TECH ZONE: THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVOLUTION | HOW DOES BLOCKCHAIN FIT INTO THE INDUSTRY?
RICKY
WILLIAMS Halfback Turned Healer
CASSANDRA FARRINGTON On the Business of Cannabis Media
KEVIN O’LEARY Mr. Wonderful Talks Cannabiz
WINDY BORMAN The Modern Day Puffragette
REGGIE WATTS
Silences Stigmas
Summer 2018 | $12.99
TECH ZONE: THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVOLUTION | HOW DOES BLOCKCHAIN FIT INTO THE INDUSTRY?
KEVIN O’LEARY Mr. Wonderful Talks Cannabiz
WINDY BORMAN The Modern Day Puffragette
RICKY WILLIAMS Halfback Turned Healer
CASSANDRA FARRINGTON On the Business of Cannabis Media
Summer 2018 | $12.99
TECH ZONE: THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVOLUTION | HOW DOES BLOCKCHAIN FIT INTO THE INDUSTRY?
KEVIN O’LEARY Mr. Wonderful Talks Cannabiz
CASSANDRA FARRINGTON On the Business of Cannabis Media
RICKY WILLIAMS
Halfback Turned Healer
WINDY BORMAN The Modern Day Puffragette
REGGIE WATTS
Silences Stigmas Summer 2018 | $12.99
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FROM THE PUBLISHER
Charles Warner, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Cannabis tech means business.
W
hen we launched our first national publication Innovation & Tech Today over five years ago, we wanted to focus on lifechanging technologies, revolutionary business ideas, and the people that have reshaped the world. And, with our brand new publication Cannabis & Tech Today, we get the opportunity to take this focus and apply it to the ever-growing world of cannabis and hemp. With Cannabis & Tech Today, we have a mission: to take a detailed look at the burgeoning cannabis industry through a lens of science and technology. While there is no shortage of marijuana-related publications on the market, I noticed that most of them focused purely on the lifestyle side, ignoring some of the major business innovations and scientific discoveries taking place. In a true celebration of the rapidly expanding world of cannabis, we are proud to launch our publication at MJBizConNEXT in New Orleans. The event, featuring one of our three cover stars Kevin O’Leary as the keynote speaker, is a perfect fit for our magazine, focusing on the exciting future of the billion-dollar business. With insights into the smarter side of cannabis, interviews with engaging personalities, and a look at revolutionary shake-ups within the world of marijuana, we are proud to present you with the debut issue of Cannabis & Tech Today! Please follow us on social media and spread the word that Innovative Properties Worldwide, makers of award-winning magazines, has just launched the sexiest quarterly magazine in the history of the cannabis business.
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PREMIERE ISSUE // Summer 2018 // cannatechtoday.com
contents SUMMER 2018
PREMIERE ISSUE COVERS 40 Kevin O’Leary Gets Candid on Cannabis By Charles Warner Photo courtesy of Kevin O’Leary
50 Covering the Cannabusiness with Cassandra Farrington By Alex Moersen Cover Photo by Andrew Kowalyshyn
30 Colleen Lanier Gives Hemp a Helping Hand
56 Ricky Williams: From Halfback to Healer By Anthony Elio Photo courtesy Makenzie Gee
Departments 14 By the Numbers 16 Know Before You Go 18 Media 20 J obs of the Future, Jobs of Today
22 Women in Weed 26 I nnovator Profile: Russ Hudson on Consulting Cannabis 76 Product Revolution
28 Sustainability The Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, and Profit 30 Colleen Lanier Gives Hemp a Helping Hand
36 Security Cannabis Security Gets an Upgrade 38 Data Security in Cannabis
40 Business Innovations Kevin O’Leary Gets Candid on Cannabis
Courtesy of Colleen Lanier
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43 MJBizConNEXT Preview 44 The New Oil Men of Colorado 50 C overing the Cannabusiness with Cassandra Farrington 52 Harvesting the Blockchain
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contents
SUMMER 2018
56 Health & Wellness Ricky Williams: From Halfback to Healer 62 Breaking Free with CBD 64 Sick Pets and the Science of CBD
66 Tech Zone The Rocky Mountain Revolution 68 The Future of Pharmaceuticals 70 Developing Denver’s Sustainable Solutions
72 Entertainment Reggie Watts Silences Stigmas
78 Relax Creative Cannabis with Tony Greenhand 80 Lighter Side with Josh Blue
Photo Robyn Von Swank
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DEPARTMENTS // JOBS OF THE FUTURE, JOBS OF TODAY
Planting the Seeds of STEM By Patricia Miller
Pho tos Get ty I ma ges /iSt ock pho to
How the cannabis job market is ripe for STEM professionals
