The Ganjapreneur.com Podcast

Morgan Kristine is president of the Marijuana Business Association and founder of the MJBA Women’s Alliance. She is also a long-time cannabis activist, grower, and enthusiast. Morgan recently joined the Ganjapreneur podcast for a discussion with our host Shango Los about the growing number of women entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry, as well as the sexism in advertising which has been present across much of the market. In the interview, Morgan shares her thoughts on how to improve gender equality in the cannabis industry, why using cannabis in public is an important step in the cannabis normalization process, and more. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/morgan-kristine-mjba-womens-alliance/

Noah Stokes is the founder and CEO of CannaGuard Security, a cannabis industry security firm that serves cannabis businesses nationwide. From storefronts to grow ops, CannaGuard helps companies not only meet the standards put in place by state regulators, but also to be prepared for these standards to change, and to make sure that there are contingencies and preventative measures in place as safeguards against theft and robberies. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/noah-stokes-cannaguard-security/

Ah Warner is the founder and CEO of Cannabis Basics, a premium hemp and cannabis topicals producer since 1995. Cannabis Basics formulates lotions and topicals for both the medical cannabis and skin care markets, producing everything from pain relief creams to beauty products and tattoo treatment balms. Cannabis Basics is one of the leading cannabis topical manufacturers in the USA, and it was an honor to speak with Ah about how she has grown the business, the difference between her products and many of the other cannabis topicals on the market, as well as how she comes up with her unique formulations. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/ah-warner-formulating-premium-topicals-with-cannabis-basics/

As the Executive Director of Harborside Health Center, the largest and most well-known medical cannabis dispensary in the world, as well as the co-founder of Steep Hill, The ArcView Group, and many other cannabis industry titans, Steve DeAngelo needs no introduction. He is a true pioneer of the cannabis legalization movement, and has worked as hard to educate the public about the health benefits of cannabis as anyone else. Recently, we had the honor of speaking with Steve on the day that his new book, The Cannabis Manifesto, was released. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/steve-deangelo-cannabis-manifesto/

Jeremy Silva is the founder of BuildASoil.com, a website that offers handmade, small-batch custom soils to growers. Jeremy is an innovator and entrepreneur who is passionate about providing a valuable service and high quality product. BuildASoil curates natural ingredients from around the world to produce nutrient-rich soils that growers can use to grow sustainably, and they are also an advocate of recycling soil to minimize waste. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/jeremy-silva-buildasoil/

Mary’s Medicinals is a cannabis company based out of Colorado which focuses on unique, innovative products that challenge common notions about medical cannabis. Best known for their Transdermal Cannabis Patch, Mary’s Medicinals has crafted their brand as a reflection of early American apothecaries that found medicinal solutions in nature. They are currently offering their medical products in multiple states, as well as a line of CBD products that are available nationwide. In this podcast, Shango connects with Graham Sorkin, the company’s Director of Communications and Business Development, who discusses how their product development pipeline works, how they have laid the foundation to build a national cannabis brand, and how they are working to protect their intellectual property as they pioneer new products. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/graham-sorkin-marys-medicinals/

Jim Makoso is the Vice President of Business Development at Vuber Technologies, a vaporizer manufacturer based in Washington State. In this podcast, Shango and Jim discuss how vaporizing cannabis differs from smoking it, how carcinogens come into play when combustion occurs, and how Vuber Technologies has worked with physicists and extract producers to ensure a high-quality product and vaping experience. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/jim-makoso-vaporizer-technology/

Wes Abney is the founder of The Northwest Leaf, a medical cannabis industry magazine based out of Washington. He and show host Shango Los discuss how he grew The Northwest Leaf over time, how the cannabis industry has begun to trade prohibition-era isolation and paranoia for a willingness to come out in the open, what he thinks about cannabis advertisements that exploit women’s bodies, and how cannabis specific media outlets can “set the record straight” when the mainstream media butches the topic. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/wes-abney-northwest-leaf/

David Rheins is the founder of the Marijuana Business Association, a national association of cannabis businesses which provides business intelligence, networking, and commercial opportunities to members. Today, David and show host Shango Los discuss the ways that prohibition-era growers and new entrants to the cannabis space can work together, how competition comes into play when cannabis businesses work side-by-side, the differences in how the industry has been accepted by different regions, and how many cannabis growers have decided to take their knowledge and skills to states that are about to legalize. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/david-rheins-cooperation-among-cannabis-businesses/

Want a job in cannabis? David Murét of Viridian Staffing joins show host Shango Los to discuss where the jobs are in this exploding market and how you can get one. Viridian Staffing is a recruiting agency in Washington that connects employers with job-seekers in the legal cannabis industry. Companies in Washington have hired Viridian to find and place candidates in job roles ranging from entry-level to executive, in every sector and niche of the marijuana market. In this show, David and Shango discuss what types of jobs these companies are hiring for, how cannabis jobs compare to jobs in more established industries, how cannabis growers in prohibition states can apply to job openings in legal states, and what steps an average person can take to find employment with a cannabis company. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/getting-job-cannabis-industry/

