We dive into the intersection of DEI issues and how interstate commerce plays into that. First, we define what interstate commerce is and why the industry as a whole wants to achieve this. We talk about how social equity licensees and operators going to be impacted when federal legalization finally happens and we have some form of interstate commerce available to the cannabis industry. So currently in our 36 states with legal medical cannabis and 18 with adult use, most if not all have some form of social equity program giving black and brown business owners more equality in our industry. We talk about what’s working so far currently, as well as where it falls short.

Mark Slaugh is a leading niche asset for the dynamic cannabis market worldwide. His innovative work in cannabis compliance, regulatory affairs, policy monitoring, political reform, and social justice reflects an extensive understanding of cannabis, its benefits, and its social transformation from illicit “vice” to a legal substance under licensing and regulation. Mark progressively works to move this new market forward at political, policy, and operational levels. He represents objective knowledge about cannabis and its economic, social, and political implications on society as a trusted resource for the media, marijuana businesses, and governments. He regularly speaks at National and International conferences on topics regarding policy, market development, and operational cannabis compliance. All today on The Future of Social Equity and Interstate Commerce with Mark Slaugh, DEI Committee on NCIA’s Cannabis Industry Voice.

He is the Principal Consultant for CK Black Group providing GMP services to the cannabis and food industries, Sports Equipment PPE regulations/quality systems, and auditing services.

Mr. Black is currently the Chairman of ASTM D37.06, the Personnel Training, Assessment, Credentialing in Cannabis subcommittee. Throughout his 19 years of experience working with ASTM, Mr. Black has been the technical contact and principal author of 9 ASTM standards

He has been named Top 40 Under 40 Rising Stars by Marijuana Venture and Top 40 Under 40 by the Phoenix Business Journal, receiving notable recognition as a cannabis attorney and business leader.

Bianchi & Brandt was founded in 2019 and is a full-service Arizona-based law firm specializing in the burgeoning cannabis and psychedelic industries. Partners Laura Bianchi and Justin Brandt have a combined 24 years of experience balancing the irregularities of state versus federal legalities largely unknown to other attorneys. 

The firm has served as a strategic partner to more than 500 clients to date and not only assists with legal matters but is also an expert at risk management, compliance, M&A, expansion, real estate, and human resources issues that present unique challenges in highly regulated industries.

Isaac earned his Master’s in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics from the University of Maryland and graduated with Honors from the University of Pennsylvania. He holds his Associate in Risk Management (ARM) credential, which he earned during his first year as a professional. 

We get into what’s happening at the state level, starting with New York, which has seen criticism for its slow roll-out of adult-use licenses. With that, there’s some frustration around that. We talk about what Isaac sees as an important thing for new dispensary license holders to understand and keep in mind as they launch in New York. 

After over a decade at a traditional, residential interior design firm in Chicago, Melinda followed her curiosity to retail interior design and merchandising. She quickly fell in love with dispensary design and all the quirks and challenges that go with it. 

Since then, she has grown and led Sungrown Studio and received press recognition for her magazine-worthy retail environments and thought leadership. Sungrown Studio was named Dispensary Design Master 2022 by mg Magazine. Melinda continues to design amazing retail stores that reflect her client's values and brands. 

He is a member of various state and local boards that contribute to economic power and initiatives to drive diversity and inclusion. Aside from serving as Vice Chair for the Board of Directors, Chris serves on the State Regulations Committee for the National Cannabis Industry Association and co-chairs its Diversity and Inclusion sub-committee. His knowledge spans the complex intertwining of governmental and business cannabis issues, while also remaining at the forefront of the pressing interstate commerce issues in cannabis. Chris serves in a number of capacities within organizations that have a direct impact on small businesses and the inclusion of people of color economically including: Cannabis Regulatory Agency – Michigan (DEI Workgroup, Racial Task Force Workgroup), Small Business Association of Michigan (Leadership Council, Legislative Workgroup), AQUME Foundation (Board Chair), Main Street Pontiac (Past President). We record live every Monday, on NCIA's LinkedIn Live, at 10am PT / 1PM ET. So be sure to tune in, as well as to subscribe on your favorite podcast platforms.

Chris is a former Deputy Director of Colorado NORML, serving for over eight years. When not working on The 420 Hotels portfolio, Chris likes to stay involved with grassroots advocacy and advancing social reform

Chris owns and operates Denver’s historic Patterson Inn, the keystone of The 420 Hotels portfolio. As CEO, he uses his expertise in hospitality, operations, and community outreach to address the stigmas and ignorance that still exist around cannabis use while creating a unique and upscale environment for cannabis consumption. The 420 Hotels aims to be amongst the nation’s first hotel chains where guests will be able to consume cannabis onsite in legally licensed lounges. 

His journey in the cannabis industry began with growing his own cannabis for pain management, anxiety, and ADHD. He intends to apply for a microbusiness license to further expand his involvement in the industry. Justin serves as the Co-chair of the Veterans Committee of the Cannabis Association of New York (CANY), where he works tirelessly to help as many veterans as possible find success in the cannabis sector.

His primary goal is to ensure that veterans have access to licenses, resources, funding, and affordable cannabis products in a fair and equitable industry. With a vision for the future that includes equal opportunities and access for service-disabled veterans, Justin Battles is dedicated to making a positive impact on the lives of those he serves.

Ricardo launched Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency in 2016 to work directly with business leaders in highly regulated industries, from cannabis and psychedelics to spirits and healthcare. Grasslands is a journalism-minded marketing and public relations agency working with bold brands in cannabis and psychedelics.

Named one of Fortune’s 7 Most Powerful People in America’s Marijuana Industry in 2016 and Marketer of the Year by AdCann in 2019, Ricardo has received numerous accolades for his trailblazing work.

They talk about the challenges of advertising in cannabis, social media plays a crucial role in this. Recently Twitter sort of “opened up” some of the cannabis advertising capabilities so we dive into that and much more. 

Financing cannabis is a myriad of challenges. Not only raising capital for a federally illegal business but also regular banking issues for businesses that are regularly losing their bank accounts or struggling with those services. We talk about some other financial challenges cannabis businesses are facing.

It’s an exciting but challenging industry, especially as each state operates independently due to the federal status, so we dive into how federal legalization would impact how states are operating in addition to solving what we call the cannabis banking crisis.

As part of his cannabis responsibilities, he led the expansion of the medical program, directed the launch of the State's cannabinoid hemp program, and drafted and negotiated the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA).

The New York State Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) was established upon passage of the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) in March 2021 to implement a regulatory framework for medical and adult-use cannabis and hemp in the state of New York. This includes but is not limited to production, licensing, packaging, marketing, and the sale of cannabis.

Some of our goals at Lobby Days have been consistent since Day One, which is generally educating Congress as to why cannabis should be federally legal, and of course, licensed business owners who want to see banking protections and 280E tax reform. 

It’s important that we keep doing this work and keep adding to the conversation as it becomes more complex and sophisticated. We discuss the possibility of newer issues or topics that we’re bringing to Capitol Hill more recently or at this next Lobby Days event and much more.  

Aaron Smith is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the National Cannabis Industry Association, Prior to launching NCIA, Aaron distinguished himself as a public advocate for marijuana policy reform. First under the auspices of a California-based medical cannabis advocacy group, Safe Access Now in 2005, and then as the California state policy director for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project until founding NCIA in 2010.

Monica Gray is from Nice Guys Delivery and is also an NCIA Board member. Nice Guys Delivery was incorporated in 2016 by Monica Gray-Fong and her husband Adam Fong. Nice Guys Delivery is a knowledgeable, high-level delivery service that offers the highest-grade flowers, edibles, lotions, teas, tinctures, and more. The couple owns and operates Nice Guys Distribution and Nice Gals, a CBD online retailer. 

