The Dime

Everyone in cannabis talks about effects-based products — almost no one can deliver them consistently. Repeatable experiences require precision and formulation discipline that looks a lot more like pharma than cannabis. And here’s why: most operators don’t treat in-house analytics as essential. But that’s the mistake. Process control isn’t optional — it’s the foundation for delivering the same exp...

Tobacco and alcohol are already laying the groundwork for cannabis — building IP, infrastructure, and data. Nick Kenney breaks down what legacy industries already understand — how regulated markets are built, and why readiness always beats speed. This week we sit down with Nick Kenny to discuss: • How tobacco and alcohol are entering cannabis • The playbook for building standardized, scalable syst...

Before Target and DoorDash, Edible Arrangements joined the cannabinoid space. Supply chains look a lot different when you can lean on national infrastructure, logistics, and distribution that already exist. Through Edibles.com, the company is using that foundation to build access — curating top brands and letting customers shop the way they understand best: by experience. Could this platform and d...

What happens when years of iteration, engineering, and a unique understanding of the plant align? In cannabis, building hardware is walking a tightrope — precision, timing, and vision all matter. Singular , the latest release from Active710 , connects that entire loop. While most will gravitate toward its sleek, modular design, the real story lies in how it solves major operational challenges — an...

What happens when a Silicon Valley exec who helped Lyft rewrite the rules brings that same playbook to cannabis? This week we sit down with Ashwin Raj, CEO of LeafLink , to break down how disciplined tech thinking and first-principle strategy can reshape a fragmented industry. In this episode: • How Lyft’s regulatory battles mirror cannabis today • Why listening — not speed — builds trust and loya...

Setbacks early on can reshape everything. They can alter your future strategy, shift your appetite for risk, and — if you’re patient — quietly set you up for success while others chase growth at any cost. As with any company, “figuring it out” is part of the job. And sometimes, that figuring it out happens faster than you’d ever hope. The challenges you face early in your cannabis journey become t...

Building something that lasts takes more than money — it takes self-belief, grit, and the willingness to keep pushing forward when easier options present themselves. Putting your name on it only adds to the weight — and the responsibility — to make it work. As with anything worth doing, there are difficult moments along the journey that demand a leap of faith. If you want to be different, you have...

California wants to ban hemp. Texas is protecting it. Spritz and Big Alcohol are lobbying to crush it. The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Not in the cannabinoid space. The hemp industry stands at a crossroads. With federal clarity still missing, states pulling in opposite directions, and Big Alcohol leaning on lawmakers, billions are at stake in hemp’s next chapter. This week we sit down with Jim...

If you were given some of the worst news in the world, wouldn’t you expect your doctors to use every tool available? What if one of those tools could save millions of lives—and the science is already here? The world’s largest medical cannabis and cancer study—10,000 papers, ranked in the top 5% globally—shows overwhelming evidence that cannabis has medical benefits. If fully embraced, its impact o...

Cannabis is chaotic by design. Vertical integration forces operators to run six or seven businesses at once — then replicate that model across states with different regulations, all without economies of scale. It’s no wonder the industry feels messy. The bigger problem? Too many companies are chasing the wrong metrics and ignoring the lessons other industries already learned. This week we sit down...

THC is an ingredient. Cannabinoids will be treated like standardized inputs across pharma, licensed cannabis, and hemp—and the future winners are hedging until there’s clarity. What got you here won’t get you there. The next phase needs a new playbook: ops tweaks aren’t enough; strategy has to change . Near term, expect Schedule III to unlock e-pharmacy distribution and centralized GMP manufacturi...

$8 billion in products hit shelves each year with True Terpenes inside. The real edge? Turning sensory science—backed by data—into products that connect and fill clear gaps in the market. We break down what cannabis can borrow from wine (shared language, guided discovery), where that analogy stops, and why toxicology and standards are the new trust layer. Plus: how to transform the consumer experi...

What if keeping the room a little too dry is killing your plants? Humidity—and the HVAC that controls it—drives plant health, but air isn’t uniform across the room. The fix isn’t more AC; it’s dialing VPD so humidity, lights, airflow, and irrigation work together. Get it wrong and you lose yield and fail tests; get it right and buds stay sticky, healthy, and consistent. This week we sit down with...

