TRICHOMES The High Ground

Welcome to the Returning Season of The High Ground! We Bring You A New Bi-weekly Conversation That Looks At the Trends, Brands, & Data that Drive the Growing Cannabis Industry. More Than Just Market Data, the Mission of High Ground is to get an Unfiltered and Authentic Look at How the People Behind the Brands are Navigating the Ups and Downs of the Tumultuous California Market.  In Our New Series, We Speak with The People Who Are Pushing the Cannabis Industry into New Territories And Today, We Are Joined with Alexi Chialtas of Wunder.  Wunder is a Cannabis Brand that delivers both a Low-Dose Cannabis Infused Beverage and A Mission to Change the Way We Bridge Socializing & Alcohol. Alexi Shares The Important Factors that Have Influenced His Journey Into the Cannabis Industry, and Why He Believes Normalizing the Alternative to Alcohol is A Path to Growth for the Industry. For More Info on Wunder, Visit Us @ TRICHOMES.com www.findwunder.com https://www.linkedin.com/company/findwunder/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexichialtas/ https://www.instagram.com/findwunder https://www.twitter.com/achialtas The High Ground is A Collaborative Series Produced by TRICHOMES, in Association with Headset Analytics, & Executive Producer Claudio Miranda

The High Ground - S1E2 - Founder’s Interview: Scientific Innovation & Effects-Based Cannabis with Chris Emerson of Level   Welcome Back to the High Ground, a Bi-Weekly Video Series in which I'm going to be interviewing Founders that Span All Categories in the California Cannabis Market. Today we speak with Chris Emerson, the Founder & CEO of Level, a Cannabis Products Brand in the Cannabis Capsules Space. We learn about his extensive Scientific Background, the Tech Boom in San Francisco that allured him to the city, and discover how he ended up on a cannabis farm in Mendocino.  He also shares how all these events have led to a deeper call in understanding the scientific innovations within the cannabis sector, which he believes has a vast landscape of opportunity with Effects-Based Cannabis Products. Today, he spearheads the Capsules and Effects-Based Cannabis Brand, Level & Shares his Thoughts on the Future of the Market in California, and Beyond. --- For More Information on Level Visit, TRICHOMES.com Headset Analytics: https://www.headset.io/  Chris Emerson’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-emerson-ph-d-464b245a Level’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/level.experience --- The High Ground podcast is produced in partnership with TRICHOMES dot com. Special thanks to the TRICHOMES production team. Our executive producer Claudio Miranda, and to all our incredible guests who make this show possible.

It’s no secret that a lot of people are starting to discover and use cannabis products for the first time. It is because of this that dosing is now more important than ever. On this episode recorded on 02/16/2021, Jesse Betend talked to Missy Bradley, Brand Director and co-founder at Stillwater Brands. Stillwater Brands’ deep background in food manufacturing and water soluble cannabinoid technology has led to the production of some of the best selling and most trusted edibles in Colorado, including Ripple Dissolvables, Ripple Gummies, and Ripple QuickSticks. Products are available in Colorado and Canada. Missy talked about why it's important to create a product that does what it says it's going to do, every time. They also talk about why Ripple can provide doses and flower options for anybody interested in consuming cannabis and why the media is not taking the time to understand the plant.   Stillwater's Website             LinkedIn             Facebook             Instagram   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

Have you ever thought about the negative impact of misinformation that has been spread across the cannabis industry? Our guest on this episode of The High Ground is Dan Grace, founder and CEO at Dark Heart Nursery. Since 2007, Dark Heart Nursery has specialized in cultivating high quality clones for growers across California and they also offer lab services. Jesse Betend and Dan talk about receiving misinformation when it comes to cultivation and how a big part of his organization’s mission is supporting farmers through science. Dan also talks about Dark Heart’s new ideas and approaches to growing cannabis and solving cultivation challenges as they occur.   Dark Heart Nursery Website   LinkedIn Profile Facebook Page   Twitter Instagram On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

In this episode recorded on 02/02/2021, Jesse Betend talks to Rick Batenburg III, Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Cliintel Capital. Cliintel Capital Management Group was created to provide funding to emerging market companies. Rick talks about why he is feeling optimistic about the cannabis industry in 2021, the unique challenges the space has, and why brands need to make an emotional connection to their customers.   Founding Partner and Chief Investment Officer Rick Batenburg III, a former college athlete who started his career as a broker at Merrill Lynch, specializing in high net-worth clients. Rick made the jump from Merrill Lynch to cannabis in 2015, the early days of the legal industry in Colorado, when he and his father found a way they could fund brands in the new industry   Cliintel Capital Website Rick's LinkedIn Page Cliintel Facebook Page The Clear Concentrates Instagram   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

On this episode of The High Ground recorded on 01/29/2021, Jesse Betend talked to Casey Ly, Chief Revenue Officer of BLOOM, a cannabis company based out of California. Jesse and Casey talk about the inconsistency in cannabis vape products, and why BLOOM’s products are more consistent than others. They also talk about why BLOOM’s “secret sauce” is in their terpene profiles, Casey's path into the industry, and why cannabis is being put in a good position in 2021.   The BLOOM Brands Website Casey Ly's LinkedIn Twitter: @thebloombrand IG: @thebloombrands   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