So that begs the question of the next stage or next step in all this, as we all look toward federal legalization. We dive into what they see happening on the regulatory side once that happens. Will the states that are more established with a cannabis market need huge changes, or will there be a smoother way to adapt to federal regulations? Harry Bernstein joins us today to discuss all this more!

Harry Bernstein - executive director of Verde Compliance Partners. As general counsel of a beer and wine wholesale distributor for nearly two decades, Harry handled all legal matters including, contracts, franchise agreements, labor negotiations, as well as state and federal licensing and compliance. For the past 19 years, as an attorney, he has assisted individuals with health care matters and special needs including representing clients at federal administrative hearings at the Social Security Administration.

Verde Compliance Partners is a national consulting firm focused on guiding clients through federal cannabis permitting and regulatory compliance. The firm prepares and navigates cannabis growers and processors through the regulatory, legal, and administrative requirements necessary to comply with current and future federal regulations. The team consists of senior-level experts with decades of experience consulting in federal, state, and local permitting, regulation, and compliance in the cannabis, alcohol, and tobacco industries. 

Prior to joining VS, Charlie worked as an associate in the New York offices of Latham & Watkins and Goodwin, where he represented public companies and private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies in a range of corporate transactions.

“Receivership” - So bigger picture here, cannabis companies have a myriad of challenges in operations and financial issues, and banking. Some cannabis companies are finding it difficult to operate and keep their heads above water in a sustainable way for their businesses to survive. Considering 280E and banking issues, this is a tenuous situation so we dive into that and much more.

Cannabis Cloud - Applications, Consulting & Payments. Founded in 2015, providing service to over 2,500 cannabis businesses. 

Specialized as a Salesforce Partner innovating industry standard solutions from seed to sale, Cannabis Cloud’s payments integrated Retail Point of Sale hosts a robust API for connecting external menus such as Weedmaps or Leafly, and much more.

MyFloraDNA is a genomic laboratory based in Sacramento California, delivering modern genomics for the Cannabis Industry. Services include Trait detection (cannabinoid profile and sex/gender ID), Pathogen Detection, and Genetic Validation Services.

We start by looking into the microscope and taking a closer look at the cannabis plant, beyond even the terpenes and cannabinoids. Angel explains why the genetics of the cannabis plant is important, and what information we can get by looking at the genome of the plant.

When we’re cultivating cannabis, we think about sunshine and water and the basics of agriculture, but there are clearly some very high-tech aspects to growing cannabis. Our guest defined the genetic makeup part of it. We dive into what is “molecular breeding” and how is it different from traditional or “classic” breeding of plants.

Andrew Halbert, a member of the firm’s Cannabis Law Practice Group, counsels clients on structuring, vetting, and closing purchases and sales of licensed cannabis businesses and provides guidance on regulatory compliance in Illinois and other states where cannabis has been legalized. He also advises clients in cannabis and other industries on a full range of corporate transactions, including debt and equity offerings and corporate governance.

Ron Williams is a seasoned construction lawyer who has advised numerous businesses, including major players in the cannabis industry, on the legal, contractual and operational aspects of major construction projects throughout the U.S. and abroad. In short, Ron helps clients structure and implement construction agreements that mitigate risk and facilitate efficient, on-time completion of projects.

Kevin Quinlan is an entrepreneur and serves as a Principal of Mintropy which specializes in Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection design consulting services in support of cannabis cultivation and retail facilities. Mintropy’s design approach strives to find ways to incorporate our technological advancements back into harmony with mother nature. 

​​Brian Anderson is a founding Partner of Anderson Porter Design, with over 25 years of experience, and focuses on Cannabis Industry projects. Brian has now designed facilities for cultivation totaling over 3 million SF, and he has designed nearly 50 retail dispensaries. He has developed a proven process of project delivery in the Cannabis Industry. Brian is an active member of the Lean Construction Institute and implements lean methods in facility design and the construction process.

