In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Matt Balaker (Director at Aureata Capital and Host of The Matt Balaker Podcast) sits down with Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners) to discuss the early days of cannabis investing and the need for personal connection. This conversation begins with Matt’s journey into cannabis in 2012 and what the earliest days of cannabis culture and investing looked like right as adult use legislation was being passed. From there, Jordan and Matt speak to the historical injustices around cannabis and discuss how success in cannabis is not solely based on increased revenue but also increased opportunities for those that have been disproportionately affected by cannabis’ history. The talk continues by diving into the creation of Matt’s podcast, The Matt Balaker Podcast, which covers a range of investing topics including cannabis. This episode concludes with a conversation around Matt’s passion for stand up comedy and everyone's need for personal connection and interaction. Please enjoy!

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Eric Berlin (Partner at Dentons) sits down with Jordan Youkilis (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners) to discuss the journey of cannabis legalization and the hurdles experienced as traditional business efforts are exerted on the rapidly evolving cannabis market.

This conversation begins with Eric's background in law, his successful efforts to legalize medical cannabis in Illinois and his path towards leading Denton’s Cannabis Law practice. From there, Eric speaks to some of the complications cannabis businesses and investors face when attempting M&A deals or public offerings. The talk continues by walking through the range of opportunities in the cannabis and hemp markets and how these opportunities only represent a portion of the total market, the rest of which is made up of illicit product sales. This episode concludes with an overview of Canopy Growth's recent efforts to consolidate their holdings in US plant touching operations and the  impact this has on the rest of the US cannabis market. Please enjoy!

Ashley Wynn-Grimes is an Author, Cannabis Advocate, and Founder of Cannabis Nursing Solutions. In this conversation, we discuss Ashley’s journey as a nurse including how her disillusionment with the financial incentives behind Big Pharma led her to explore alternative healing modalities and the structure of the endocannabinoid system. We next talk about Ashley’s journey as an author and writing the book Stigmatized. Then, we discuss ways for healthcare professions to research cannabis and how to obtain certifications to consult with patients on the medicine. We then consider how to optimize product offerings for patients, rather than just maximizing THC content. From there we discuss Maryland’s recent legalization of adult-use cannabis, how Ashley expects her home market to develop in the coming years, and the somewhat arbitrary distinction between recreational and medical cannabis. Next, we discuss the recently approved Federal legislation on medical marijuana research and what outcomes Ashley expects to see following its passage. We end talking about Ashley’s children’s book Asa’s Medicine. Please enjoy!

Check out the resources mentioned:

- Stigmatized: A Hero’s Journey by Ashley Wynn-Grimes: https://www.amazon.com/Stigmatized-Heros-Journey-Ashley-Wynn-Grimes/dp/1637903472

- Asa’s Medicine by Ashley Wynn-Grimes: https://www.amazon.com/Asas-Medicine-Hardback-Ashley-Wynn-Grimes/dp/0578790661?ref_=ast_sto_dp

- Cannabis Nursing Solutions: https://cannanursingsolutions.mykajabi.com/

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Eric Hammond (CEO & Co-Founder of Highsman) sits down with Jordan Youkilis (KEY Investment Partners Founding Partner) to talk about the creation of Ricky Williams, Highsman brand, their growth strategy and how Highsman plans to become a household name. This conversation starts with an overview of Eric’s journey into the cannabis industry, the creation story behind his brand, Highsman, and how Eric met his Co-Founder, Former NFL Running Back, Ricky Williams. The talk continues a deep dive into Ricky Williams’ personal journey with cannabis and how his personal connection led to the creation of Highsman, a multi-state cannabis licensing and apparel business. The conversation continues by talking through the strategic growth plan of Highsman, and how they’ve successfully navigated the tough market conditions of the cannabis industry. The talk closes with a brief overview of Highsmans strategy to attract other high caliber, influential athletes.

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In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Peggy Van De Plassche (Author, Speaker, & Psychedelics advocate) sits down with Jordan Youkilis (KEY Investment Partners Founding Partner) to discuss psychedelic medicine, it’s value in improving mental health, and the importance for continued exploration regarding the value this new wave of medicine provides patients. This conversation starts with an overview of Peggy's journey from the financial services industry to becoming a mental health and psychedelic advocate who leverages writing and public speaking to educate others. From there, Peggy and Jordan speak to Peggy’s exposure to Psilocybin and how those experiences shaped her personal outlook, improved her day to day and led to her own re-evaluation of “medicine”. The talk continues with perspectives on the future of psychedelic medicine when it comes to government approval and large scale patient access. The conversation wraps up with profound experiences Peggy’s pulled from her journey with psychedelics and how having a clear intention during these trips increased her ability to process past traumas.