What if the smartest growth move is cutting—on purpose? Turnarounds aren’t financial stories—they’re operational ones. Growth-at-all-costs is out. The new playbook: prune non-core assets, concentrate resources in high-return states, and speed the path from cultivation to checkout. This week we sit down with Richie Proud, CEO of iAnthus, to discuss: Brand strategy: MPX & Cheetah — complementary rol...

Most cannabis facilities fail before the first wall goes up. Most assume it’s because of money — but they’re wrong. It’s because no one asked the right questions. The question you need to ask now is: Where should we be looking to set ourselves up for long-term success? Asking the right questions is critical — because decisions made for today can become death warrants tomorrow. Knowing where to loo...

Every investment is just an ROI calculator. Automation feels risky—until you run the numbers. It doesn’t kill craftsmanship—it scales it. Growing your pre-roll category usually means balancing sales growth with hand-filling teams to maintain quality. But what if you could do both? What if you could leverage best-in-class automation to hit your numbers faster, cleaner, cheaper—without sacrificing q...

What’s the real goal of a legal cannabis market? If it’s to replace the illicit market, create safe access, and drive tax revenue—then why is California, the world’s 4th largest economy , failing while Michigan is thriving ? Despite California’s size and cultural dominance, cannabis sales are shrinking, cities are refusing to opt in, and the illicit market is flourishing. Meanwhile, Michigan is se...

Debt is coming due — and we’re approaching a point of no return. At this stage, it’s not if there will be fallout — it’s who survives it . The surface-level view of the cannabis industry hides deep financial issues that only become clear when you dig into the numbers. And that’s exactly what Matt Karnes has been doing for years. From cash flow strain to 280E pressures and mounting debt, the indust...

Built to last. That’s not just a slogan — it’s a strategy. In an industry driven by short-term survival, the cannabis space often feels like a rollercoaster. Financial pressures and market volatility push companies to chase quarters instead of building moats. But what if you could play the long game? What if you could invest in domain knowledge, develop key expertise, and build durable competitive...

What if buying cannabis felt more like a Michelin-star dining experience than a traditional retail transaction? Where the staff doesn’t just sell—they guide, educate, and tailor every recommendation to how you want to feel. No guessing. Just clarity, confidence, and trust—rooted in science-backed evidence. That’s the vision behind Ethos Cannabis . When customers are willing to drive past other dis...

AI is reshaping every corner of commerce — and in cannabis, where the pace is chaotic and change can be difficult, thoughtful integration is even harder. We’re in the middle of a digital transformation as profound as the rise of the internet. In a space where “speed and size” used to win, the new game is endurance . Because to finish first, you have to finish. Balancing AI rollouts, sunsetting pro...

Prohibition is dead — and Texas just proved it. The recent SB3 vote signaled the start of something much bigger. While hemp and cannabis operate in very different styles, both are ultimately pushing toward the same goal: a sensible framework for a one-plant solution. The how ? I’ll leave that to people way smarter than me. But the genie is NOT going back in the bottle — and while speed and clarity...

The cannabis shakeout isn’t coming. It’s already here. Operators are bleeding, investors are disappearing, and the old playbook is falling apart. After Benzinga, one thing’s clear: the winners will be the ones who specialize, control every cost, and have visibility into every part of their business in real time. What happens when you pull back the curtain on the cannabis industry’s most influentia...

What if the most powerful investor pitch wasn’t a deck or a breakdown of earnings—but a story? Now, the idea of seeds in the ground to thriving plants is a tangible experience—one that finally captures the real narrative. Because in cannabis, the financials don’t always tell the full story. This week, we sit down with Jesse Redmond, Head of Investor Relations and Business Development at LEEF Brand...

Most cannabis operators are reactive—drowning in checklists, flooded with data, and still missing the point. Compliance gets all the attention, while real operational signals—like handling variability and shifting process conditions—lead to execution gaps and reactive decision-making. Extraction process optimization is tricky, but when the actual root cause is identified and solved, the returns ca...