Innholdsfortegnelse for Fall 2019 i Cannabis & Tech Today

MJBizConNEXT Taking place as usual in New Orleans, MJBizConNEXT was in full force in 2019! The event, which carries a theme of disrupting the cannabis industry, gave over 250 exhibitors the opportunity to make themselves known in the space. Our publication has a bit of history with the event, having premiered at the convention last summer. Featuring a keynote speech by Stashwall Founder and CEO Anat Baron (who graced the summer cover of Cannabis & Tech Today) and over 150 speakers from around the cannabusiness, MJBizConNEXT was an insightful event that reflected an industry of innovators. NCIA Cannabis Business Summit & Expo San Jose Just walking around the incredible event by NCIA, you can tell why the Cannabis Business Summit & Expo has won the Trade Show Executive’s Fastest 50…

While the cannabis industry is no doubt on an upward trajectory, issues still persist within. Two of these prevalent problems are sustainability and diversity. Denver’s Westword reported that cannabusiness’ electricity usage will increase by 162 percent by 2020, with carbon emissions and packaging waste posing additional problems. Diversity within the workplace has also been a concern, with MjBizDaily reporting in 2017 that only 17 percent of executive positions in cannabis-related businesses are held by minorities. Challenging these two issues is just part of Tara Jane Forrest’s mission. Founder of the luxury vaporizer company Sensi Vapes, Tara Jane Forrest is focused on diversity and sustainability. That dedication has been getting attention in the industry, as evidenced by her exclusive features on the website New CBD Hemp Oil and the publication High…

Innovations occur around us all the time. Concentrates were an innovation, refining the cannabis plant to its purest form. Similarly, dabbing is an innovation, born out of the desire for higher highs, stronger flavors, and a more pure experience. The dab rig too has undergone years of improvements, inching its way from a hot butter knife and a stove to complex glass rigs with electric nails. But, as we know from our constant race to buy the latest smartphone or IoTenabled gizmo, technology is always advancing toward its next greatest iteration. In the dab rig market, the Puffco Peak is that iteration. It’s the first smart rig ever created, offering haptic feedback, intelligent temperature calibration, and smart sensors to let the user know when their perfect hit is ready. Puffco…

I like to do my shopping online. I can compare products, prices, and reviews at my leisure. Many Americans prefer to shop on the web. U.S. merchants raked in more than 517 billion dollars in online retail sales in 2018, according to a recent Internet Retailer report. With all of this money pouring into ecommerce, why is the cannabis industry resigned to outdated brick-and-mortar sales tactics? Both cannabis businesses and consumers want the convenience of online shopping, but strict regulations surrounding imports and exports have kept the industry in the dark ages. Fortunately, some companies are using technology to do the hard work for them. Sophisticated algorithms and geofencing can now ensure products stay within state lines and are only sold to legal consumers. To learn more about the tech…

The world of retail is changing rapidly. In the past couple of decades, the term “going shopping” alone has changed. It can now mean everything from driving to a shopping center to scrolling through Amazon to exploring the Facebook Marketplace. The dawn of online shopping has been an incredible strain on the world of retail, with malls becoming ghost towns and giant shops relegated to serving as Halloween stores once a year. The statistics back this up as well, with MSNBC reporting this April that online U.S. retail sales have eclipsed that of general retail for the very first time. Clearly, online shopping (once thought to be a passing phase) has changed the business landscape. With all this doom and gloom surrounding traditional shopping, one would think it financially irresponsible…

Anna Pflefghaar’s mission to spread the use of high-quality, health-forward skincare products is a personal one. Having anxiety and autoimmune issues herself, Pfleghaar was drawn to the rapidly growing world of CBD. Combine this with her previous experience in the beauty industry and her desire for more clean skincare and the seeds were planted for CocoCanna, a vegan skincare line infused with hemp oil and CBD and composed exclusively of naturally occurring ingredients. Pfleghaar discusses the importance of organic ingredients and how she hopes to change the CBD skincare industry in this exclusive interview. Cannabis & Tech Today: Have all-natural ingredients been a focus of CocoCanna from the start? Anna Pfleghaar: 100 percent. I think that the average consumer isn’t privy to how many toxic ingredients the FDA allows in…

The President of ACS Laboratory, Roger Brown, sat down to discuss this recognition and honor of winning 14 Emerald Test awards recently. He attributed this to the strong scientific scope ACS brings to the industry. ACS Laboratory, based in Tampa, FL, tests for FL licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers as well as hemp and CBD producers nationwide. Companies as far as Oregon and Washington State can count on the quality of ACS results to support their reputation, products, and business as a whole. What does the Emerald Test consist of and how is it measured? Why does it matter? The Emerald Test is something that happens in the fall and spring of each year. This is a company that created the standard for testing in the cannabis space. It is…

So, maybe cannabis just recently became legal in your state. Maybe you’re a long-time enthusiast or you’re an entrepreneur looking for your next big venture. No matter your reasoning, the fact is, you’re thinking about opening up your very own dispensary. However, opening a dispensary isn’t as easy as starting your very own corner store. As you may or may not know, the cannabis industry is riddled with a number of regulations you might not be aware of. Here are some key things you should consider before starting your new business: 1) Know Your Local Legislation Even if cannabis is legal in your state, you still have to look at how your city or county views the substance. If your local government has passed legislation allowing for dispensaries, great! If…

In the growing process, one word remains a constant: balance. In our previous Plant Empowerment piece, we touched on the need for maintaining balance when it comes to water, energy, and assimilates for strong, healthy growth. However, while even the newest grower is aware of plant and energy needs, the assimilates balance is a new topic entirely. To put it simply, the assimilates balance is that between the consumption and production of glucose. The production of these assimilates is the result of photosynthesis, where water and carbon dioxide become photo-chemically synthesized into oxygen and glucose. Once produced, these assimilates are utilized in a plant’s growth, often converting into new plant tissues and releasing carbon dioxide into the air. Temperature is a vital factor in growth and photosynthesis alike, with higher…

The cannabis industry uses a huge amount of energy. Studies show that cannabis production in the United States occupies one percent of the country’s entire energy bill. According to research from cannabis industry analysts at New Frontier Data, the United States’ total electricity demand from legal marijuana cultivation alone is estimated to grow 162 percent between 2017 to 2022. For cannabis grow houses, monthly utility bills can range in the tens of thousands, and even a short power outage can be extremely costly given reduced and damaged yields. CleanSpark is a distributed energy technology company setting out to help large power users like grow houses and cannabis industry-focused property owners reduce costs and generate a more reliable, resilient, sustainable, and scalable method of energy production. They’re doing it by leveraging…

If there’s one constant in retail cannabis, it’s child-resistant packaging. It may not be as sexy as some aspects of doing business, but it helps make the entire industry more accountable for the well-being of our communities. Let’s take a closer look at what it means to be child resistant with CRATIV CEO Bill Ludlow. What makes a product child resistant? Canadian and United States Federal laws have child-resistant standards in place that define child-resistant packaging testing procedures. The test is administered by a third party. It requires 50 children, ages three to five, to be given 10 minutes to try and open the package… If they get it open, the test fails. “Child Resistant” (vs. “Child Proof ”) is the correct term since only 90 percent (45 out of…

“So it’s legal to sell it… It’s legal to buy it… But you can’t pay for it…?” If you happen to be new to this burgeoning cannabis space and have, for instance, done all of the hard work it takes to enter this industry, you will then be in for a surprise when you attempt to, just like any other legal business, register a bank account or attempt to do any online processing of credit or debit cards. When the time comes, the bank may tell you that due to their internal regulations you will not be able to acquire a bank account based on your business. In fact, being related in any way to the cannabis, hemp, CBD, or even essential oils can get you banned, flagged, or dropped…

Cannabis is a booming industry. In fact, there were 9,397 active licenses for marijuana businesses in the U.S. in 2017, according to Cannabiz Media. In such a crowded marketplace, it’s more important than ever for dispensaries – as well as the licensed producers and growers they partner with – to differentiate themselves in a way that abides by strict laws and regulations. This is especially true of child-safe packaging requirements. What’s more, those laws are moving more and more in the direction of premeasured, pre-analyzed, and prepackaged product fulfilled by larger production facilities. Not only that, but cannabis dispensaries and consumers alike are seeking opportunities to partner with sustainably-minded companies who provide recycled and post-consumer recycled product. In short, cannabis companies are looking for attractive, child-safe, and sustainable packaging solutions…

Sensi Chew – Prices vary. Seven7h Sense Skincare CBD Daily Face Moisturizer – $24.50 TribeTokes CBD Vape Starter Kit: The Mini – $75 Pinnacle Hemp D’Nish Vapeables – $50 REDWOOD Reserve Pure Hemp Flower Smokes – $20 (MSRP) $15 (Wholesale) Select CBD Vape Pens – $40 TRIBERevive CBD-Infused Pain Cream – $50 Eyce X Puffco Peak Attachment – Price TBA Alpha Packaging CRC-Compatible Jars – Prices vary. Firefly 2+ – Price TBA St. Bernie’s Gel Caps – $40 (10mg) $50 (25mg) Yudah CBD Bath Bombs – $10…

Saying that the cannabusiness has grown over the years is almost cliché at this point. Thanks to consistently advanced legalization and increasingly diversified products, marijuana has become a multibillion-dollar industry. But, with this notable success, it’s easy to forget the companies themselves that have contributed to these numbers. What major companies are fueling the cannabis economy? Where does the retail side of cannabis stand up? Let’s look at the statistics that detail this retail revolution and the companies behind it. U.S. Cannabis Revenue (Quarterly Sales) Source: newcannabisventures.com / As of 8/16/19 Cities Where Marijuana Stores Outnumber Starbucks and McDonald’s (per 100,000 residents by city) Where Does Retail Cannabis Rank? (Billions) U.S. Depository Institutions Banking Marijuana-Related Companies Cannabis Recreational/Medical Retail Sales Through the Years (Billions)…

Have you ever taken a tango lesson? If so, then talking about starting in an “open embrace for traveling ochos” will mean something to you. To the rest of us, it’s Greek. And just like the tango, raising capital is a dance that is built around a unique language. Speaking with investors requires an understanding of the language of investment finance and, like all forms of communication, the key to success is being a good listener. Raising capital from investors is one of the single most difficult tasks an entrepreneur has to manage. One of the key challenges is negotiating with investors who most likely have much deeper experience in structures and investment terms. Three key terms that form the language of raising capital that every entrepreneur needs to be…

When perusing products at your local dispensary, how do you decide what to purchase? Perhaps you were enticed by a budtender’s description, “This Sour Diesel sativa is 21 percent THC. It’s best known for its strong, diesel-like aroma.” You think to yourself, “Mmm, diesel-like aroma…” Or perhaps you think about the THC content, the density of the buds, or which product is the most affordable. Deciding what to buy and determining how it will affect you is an uncertain science. More frustrating still, regulations and a lack of quality research prevents budtenders from making statements about how a product will make you feel or what its medical properties might be. Fortunately, many companies are moving toward experience-based marketing and packaging to help consumers decide which products are best suited for…

There’s no doubt that cannabis is a cash-heavy business. That said, consumers, banks, and dispensaries all find value in transparency; from legitimizing vendors and abiding by regulatory requirements to performing background checks and ensuring transactions are secure. After all, cannabis consumers, dispensaries, and partnering POS companies likely feel the same desire for protection, trust, and transparency when it comes to their business transactions. Companies like CannaTrac have entered the market in order to vet cannabis dispensaries and retail merchants based on national and international compliance and regulatory guidelines. One thing that sets CannaTrac apart is its innovative CannaCard® Platform, which offers a range of benefits while also protecting consumers’ confidentiality and privacy. We connected with CannaTrac CEO Tom Gavin to learn more about how offering a cashless payment solution benefits…

As the cannabis industry goes mainstream – and as the industry’s revenue surges to $16.9 billion in 2019 – extracted cannabis products are increasingly popular across a growing base of consumers. In particular, cannabinoid-infused products and edibles are proving to be important to patients – and especially profitable for manufacturers. Distilled cannabinoids – like THC and CBD – are the key components of infused products, and they fetch top dollar on the wholesale market. In some localities, a gram of isolated cannabinoids retails for $100 in dispensaries. And, as Zion Market Research reports, the overall cannabinoid oil market is expected to grow to USD 2.47 billion by 2025. Because of the incredible profit potential, many entrepreneurs have jumped to meet the demand for cannabinoid extraction and distillation services. But today’s…

Sometimes in the swirling chaos of life, it’s easy to lose belief in fate and destiny. Why did this happen? Where am I going? Conversely, in the best of times, everything becomes clear. The “Aha!” moment, when we can finally understand where the road has been leading us. For Katie Stem, CEO of Peak Extracts in Oregon, her “Aha!” moment came when she opened her cannabis extraction business. Beginning with her battle with Crohn’s disease, Stem has been on a winding journey that’s taken her from a promising career in research and laboratory science to a lucrative and rewarding business creating finely tuned cannabis creations. Laboratory science certainly plays into cannabis extraction, but Stem also forayed into Chinese herbal medicine and business management before settling into her career as the…