Roei Zerahia joins us to share the background of Canndoc in Israel as one of the first companies licensed to grow, process, and distribute cannabis. Now launching in Illinois, they bring with them extensive scientific knowledge about the hundreds of individual compounds in medical cannabis with unique effects that extend beyond those of just THC and CBD.
Mitch Baruchowitz joins us with a brisk-paced narrative of his foray into the world of cannabis, with the same velocity and passion he has found in industry. He touches on a range of topics including investment strategies, tragic events with unexpected influence, misconceptions about legalization and regulation of cannabis, regulatory differences between states, and the future of the business as he sees it.
Kris Krane is back to talk about the big win that democrats -and thus cannabis- have had in the House election and general politics– and what that really means for cannabis reform. Even with strides being made in politics, there are still hurdles to surpass. With the slow process of bureaucracy, four states are the focus of attention; Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
Tjalling Erkelens returns and is still based in the Netherlands but with a global cannabis footprint. He compares the global development of cannabis. Change and progress towards legalization, particularly for medicinal marijuana, are happening on all continents across the globe. But each country seems to be taking a different approach, and Tjalling feels it might be best to focus on alignment and harmonization to give patients consistency when traveling.
Lori Ajax is back to talk about the last year that flew by and the next year looming on the horizon. Lessons learned from the last year are carried forward into expectations for year two by looking at the transition of the industry into the regulated market, and the struggles that the transition continues to entail. Tax structures, competition from illicit markets, and the complications of licensing all mean there is a need for better messaging going forward.
Senator Cory Gardner talks about the path of the STATES Act, which has been surprisingly, and perhaps ironically, cleared by the helping hand of Jeff Sessions. His rescindment of the Cole Memorandum of the Obama era tried to quash states rights on the issue of cannabis, but only led to the more simplified STATES Act. Through it, the Controlled Substances Act is essentially negated for those in accordance with state law, helping make way for progress on many of the issues surrounding cannabis for those states.
Darren Soto discusses big changes happening of late. While previous years have been difficult in terms of passing legislation, the new democratic congress brings with it a more positive outlook. The change gives legislation like the Farm Bill and STATES Act greater possibilities to pass. Darren covers the reasons why legalization is something to continue fighting for in the face of antiquated stigmas, poverty, even more harmful prescription drug alternatives.
Congresswoman Dina Titus returns with updates about the effects of the blue wave in congress and the resulting green wave in cannabis. Now, the issue is keeping up with and properly managing bills to try to iron out differences between the house and senate as well as federal and state law. Getting Republicans on board is an important step, meaning the cannabis argument needs to span a wide spectrum. Thus, the issues of money, business, criminal justice, states rights, infrastructure, veterans, and taxes are all getting their time in the limelight.