Legal cannabis is one of the fastest growing industries in North America. New Frontier Data, a cannabis analytics firm, recently reported there will be more than 250,000 jobs for American workers in the cannabis market by 2020. The potential for Canadian job growth will be even larger, as Canada is soon to become the first G20 nation to legalize recreational consumption on a national level. Careers in STEM will see the most growth as cannabis companies scramble to find qualified applicants to fill a diverse array of challenging positions. Professionals with backgrounds in STEM will be entering a high-paying and expanding market. Many employers are willing to pay more than $150,000 a year for applicants with the right skill set. Current listings mention preferred experience in such fields as: plant biology, chemical engineering, analytical chemistry, and robotics software engineering. Many commercial enterprises are studying plants on a cellular level to determine which cannabinoids produce certain physiological effects. In order to market and make sense of that information, companies will require biopharmacologists, 20
phytochemists, and data scientists who can conduct research, interpret data, and utilize their findings in large scale production. Some companies are even seeking to integrate A.I., blockchain, and cryptocurrency into their operations and are recruiting individuals who are well-versed in the tech to join their teams. GreenWave Advisors, another cannabis industry analyst, estimates there are at least 30 million recreational marijuana users in the U.S. alone. As this demographic continues to grow, commercial operations will require more diversity from their applicants, including expertise with cannabinoid extraction, software development for cloud based platforms, robotic process automation, and genomic DNA isolation. Opportunities are available in 29 states across the U.S. and will be widespread throughout Canada once the legislation passes in August or September of this year. The creation of so many new jobs necessitated the development of cannabis-specific career platforms where applicants can search for positions related to their field of study.
PREMIERE ISSUE // Summer 2018 // cannatechtoday.com
Sites such as Vangst, AngelList, and CannabizTeam offer a variety of opportunities within the cannabis field. Many of their postings are high-paying, technically advanced professions focused on filling gaps in STEMrelated aspects of cultivation, harvesting, systems optimization, and product development. CEO of CannabizTeam, Liesl Bernard, started her business to connect applicants with employers in this developing niche market. Bernard notes: “We have seen a huge increase in the demand for highly skilled tech talent in the cannabis industry in the last two years. Our clients are increasingly looking for professionals with experience in programming, web design, creative marketing, database management, [and] IT project and laboratory management. We have been placing highly qualified candidates across the U.S. and Canada at all levels, and we’re also seeing salaries and compensation packages becoming more lucrative. In fact, many of our clients are offering equity in order to attract top talent looking to enter this exciting new industry.” Ä
FIND THE TALENT YOU NEED TO
SUCCEED
DISPENSARIES G R O W FA C I L I T I E S EXTRACTION DISTRIBUTION M A N U FA C T U R I N G TESTING SALES & MARKETING FINANCE TECHNOLOGY LEGAL
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INNOVATOR PROFILE
Consulting Cannabis with
Russ Hudson By Anthony Elio
Cannabis veteran Russ Hudson shares his advice for those looking to break into this burgeoning industry. With over 27 years in the cannabis industry, Russ Hudson knows a thing or two about the world of marijuana. As a professional cannabis tester, head of consulting firm The CannaBizConsultant, and writer about the industry, Hudson has amassed a robust professional resume in the world of weed. In addition to founding a number of marijuanarelated websites, Hudson’s work as a professional cannabis tester was profiled extensively in a video by Vice. In this exclusive interview, we discuss the most common advice he gives to cannabis businesses, his work writing cannabis-related books, and the future of the ever-changing marijuana industry. Cannabis & Tech Today: What’s your most common advice for cannabis startups? Russ Hudson: Well, it depends on whether or not the startup is a business or an individual. One of the most common questions is, “How do I get involved in the cannabis industry?” Typically, my response to that is you have to have something more to bring to the table. Really loving weed and liking to consume cannabis and maybe even being a longtime consumer just isn’t enough to get involved. You have to have some kind of skill that can be applied to the cannabis industry.