Kevin Quinlan is an entrepreneur and Principal in the built environment and building design industries with a 16-year track record of success in quality on project design, engineering execution, and quality assurance. He currently serves as a Principal of Mintropy, which provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection consulting engineering services across various market sectors and industries. 

 Larina Scofield helps create welcoming and memorable experiences for many cannabis customers and employees alike. From starting on the retail ground floor in 2013 and then moving into management and operations over the past several years, Larina is now serving retailers outside of the store these days as the Director of Customer Success for Sweed POS. Sweed is an all-in-one retail cannabis solution designed for large cannabis retailers that deliver powerful POS functionality, analytics, marketing and loyalty, e-commerce, and so much more. 

Lobby Days is easily our favorite NCIA event, and we think many people share my sentiment. Pre-COVID pandemic was always encouraging to see, year after year, the number of NCIA members grow and grow, reaching over 300 in 2019. So now we see more and more Congressional offices take our group and our concerns seriously. We talk about what are our guest's reflections on that and much more!

Michelle Rutter Friberg is deputy director of government relations and has worked at NCIA since 2014. Michelle graduated from James Madison University in 2012, where during her studies, she held a year-long internship with Virginia House of Delegates member Tony Wilt (R).

Michael Correia is the director of government relations for the National Cannabis Industry Association. Prior to joining NCIA, Michael spent many years working on Capitol Hill, including working for Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), who retired in 2010, and the House Committee on Resources, serving three different Chairmen. Previously, he was director of federal affairs for the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and senior project manager for the Committee for Responsible Federal Budget.

Matthew Johnson serves as QuadScore’s Vice President of Risk Services. QuadScore has grown to become one of the largest cannabis insurers over a short four years, with a specialty in covering the considerable assets of North America’s multi-state operators and publicly traded companies. At QuadScore, Matthew’s role is to manage risks for America’s premier cannabis operators, helping protect businesses from preventable claims

David Rahn with S2S Insurance is a highly specialized insurance professional with deep cannabis industry knowledge and experience. As an All-Lines Insurance Broker with strong analytical skills, he performs detailed risk assessments for both start-up and established cannabis companies, and develops customized strategies and solutions designed to minimize risks, safeguard and grow their business.

James Granger has built an extensive career focused on the blooming medical and recreational cannabis industry and holds a deep knowledge of cannabinoid effects, extraction, and processing, cannabis chemistry, regulation, management, consulting, politics, operations, product development, and more. In 2018, James joined The Clear (Now Clear Colorado Group) team to re-build and streamline operations, Now, as Chief Political Officer of Clientele Capital, a Denver-based venture capital firm that provides funding and strategic consulting to growth-oriented companies in emerging markets, James spearhead’s the company’s goals of staying ahead of extensive regulatory changes, challenges and nuances the company may face in the new developing cannabis industry.

Chris Hope has 20 years of experience in the cannabis industry. He founded, Sequoia Wellness (SW), a retail cannabis delivery service in 2013, serving the Los Angeles area. In 2016, he founded Sequoia Management Group (SMG), as a cannabis & hemp business development and consulting company. Today, SMG is focusing on the burgeoning industrial hemp industry with a focus on fiber, food, grain, seed, and building materials. Chris was, a founding member and Director of Member & Sponsor Relations for Angeles Emeralds (AE), a cannabis advocacy and lobbying group for Los Angeles County. As a member of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) since 2015, and In 2020, Chris became the Committee Organizer for the Hemp Committee (HC) with NCIA for the 2020/21 term. He now serves as the Chair for the HC, as well as contributing to both the NCIA Sustainability Collaboration/Council and the Novel, Synthetic, and Minor Cannabinoid Collaboration. 

