As the former CEO of both Cookies Management and Connected Cannabis, Kevin Brooks recognized early on that plant health was the largest vulnerability in the cannabis supply chain.

His experience building one of the largest vertically integrated cannabis companies in California, as they successfully developed some of the most well-known, super-premium cannabis products on the market, led him to form Conception Nurseries. Conception is the only company in California capable of offering commercial-scale tissue culture to the cannabis industry.

In addition to their own extensive catalog of cultivar clones, Conception also offers remediation, cold storage, and exclusive production services. Kevin’s history of leadership and successful exits in the highly regulated technology space have
fueled the success of Sacramento-based Conception Nurseries.

Recent notable milestones
include:
● Recipient of the Ready to Invest™ award at The Arcview Group‘s inaugural Investor
Intelligence Conference.
● Selected as exclusive nursery for COOKIES Fam Genetics for California and Oregon
markets
● Over $40M raised since inception in 2019.

"One Hitters Compilation – Volume 1"

In this fast-paced compilation episode of Highly Enlightened, host Jon Purow hits the road—capturing quick, insightful interviews with leading voices across the cannabis industry. Filmed at MJ Unpacked Missouri 2024, the WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025, and the Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight, this lineup showcases perspectives from founders, marketers, security experts, and more. These "One Hitters" may be short, but they pack a punch—perfect for a snapshot of where cannabis is going next.

Featured Guests (in order of appearance):

1. Precious Osagie-Erise
Founder, Precious Cannabis Co.
📍 Filmed at WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025

2. Corey Bix
Director of Business Development, Silverstar Protection Group
📍 Filmed at MJ Unpacked Missouri 2024

3. Tawnie Scarborough
Principal, Fox Foot Inc.
📍 Filmed at WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025

4. Amna Shamim
Director of Content Marketing, The Cannabis Community
📍 Filmed at WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025

5. Tor Hamer
CEO, Green Nexus
📍 Filmed at WomenGrow Leadership Summit 2025

6. Ben Burstein
Corporate Development Manager, LeafLink
📍 Filmed at Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight

7. Sarah Trent
Founder & CEO, Valley Wellness NJ
📍 Filmed at Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight

8. David Zelinger
Partner, Canis Major Partners
📍 Filmed at Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight

9. Bran Noonan
CEO, OGeez!
📍 Filmed at Benzinga New Jersey Cannabis Market Spotlight

Host:
Jon Purow

Ricky Williams won a Heisman Trophy at Texas and rushed for over 10,000 yards in 11 NFL seasons. 

He is now the President and Co-Founder of Highsman, a lifestyle brand that Ricky personally curates from the cannabis to the accessories.  Ricky launched Highsman to provide communities of sports fans and herb enthusiasts everywhere with a platform to own their relationship with cannabis and its ability to unlock true, personal greatness. 

Highsman merged with a hemp brand based out of North Carolina, which has extended Highsman’s reach nationwide into hemp products, as well as the state-licensed markets that it is expanding further into.

Bryan Gerber ("King of Cones") is the founder and CEO of HARA Supply, directly operating over 250,000 square feet of the highest-quality pre-rolled cone production using the world’s finest European rolling papers. 

It spans 15 facilities with over 4,000 personnel based in India, along with HQ office and warehouse located in Las Vegas, NV. They currently produce over a billion pre-rolled cones per year for the cannabis industry’s largest entities. 

Gerber is also the founder and CEO of HARA Brands, a four-time inc. 5000 company, which includes: Hemper, the largest subscription business in the cannabis industry with more than 1 million boxes sold, as well as Hemper Tech and Goody Glass, providing high quality smoking accessories and related products. 

Jonathan Black is an accomplished business attorney and entrepreneur, with experience in real estate, entertainment, tech, retail, cannabis, and law. Jonathan earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of San Diego and after completing law school, he founded Weston Law Group PC.

In 2010, he took on the role as compliance director and advisor. As compliance director and advisor, the company gained larger government contracts and greatly expanded their employee and consumer bandwidth.

Since 2012 Jonathan has established a real estate fund with over 200 million in assets, and produced two films in Hollywood.

In 2019, Jonathan became the COO of MediaJel, a cannabis Adtech company. With multiple successive exits Jonathan still retains ownership and board positions in companies he has founded or been an executive with.

Jonathan resides in the Bay Area with his amazing wife and three beautiful children.

Socrates Rosenfeld is the Co-Founder and CEO of Jane Technologies. A U.S. Army veteran and former Apache helicopter commander, he turned to cannabis to help re-acclimate to civilian life after leaving active duty in 2011.

Frustrated by the lack of legal access in Massachusetts and the unreliable black market, he co-founded Jane Technologies with his brother Abraham to create a trusted e-commerce solution for cannabis retailers.

Since its 2017 launch, Jane has become the industry’s leading digital provider, powering over 2,500 dispensaries and brands across 39 U.S. states and Canada with e-commerce, market analytics, payments, and point-of-sale technologies.