On this episode of The High Ground recorded on 01/25/2021, Jesse Betend  talked to Matthew Ingram, CEO of Proof, a family owned and operated cannabis company. Matthew talked about the journey his team has been on, and what sets them apart from other cannabis companies. He also discusses how Proof is mission driven and value based, which translates into having a loyal team, and how that benefits the consumer. Jesse and Mathew also talk about how important it is to work with the local community and how to stand out in the cannabis industry.    Proof Website   Matthew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-ingram-862894190/   Proof Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/proofwellness   IG: @proof.wellness   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com  

On this episode of the High Ground recorded on 01/21/2021, Jesse Betend talked to Hunter Neubauer, the co-founder and chairman of Oregrown, a cannabis company out of Oregon. Hunter has spoken in front of the state legislature and he's also built a personal relationship with the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which is in charge of regulating cannabis in the state. During the conversation, Hunter talked about the relationships that he's built with regulators, and how they have suddenly changed. Cannabis companies across Oregon, Oregrown included, started facing a rash of violations that in some cases cost businesses their licenses. Jesse and Hunter talk about the situation, and what he's been able to do to restore his relationship with legislators in Oregon.

On this episode of The High Ground recorded on 1/7/2021, Jesse Betend talked to Chiara Juster, advocate and strategic counsel. Chiara was one of the attorneys who represented America’s longest serving nonviolent cannabis prisoner, Richard DeLisi. Richard was serving a 90 year prison sentence and was finally released in the state of Florida at the Age of 72. Jesse and Chiara talk about how she came to representing Richard, cannabis reform, and the future of criminal justice. On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

Earlier last year, Brook Eagle of Pacific Reserve came on the TRICHOMES Hash It Out podcast. This was back in March and he was asked a lot about coronavirus and how it was impacting the industry at the time. Everyone was expecting this to maybe last one two months at most so we figured we checked back in with Brook almost one year later.   Jesse Betend and Brook talked about how taxes in California are shaping the industry in unexpected ways, and how while sales have stayed consistent, coronavirus might be changing the way that people consume cannabis, perhaps even beyond the pandemic.   Pacific Reserve Website   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

The California cannabis market was projected to have 6,000 stores. In reality, there are only about 700. As you can imagine that makes shelf space in the stores that are operating both extremely limited and extremely valuable. It might not seem like it, but an empty shelf, is an expensive problem. On this episode of the High Ground recorded on 12/15/2020, Jesse Betend talked to Camille Roistacher, the co-founder of Voyage Distribution and WYLLOW. Jesse and Camille talk about voyages both with the company and her own bootstrapping as a black female leader in a semi legal industry. Voyage Distribution is a data-driven cannabis supply chain company that helps keep dispensary shelves stocked. Camille is leader in an industry where founders are constantly forced to look for funding outside of traditional streams. To this day, Voyage hasn't accepted a cent from investors and not for lack of trying. In an industry where you often have to find your own funding, people of color and women are currently severely underrepresented.   Voyage Distribution Website WYLLOW Website   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

Most state guidelines require that in order to remain legal, industrial hemp must contain less than 0.3 percent THC. Anything above that, and your legal hemp is now illegal cannabis. The problem with that is that 0.3%, that number is completely arbitrary. While there are some things that farmers can do to influence THC content in their crops, the truth is it's a toss-up, a scientific coin flip ultimately leaving farmers constantly at risk of losing an entire crop. To nail down the details, Jesse Betend talked to Justin Allen, CEO of Lumin Extracts. This episode was recorded on 12/17/2020.   Lumin Extracts Website   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

Dr. Robb Flannery is the CEO and founder of Dr. Robb's Farms. The basic version of Dr. Robb's story is one that you might have heard before. Robb, like a lot of other people, got into the business that he's in because he wanted to help a family member. In this case, Robb's mom who was diagnosed with cancer and was absolutely not a cannabis user. Unlike a lot of the people who get into the cannabis business because they want to help a family member, Robb's background isn't in medicine, he's actually plant biologist.   In this episode recorded on 12/9/2020, Jesse Betend talked to Robb to find out more about what we can learn about the cannabis plant itself, what we still need to know, and a recent opportunity where he got to talk to one of Jesse's own early sources of information about cannabis, for better and worse.   Dr. Robb Farms Website   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

When Arby broke his hip he knew was going to lay him out for a little while. What he didn't know is that it was gonna nearly tear his life apart. After his injury, Arby was prescribed not one, but at one point, four different pain killers. They helped him through the pain, but they also left Arby with an addiction that eventually led to his arrest in 2010. Today Arby is the co-founder of GreenRoads, a company that specializes in CBD products that he started with his pharmacist. Before founding GreenRoads, Arby had his pharmacist create a specialized CBD edible which he credits with helping him finally get clean.   Green Roads is a pharmacist-founded CBD company that has set the gold standard for quality since the earliest days of the industry, and continues to do so today.   Green Roads Website On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

