Cannabis Curious

Meet Juliana Whitney and Nick Bembenek, co-founders of Leafsheets. 

Leafsheets is simplifying cannabis entrepreneurship with accessible, proven business and operational documents for cannabis businesses. Leafsheets aims to make the licensing process more accessible by providing a cost-effective solution to hiring lawyers and consultants to assist with state applications. Leafsheets reduces the hours put into state applications by providing a library of documents that meet state application requirements. In addition to helping cannabis entrepreneur navigate the licensing process at a significantly more competitive price point, Leafsheets also helps canna business to scale. Rigorous business and operational documents help to drive a consistent operating model and makes cannabis businesses viable acquisition targets.

In this conversation you will learn more about what Leafsheest is and why and how Juliana and Nick built a robust, fun, accessible solution for entrepreneurs and business owners in cannabis. 

Instagram @leafsheets

Meet Jessica Cranney, Chief Connection Officer, at Global Recruiters Network (GRN) | Uptown a cannabis consulting and recruiting company. Jessica brings over 20 years of leadership & organizational development and retail management experience to GRN Uptown. Prior to GRN Uptown, Jessica spent over 15+ years advancing her career with a Fortune 500 TeleCom company where she leveraged her passion for people development to build highly inspired & engaged winning teams. Jessica grew her career to Vice President, overseeing 200+ stores & a cross-functional team of 500+ people across 5 states. After that, she found her way to the cannabis industry – a perfect marriage of her professional background and personal passions. Jessica’s proven track-record includes expertise in organizational & talent development, labor management, driving leading sales results & executing creative marketing strategies. 

In this episode, we talk about Jessica's journey in to cannabis, why people are always your product, how cannabis company's can create an engaging culture without breaking the bank, and the future of human capital in cannabis. 

Meet Amber Plush, budtender based in Colorado, Amber’s been a budtender for 5 years. Amber was drawn to budtending due to her desire to help people find relief with cannabis. She’s enjoyed the last five years help new patients find relief from chronic or acute conditions, and the continious learning curve in a an industry with news strains and products released regulatory. In this episode, you will learn more about Amber’s experience as a budtender, how she approaches patient education, what surprises her most about new cannabis products, and how we can all find the right cannabis.

Meet Kim Stuck, the founder and CEO of Allay Consulting, a compliance strategy and services provider serving the hemp and cannabis industries nationwide. Ms. Stuck held a pioneering role as the nation’s first cannabis and hemp specialist for a major metropolitan public health authority. During her tenure with the City of Denver, home to hundreds of cannabis businesses, she worked as an investigator covering cultivation, manufacturing and retail. Kim holds numerous accreditations, such as certified quality auditor (CQA) and certified professional of food safety (CP-FS), among others. In addition to serving on several industry advisory boards, she has been a member of ASTM International’s cannabis standards committee since its 2017 inception. Allay Consulting serves the hemp and cannabis industries to ensure regulatory compliance across all operations. Drawing from years of experience working on the regulatory side of the equation, the Allay team is well-versed in rulemaking lingo and best practices, from product and food safety, to cGMP and ISO certifications, to OSHA and fire compliance, to due diligence audits. 

Meet Lara Fordis of Fordis Consulting. Lara is a market researcher. In this episode, you will learn more about what is market research and why it matters, how market research can be used in cannabis, and what Lara is discovering through her own cannabis market research. This is a great episode for any cannabis business owner looking to increase their customer acquisition. Lara shares interesting market research on consumer trends. Head on over to the YouTube link below if you’d like to see the visuals that accompany the conversation.

Hi Cannabis Curious listeners, meet Ernest Toney, Founder of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color Cannabis Business Network (BIPOCANN). Ernest managed global marketing and partnership initiatives for Marijuana Business Daily (MJBiz) before starting BIPOCANN this year. In this conversation we cover Ernest's background, useful ways to affect change as a business or government agency, and interesting insight into how communities are holding government and business accountable in more mature state cannabis markets.

