Plant Prophets

We’re happy to welcome back a return guest to Plant Prophets. He is a seasoned Canadian capital markets executive with experience in building and managing public companies in emerging industries. He runs researching and developing new ways of distilling and purifying mushrooms in order to harness their healing properties.

The first product from Psyched Wellness, Stevens told High Times, is slated to be a tincture made from Amanita muscaria, likely “the most recognized mushroom in the world. If you think of Alice in Wonderland, Super Mario Brothers, even the emoji on your telephone is likely an Amanita.”

Another Canadian company is positioning itself to be ready to offer consumer products manufactured from psychotropic fungus. Dubbed Psyched Wellness, the firm is preparing to file a listing statement with regulators this week and hopes to be trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange by this summer, according to CEO Jeff Stevens.

Queen Mary is a brand designed for today’s everyday women which focuses on the Professional Woman and Stay-at-Home mom. They are reinventing the old cliché’ that marijuana is a drug reserved for stoners to sit around behind closed doors and simply just get high. Today’s woman has so much on her plate, the pressure of her responsibilities and obligations can become overwhelming. 

Over the last two decades alone the rise in the use of prescribed depressants, stimulants, and opiates has led to addictions and overdoses at an alarming rate. Having witnessed this destruction in our own family, Queen Mary is a brand designed to give women back their power and vivify their day.

Whether you need stress relief, a boost of energy, or help to get a good night's sleep Queen Mary is more than a brand it’s a homage to today’s woman. It’s time to straighten our crowns and be queen.

Andrew Freedman made history in 2014 when then-Governor John Hickenlooper tapped him to become Colorado’s cannabis czar, in charge of implementing the world’s first adult-use cannabis market. Since then, he has advised 17 different governments in establishing their cannabis regulatory frameworks.

The Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation's (CPEAR) mission is to advance a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for cannabis. The coalition consists of members representing regulated industries, academics, think tanks, public safety officials, medical and mental health professionals, financial services firms, and social equity organizations, all of whom are developing policies and building a national conversation on the federal regulation of cannabis. 

Together this coalition strives to be a trusted, science-driven resource for lawmakers and the larger stakeholder community as we collaborate to develop responsible policies that provide access to cannabis while protecting consumers and patients, barring underage use, upholding public health and safety, and promoting equity.

Our next guest is a highly respected expert on equity and inclusion in the cannabis industry and has advised cannabis investors, government regulators, entrepreneurs, and businesses on policy, business development, and community impact. She now has joined one of the prominent voices of America's regulated cannabis industry. Jordana Taylor serves as the Director of Membership Relations at the US Cannabis Council. She is committed to creating member experiences that continue to drive value to the member while supporting the mission of her organization.

Her previous roles have been in association membership with NASPA: Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, Marymount University, and George Washington University. Jordana’s work has included the revitalization and management of a student ambassador and campus visit program, events management, CRM implementation and training, and leadership training for campus leaders on engagement with prospective students, families, and area organizations to bring college visibility, services, and access to high school campuses through mentoring programs and pathways to college programming. 

Our next guest has over twenty-one years of experience in the hydroponic, aeroponic, aquaponic, and many traditional growing practices of cannabis. Morgan was raised in a multigenerational farming family, focused on produce and tobacco. After studying horticulture at Auburn University, Morgan began growing cannabis in California. Morgan has over twenty-one years of experience in the hydroponic, aeroponic, aquaponic, and many traditional growing practices of cannabis. 

Morgan has vast experience in the agronomics of cannabis, providing his expertise in the nutritional blending for cannabis feed, both in soil and hydroponic applications. Most of his over twenty years of experience in cannabis has been spent consulting on commercial grow operations, including the cultivation of the plants, through the extraction of specific cannabinoids within those cannabis varieties. 

Morgan is sought after by many in the hemp and cannabis industry to consult on growing operations and extraction facilities. Morgan has a vast knowledge of herbal blending into product lines and an understanding of which herbs and natural plants work best together to provide the desired outcome in the final natural product. 