Bryan McLaren is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Zoned Properties, a leading real estate development firm for emerging and highly regulated industries, including legalized cannabis. Bryan has a strong professional background in the social, economic, and environmental development of complex business organizations. Over his professional career, he has successfully implemented large-scale projects for corporate and community organizations. Prior to his role at Zoned Properties, McLaren worked as a Sustainability Consultant for Waste Management where he led the strategic development and operational implementation of zero-waste programs for Higher Education clients. 

Jodi Green is a business attorney in Miller Nash LLP's Los Angeles office, focusing on cannabis and policyholder insurance recovery. Jodi is a member of NCIA's Risk Management and Insurance Committee and was named by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in insurance coverage for five consecutive years. Miller Nash's 140-member law firm has nearly 30 attorneys practicing in its nationally-recognized cannabis group alone. Miller Nash's cannabis team serves cannabis companies operating in all industry verticals by providing advice in all legal practice areas, from corporate formation to employment, insurance coverage and litigation, and everything in between. 

Matt Grimes is the principal of The Grimes Law Group. He sits on the Risk Management and Insurance Committee (“RMIC”) of the National Cannabis Industry Association (since 2019), currently serves as the webinar content Chairperson for the RMIC, is a Vice Chair of the American Bar Association’s Cannabis Law & Policy Committee (since 2021), is a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association, and is involved with several state cannabis industry associations and advocacy groups.

For more NCIA's Cannabis Industry Voice go to CannabisRadio.com

Then we dive into the current bills out there that our guests are drumming up support for and how, if passed into law, would impact the lives of Veterans in the U.S. During the press conference, Etienne spoke at the podium set up in the Senate Swamp. He said shared very poetic and real sentiments about the sacrifices Veterans made with their lives and how important it is for Congress to act on their behalf.

Etienne Fontan is Vice President and Co-Owner of Berkeley Patients Group (BPG). BPG is the nation's oldest continuously operating medical cannabis dispensary, established in 1999. He has an extensive background as an engaged activist and public speaker seeking to make cannabis legal and safe. Starting in 1993, he was a director of the Cannabis Action Network. He is an Army combat veteran of Desert Storm and served in the WV Army National Guard. He now lobbies nationally and internationally on veterans' behalf for the use of cannabis and natural medicines.

Michael Krawitz is a disabled United States Air Force Veteran and serves as Executive director of Veterans For Medical Cannabis Access [VMCA] as well as other board and advisory roles. He successfully negotiated the first ever VA medical cannabis policy in 2010 and has since overseen the WHO process in Geneva and then the United Nations process on the WHO cannabis recommendations, ultimately removing cannabis and cannabis resin from the Single Convention Treaty's "most dangerous drug category”. He also serves on the Virginia Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council.

At the time, most of the equipment available was re-purposed from other industries including breweries and pharmaceuticals. These Frankenstein machines were inefficient, potentially dangerous, and difficult to operate. Jack and Kyler saw a better way. We start off by talking about some of its values as a company.

Seems like things are starting to feel somewhat back to normal, but we had to adjust and pivot as an organization in many ways. We hosted a couple of VIRTUAL lobby day events earlier in the year, so we dive more into those events, and how they went.

She is focused on bridging the gap between mainstream pop culture media and the Cannabis industry to modernize the perception of cannabis consumption and empower others to safely & confidently come out of the "Green Closet" through the launch of her new podcast, Cannabis Mom Boss.

She has a Ph.D. from Emory University, a Master of Public Health from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University. The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) is a national nonpartisan nonprofit organization of government officials involved in cannabis regulation across more than 40 states and territories.

He is a professional mechanical engineer, specializing in the design of HVAC, plumbing, and process systems for the cannabis industry. Using his experience in traditional engineering methods throughout his past, he applies his team’s depth of knowledge to create efficient and economically sound solutions for cultivation and processing facilities.

Cannabis consumption lounges, we start by talking about what they are, how they work, why they exist, and why we need or want them? We compare a business model like this to something else that already exists in the alcohol industry, Bars. Also for fine cigars, there are special cigar lounges. So we talk about how this is similar, and how is it different. We also dive into if our guests have had any experience with a consumption lounge yet.

