Innovating Cannabis Podcast

German company Storz & Bickel is well known for its medical-grade dry herb vaporizers that have been in the market for over 20 years. The company was acquired by Canopy Growth in 2018, and Jurgen Bickel has been leading the company and R&D since then. Jurgen joined The Mary Jane Society podcast to talk about the company's trajectory, new innovations, the state of the German market, and why recreat...

Alex Rogers grew up in the Northeast California /Oregon area and has been in the cannabis industry for a few decades. He moved his family to Slovenia, where his wife is from, and founded the International Cannabis Business Conference, also known as ICBC. This B2B cannabis business conference has been running for about ten years and attracts people around the globe. He is now launching an extension...

 You may have heard of new AI-powered apps that match you to a specific cannabis product based on your preferences and other people who share their outcomes using products for the same purpose. Now, there is the HashDash app. It matches flower strains to consumers based on over 5,000 strain profiles. It directs consumers to a nearby dispensary that sells the strain or products with the same strain...

Welcome Jake Litke, CEO of MediaJel, a digital advertising platform specializing in the cannabis industry. Jake has had 20 years of experience building ad tech platforms around geo and mobile data. In 2018, he launched MediaJel to specifically serve the cannabis industry in media buying, attribution, and retargeting capabilities. We talk about programmatic advertising strategies, especially for CT...

David Nava , CRO at Rukli, a well-known California cannabis warehouse and distribution company. David started in the alcohol industry, learning the ins and outs of sales and distribution with large distributors like Southern Wine and Spirits. He went on to lead sales for 4 years at PetalFast and is now taking the reins at Rukli, We talk about the challenges and solutions of the distribution supply...

Is connected TV ready for the cannabis industry? Today, I interviewed Steve Peterson, president of Citizen Green TV , a new interactive streaming channel on the ROKU TV network that operates on blockchain technology. Steve talks about the content they are curating, advertising opportunities for brands, and their focus on educating the public on cannabis health, wellness, and industry education. Li...

As the cannabis industry and its needs evolve, customized machinery and equipment are needed to support its growth. Today, our guest is Ryan Hoitt, the inventor and CEO of the vape-filling company Vape-Jet. Vapes are the 2nd best-selling product in the country, and the demand for rosin-based or solventless products is increasing. With that comes the need for improved machinery. Ryan talks about ho...

TRENDS cannabis dispensary in Queens, NY, celebrated its grand opening this summer. It is the largest cannabis dispensary in NYC, founded by brothers Rodney and Brandon Carter, both of whom have been arrested for past possession. Their father, Rodney Carter, Sr., also received a conviction close to 30 years ago.   We spoke to the brothers about their dispensary operation in NYC to learn how things...

The Green Lady Dispensary is a family-owned business on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts, with a 2nd location recently opened in Newton, an upscale town outside of Boston. Co-founder Nicole Campbell headed the family's operations and joined the show to talk about the state of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and how they are navigating growth and expansion into NY with their well-kno...

Michael Briggs is President of Spiritus Oregon , the first company to receive a psilocybin edibles manufacturing license in the US. We discuss their seed-to-sale operations in Oregon, white-label manufacturing services, and what Spiritus has planned for their brand lineup—founded by well-known cannabis medical doctor Rachel Knox, and an impressive team of psilocybin extraction and formulation expe...

NFL great Ricky Williams is well-known for publicly advocating for cannabis and its therapeutic benefits by missing a football season and giving up millions of dollars because he purposely tested positive for cannabis. He joins the show to discuss the importance of using his fame to advocate for plant medicine. We discussed his new line of hemp-based products and future plans for beverages, psiloc...

Stephanie Abrams is a neuropharmacologist, researcher, and founder of Beyond The Bench , a consultant company in the psychedelic space. As a neuropharmacologist, she deeply understands medical therapies, plant medicines, and clinical studies and is a published researcher and writer. Stephanie designs and facilitates simple scientific trials and studies for plant medicine brands and psychedelic org...

Cannabis brands and retailers are challenged to find creative ways to market their businesses because strict rules forbid traditional methods. Best in Grass is a new company started by two High Times event producers, Mark Kazinec and Jason Quinn. It offers dispensaries and brands the opportunity to collaborate on a new and creative marketing solution for the cannabis industry. Best in Grass is a s...

Matthias Fischer is the founder and Managing Director of Canymed, a subsidiary of Grunhorn, Germany's largest cannabis supply chain. He shares insights into how Grunhorn is building its seed-to-sale operation and supporting medical research through its robust data collection. We talk about the industry's bottlenecks and what needs to be done for the cannabis industry to flourish in Europe.  https:...

What if you could R&D a cannabis product or cultivate a strain knowing the precise effects a specific cannabinoid or terpene would provide a person based on scientific evidence? You can. Our latest guest is  Israel Gasperin , the CEO of Zentrela , a scientific research company using EEG and AI technology to measure the brain waves of a cannabis user as a way to understand the impact of cannabis on...

Roxanne Jennings is head of production for Envirostar , a Minnesota-based manufacturer that uses spray drying technology to turn food into powder—(think cake mixes). They also have a booming business producing THC drink sticks. We discuss the trend toward this method of consumption and the ease of launching drink sticks to use as a brand-building catalyst for your company. Roxanne predicts cannabi...

Breanna Neff is the founder of Brelixi , a powdered THC drink mix that is leaning into the functional wellness trend and uses ingredients like adaptogens and nootropics. Breanna has a degree in food science and process engineering from Cornell University and formulated the Brelixi drink mix. She uses hemp biomass (not synthetics) and sources from cultivators that are part of the Black Farmers Alli...

Jason Bello is the founder and CEO of a relatively new B2B cannabis trade show called The Flower Expo. He says his show is for "brands to meet buyers," and similar to how food and wine shows operate where there is an emphasis on product sampling. Jason learned the trade show ropes by working at West Coast trade shows like Hall of Flowers and Green Street Festival. Jason launched The Flower Expo la...

Holly Teegarden is a former marketing executive turned cannabis entrepreneur. Her first endeavor was in 2019 with a brick-and-mortar store focused on CBD wellness in Pittsburgh, PA. She then launched cannabis-focused wellness retreats for women over the age of 35+, mainly for the canna-curious, to introduce them to the wellness benefits of cannabis in the form of a relaxing retreat. So far, she ha...

Prof. Dedi Meiri heads the Laboratory of Cancer and Cannabinoid Research at Technion, Israel's highly regarded Institute of Technology. He comes from a highly diverse scientific background in biochemistry, plant biotechnology, and cancer and has about 50 research scientists working under him.  We discuss the complexities of the endocannabinoid system and Dr. Meiri's painstaking work to document nu...

Robert Head served over five years in the Army, including on the front lines of Iraq. In 2016, he entered the cannabis industry and bought a farm in Maine to cultivate cannabis. Robert has also devoted his time to helping communities understand that cannabis plays a big role in the veteran's healing process through events and speaking engagements. In late 2022, he and another veteran, Todd Scattin...

Tara Misu , a NJ native, has been kicking around cannabis industry for 15 years. She is the owner of the edibles company Blazin' Bakery, known for its brownie mix with the right formulation for making DIY pot brownies. The company previously sold at Spencer Gift Stores across the country, but is focusing on the cannabis edibles market now. Tara has studied extraction science in California and Colo...

Today, we are talking SEO with Samuel Fisher from Green Dispensary Marketing . Sam and his team help dispensaries manage their online web presence and build traffic-generating assets. Sam explains why you should dump WeedMaps and Leafly. Green Dispensary Marketing will help maximize your traffic and ensure it converts to sales. The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel,...

KEY TALKING POINTS ·  German Cannabis Market : Germany has decriminalized possession up to 25 grams and allows home cultivation of up to three plants. Consumers can also join cannabis social clubs starting July 1st. ·  Medical Cannabis : Medical cannabis in Germany has become more accessible, with reduced barriers to prescription and health insurance coverage for severely ill patients under specif...

Meet Kirsten Velasco , the inventor of VapeNProp. One of the first cannabis-themed products to enter the promotional products category. It's a vape pen accessory that holds your pen upright to keep it safe from leaks, clogs, and dropping and breaking. Kirstin is running out of the gate with Curaleaf as her first customer. They are celebrating 420 by giving away VapeNProps as gifts in their Ohio, N...