A critical element of successful leadership is appreciating the spotlight. Leaders are in the spotlight. People are watching them. Closely. Assiduously. They’re the subject of the floodlights’ glare. The aperture is set for widest exposure where all images are captured with precise focus. As such, leaders’ actions are magnified and the shadows behind looms large, […]
spotlight
Straight Shooting Will Enhance Your Life: Wana Brands
The first thing I noticed about Nancy Whiteman, co-owner of Wana Brands, was her straightforward no-nonsense way of communicating. Others that I know have expressed that Nancy is one tough cookie, but I found her candor refreshing and spot on. But make no mistake — Nancy and Wana Brands are a force to be reckoned […]
The Ongoing Drama of Washington State’s 5052 Licensing System
Editor’s note: This is an ongoing analysis of what happened to Washington State’s marijuana retail licensing system. In order to understand what has happened up to this point, see Part 1 and Part 2. A CBE staff report The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board was tasked with the original licensing of recreational adult-use retail under […]
How Did So Few Medical Producers Win in Washington’s Marijuana Retail Licensing System ?
Editor’s note: CBE will be closely following what happens in the State of Washington, and how these events and decisions have led to a series of active lawsuits against the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. See the second part of our series here. A CBE staff report When the State of Washington’s marijuana retail lottery […]
Opportunity and Roadblocks Implementing Medical Marijuana in Pennsylvania
Signed into law on April 17, 2016, and “taking effect” on May 16, 2016, legal medical marijuana has come to Pennsylvania in the form of “The Medical Marijuana Act.” Both innovative and despairing, the success of the Act’s implementation hinges on the substance and timing of the regulations that Pennsylvania’s Department of Health is charged […]
Finding The Right Strategy to Effectively Deal With 280E
By Matt Walstatter As I sit and write this column, my calendar reads April 16. And like most business owners, I spent a significant part of the last week dealing with taxes. Of course nobody likes to pay taxes, and I realize that businesses from all industries pay their share. But in the world of […]
The Emerging Cannabis Channel: Calyx Brands
Life is full of coincidences. When I was at my first Industry event in the summer of 2014, I ran into an old entrepreneurial acquaintance, Rich Masterson, who I had known some 18 years ago when I was Director of Marketing for the Newspaper National Network in New York and we were talking to potential vendors […]
Destination Employer: Sweet Leaf Marijuana and Dynamic Growth LLC
As the Colorado marijuana legalization movement began, three guys from different backgrounds were paying attention. Christian Johnson, Matthew Aiken and Anthony Sauro all started their careers in the fledging industry separately but a variety of events eventually brought them together. As a result, they are now co-owners of the Sweet Leaf Marijuana chain and the […]
IRS 280E
U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention: Analyzing the Need for Public Quality Standards for Medical Cannabis
Interesting things are taking place behind the scenes as cannabis prohibition moves to a grinding halt. Key organizations like U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP), a scientific nonprofit organization that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements manufactured, distributed and consumed worldwide, has begun evaluating the advisability and […]
The Purest Mission Statement in the Field: Franwell Metrc
CBE caught up with Scott Denholm, Executive Director at Metrc, Franwell Corporation’s Marijuana Business Unit that supplies Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tracking technology to its state clients, the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED), and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) and its licensees. He was on a month-long tour providing small group training sessions for […]
Some People Are Politically Correct: These Guys are Medically Correct and That’s incredibles
It took CBE quite a while to discover that there was at least one other Colorado edibles Producer/Processor bent on worldwide domination. The only difference is that the two guys running it aren’t industry spokesmen, but instead, are just two hard-working Joes that get up every day, put their pants on, and go to work. […]
Stop Screwing Around: O.penVAPE vs Denver Department of Environmental Health (really, the Cannabis Industry vs Uncle Sam)
Time and time again we hear about licensed Producers, Processors & Retailers struggling to find a bank or financial institution that will serve them like any other commercial client, or for that matter, for any individual that is making a living under the state laws in which they and their business reside. But the Federal Government […]
Michael J. Kennedy, Lawyer for Underdogs, Pariahs and owner of High Times, Dies at 78
Michael J. Kennedy, who as a criminal lawyer championed lost causes and deeply unpopular defendants — including John Gotti Sr., Huey P. Newton and Timothy Leary — and finally won freedom for Jean S. Harris, the convicted killer of Dr. Herman Tarnower, the Scarsdale Diet doctor, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 78. The […]
Trade Show & Events Mania 2016: Which events are CBE readers investing their marketing dollars in?
The New Year is well underway, and CBE is already getting requests from our readers and business leaders regarding which of the gazillion cannabis trade shows planned for 2016 they should consider attending, accepting speaking opportunities for, or spending their marketing budgets to exhibit at. If Trade Show Mania was occurring in 2015, the over […]
Better Safe Than Sorry: Top Cannabis Safes for 2016
As the Cannabis Industry grows, so does the need for proven security equipment and procedures. One of the most important pieces of security equipment a cannabis business owner will own is a safe. The type of safe and configuration is as important as the functionality role it plays within an organization’s operation. Remember, there are […]
The 2015 CBE 100 Producers, Processors and Retailers (PPRs)
The year of the Operator 2015 has been an interesting year in the Cannabis industry. On the enterprise front, it has mostly been about licensees building legitimate, tax paying businesses in the 20 plus states and the District of Columbia with state regulated medical marijuana programs and the 4 recreational/adult-use approved regulated state programs (Colorado, […]
Landscaping and Horticulture are What Make the Minerva Canna Group Inc. Tick
Erik Briones entrepreneurial career started at a young age, and you could say it prepared him for the challenge of launching a vertically integrated operation like Minerva Canna Group back in 2011. While still in high school, he started a landscaping business that helped cover the cost of his degree in horticulture. After graduating, Erik went […]
