Innovating Cannabis Podcast

Today, our guest is Evan Eneman. Evan was an early team member at Snoop Dogg’s Casa Verde Capital and later worked closely with Snoop to launch Iconic Tonic, the beverage company behind Death Row Records’ drink line and other beverage brands.In this conversation, Evan shares how he approaches the infused beverage market, the challenges of building and scaling brands in this category, his focus on functional ingredients, and how his team is thinking about the road ahead as they prepare for 2026.https://drinkiconictonics.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/evaneneman <p...

The American Council of Cannabis Medicine has been quietly working behind the scenes to prepare for a future where cannabis is recognized as legitimate medicine—and reimbursable through health insurance.The organization currently holds nine seats on a special committee convened by the Health Secretary’s office. They have been tasked with advising President Trump on cannabis efficacy during the research phase tied to the executive order on rescheduling.Beyond having a front-row seat in shaping federal cannabis policy, the Council is also building the infrastructure to integrate medical cannabis into the U.S. healthcare insu...

What started as growers gathering at the Big Sexy Brewery in Sacramento, California to talk shop and share knowledge grew into a collaboration among cultivation experts who went on to launch PowrHouse, an R&D cultivation facility designed to test the commercial viability of new genetics and nutrient lines. PowrHouse is highly data-driven, tracking every R&D project and sharing insights with cultivators, such as which cultivars perform best in specific conditions and with specific nutrient inputs. Our guest is co-founder Sergio Picazo. He walks us through their operations, partnerships, approach to data co...

It's not uncommon for industries outside of cannabis to adapt their technology to solve challenges unique to our space. American Air Filter International is one of those companies, bringing decades of expertise in air filtration for environments with high levels of gaseous contaminants, including wastewater treatment facilities, data centers, and, now, cannabis cultivation.Our guest today is Nikki Sasher, a microbiologist and head of the Clean Air Lab at American Air Filter International. She's here to break down why air filtration matters in cannabis, and how growers can reduce airborne pathogen risk.According to...

The cannabis industry is still operating with a patchwork financial system—full of workarounds and uncertainty.My guest today is Terry Mendez, CEO of Safe Harbor Financial, the first financial services company built specifically to support and advocate for safe banking in the cannabis industry.We discuss how Safe Harbor has evolved over the years, where today’s banking and financial infrastructure still falls short, and how they’re working to fill those gaps. Terry also breaks down what cannabis rescheduling could mean for banking and how Safe Harbor supports small and emerging cannabis businesses as the...

Joann and Michael Kudrewicz have been cultivating cannabis in the Catskills of New York for over 20 years. Early participants in the state's hemp program supplied seeds and clones to farmers across the region.They went on to launch Raven's View Genetics, which focuses on preserving and producing Landrace and heirloom cannabis strains for their proprietary collection.In this episode, we discuss their journey through New York's evolving cannabis landscape and dive deep into their genetics work, exploring how they pay homage to the regions around the world and the growers who shaped the evolution of...

John Keating leads the genetics program at Advanced Nutrients, a company long recognized for its cutting-edge research in plant nutrients and genetics. Keating is also the founder of Tesaro Genetics, which was acquired by Advanced Nutrients several years ago to expand the company's research efforts beyond nutrients and deeper into plant science. Keating and his team have been working with triploid genetics and recently launched a triploid seed line at MJBizCon. While triploids are widely used in large-scale agriculture, the approach is still new to the cannabis industry—and far from easy to execute. According to...

Today, our guest is Jason Adelstone, an attorney with Harris Sliwoski. He joins the podcast to break down the legal chaos affecting the cannabis and hemp industries. We dive into a new potential hemp loophole, the latest on 280E, Thailand's reversal of its cannabis laws, the pros and cons of pursuing a DEA license for future international trade, and the rise in product recalls—along with who ultimately bears the liability. https://harris-sliwoski.com/ Innovating Cannabis is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a journalist, freelance writer, and marketing and PR specialist in...

How many cannabis companies do you know that have been around for 26 years—and are still thriving?Today, we meet BigMike, founder and CEO of Advanced Nutrients. His story begins in California, where, in his twenties, he started cultivating cannabis. At the time, the big fertilizer companies were too afraid to develop products specifically for the cannabis industry—but BigMike knew that what worked for tomatoes and cucumbers didn't work for cannabis.Determined, he assembled a team of top plant scientists to develop the world's most advanced cannabis nutrients—an approach that remains the backbone of the...

As the cannabis industry evolves, so does the technology shaping its future. Innovations from outside sectors are being adapted and refined to meet the unique challenges of cannabis production.One of the newest breakthroughs is X-ray technology for microbial remediation. Unlike chemical or fog-based methods—which interact with terpene and cannabinoid compounds, potentially degrading flavor and aroma—X-ray penetrates the whole flower while leaving cannabinoids and terpenes untouched.Today, we’re joined by Jeff Adams, founder of XRPure, and Joseph Bancheri, the company’s head of business development. They’ll walk us through how XRPure’s X-ray reme...