Washington State’s legal cannabis market just celebrated its first anniversary. While there has been much debate about the merits and faults of I-502 (the initiative which created the state’s legal market), it is undeniable that the industry has gained momentum and many recreational growers are making a name for themselves in the market. This week, Ganjapreneur heads out to Vashon Island to meet with Vashon Velvet founder Susie Gress who runs a licensed recreational cannabis grow operation that is woman-owned and operated and uses environmentally friendly growing techniques to produce exceptional flower. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/susie-gress-growing-green-with-vashon-velvet/

In our latest podcast episode on the CannabisRadio.com network, Shango Los meets with Tyler Markwart, founder of Allele Seeds Research and Production Manager / Breeder at Monkey Grass Farms, a licensed Washington cannabis producer, to discuss the hot topic of genetically modified cannabis. Tyler is a proponent of GMO cannabis and argues that there are many potential benefits that could come from making genetic modifications to strains. In addition to the possible applications, Tyler discusses some of the various methods that can be used and addresses the concerns that have been raised by consumers about GMO products. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/tyler-markwart-gmo-marijuana/

In this episode of Ganjapreneur, Shango Los discusses high CBD strains with Jerry Whiting of LeBlanc CNE. Jerry works in cooperation with ProjectCBD.org to develop and distribute specialty CBD strains to patients. We discuss the CBD market, specific CBD strains and how to think about CBD:THC ratios. For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/jerry-whiting-the-cbd-cannabis-market/ For a full transcript: https://www.ganjapreneur.com/jerry-whiting-the-cbd-cannabis-market/

The cannabis legalization movement has gained serious momentum over the past three years, and with Congress’s decision to restrict the DEA from interfering with state medical programs and the Obama Administration’s recent move opening the doors to medical marijuana research, it seems that the movement’s future is looking stronger each day. While it would be easy to speculate that these events are simply an inevitable fate brought on by the bad karma of prohibition, the reality is that all of this progress is due to the hard work of activists and experts who have dedicated their lives to cannabis policy reform. In our latest podcast, Shango Los interviews Dr. Dominic Corva of the Cannabis and Social Policy Center (CASP) about the current state of international cannabis policy and what he believes the future holds in store for the industry. Dr. Corva is a political geographer and public policy scholar who has been a professor at Sarah Lawrence College and Humboldt State University. He has written extensively

When it is fully legalized, cannabis will be regulated just like any other consumable product. Scientific testing to determine potency and safety will be mandated, as it is in Washington and Colorado. However, producers in these states have frequently complained about inconsistent results when they have submitted samples from the same lot to different labs. This has caused many to question the validity of mandated testing, the individual laboratories, and the science of cannabis testing itself. In our latest podcast, Shango Los speaks with Dr. Michelle Sexton of Phytalab, a prominent cannabis testing lab in Washington State, about how the Schedule 1 status of cannabis has hindered the necessary scientific research that goes into forming the foundational understanding that is established regarding other plants in the market. This has led to the adoption of different standards by different labs, which–along with many other factors–has contributed to the significant variance in testing results that cannabis prod

“Rosin Tech” (or RosinTech, depending on who you ask) is a new form of home hash production which has taken Instagram by storm due to its simplicity and the quality of product it produces. Essentially, Rosin Tech involves using a hair straightener to combine heat and pressure as an extraction method — a process popularized by Instagram user Soilgrown. In our latest Ganjapreneur podcast, Shango Los sits down with Jeff Church (a.k.a. Reverend Cannabis) to discuss how the technique was born, how it has spread, and how it compares to other traditional hash manufacturing processes. Jeff also discusses how Rosin has spread internationally while recalling his recent trip to Spain for Spannabis, where he encountered people who had heard of it but not yet perfected the technique due to the language barrier (the most popular Instagram videos demonstrating the Rosin Tech method are in English). Jeff is the owner of ThincPure, and he also consults for legal cannabis processors and pharmaceutical companies. He worked to

When the acceptance of medical cannabis goes mainstream, the pharmaceuticals landscape will face the most significant disruption of its existence. Due to the federal classification of marijuana as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, researching possible medical uses for the plant has been difficult. However, this has not stopped some companies from conducting their own research and clinical trials of cannabis medicines. Our latest podcast interview features Dr. Ethan Russo, formerly Senior Medical Advisor to GW Pharmaceuticals, who participated in three clinical trials of the drug Sativex. Dr. Russo recently left GW Pharmaceuticals and can now speak publicly for the first time about his research: up until now, he could only be heard at expensive, exclusive conferences. He is now Medical Director at Phytecs, a company specializing in the production of cannabis-based treatments related to the endocannabinoid system. Everything that contemporary cannabis healers talk about in relation to cannabis as medicine is