Providing safe cannabis requires testing, and is becoming a lucrative part of the industry. But in an industry that requires a hefty amount of trust, safety testing requires just that little bit more. Aaron Riley is the CEO of CannaSafe, one of California's leading cannabis testing labs. Jesse talked to Aaron to find out more about transparency and safety in the semi-legal industry where one slip-up could mean completely losing credibility. This conversation centers on trust, how to convince regulators you're following proper procedures, how to handle a cannabis company that doesn't want to accept that they've failed a test, even how to handle a covid outbreak among staff.   CannaSafe Website   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

It seems like every other episode that we're talking about licensing issues and it makes sense why, it's one of the fundamental issues of this new industry, and every single state has a different take at being fundamentally that gatekeeper. It makes sense that it gets as much attention as it does.   Chris Dell’Olio is the CEO and Co-Founder of WebJoint, a company that's making it possible to get into the cannabis industry even if you don't have a license. WebJoint is a cannabis software platform for cannabis retailers and distributors. The software includes POS, inventory management and online ordering with a powerful website building platform. WebJoint currently powers more than 200 cannabis retail operations in the US & Canada. Before founding WebJoint, Chris worked in the music industry and then made video games. WebJoint Website On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

It's been 53 years since the passage of the Controlled Substances Act, and the damage that little bit of legislation has caused is truly hard to quantify. It's destroyed countless lives, pushed past the individual to decimate families and entire communities, and it's helped to create the out-of-control prison population that we have today. It's accurate to say ruined lives because mandatory minimum sentencing laws in many cases mean that people are serving life in prison for selling cannabis.   A few weeks ago, the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Legislation (NORML) celebrated their 50th Anniversary. Only three years after the passage of the Controlled Substances Act, NORML was fighting to repeal it and they've been fighting for the past 50 years. Ian Rassman is the Executive Director of the Los Angeles chapter of NORML. Jesse Betend talks to Ian to find out what the last 50 years have meant for the original group fighting for cannabis legalization in America. Los Angeles NORML Website   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com **Keep up with us on social media!** www.facebook.com/trichomesdotcom twitter.com/trichomesdotcom instagram.com/trichomesdotcom www.linkedin.com/company/trichomes

Honestly, how much do you actually think about where your cannabis comes from? Have you ever considered growing yourself? Brian Malin is the CEO and founder of Vital Garden Supply, Vital Grown, and Vital Distribution. Today, he grows cannabis on a commercial scale, and he's also a sought-after expert on organic gardening methods for cannabis farms. But like most people, Brian got his start growing plants at home with a buddy.   In this episode, Jesse Betend meets one of the people behind the plants and talks to him about how he went from the closet, to hauling crop yields. They also talk about which cultivars to pick when you're growing commercially, and once you've crossed them, how to come up with a name. Vital Garden Supply Website   On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com **Keep up with us on social media!** www.facebook.com/trichomesdotcom twitter.com/trichomesdotcom instagram.com/trichomesdotcom www.linkedin.com/company/trichomes

Election day brought five new states with cannabis legislation, and in the week since, Democrats have promised to vote on the MORE act, which would quote remove cannabis as a scheduled substance, as well as offer banking protections for the industry. And while some of that is worth getting excited about, the devil of course is in the details. In this case, the details are pretty slim language about systems for expunging cannabis convictions, but no details about how that expensive process will actually be handled financially. A vague mention of a process by which people currently serving time for cannabis convictions could appeal their convictions, even though in California, a state that legalized years ago, there are still people sitting in jail for something that is no longer a crime.   Marie Montmarquet is a co-founder and managing partner of the MD Numbers Family of Brands, a vertically integrated cannabis business in California. She's watched a small businesses have been overtaken by large corporate style players to the point that she fears it's no longer possible potentially for someone like her to even get into the industry. Jesse Betend talked to her shortly after election day about all of this, as well as two recent controversies with both Illinois and California’s social equity programs that both mirror each other, and might mean quite a lot for the future of cannabis regulation from the MORE act onward.   MD Numbers, Inc. Website On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com

When Len May tried cannabis for the very first time, he remembers instantly feeling like he could just suddenly focus. And from that point on Len developed an interest in the scientific study of cannabis, and the potential medical benefits. Now today, Len’s company, Endocanna Health, is asking a very interesting question, which is, what can our DNA tell us about our relationship with cannabis? Len’s company has created a product called Endo DNA which uses DNA analysis similar to companies like 23 and Me to look at their customers DNA and create a report detailing their bodies personal relationship with cannabis, and how to maximize the positive benefits that they're looking for. On The High Ground, we feature leaders of the cannabis industry. We talk to everyone from farmers to CEOs, and public officials - anyone making an impact on the cannabis community and beyond. To reach the show: highground@trichomes.com **Keep up with us on social media!** www.facebook.com/trichomesdotcom twitter.com/trichomesdotcom instagram.com/trichomesdotcom www.linkedin.com/company/trichomes