Cannabis Advocate Podcast

Illinois NORML Cannabis Advocacy with Margo Vesely #86 Who was the first to advocate for cannabis? NORML.  In this episode we meet Margo Vesely, executive director for Illinois NORML.  Illinois NORML is a 501 c(4) Nonprofit dedicated to lobbying for consumers access to high quality cannabis that is safe, convenient, and affordable in a normalized and de-stigmatized society, while protecting the Ca...

Overcoming Cannabis Banking Issues with Spendr and Lucas Gould #85 In this episode we meet Lucas Gould the founder of Spendr, a payments, rewards and marketing service for cannabis retailers. I met Lucas in Chicago at Benzinga. In this episode Lucas shares why he founded Spendr, and the process he used to get if off the ground. It's a great origin story that I believe provides lessons that may als...

From Retail CBD to Cannabis Dispensary with Steven Phan #84   Steven Phan , is owner and founder of New York City's premiere educational CBD retail hub,  Come Back Daily , Steven is an advocate for cannabis legalization and today we babble about  the challenges the industry faces.  We also talk about CBD, his experiences as a retailer selling CBD products and the ways CBD can be used to destigmati...

How To Start the Turnkey Dispensary of your Dreamz Cannabis with Andrea Sallis #83 Have you ever wondered what it would take to convert a CBD store into an medical or adult use cannabis dispensary? Today we chat with Andrea Sallis from Dreamz Cannabis. I met Andrea at Benzinga and she shared shared the Dreamz turn-key dispensary model .  The Cannabis Advocate podcast advocates for businesses in th...

What You'll See at MJBizCon 2022 #82 Next week I'll be attending MJBizCon, the premier cannabis business conference in the world. To get prepared and  prepare for an optimal experience I had the good fortune to spend a few moments with Chris Walsh CEO of MJBizDaily, probably the most trusted publication covering the legal cannabis industry in the U.S. and the world. Chris shares the breadth and sc...

How to Verify a Cannabis License is Legit with Rich Campbell #81 How do you know if the people you are doing business with are legit? Are they fully licensed and legal? In this episode we go back to Benzinga and meet cofounder and CEO  Rich Campbell of Canoja Technologies.  Rich shares how his company is developing solutions for license verification, processing, and data analysis. How to verify if...

What's The Future of Cannabis Regulations with Kyle Baker #80 What's the future of the cannabis industry? Today we meet Kyle Baker is a cofounder and CSO of Clean Theory and Ecobuds. I met Kyle at the Southern Illinois University Hemp and Cannabis Symposium. Kyle is a cannabis science entrepreneur with a background in reading tea leaves, or in this case fan leaves. In this episode Kyle and I chat...

Selling Hemp and CBD Online with Leiann Stephenson at Hempress Wholesale #79 Are you facing the challenge of selling hemp and CBD products online? Today we meet the cofounder of Hempress Wholesale, Leiann Stephenson. Leiann has been able to take a brick and morter business and expand it to an online market channel. I'm sure it doesn't escape you that this is a significant challenge for products wi...

Integrated Cannabis Cultivator and Extraction at Agrify with Ted Leung #78 Agrify promises cultivators they can scale  production with  Vertical Farming Units (VFUs): a purpose-built indoor grow solution integrated with Agrify Insights cultivation software - delivering a fully controlled data-driven grow environment to cultivators. Increase the consistency and quality of cannabis for every strain,...

How to Join a Cannatech Ventures Incubator #77   Do you have a tech idea that's needed in the cannabis industry? If so did you know there's a incubator you can join to help get your idea off the ground. In today's episode we meet Noemi Romero and Elanta Slowik from Cannatech Ventures. I met Noemi and Elanta at the Benzinga conference in Chicago and given my personal background and interest in tech...

Emerging Cannabis Genetic Research with Oussama Badad at SIU Carbondale #76   It's no surprise that there has been very little research on the cannabis plant over the last 7 decades. But now genetic research is exploding. In this episode we return the the SIU Hemp and cannabis symposium. This interview  is the last of a three part series focusing on agronomy and genetic research. Our guest is Ouss...

Touring a Hemp Research Plot with Spencer Schuchman #75   Have you done your research on hemp? Today we listen to the second part of a three part series of interviews at the SIU Hemp and Cannabis Symposium. We meet graduate student Spencer Schuchman who manages a hemp research plot near Carbondale Illinois under the guidance of Dr. Karla Gage.  In this episode Spencer shares an audio tour of the h...

Emerging Weed Science Hemp Research with Karla Gage #74 Want to talk about weed? Of course you do, this is the cannabis advocate podcast. Right? But that's not exactly the topic for today. We meet Dr. Karla Gage an Assistant Professor of Weed Science and Plant Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). I met Carla at the SIU Hemp and Cannabis Symposium. Karla does weed management r...

Emerging Market for Culinary Cannabis with Mary Adams #73 Did you know that you can eat cannabis leaves? You can, because I did at the Southern Hemp Expo. I met Mary Adams from Culinary Cannabis a cannabis store offering first-rate organic Hemp Spices and fresh Hemp leaves to shoppers online. I was able to sample their spices and the leaves that are similar to spring green salads. In this episode...

Benefits of a Cannabis Advertising Coop with Gabby Pavelko #72 What can you do to optimize your advertising dollars? Have you considered joining a cannabis advertising coop?  In this episode we meet Gabby Pavelko from Acannability . I met Gabby at the Southern Hemp Expo and again at Benzinga and we discuss the benefits of businesses pooling advertising across the cannabis  and hemp industry.  It's...

Emerging Hemp Opportunities at USHBA and Micaela Machado #71

Successful Digital Marketing for Cannabis with Lauren Laplante #70

Unique CBD Branding at the Ghost Kitchen Hemp #69 Do you think all CBD is the same? Not true. Proponents of CBD oil and other CBD products claim that it can be used to treat conditions such as chronic pain, inflammation, migraines, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases, depression, and anxiety. But not all CBD is alike. In this episode we return to the Southern Hemp Expo and visit with Bobby Coomer and Br...

Cannabis Seltzers are the Next New Thing with Matt Skinner #68 We met Matt Skinner at the Southern Hemp Expo in front of his bright and  shiny  Airstream trailer. Matt and his wife are founders of the Charleston Hemp Collective . Working with local farmers they've developed hemp-derived products from tinctures to topicals and edibles to pets products. At the expo they launched  a new line of produ...

Cannabinoid CBG and the House of G with Jeff Grice #67 Did you know that cannabinoid CBG has special properties according to Jeff Grice, founder of the House of G. CBG combats pain without having the intoxicating effect of cannabinoids like THC. Research shows that CBG can also have therapeutic effects. Promising studies show that CBG might provide therapeutic benefits. In this interview we talk a...

Tennessee Growers Coalition with Kelly Hess #66 While visiting the Southern Hemp Expo in Nashville I hear Kelly Hess give a presentation on the state of hemp. Kelly is the Executive Director of the Tennessee Growers Coalition (TGC) is a non-partisan Political Action Committee (PAC) supporting pro-hemp and pro-cannabis advocacy, awareness and legislation. In this interview we take Kelly aside and w...

Hemp, Cannabis and the Small Business Administration Services #65

Cannabis and the Chamber of Commerce with Buddy Luv #64 Do you believe there is enough Love in this world? Darell Bester thinks we can do better. I met Darell at Tony P's Cannabis Networking event in Chicago.  Darell is the founder and CEO of Buddy Luv LLC, a cannabis lifestyle company that operates a series of ancillary businesses. Darell is also the chairman of the Cannabis Committee for the sta...

How To Build an Ancillary Cannabis Business with Glassblower Chris Piazza #63 Have you ever considered that there is opportunity in the cannabis industry beyond owning a dispensary, making cannabis products or growing cannabis? You might be able to leverage your current skill set in an ancillary cannabis business. In this episode we meet Chris Piazza, a professional glassblower who has built a dis...

How To Design and Build Your Cannabis Facility with David Fettner #62 Are you looking to design and build a cannabis facility? It's a steep challenge. From zoning, to design, to project management, to construction, the tasks are endless. In today's episode we meet David Fettner.  David is a managing partner at Grow America Builders, a national design, building and consulting firm. David from a mul...