBD or THC you need to feel the effects you're looking for. there's no such thing as a "standard dose" when it comes to cannabis. Everyone's body reacts differently, and there are a number of factors that impact how you...

Industrial Hemp and Kifcure with Jarett Burke #128 Where can hemp farmers go to sell their harvest? Since the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, farmer after farmer has grown hemp and struggled to find a place to bring it to market. In this episode returning guest Jarett Burke shares what Kifcure is doing to bring farmers and hemp product manufacturers together.  Cannabis Advocate Podcast The Cannabis...

Industrial Hemp Has Greater Opportunity with Jarett Burke #127 Did you know that hemp is cannabis, genetically the same, but with less THC? CBD comes from hemp. But that's just the start. Hemp can be used for construction materials, insulation, textiles, oils, plastics and much much more. Today we meet Jarett Burke from Kifcure. Jarett walks us through the parts of the hemp plant and explains the...

How To Optimize Cannabis Training with Brett King #126   What's one of the most difficult challenges when scaling a cannabis business? Training. Well-written and easily accessible training can lower turnover, raise compliance, build customer loyalty, and raise the quality of end products. In this episode, we meet Brett King from Learn Leaf. I met Brett on the tradeshow floor at MJ Unpacked to disc...

Cannabis Advertising with Jazz Wolk #125 Did you know that every state has a different set of regulations for cannabis advertising? This creates a huge challenge when it comes to promoting a business. In this episode, we travel to Detroit Michigan, and meet Jazz Wolk of Brkthru. Brkthru is a digital marketing agency that specializes in promoting cannabis brands. According to Jazz, every dollar spe...

The Alchemy of Cannabis Insurance with Megan Kelly #124 This week we return to the Benzinga Cannabis Capital conference in Chicago and meet Megan Kelly to talk about cannabis insurance. Megan represents Alchemy,  a specialty risk program that provides comprehensive policies designed for small to medium-sized cannabis businesses. In this interview, we discuss the constraints of cannabis businesses...

From Passion to Profit with Custom Cone Founder Harrison Bard #123 Last month I attended the Benzinga Cannabis Capital conference in Chicago. It's an event focused on acquiring capital for aspiring cannabis businesses. This year was surprisingly optimistic compared to last year. It's important to remember we're very early in this industry and the skies the limit. It's just going to take a while. ...

Cannabis Networking at Tony P's #122 Do you want to grow your cannabis network? If you're a frequent listener to the podcast you may recall that many of the guests I've interviewed I originally met at a TonyP event. TonyP's is a cannabis networking meetup that's held monthly in Chicago. On this episode, we have the good fortune to meet the founders of TonyPs; Tony  Paolella and Greg Dekalb.  Today...

The Dawning of Cannabis Drinks with James Hunter #121 One thing we all have in common is we drink. Hydrating comes second only to breathing. Drinking with family and friends is baked into our culture. But given the desire for healthy choices, past drinks steeped in sugar or alcohol are starting to wane. That's why I'm excited to see a wave of cannabis drinks coming to market. I attended the Canna...

The Challenges of Cannabis Regulation with Solomon Hatch #120 Solomon Hatch is the Illinois Deputy Cannabis Regulation Oversight Office (CROO) administrator. The CROO makes recommendations for administrative and statutory changes and collects data regarding the regulation of cannabis. They also assist in the compilation of any reports required by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act. Next, they ens...

Why Cannabis Air Quality Matters with AirAnswers Rachel Reboulet #119 Dirty air can be the death knell of an indoor cannabis grow. Technology that can test for pathogens is the first step in mitigating plant harm. In this episode, we meet Rachel Reboulet, the Director of Laboratory Operations for AirAnswers. She is responsible for new and innovative commercial air sampling technology.  In this epi...

Concierge Cannabis EMS Provider with Amy Nathan #117 Have you ever heard the term scratching your own itch? It's when you experience a problem, solve it, and then realize this could be a business.  That's what happened to our guest Amy Nathan. While visiting a cannabis consumption lounge, Amy suffered a traumatic experience. That event birthed the idea for a new business called Lit Smart. In this...

Challenges in Cannabis Accounting with Daryl Jendras #116 Daryl Jendras is a CPA and managing director at Green Rush who specializes in accounting, tax consulting, advising, and planning specifically in the cannabis space. In this episode, Daryl shares the challenges cannabis businesses face and the things they can do to mitigate their tax burden. Cannabis accounting is the topic for today. Cannab...

Smokebud Community App with K'von Henderson #115 In June I met our guest K'von Henderson at NECANN. K'von is creating a new social networking app dedicated to cannabis users. The app is called Smokebud. It's dedicated to connecting nearby smokers looking to have a session with others as well as buy and sell cannabis essentials. In this episode, K'von shares his story on how he got to the idea, how...

Cannabis Drink Innovations with Cannalean #114 Last week I attended the Canna Drinks Expo and was able to sample many different kinds of cannabis drinks. So it's good timing to have the leadership of Cannalean visit the podcasts today. Chris Johnson is the CEO and founder of Cannalean and Kenny Cottrell is the COO and chemist at Cannalean. Together they share their origin story, beliefs on craftin...

Cannabis OG Advice with Jesse Porter #113 Moving from the nonregulated market to the regulated cannabis market is not a jump many OG growers were able to successfully make. Our guest is Jesse Porter, one of the few OGs who found success in the legit cannabis industry. His journey in cannabis started in 2004 years ago when his mom was diagnosed with cancer. As a cultivator, dispensary operator, bus...

Cannabis Drinks Expo with Ankita Okate #112   Today we meet Ankita Okate from our new sponsor, the Cannabis Drinks Expo. Ankita is a Chief Growth Officer at Beverage Trade Network (BTN). The expo is hosted by the Beverage Trade Network. This event is the largest global gathering of cannabis drinks professionals, bringing together drinks producers, manufacturers, brand owners, distilleries, and bre...

Illinois News Joint with Jason Brown #111 Jason Brown is the Founding Publisher of Illinois News Joint, the premier resource for the Illinois cannabis industry. Jason leads a small group of dedicated news people with a strong passion for the cannabis industry and how it relates to Illinois and beyond. They are committed to providing the most informative and educational resources for Illinois canna...