the lobsterpot< podcast

News that US President, Joe Biden, is making good on cannabis campaign promises got tongues wagging late last week. But what do these statements actually mean? Are they big strides towards federal legalization, or baby steps that could easily be felled at the first hurdle? We asked someone firmly in the know – Chris Day; founder at GCNC and CEO at Gateway Proven Strategies.

Recent news that the new UK government has blocked Bermuda’s plans to legalise cannabis have soured relations. However the overseas territory’s ruling party plan to carry on regardless But what exactly is the state of play when it comes to cannabis on the island itself? What would legalisation look like in Bermuda? We speak to local entrepreneur: Khomeini Taalib-Din.

Arjen Melis, Co-Founder and President of Djot, is no stranger to getting product to market. Now, he’s focusing on innovating the cannabis beverage space by creating a product that enables considered consumption for consumers and pairs their individual needs with the drinks they already know and love. https://djot.com/

Following our vox pop interview with Dr. Callie Seaman at Cannabis Europa in June, we pick up on her assertion that UK doctors are afraid of prescribing medical cannabis, and ask how and what we can do to help educate and assure them of the plant’s legitimacy and viability.

Jamila La Malfa Donaldson is a PhD student at Aberystwyth University in Wales, UK. Specialising in testing, cultivating, and processing industrial hemp, she tells us more about her work in therapeutic compounds, and the role hemp could play in challenging cannabis stigmas.

As former Chief of Staff at Canadian cannabis behemoth, Canopy Growth, Marnie McKinstry excelled in process and project management at a time of insane expansion. Now, a few months after striking out on her own, she gives us an insight into what the big market players are doing right (and wrong), and what smaller, fledgling companies can learn from them.

When it comes to operating a domestic medicinal cannabis market, New Zealand has a lot to teach the rest of the world. And Carmen Doran, CEO of Auckland-based Helius Therapeutics, is at the forefront of these efforts with their Full Spectrum Extract recently verified by the NZ Medicinal Cannabis Agency. She tells us more about how she and her fellow Kiwis are getting it right.

As editor of the major digital cannabis publication leafie , Liam O'Dowd has soaked up cannabis culture and helped foster an honest space where veterans and newbies alike can come and be educated and entertained by all things weed and psychedelic. To find out more go about what Liam and the team have going on, head over to https://www.leafie.co.uk/

Colombia has every opportunity to be a world leader in cannabis production. It has the right climate, expertise, and passionate plant advocates like Rosa Puentes, CBO at Medellin-based Mannta. But operating internationally, navigating supply chains, THC levels, and nurturing the nation’s medical market continues to be a challenge.

Greenmeister is a Netherlands-based cannabis coffeeshop finder app with designs on growing across Europe as recreational cannabis edges towards legalisation and broader decriminalisation. We chat with founder and CEO, Onnick Jessayan, about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

Far from being your average award-winning chef, Jordan Wagman sits somewhere at the intersection of nutrition, wellness, and fine dining. A lifelong cannabis user, his passion for the plant – in conjunction with cleaner living – continues to have a lasting positive impact on his own mental and physical health. Cannabis Content Marketing ► Go to https://www.thermidor.wtf To Read The Full Post ► Go...

A new study coming out of Canada shows that craft cannabis producers are being stung significantly by hefty excise taxes. The report, authored by Dan Sutton of BC-based Tantalus Labs, argues that while larger producers can withstand the $1/gram excise tax, the impact on smaller independent growers is such that many could face insolvency within the next 12 months. Let’s get the full spectrum.

Jake Brookes, Chief Operating Officer at Ladybug Farms in Monterey, California learnt about farming cannabis by growing flowers: chrysanthemums, in fact. Originally from Yorkshire in the UK, he tells us more about his experience at the helm of a leading West Coast grow-op and what challenges and opportunities the sector faces in America and Europe.

After a successful start to his career on Wall Street, derivatives trader, Leo Kotlyar, was in search of a more meaningful way to apply his unique skill set. And (unsurprisingly) he found it in cannabis. Fast forward nearly 10 years, and he’s at the helm of Amsterdam-based strategy and sustainability consultancy, DeWarrior.

Fiona McCarthy is an associate at social innovation consultancy, Think Rubix. A native Virginian, she’s witnessed cannabis policy progress firsthand in her home state. And looking at her recently published Greener Pastures report, it’s clear she sees change coming across the rest of America’s Deep South.

After a successful career in food and lifestyle journalism on the East Coast, creative agency owner, Biana Monica hightailed it out West to where the ‘grass is greener’. She gives us the lowdown on the California market, the challenges of getting cannabis brands recognised, and what the future holds as more states open up.

Training as a marketing play is a hot topic across many sectors. But in the cannabis industry, it's even more essential given the advertising restrictions in place – and given the important role budtenders play in 'brand gatekeeping'. Danny Gold, Co-founder and CEO at ZolTrain, sees it as his mission to educate the world on cannabis. But what does this mean? How are he and his team going about it?

Master Grower at abby, Phat Nguyen, talks all about the history of the homegrown movement, how it shaped their fully automated growbox, and why self-cultivation still has a place amongst the dispensary model which has dominated North America since 2012.

Rebecca Allen-Tapp is Business Development Manager at Asahi Glassworks UK. Based in England, but originally from the US, she’s worked in cannabis on both sides of the Atlantic. Let’s get her take on the similarities, differences, challenges, and opportunities of working in an increasingly complex international industry!

As Head of Analysis at Hanway Associates, Lily Temperton is a leading light on the international cannabis circuit. Fresh from publishing the consultancy’s recent Recreational Europe report, she gives us some key insights into where the cannabis sector’s heading this side of the Pond.

Jillian Reddish is co-founder of the Global Cannabis Network Collective – a group that unites those working in the international cannabis scene with other leading professionals in the space. She tells us more about the importance of relationship-building in this thriving, but ultimately complex, sector.

What is up themidorks(!) Welcome to the lobsterpot - a podcast that's less lobster and more pot. I'm Dave Barton, Founder and Creative Director, at cannabis content agency thermidor. Me and my crew will serve as your guides as we navigate news, views, opinions, and stories from across the constantly changing world of super strong cannabis.

CFO and head strategist at 4C Labs, James Smith, is no stranger to pursuing sizeable opportunities. After setting up shop in Guernsey (one of the UK’s Channel Islands) and being awarded the island’s first license to grow – and export to the UK mainland – medical cannabis, he’s now in the position of raising enough funds to build the reality he’s worked so hard to create. But is Britain ready to em...

Brighton-based Xavier Clark was (and still is!) the 11th person on the British medical cannabis registry – as treatment for several ongoing conditions. Now, 2 years later, and his reliance on a variety of big pharma meds has been mostly replaced by cannabis. This is his story – and the story behind Patient 11 and his advocacy work.