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The big misconception is that people think, “Well, it’s just marijuana. It’s a bunch of hippies, it should be easy to go, ‘Hey brah, can I get a job?’” That’s not the case. You have to have a skill like any other job. You have to bring something to the table. If you’re a person who loves NASCAR, you can’t just call up Dale Earnhardt Jr. and ask them, “I want to be a racecar driver. What do I have to do?” Well, you have to train to be a racecar driver. That’s the same for cannabis. What do you want to do? Do you want to be involved in this? Do you want to be a chemist? Do you want to deal with the genes and varieties? Do you want to work with terpenes? Do you want to work with the public? Do you want to be in an educational role? There are so many different aspects of the cannabis industry like any other really large, complex industry. I have to turn that question around and say, “What can you offer?” C&T Today: I know that you’ve also worked as a cannabis tester for quite some time. What’s your unique testing method? RH: Most of it is done by microscope now. I did strain reviews for awhile before I really started to understand that most of the work that I was doing was bulls*** because the starting materials were really unknown. And people are talking about strains and other things when they just don’t know what they’re
talking about. Essentially, it’s a visual examination first. I’m looking for any contaminant, mostly dirt. Usually if you see dirty weed, right away you know there’s going to be a problem. And then, of course, it’s the smell, the feel. I really like to break open the buds and see what they look like on the inside. And the smell, it tells me a lot as well: how it was cured, what variety it most likely belongs to as far as the terpene profile. And then, of course, I check it out under a microscope at around 100x, that way I can see if there’s any detectable contaminants like mildew, or spider mites, or mite bodies, or caterpillars, or anything like that. And then, if it passes those tests, I will usually smoke the cannabis myself for a period from anywhere from three to seven days, depending on who the client is. And I take notes during that entire time to see what effects it has during different events. I think I’m really moving more towards a terpene profile-based analysis, and that’s going to require a lot of changes in infrastructure and other aspects of the industry in order to be able to get a sample turned around very quickly. I think that’s a direction that the whole industry, in 10 years, is going to go and we won’t be talking about Northern Lights and Liberty Haze. We will be talking more about the concentration of terpenes and the major terpene profiles. If you look at my CannaBastard site, where I blast the cannabis industry for all of its shortcomings, I’ve written about it a bit. Even the strain reviews that I’ve done, they’re mostly just crap because I don’t know that I’m working with OG Kush. I don’t know that I’m working with Girl Scout Cookies. You just don’t have a way to know that at this point. And because the power of branding, and because strain names are just so powerful, people use and abuse it in every possible way. Evaluations are a tough one because they’re really, really changing. And my opinion is that they need to change much more dramatically, very quickly in order to give an accurate representation of what we’re talking about with a particular sample. C&T Today: Where do you see the overall future of the cannabis industry? RH: I think that we’re in for a shakeup over the next couple of years because Trump and Sessions and all their little cronies try to disrupt the industry. I think you’re going to see some disruption there … I have been advising several clients in the United States that now might be the time to wait, and watch, and see what happens. And not invest two million dollars in a huge growth setup in Colorado, or Oregon, or wherever they want to do that. I think some caution would be prudent right now. Ä Photos courtesy of Russ Hudson
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// BUSINESS INNOVATIONS //
Candid About Cannabis y message is, “ M don’t mess with the regulator. It’s just bad business.”
By Charles Warner
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// BUSINESS INNOVATIONS //
Mr. Wonderful gives his brutally honest take on the modern state of cannabis. Throughout his illustrious career, Kevin O’Leary has invested in a wide array of industries, including fitness, tech, food delivery, and many more. However, one sector that has piqued the interest of “Mr. Wonderful” is the billion-dollar business of marijuana. O’Leary has strong opinions regarding the booming world of cannabis, with a sobering focus on the importance of resolving legislative issues unique to the space. The Shark Tank star, who has invested in companies across multiple continents, will be giving his heavy takes on the business side of marijuana as the keynote speaker for MJBizConNEXT in New Orleans in May. In this exclusive interview, O’Leary gives his patented honest opinions on the unique nature of the cannabis industry, if blockchain could play a role in its growth, and the potential for cannabis products to appear on Shark Tank. Cannabis & Tech Today: From an investor’s point of view, what’s the biggest difference between the cannabis industry and others? Kevin O’Leary: Well, I think investors are starting to figure out that environments where the regulation is accelerating, the Canadian market for example, are no different than any other industry. There are going to be good operators with executional skills and bad operators with weak executional skills. A lot of
capital went into Canadian startups and now you’re starting to see the differentiation between those companies who can execute and those who can’t. Then you have this bifurcation between those who support medicinal marijuana and those who support recreational, and those who support both. You’ve got so many cross currents going on simultaneously. From the investors point of view, I think it’s very interesting to look at each of these touch points because the reason that so many institutional dollars do not invest in the industry is the delta between the state mandate, or in the case of Canada the provincial mandate, and the federal mandate. We’re at a really interesting time in this industry. I’ve never seen more capital poised to get deployed that won’t pull the trigger, than now. C&T Today: Is it because people are unsure of how it will play out on the federal level? KO: Exactly. The institutional capital has to be compliant. It spends a tremendous amount of time remaining compliant. So, it’s a huge problem if you invest in a Colorado or California business, which is illegal in Florida, and you have assets in Florida. There are a whole lot of complicated, twisted ties that you’d rather just not engage in, and so you just don’t invest in the first place.