Our next guest’s company has been proclaimed the Backbone of Legal Cannabis, boasting the world's most robust regulatory supply chain technology system. We're joined by the CTO of Metrc, Sam Peterson. Peterson brings more than 25 years of experience in technology leadership and has an extensive background in executing SaaS growth strategies and software and product development. Before joining Metrc, he served as CTO at Boats Group, a Florida-based advertising and software company for the marine industry. 

In that role, Peterson led a global team of engineers and technology professionals to deliver a world-class shopping experience and big data insights to the recreational boating industry. Prior to that, he served as CTO at both Overstock and Open English, where he led their technology teams to drive the enhancement and development of the company's respective software.

Steven brings a wealth of knowledge to the cannabis industry, spending time working in Silicon Valley before transitioning to the CEO of Weedmaps and most recently as the COO of PAX. From captain in the Army to corporate America, Steven Jung has found his home in the cannabis industry and is making a splash. 

Steven Jung grew up in Northridge, California, otherwise known as the Valley in Los Angeles, a wide expanse of suburbs just east of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. He was then Head of Business Operations for LendUp, a Google-backed financial tech company based in San Francisco, before working as President and COO for Weedmaps, a leading tech and media company in the cannabis industry in Southern California.

Merida is a leading investor in public companies KushCo KSHB), GrowGeneration (GRWG), Freedom Leaf (FRLF), and category leaders New Frontier Data, Manna Molecular, Steep Hill Labs, and Mainstem. Mitch has nearly a decade of experience in the legal cannabis industry and has participated in nearly $250MM in cannabis transactions.

His cannabis career began in assisting Colorado-based legal cultivators to structure state-compliant capital transactions and develop optimal business strategies for their operations. After several years of work with Colorado companies, he co-founded Theraplant, LLC where he architected the highest-scoring application in Connecticut’s highly selective licensing process.

In 2014, he co-founded LeafLine Labs, LLC, which was one of only two Minnesota companies to win a license to cultivate and dispense cannabis in extracted form. Baruchowitz is also a founder of Maryland-based Grow West MD, one of 15 companies selected for a cultivation and dispensing license. He has also founded a Pennsylvania-based cultivator that is in the preoperational licensing stage.

Claudia Della Mora is an Investment Banking professional with financial advisory and M&A experience primarily in cannabis, with additional experience in oil & gas, mining, gaming & lodging, consumer products, and tech, with transactions ranging in size from $10 million to $6 billion. 

Ms. Della Mora is the co-founder of BLC, a financial advisory and investment firm based in Los Angeles with satellite offices in Houston, New York, London, Hong Kong, and Melbourne. 

During her tenure at BLC, she successfully invested, structured, and collaborated with over 30 cannabis companies across every vertical for business development, capital raises, and M&A transactions across the US, Canada, South America, Asia, and Australia. 

Papa & Barkley doesn't like products that use chemicals to break apart the plant and re-engineer it. Their process is solventless – completely chemical-free – and no harmful ingredients ever touch their products. Their proprietary Whole Plant Full SpectrumTM infusion process is a fancy way of saying that they let the plant do the work. With just a little heat and pressure they infuse the beneficial elements of the plant into your product. The premium Hemp Papa & Barley uses is sun-grown by USA farmers that use regenerative practices and organic principles. They hand-plant, hand-harvest, and slow-cure their cannabis without machinery.

Guy Rocourt is the Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer for Papa & Barkley, a leading California cannabis wellness company. At P&B Guy is responsible for optimizing production practices, ensuring the company complies with rigorous testing and lab standards, and developing the product roadmap as the brand continues to expand into different areas of the cannabis marketplace. Previously Guy designed and built manufactured infused product facilities (MIPs) in multiple states, making him an expert in Cannabis science, tech, strategy, and production. Due to his vast experience, he is an asset to those hoping to invest in the space. He also has experience caring for patients with Cannabis. Guy graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and is a U.S. Navy veteran.