Rama Mayo is the co-founder of Hall of Flowers, one of the most influential B2B trade shows in the cannabis industry, bringing brands and retailers together in California for the past eight years. The show recently made its New York debut, and Rama joins us to share how the East Coast industry received it.We also dive into the cultural and brand differences between the West and East Coasts — and explore how both markets can collaborate to support each other’s growth.With more than two decades immersed in California’s cannabis scene — and a backgr...

Jason Ambrosino, the founder of Veterans Holdings, a leading B2B cannabis manufacturer and supply partner, producing bulk distillate, rosin, crude oil, BHO, infused pre-rolls, and finished goods for licensed dispensaries, brands, and distributors across New York. Jason is also a member of the Association of New York Cannabis Processors and mentors and advises numerous operators on business strategy and operations. He is very vocal in informing the Office of Cannabis Management and elected officials on the economics of cannabis and his challenges as a business owner. Jason is not shy about sharing his insights and opinions o...

Darren Gleeman is the Managing Partner of MBO Ventures, an investment firm that works exclusively with Employee Stock Ownership Plans, or ESOPS. He believes ESOPS could be the golden ticket for cannabis companies looking to boost profit margins- especially as debt comes due and financial pressures mount. While the process can be complex, the benefits are substantial: the government actively supports ESOPS and even subsidizes them by eliminating state and federal tax obligations for companies that participate. Darren breaks it all down for us in this episode. Innovating Cannabis is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel...

As the cannabis industry matures, setting standards is the next critical step toward ensuring consumer safety and preparing for scalability and global trade.In this episode, I speak with Darwin Millard, Technical Director and standards development expert at Cannabis Safety and Quality (CSQ) — an accredited safety and quality management certification program that supports businesses across the entire supply chain, from seed to sale.Darwin breaks down the standards being developed for each sector. He explains why companies should begin implementing them now to stay ahead of regulations, scale efficiently, and compete in an increasingly global ma...

Today I'm talking with Ryan Crandall, Chief Commercial Officer for MariMed, the MSO with operations in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Maryland.We discussed their operations in various states, including their plans to outfit facilities for GMP certification in Maryland, product development and R&D processes, the addition of functional ingredients to products, and their interest in the hemp beverage space.https://www.marimedinc.com Innovating Cannabis is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a journalist, freelance writer, and marketing and PR specialist in the cannabis industry. Get in touch to...

What does it take to ship cannabis around the world? My guest today, Yoram Eshel, is CEO of Cannabilog, a company leading the way in global cannabis transportation a. nd logistics. After a long career in the pharmaceutical industry, managing the movement of products across continents, Yoram came out of retirement to apply his expertise in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry and launched Cannabilog.In this episode, Yoram shares his playbook for building a compliant, efficient, and scalable supply chain for global cannabis import and export trade. https://cannabilog.com/ I...

Today, I’m excited to welcome Shawn Sherman, a longtime player in California’s cannabis market. Shawn began his journey as both a cultivator and a delivery service operator, and today he’s the founder of Golden Apple Cannabis—a manufacturing, distribution, and retail operation based in Paso Robles, California, the state’s second-largest wine country after Napa. In our conversation, Shawn shares his approach to maintaining product quality, his collaborations with craft farmers to bring the best products to market, and his plans for a terpene tasting room aimed at educating consumers and elevating the cannabis retail expe...

Nick Tanem is a true OG in the cannabis extraction space, widely credited with coining the term "solventless" and pioneering the rosin, resin, and exotic concentrate movement that defines today's market. He's a founding council member and instructor for the Ganjier certification program, travels the world judging cannabis competitions, and shares his knowledge of hash-making with the next generation of extractors. In this episode, Nick discusses his company, Essential Extracts, and its premium concentrates, which are available in New Jersey, California, and Colorado. He also shares tips on how to win a cannabis cup, preserving t...

Today’s guest is Claudio Miranda, a longtime operator in California’s cannabis market dating back to the days before Prop 215. He co-founded Guild Extracts, one of the state’s pioneering extraction companies, and is now the co-founder of Budist—a consumer rating app often described as the Wine Spectator of cannabis for the depth of education and expertise it provides.Claudio joins me to discuss Budist’s recent partnership with MJBiz to launch the first-ever bi-coastal cannabis competition, The MJBowl, with winners set to be honored live on stage at MJBizCon this December 4th. Rather than pitting re...

I'm your host, Pam Chmiel. In addition to producing and hosting this podcast, I'm also a journalist—you can find links to my work and contact information in the show notes. Today's guest is Flavia Cassani, who, along with her husband Mikey, co-founded Flow Kana in 2015 to champion sun-grown craft farmers in California's Emerald Triangle. At its peak, Flow Kana was the state's largest cannabis brand. But after taking on partners, they faced a hostile takeover and were ultimately pushed out of the company. After stepping away and spending time in Euro...