What I’ve said to the industry, and I’ll be speaking about this at MJBizConNEXT, is given the challenges here, and the opportunities at the same time, why not bifurcate this industry in two components: medicinal and recreational? If we go through a federal mandate on a medicinal basis with all the covenants around the FDA, because most people now agree that there is an agreed medicinal attribute to this commodity, it should be regulated in the same way every other opportunity is in drugs. If we just put the industry’s effort and lobbyists and momentum into getting a federal mandate for medicinal application, that would free up 75 percent of the capital that wants to invest in it. It doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t eventually get a recreational mandate, but it would get the federal deal done. I think no one has approached it that way, and they should, because I spend every day talking to institutional investors. There is no way they’re investing in this space until they have a federal mandate, not a chance in hell. You’re talking about hundreds of billions of dollars waiting to be deployed. C&T Today: Once the dust finally settles, do you believe the industry will experience the massive success some are predicting? u Photos courtesy of Kevin O'Leary
Kevin O’Leary commonly makes appearances as the keynote speaker of major events, including MJBizConNEXT in New Orleans.
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TECH ZONE // COLORADO
The Rocky Mountain Revolution By Alex Moersen
On November 6, 2012, Colorado voters officially passed Amendment 64. Enacted as Article 18, section 16 of the state constitution, the new law addressed the use and regulation of marijuana for consumers 21 and over, as well as commercial cultivation, manufacturing, and retail. The recreational sale of cannabis began just over a year later on January 1, 2014. The new legislation made Colorado the first state with completely legal recreational cannabis, marking a shift in public opinion. While there were some uncertainties and concerns at the time, over five years later, legalization in Colorado has brought with it economic prosperity, increased education and research, and some incredible innovations. In 2014, Colorado’s first year of legal cannabis, the state gained $76 million in revenue, $35 million of which went directly toward the education system. A study out of the Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Institute of Cannabis Research found that the cannabis industry contributed a net $35 million to the local Pueblo economy in 2016. The study also estimates that this net impact will grow to $100 million a year by 2021. In addition, the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that, following legalization, the rate of adolescent marijuana use in Colorado had fallen to its lowest in nearly a decade. The survey found that just over nine percent of teens age 12 to 17 used marijuana monthly in 2015 and 2016. It was the lowest rate of monthly marijuana use in the state since 2007 and 2008. Now, with over five years of legal cannabis, Colorado has become a hub of innovation and validation for the sector. On multiple levels, the legitimization of the industry has allowed for increased research and development. Boulder County, for instance, has become a leader in sustainable cannabis with the Marijuana Energy Impact Offset Fund, the goal of which is to motivate growers to use sustainable energy resources. According to their website, the “fund is being used to educate and encourage best marijuana cultivation practices with regards to energy usage as well as to fund other carbon offset projects such as the development of more renewable energy.” The Colorado Department of Revenue has worked closely with Franwell Inc. to use the latest technology in their seed-tosale tracking. In fact, Franwell created the Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting Compliance (METRC) system for Colorado as the state devised first-of-its-kind regulations for cannabis sales. Legislators are even looking into incorporating blockchain technology into their cannabis tracking systems. The burgeoning cannabis industry has also allowed for increased startup and ancillary business opportunities. Of the top 150 ancillary businesses of 2017 published by Cannabis Business Executive, over 40 were headquartered in the Rocky Mountain State. For comparison, California had 35, while Washington and Oregon combined for only 22. Colorado’s features included companies dealing in everything from software development and lab testing to security solutions and extraction equipment. It’s not a surprise that being a pioneer in marijuana legislation has allowed Colorado to lead the industry in all other aspects. The success that the state has experienced in just over five years time could act as a microcosm for what the country can expect following federal legalization. But, with the headstart that Colorado has already procured, the Rocky Mountain State can be expected to lead this space for the near future. Ä Getty Images/iStockphoto
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// ENTERTAINMENT //
Silencing the Stigma By Anthony Elio | Photos by Robyn Von Swank
Comedian Reggie Watts discusses breaking the stereotypes of the cannabis industry. Whether you know him from his comedic musical performances on IFC’s Comedy Bang! Bang!, his role as bandleader for The Late Late Show With James Corden, or his hilariously bizarre TED Talks, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with comedian/musician Reggie Watts. Named one of High Times’ “100 Most Influential People in Cannabis,” Watts has long been an advocate for the substance, with an original song about Marijuana Day, an appearance on Viceland’s Bong Appétit, and even social media posts about legislation. In this exclusive interview, we discuss breaking the stigma around cannabis culture, his new collaborative album, and his creative strain name ideas. Cannabis & Tech Today: Why do you believe there’s still such a stigma around marijuana? Reggie Watts: It’s so hard to go inside the head of someone who is actively against it. There are definitely people who prefer not to do it, which is totally fine and that makes sense. But people who are actively against it I don’t really understand. Same arguments for, sounds crazy, but it’s the same argument for abortion or any other kind of thing that’s really kind of based around a person’s choice, to a certain degree, as to what they decide to do with their lives when 72
someone is actively against it. I just don’t think they understand what the definition of a drug is and don’t understand someone’s own ability to choose what they want to do. And so, if they’re against marijuana they might as well be against all over-the-counter medications, alcohol, tobacco. Like, all of it. It’s the classic argument that, y’know, alcohol does more damage than marijuana ever, ever has. I think it’s just because they get programmed that it’s an illegal drug. There are many things that were legal that became illegal and there are things that were illegal that became legal. It’s a weird thing; it’s just a form of close-mindedness and trying to control other people’s free will. I’m not into it. C&T Today: What is your personal method for destigmatizing the substance? RW: Only that I talk about it freely and I promote using it responsibly and using it as an experiment. Experimental use as opposed to a way to self-medicate. I just think that there’s an adult way. I promote the adult usage of marijuana. Generally marijuana is always promoted as…kind of like Monster energy drink. Everything is like Monster energy drink. It has to be the maximum high. Taking you to beyond your limits. Can you handle the high? Skunky, icky, sticky…whatever all of that stuff that people talk about with weed and stoners. Now is the opportunity to look at it more medicinally, in a more refined way. Like this Mondo powder. It’s 5 milligrams but it doesn’t floor you, it just makes you feel really good. The
PREMIERE ISSUE // Summer 2018 // cannatechtoday.com
industry is pursuing research on how different components of it or different methods of refining it can yield different medicinal results. I think for me, I’m always promoting that side of it. Like micro-dosing. A better way to ingest it than smoking it, which can be harsh on your lungs. I just approach it from that way. That’s how I promote it. C&T Today: Do you ever see yourself moving into the business side? RW: I was talking to a company called COC Dynamics out of Portland, Oregon. I think they’re setting up shop, doing some extractions in California. And I was thinking about creating these low-dose marijuana or cannabis pills. So I have, but I’m not much of a business person in the form of, “Here’s a product!” Aside from my performances or whatever. It would have to kind of flow … but I’ve definitely thought about it. For sure. Being part of the kind of responsible usage of it. C&T Today: I know you’re also hosting Taskmaster on Comedy Central. What do you really think will make the show stand out? RW: I think that the main selling point of it is that you get to see people that you might be a fan of, that you dig … just get to see them behave the way they naturally are. As opposed to a character or however they publicly project their image. So you get to see people be themselves and be goofy and have a good time. And that’s really the appeal of it. Because when someone’s performing a task they have to go to this u
// ENTERTAINMENT //
“It’s a weird thing; it’s just a form of close-mindedness and, trying to control other people’s free will. I’m not into it.”
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