**Since the podcast aired on 10/8/2020 I've been contacted by four former employees of Iliad Epic Grow. They provided documentation of complaints they've filled with LARA alleging they have not been paid in accordance with their employment contracts.  There is an MRA Investigator assigned to their case. 

Hey Podcast - Meet Jasmine and Sara the founders of Savor and Smoke. Two Michigan women brought together by Instagram inspired to create the very space they were craving for themselves. Savor and Smoke sesh's are aimed at bringing the cannabis community and fresh cannabis brands together. Savor and Smoke hit the Michigan scene with a bang! Starting 2020 off with a one-of-kind cannabis sesh. The perfect party for stoners; good music, yummy snack food, CBD-infused drinks, a variety of cannabis vendors, and absolutely no judgement. The next sesh is Feb 29, and this time it's a sweat and sesh combining cannabis, yoga, and meditation.

In this conversation you'll learn more about the two women behind Savor and Smoke, the origins of Savor and Smoke, and what to expect in the future from Savor and Smoke.

Hey Podcast - Jamie Cooper is a canna celeb to me! She's a force in the Michigan cannabis community. She founded Cannabiz Connection a B2B networking and lead referral program. She brought Sensi magazine to Michigan a cannabis lifestyle and culture publication. She works closely with municipalities to educate them on the benefits of allowing canna businesses in their communities. It's hard not to ask Jamie, "how do you manage to do it all?", but once you meet you Jamie it's easy to understand how she does it all. She's passionate, organized, and likes rolling up her sleeves to get the work done.

In this conversation you'll learn more about the resources available through Cannabiz Connection and Sensi. We go pretty heavy on zoning on why it's so critical to maturing state cannabis markets. We talk about coming out green and what that means and what the experience is like.

IG @cannajamie

Hi Podcast - This is a short 17 minute, valued packed conversation with Shaleen Title, Commissioner of Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. Shaleen was appointed by the governor, treasurer, and AG to serve in the social justice seat, one of five seats, responsible for regulating medical and adult-use cannabis in Massachusetts.

Prior to her appointment, Shaleen co-authored the Massachusetts marijuana legalization referendum and has consulted on state and local marijuana policy around the country. As an attorney specializing in marijuana regulations, she's provided regulatory expertise for leading marijuana consulting firms. She also served as founder of a women-led recruiting firm and as a founding board member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, where she led the drafting of the first model bill created to give states guidance to implement a process of reinvestment and reconciliation. She previously served on the national boards of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Marijuana Majority, the Cannabis Law and Family Alliance, and the National Lawyers Guild.

Hey Podcast - You are going to love Sarah Jane! These women are making cannabis approachable. They're using their own experience and genuine appreciation and love of women and cannabis to create community. The Sarah Jane IG posts are fresh, fun, engaging, and keep my feed happy and inspired. In 2020 Sarah Jane will have a microdosing collection on Michigan Provisioning Center shelves. Beautifully packaged, approachable cannabis options - mini j's, edibles, and a spritz. These are the kind of cannabis products you want out because they're so pretty!

Sarah Tupper, Jessica Lind, and Maya Reading met at the University of Michigan and have remained close friends ever since, and now 20 years later are coming together to make cannabis accessible and fun for Midwestern women.

Join me for a conversation with Sarah about the origins of Sarah Jane, idea to first product kit launch, creating community, and discussing cannabis with your family, friends, and co-workers.

IG @your.sarah.jane

Hey Podcast - I have a soft spot for Michiganders and North Coast Provisions is no exception. I'm still energized by my conversation with Sean. We discuss what it takes to start a provisioning center (dispensary) in Michigan including finding a location, building out a facility, and the state and local application process. Sean and I also chop it up on the future of cannabis, how being a family/friend-owned business informs values and culture, and the pros and cons of self-funded organic growth in the industry.

Thank you North Coast Provisions for sitting down with Cannabis Curious! I appreciate you taking time to shed light on cannabis in Michigan as a licensed provisioning center. You may hear some background noise throughout the conversation as we met at Copper House Coffee. Thank you Copper House for the excellent coffee!

IG @northcoastprovisions

Facebook @NorthCoastProvisionsMI

Hey Podcast - Very timely conversation with Chad Seward of DMLifct! In this episode we cover a lot of ground on cannabis legalization including current vaping headlines, larger quality and safety considerations, and future of craft cannabis in Michigan. Be sure to check out DMLift if you're an interested business or consumer (links below). I appreciate Chad making the time to answer questions. Thank you for listening everyone!

Hey Podcast - I sat down with Diane Sorenson and Mary Martin of Great Lakes Hotel Supply. Great Lakes Hotel Supply is a full service commercial food service equipment company. Great Lakes Hotel Supply recently entered the cannabis market. Diane and Mary discuss how Great Lakes services and equipment translates to cannabis. Thank you for listening!

Hey Podcast - I had the opportunity to sit down with David Beckett Founder and CEO of 710 Security. 710 Security is a soup to nuts cannabis security firm with extensive national experience. 710 helps clients with every aspect of security from planning to state application, and installation to monitoring. David shares some great stories in this podcast including sitting next to clients as they hear their application is approved to grand opening celebrations where the first regulated cannabis product is sold. David and his team have extensive experience in the security industry, and have been in the cannabis security industry since 2008! I hope you enjoy getting to know David and 710 Security as much as I did. Thank you for listening!

Hey Podcast -  Super excited to share this conversation with you! I sat down with Stephen Goldner Founder of Pure Green, a vertically integrated cannabis company here in Michigan. Stephen began his career in pharmaceuticals when he invented methadone. As he watched his friends come back from the Vietnam War addicted to heroin, he was determined to find a cure for heroin addiction. In the early 1970's, Mr. Goldner co-invented both the liquid form of methadone and urine screening.  As Stephen watched his friends struggle with PTSD and other diseases, he also saw them effectively manage their own symptoms with cannabis. Pure Green was the first company to receive a medical cannabis processor license in Michigan. This has allowed Stephen to lead Pure Green through the process of developing pharmaceutical-grade water-soluble cannabis tablets enabling safe, effective and predictable dosing for patients. 

Mr. Goldner has more than 35 years experience as a regulatory professional in the healthcare arena as both a forensic toxicologist and an attorney. . Additionally, as founder of the Regulatory Affairs Associates LLC, Mr. Goldner has helped helped get more than 240 drugs and devices approved. 

Hey Podcast -  Interested in growing your own cannabis? This is the episode for you! I sit down with Carrie Francoeur of REV Grow Gear - a turnkey, LED lighting system kit for cannabis cultivation and beyond. Carrie's experience as a medical caregiver and commitment to the environment fueled her passion for creating a sustainable, accessible solution for growing cannabis at home. In addition to the Girlz Room Grow System, REV Grow Gear also offers educational YouTube videos on growing cannabis and a welcoming storefront in Morenci, Michigan with all you need to get started growing your own cannabis. 

Hey Podcast - If you're interested in all natural fertilizers, check out this episode with Jim's Earth Worm Poop, organic worm castings, founded by Dane Theisen. Dane is an entrepreneur, marketing professional, and experienced medical caregiver. Through his own experience growing cannabis for medical patients he discovered the power of worm castings. Jim's Poop is a naturally hydroponic worm casting that releases nitrogen. In this episode, you'll learn about Dane, growing cannabis, worm castings, and where to find Jim's Poop. 

The High Blog is a cannabis lifestyle and culture blog founded and run by Lily. Lily is an journalist, writer, and author based on Canada.  In this episode we discuss The High Blog, cannabis legalization, and the decision to leave more traditional jobs to pursue cannabis careers.