Empire State of Cannabis

Damian Fagon is a hemp farmer, educator, and devoted activist determined to ensure the enormous opportunities in the New York cannabis industry are accessible. 

It seems simple to say that NYS will prioritize "social equity applicants" but is that enough when so many entrepreneurs will face steep barriers to success? Kaelan and Damian dive into the challenges of developing a truly equitable industry while looking at some innovative ideas to help overcome them. 

Eddie Brennan is the CEO of Central New York’s most recognizable craft cider brand, Beak & Skiff’s 1911. The family business has been in operation for over 100 years and includes hundreds of apple acres that visitors flock to during the fall where they can also enjoy food, hard cider, apple wine, and even whiskey made on site. Now, Beak & Skiff has entered the cannabis industry through the construction of a state-of-the-art extraction and finished product manufacturing facility – with their eyes on the adult-use cannabis industry.

How important is vertical integration to the success of a craft brand?

Will cannabis replace alcohol for some consumers?

How can craft brands differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace and compete with the big brands?

Cannabis cultivation requires enormous amounts of energy despite and in New York there are fears that large-scale grow operations could threaten the State’s aggressive clean energy targets.

The Castetter Cannabis Group recently released a 27-page report developing deep into what the energy needs are of controlled environment growing and what lawmakers could do incentive efficiency. Kate Hruby, the Lead Policy Analyst at CCG and co-author of the report, describes the results and a recommendation that NYS creates a “Green Seal” signifying a product’s efficient production and qualifies the business for tax deductions.

What makes cannabis cultivation so energy-intensive?

How can existing and new technologies help play a role in minimizing negative environmental impacts?

What successes and failures have other states seen in trying to keep cannabis cultivation “green”?

Chair of the NYS Assembly Agriculture Committee, Donna Lupardo, joins us again to talk about the state of our hemp industry and the opportunities for farmer's within the adult-use cannabis supply chain. Lupardo was the original sponsor of legislation to establish a hemp pilot program in 2015 and pushed to provide nation-leading consumer protections and legitimacy for the hemp cannabinoid industry with the Hemp Extract Law in 2019. From her post as Chair of the Ag Committee, she has continued to advocate for the prioritization and inclusion of New York's diverse agricultural industry within the State's cannabis regulatory framework. 

Reggie Keith, the Founder/CEO of Buffalo-based cannabis events company Canna-House, joins us to talk about a seriously complex but critical issue: transitioning legacy entrepreneurs into the newly regulated marketplace. It won't be easy, the stunning lack of diversity amongst operators in already legal states combined with evidence that the informal industry is still very much alive in places like California and Colorado - shows that many of the entrepreneurs who endured prohibition are being left behind. 

Reggie and Kaelan agree: there is no way to achieve true equity without focusing on legacy market entrepreneurs. This episode will help you understand the unique and often widely varying situations legacy operators are in and some ways that the State can be intentional with bringing them into the program. 

Nhi Kha is the co-founder and CEO of Sativa Remedy, a retail store that curates locally grown and produced cannabinoid hemp products right outside of Buffalo. Western New York, and in specific the Buffalo Area, has quietly become a hub of activity in the cannabis industry - but why? Nhi explains how the local culture and focus on craft-made products has led to that. 

Regulatory expert Katie Neer joins us for a wide-ranging conversation that dives into some big ideas on what the New York cannabis marketplace will look like and how much influence public policy will have on the rollout. 

Katie serves as a lobbyist for the NY Medical Cannabis Industry Association and is also Head of Industry Affairs for Lantern - a cannabis delivery platform.

What kind of role will delivery service play in NY? 

Does equity mean independently owned operations or is there a place for multi-state operators?

Over the next year, what can New York regulators do in learning from other states to support the core missions of the MRTA?

New York lawmakers made history at the end of March by ending a decades-long prohibition of marihuana and passing the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA). This bill creates a new regulatory body to establish a framework for production and sales of adult-use cannabis... but how long will this take?

We welcomed back Allan Gandelman, President of the New York Cannabis Growers & Processors, to discuss the details of MRTA, what it got right (and wrong), and what he thinks will happen over the next year as the Empire State moves to create a newly regulated marketplace  

As debates rage on in Albany over legalization, home-growing has become a hot-button issue. We welcomed Gary Colmey, prominent activist and owner of Rome-based grow shop Gary's Indoor Garden Supply, to tell us who really is the average home grower and how small businesses like his benefit. 

Melissa Moore, New York State Director for the Drug Policy Alliance, discusses equity as the foundation for what legalization could look like in the Empire State. What're some of the challenges minorities and informal market entrepreneurs face in a newly legalized marketplace? How does the Governor's proposal fall short as compared to the MRTA? 

Join us for an informative and necessary discussion on what the Drug Policy Alliance is doing to put equity first in the efforts to legalize adult-use cannabis.