Under Socrates' leadership, Jane has earned recognition from Forbes’ The Cannabis 42.0 (2023), Inc. Power Partner (2023), and Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 (2022), while also being featured at major industry events like SXSW and MJBizCon.

Before founding Jane, Socrates was an associate at McKinsey & Company, and he holds a degree from the United States Military Academy as well as an MBA in entrepreneurship from MIT.

Tiffany Chin has 13 years of experience in the entertainment space, working with world famous talent including Snoop Dogg, Eddie Murphy, and Martha Stewart. She has helped artists and talent traverse out of their traditional lane(s) of fame by way of strategic branding partnerships, including brands such as Adidas, AirBnB, Reddit, Tanqueray, Netflix and HBO.

In working closely with Snoop Dogg, Chin co-founded Casa Verde Capital in 2014, as well as Leafs By Snoop (LBS) in 2015, the first widely available celebrity cannabis brand and Snoop Dogg’s first venture into the branded cannabis space.

Chin guest lectures at UCLA for MBA marketing classes, and has consulted with many cannabis agencies and brands – and most recently debuted the Death Row Records Cannabis line in California in 2023. In 2024, Chin launched two cannabis shops alongside Snoop Dogg named S.W.E.D. – which stands for Smoke Weed Every Day (one in Inglewood and a coffeeshop in Amsterdam). She received her business degree at the Wharton School of Business from the University of Pennsylvania.

In this episode of Highly Informed, host John Puro speaks with Michael Johnson, CEO of Metrc, the leading provider of cannabis regulatory technology in the U.S. With over 345,000 users, Metrc's solutions ensure the safety and security of the legal cannabis market by tracking products from growth to sale.

Michael discusses the challenges of cannabis regulation, the importance of compliance, and how technology fosters trust and confidence among consumers. Drawing on his extensive experience in scaling tech businesses and driving growth at Metrc, he shares valuable insights into the future of the cannabis industry.

About Michael Johnson: Michael Johnson is the CEO of Metrc, the foremost provider of cannabis regulatory technology in the United States. Under his leadership, Metrc has become a trusted partner for ensuring the safety and security of the nation’s legal cannabis market, serving over 345,000 users across various sectors, including growers, dispensaries, and law enforcement. With a strong background in scaling hyper-growth technology businesses, Michael has a proven track record of driving significant organizational growth and efficiency. Prior to joining Metrc, he served as CFO of InformedDNA and CM Group, where he implemented strategic initiatives that led to sustained growth and profitability. A certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Michael is committed to shaping the future of the cannabis industry.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Setting the Stage

01:06 The Role of Metric in the Cannabis Industry

06:03 Proactive vs. Reactive: Metric's Approach

12:10 Customer Experience and Internal Metrics

17:52 Leadership Insights and Personal Experiences

23:53 Success Stories and Compliance Challenges

29:48 Emerging Technologies and Future Trends

37:47 Predictions for the Cannabis Industry

Guest:

Michael Johnson, CEO of Metrc, https://www.metrc.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-johnson-41458115/

Host:

Jon Purow, Partner - Greenspoon Marder

https://www.gmlaw.com/attorneys/jon-purow/

Peter Barsoom, founder and CEO of 1906, discusses the mission of his cannabis edibles company and the importance of ending the prohibition of cannabis. He explains how 1906 products are designed to mimic the effects of smoking cannabis, with a focus on fast-acting, specific effects, and high-quality ingredients. Barsoom also discusses the incorporation of minor cannabinoids and other supplemental ingredients to create a personalized entourage effect. He emphasizes the importance of innovation and rethinking traditional products, such as pills and gummies, to make them more consumer-friendly. Barsoom predicts that the future of the cannabis industry involves online sales and a distinction between high-dose cannabis sold in dispensaries and low-dose cannabis sold online.

Takeaways:

• 1906 products are designed to mimic the effects of smoking cannabis, with a focus on fast-acting, specific effects, and high-quality ingredients.
• Incorporating minor cannabinoids and other supplemental ingredients creates a personalized entourage effect.
• Rethinking traditional products, such as pills and gummies, can make them more consumer-friendly.
• The future of the cannabis industry involves online sales and a distinction between high-dose cannabis sold in dispensaries and low-dose cannabis sold online.

Guest:

Peter Barsoom, Co-Founder and CEO of 1906 https://1906.shop/pages/about

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pbarsoom/

Host: Jon Purow, Partner - Greenspoon Marder

https://www.gmlaw.com/attorneys/jon-purow/

#cannabis, #edibles, #prohibition, #effects, #smoking, #fast-acting, #specific #effects, #high-quality #ingredients, #cannabisinsider #cannabinoids, #entourage #effect, #innovation, #pills, #gummies, #onlineshopping, #sales, #dispensaries, #low-dosecannabis

In this episode of the Highly Informed, Mattio Communications Rosie Mattio and host Jon Purow talk about the evolution of Mattio Communications and the cannabis industry - its past,present and future.

Guest:

Rosie Mattio

Founder & CEO of Mattio Communications

Host:

Jon Purow, Partner - Greenspoon Marder

https://www.gmlaw.com/attorneys/jon-purow/