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In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Jasper Gallo (Director of Corporate Development at PharmaCann) and Jeremy Nelson (Associate Director of Corporate Development at PharmaCann) sit down with Jordan Youkilis (KEY Investment Partners Founding Partner) to discuss current and future state of cannabis M&A, and PharmaCann's growth strategy through organic license wins along with acquisitions. This conversation starts with Jasper and Jeremys individual journeys towards cannabis, their path into PharmaCann along with a high level overview of PharmaCann. From there, Jasper, Jeremy and Jordan cover some of the advantages scale provides cannabis businesses and speak to how PharmaCann has grown, through a mix of organic license wins through application processes as well as through M&A. The talk continues with Jasper and Jeremy's perspectives on the current state of cannabis M&A in regards to the falling valuations of cannabis business' and what impact the overall economy has on cannabis M&A transactions. The conversation wraps up with Jasper and Jeremys thoughts on markets with an uncapped amount of licenses, the value of building a market presence in limited license states and unlimited license states, and how potential federal changes impact the M&A and investment side of cannabis. Please enjoy!

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Mara Sheldon (Senior Policy Advisor at Squire Patton Boggs) sits down with Tiby Erdely (Founding Partner at KEY Investment Partners) to discuss political hurdles and opportunities facing the cannabis space in light of recent political wins. This conversation begins with Mara's background and her perspectives on the current state of cannabis policy following Biden's recent announcements including the potential rescheduling of cannabis and the pardoning of thousands of low level federal cannabis convictions. From there, Mara speaks to the various levels of federal drug scheduling, and how 280E, a tax law that only applies to federally illicit businesses like cannabis, could change after the rescheduling of cannabis. The talk continues as the pair discuss opportunities that the Safe Banking and CLIMB acts open up for the cannabis industry, and how this could fuel rapid growth for the industry by dropping the cost of capital. This episode concludes with Mara's predictions on the future of cannabis and steps ahead that could lead to eventual federal legalization.  Please enjoy!

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Russell Stanley (Managing Director of Equity Research at Beacon Securities Limited) and Tiby Erdely (KEY Founding Partner) discuss the evolution of cannabis from early Canadian LP's to today's US based MSO's, the future of cannabis legalization in the US, and the impact of Biden's recent cannabis announcements on the state of the industry. This conversation starts with Russells experience in equity research and he's shift in focus towards cannabis in 2016. From there, Russell and Tiby speak to the continued maturing US based MSO's have shown and their evolution towards being a more "traditional business" that can be judge by margins rather than less tangible growth factors. The talk continues by diving into the funding differences Canadian LP's and US Based MSO's have faced and how the "bootstrapped" nature of US operations has forced leaner business growth. Conversation shifts from here towards Biden's recent announcement around pardoning minor cannabis offences, the potential for cannabis rescheduling and the impact of this shift on Safe Banking. The conversation wraps up with perspectives on the path towards federal legalization and advice from Russell on how to navigate the ever changing future or cannabis. Please enjoy!

In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, David Culver (VP of Global Government Affairs at Canopy Growth) and Tiby Erdely (KEY Founding Partner) discuss the breath of Canopy Growths operations, the current and future state of the cannabis industry, and some meaningful actions Congress could take to support the cannabis industry. This conversation starts with David's journey into cannabis government relations and an overview of Canopy Growths business structure, current footprint, and future acquisitions pending US federal legalization. From there, David and Tiby speak to the current state of the public cannabis markets and the expanding future opportunity cannabis represents. The talk continues by diving into the current bills and initiatives being pushed forward through the US Congress. The conversation wraps up with importance of Safe Banking for cannabis businesses and advice from David on how cannabis businesses can survive in the current capital markets environment.

If you're interested in getting involved in cannabis reform efforts please head to: www.uscc.org

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In this episode of Cannabis Unlocked, Brandon Johnson (CEO of TRP) sits down with Jordan Youkilis (KEY Investment Partners Founding Partner) to discuss how TRP has evolved into a retail powerhouse through working with legacy brands and championing social equity efforts. This conversation starts with Brandons path towards cannabis and how he got the inspiration for TRP's business model of partnering with legacy brands and leveraging retail locations to scale those brands. From there, Brandon and Jordan speak to the hurdles behind social equity applications and how TRP has effectively navigated the licensing process to enable social equity brands success. The talk continues with Brandons perspectives on future retail trends across the evolving US Marketing. The conversation wraps up with thoughts around the value of retail dispensaries and cannabis delivery as our nation pushes towards more open markets and eventual legalization.

For more information around TRP please reach out to: [email protected]

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