We dive into his reasoning for being a vocal supporter of cannabis reform when it was still really a fringe issue. We also talk about more of Governor Jared Polis's efforts over the years including how he Introduced the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act many times during his time in Congress.

Governor Jared Polis, born and raised in Colorado, is an entrepreneur, education leader, and public servant. Prior to becoming Governor, Polis brought medical experts, advocates, attorneys, and scientists to D.C. to legitimize cannabis legalization in the national conversation, and led the way for new market opportunities for agriculture while serving as the Congressman for Colorado's 2nd Congressional district. From growers to producers to every strain of innovator in between, Governor Polis remains committed to ensuring that the success of Colorado’s fast-growing cannabis industry can be cultivated by all. Our guest currently sitting as the Governor of Colorado since 2019.

On the other hand, there’s the oil, as we mentioned, and we saw a health crisis hit our industry in 2019 and published a white paper on the vaping crisis. There was an issue with the vitamin E acetate being used in the formula, Massachusetts even banned them entirely for a while. We discuss the reports that this was putting people in the hospital with lung infections. All that and much more on today's episode, Evolutions In Vaporizer Technology and Cannabis Oil Cartridges only on The Cannabis Radio

Mila Marshall is a doctoral candidate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. She currently is the Principal Owner of Herb & Planning Associates where her small firm focuses on the intersection between the environment and the economy. Mila serves as an adjunct instructor of cannabis for City Colleges of Chicago, creator and co-host of the podcast To Be Blunt with Mila and Boom, creator/Committee Chair of the BIPOC Banking and Cannabis Summit, and is a current Education Committee member for NCIA. Mila is coordinating the NCIA Educator’s Roundtable on April 28th on Zoom to bring together educators of all kinds to discuss needs and gaps in the educational space, as well as share resources and network with one another.

Dale Sky Jones began working with patients in 2007, joining OU’s education and cannabis policy reform as a Spokeswoman for the first legalization voter initiative. Dale became President & CEO of Oaksterdam University in April 2012 after a four-agency federal raid. Now, Oaksterdam is proud of more than 50,000 alumni from over 100 countries. OU offers Business, Horticulture, Budtending, Extractions, and Manufacturing Programs and is contracted by the Cities of Los Angeles and Palm Springs to provide technical assistance for professional and workforce development for the Social Equity Program. Dale continues to work towards federal de-scheduling and the legacy of quality education for the cannabis industry.

In this podcast, we bring together leading experts in cannabis insurance and security risk. The episode provides insight on issues facing the industry as well as best practices and regulatory standards to combat rising crime risks.  

Solonje Burnett is a community leader, humanist, cannavist, and Co-Founder at Humble Bloom where it is her mission to give the underrepresented a seat at the table in the cannabis industry and beyond. She was recognized as 15 Women to Watch in the CBD Industry in Marie Claire and Culture Magazine’s Five Cannabis Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2019.

Marc Ross is the Head of Impact & ESG and co-chair of the Environmental, Health and Safety Practice Group at Vicente Sederberg LLP. He provides counseling and consulting to the cannabis, hemp, and entheogen industries on all things ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance), CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), community engagement, employee engagement, strategic philanthropy, sustainability, and other associated areas.

Rachael won an NCAA national championship with the University of Portland in 2005, played pro soccer in Europe in 2010, and eventually retired to pursue her passion in the health and fitness industry. Leveraging her BS in Life Sciences and MS in Health & Exercise, Rachael went on to build a top performance training company and lifestyle apparel brand with her sister, US Soccer star Megan Rapinoe, both in Portland and nationally. After working for the University of Portland women's soccer team as the head performance coach, Rachael left to co-found Mendi-- an athlete and active consumer-focused cannabis brand helping people thrive naturally.