Blunt Business

Massachusetts is at the center of the nation's cannabis conversation as a looming repeal ballot initiative threatens the livelihoods of nearly 18,000 workers across the state's marijuana industry. Despite the existential risk to these businesses and local jobs, recent polling shows that Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly oppose repealing adult-use cannabis, signaling strong public commitment to maintaining the regulated market. This critical fight for market stability in the Commonwealth unfolds alongside wider industry maturation, where even traditional commercial insurers are pushing for broader cannabis access to capture demand in states where legal cannabis has firmly taken root.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

While the broader cannabis market grapples with steep price compression, state-level missteps in both California and New York have turned promise into an uphill battle for legal operators. In California, despite generating $8.4 billion in economic impact, compliant businesses face relentless margin collapse driven by aggressive competition from an entrenched underground market, forcing the state into continuous law-enforcement crackdowns on illicit operators. Meanwhile, across the country, New York has scaled into a billion-dollar market on paper, yet its licensed operators are suffocating under bureaucratic inertia, regulatory red tape, and storefront bottlenecks that desperately require relief to let operators breathe. Across both coasts, legal operators are finding that high state revenues and massive demand mean very little when untaxed competition and administrative hurdles threaten to wipe out commercial margins entirely.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Humboldt Health is breaking new ground with a specialized healthcare captive tailored specifically for cannabis businesses with 50 to 2,000 employees. Blackwell Captive Scott Byrne joins Blunt Business to full us in on the details on the plan offering enrollment on October 1st. By leveraging shared purchasing power and self-funding models, the program empowers employers with greater data transparency, cost efficiency, and design flexibility that traditional carriers rarely offer. The plan integrates modern solutions—such as 24/7 virtual behavioral health, Outfox AI-driven provider navigation, and the five-PBM "Bwell RX" coalition aimed at curbing pharmacy expenses and reclaiming drug rebates. We also look at the future of cannabis reclassification and thus possibly how operating under state-level regulations could open the door for future medical marijuana coverage as industry acceptance expands.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As the timer ticks down on an impending federal crackdown, the hemp industry faces an existential race against the clock. Mainstream retailers—led by convenience store associations—are urging Congress to hit the pause button on an outright ban and instead establish a regulated, age-gated marketplace for consumable THC products. Meanwhile, commercial insurers are already recalibrating their risk models and tightening coverage in anticipation of severe legal fallout. With just 30 days left before enforcement deadlines reshuffle the deck, operators across retail and agriculture are caught in a frantic scramble to pivot before time officially runs out on the market's current legal standing.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode of Blunt Business, Berner opens up about putting his own money on the line to co-write, co-direct, and produce his gritty Bay Area crime thriller, Splash City. Rather than waiting around for traditional studio approval, the cannabis mogul and artist invested $2 million of his own capital to deliver a finished film to Lionsgate, exploring San Francisco’s underground wave of "bipping" through the eyes of two brothers on divergent paths. Berner shares how he navigated two years in the editing bay whittling down a sprawling three-and-a-half-hour cut into a tight 90 minutes, the process of demanding authentic street dialogue, and the satisfaction of watching his self-funded gamble pay off on the theatrical big screen.Splash City is streaming on demand on streaming platforms including Apple, Roku and Prime VideoAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy