Cocktail Whisperer
PathogenDx, Inc., an innovator in DNA-based pathogen testing technology for cannabis, hemp, agriculture and food safety industries, announced Monday it has secured $7.5 million in Series B funding. The company was able to close this round of funding in just under three months.
I first became acquainted with Old Pal at the Hall of Flowers, the bi-yearly event known as the Hall of Flowers. Old Pal owns a very special vehicle, a 1940’s era school bus with a raised roof and part of a floor. It is better known as the Cosmic Collider. All that it needed was the Ken Kesey at the wheel of this Merry Prankster style vehicle screaming at the top of his lungs as his vehicle careened down mountains without brakes, “Further! Further!”
This week’s AxisWire and Green Market Report released the 2019 Cannabis Trend Report. This is the third annual report detailing the hottest trends in cannabis made evident by the headlines and press releases that publish throughout the year. This dive into the market’s hottest topics looks at where the trends are and where they will lead over the next few years. This insight helps entrepreneurs, business operators and investors navigate the industry. Here are the key takeaways from the report:
SERENE CBD – 5 Questions with Forbes Warren Bobrow
Warren Bobrow=WB: Where are you from? Why cannabis? Why CBD, over THC?
Erica Valker=EV: Where: I grew up in southern Wisconsin, my hubby and business partner Paul is from the Chicago area. We now live in Highland Park, IL a cool little arts community on Chicago’s “north shore.” I grew up water skiing on our lake and eventually went pro, skiing all over the world, including China and Australia. But we used to live in So-Cal and miss it terribly, these Chicago winters are for the birds!
Warren Bobrow=WB: Where are you from? Why get into the legal aspects of cannabis? Did you go to business school or just law school? Who is your mentor?
Neil Wiesner=NW: Im from New York City and, when I was in college, it was only the rare weirdo who wasn’t smoking marijuana. At that time, pot was the least favorite of my recreational drug choices. That was nearly forty years ago, and I hear what’s out there now bears little resemblance to what I was familiar with back then. I think drug laws in general are horrible. There are certainly safety and health issues related to drugs, but I do not believe the correct response is their criminal prohibition. When I was in prison, I was in rooms daily with men who, collectively, lost thousands of years of life to confinement as a result of drug criminalization.
From the very first glance, be it on an angle, or straight into your hand, lighting your tiny, but mighty joint and inhaling deeply brings solace. Through inhaling the healing vapors you can feel into your very soul that Sundae School mini-joints are something extremely special. If you think that you’ve tried excellent cannabis in the past I implore you to seek out Sundae School’s offerings in the cannabis vein. The tiny tin boxes come emblazoned with the messages of the moment. Eureka. Uplift. Brain, Cardio, Boost. They are known professionally as Bullets. I’ve always thought of this size of joint as a dog-walk joint, just enough to walk your dog and make a new friend at the same time.
Sundae School is the smokable incarnation of much dreaming.
While you were at the beach, reaching for another frosty beer during the final weeks of summer, I was getting ready for the Hall of Flowers. But first, what is the Hall of Flowers? Hall of Flowers is the bi-yearly event that takes place at the historic Sonoma County Fairgrounds located in Santa Rosa, California. Three buildings were packed to the gills this season with dozens more craft cannabis producers in evidence. But first, Hall of Flowers isn’t open to the general public. Far from a stoner event, there is serious business happening in each booth. But please don’t get me wrong for even a moment about the subject matter. The business of cannabis is a fluid, organic being. Opportunities present themselves in a vastly different format than say a liquor conference. Instead of getting drunk and uncontrollable, as is the case with certain liquor festivals, Hall of Flowers is a gathering of the peaceful tribes.
I’m what some have called a Master Mixologist. My professional qualifications are many. I started as a bar back for Chris James at the Ryland Inn. This is the very bottom of the ladder to become a bartender or mixologist in my opinion. It was not easy work at fifty years of age, far from, it was very physically demanding. Chris was not easy on me. You don’t write about spirits from behind a desk, you must be cleaning the speed racks at three in the morning to know what goes into being a bartender. I’ve taught Master Classes in un-manipulated rum at places like the Moscow Bar Show in Russia and Stonewall Kitchen in Maine. I was a rum judge for the Ministry of Rum and the Rum XP folks in Florida. I’ve led and sat on panels at SXSW on cannabis and the Berlin Bar Convent. My six books on mixology are sold globally. There even is a book on Cannabis, named Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails and Tonics.
Warren Bobrow: What do you think about Colorado and the way they fit a model for the rest of the country to follow—pertaining to cannabis? What about medical? What happened?
Rich Batenburg Jr.: My cannabis-focused investment company operates in several states, many of which we entered at original deployment of a legal marijuana program. While we hear about officials from new jurisdictions coming to Colorado to do research, as well as hiring regulatory consultants from Colorado, it seems like they listen and then try to reinvent the wheel. From my background in change management and process consulting with giant corporations, this is normal—albeit completely unproductive behavior.We should be able to agree on labeling, packaging and potency rules, residency requirements and taxing structures across state lines. Setting up cannabis regulation 50 different ways just creates problems for all involved. I wish other states would just plagiarize the things Colorado did right and improve upon the things they didn’t. Like most people and companies, everyone thinks “we are unique” or “our market is dramatically different.” Over my career I have worked in many industries in almost every state, and I’d estimate that 80% of business challenges, and the solutions to them are the same. It’s all about getting “buy in” from the people who are delivering the products and services. Without buy in, change just takes longer and costs more than it would otherwise.
I’d never met Jamie Evans before a couple months ago. Jamie was speaking at a dinner known as Terpenes and Terroir. As it turns out, she had asked me to contribute to her forthcoming book on CBD from my publisher, Fair Winds Press, so I was quite excited to finally meet her in person. To enjoy a dinner with her guidance and wit became the metaphor for this interview. I’m happy to spread Jamie’s deep kindness of our healing plant. Thank you Jamie for smiling in my direction.