The Hybrid

Cannabis reporter Jeremy Berke on the press, the backlash, and why the industry is losing the public argument, on The Hybrid, the cannabis policy podcast hosted by two former state regulators.

Shawn Collins and Erik Gundersen sit down with Jeremy Berke, founder and editor-in-chief of Cultivated and senior editor at Moby. Jeremy built the cannabis beat at Business Insider and covered the industry through the boom and the bust before going independent at the end of 2022. He talks about how a Toronto teenager ended up on this beat, what it took to convince a national business outlet that cannabis was worth covering, and why he left anyway.

The conversation turns to the press and the policy fight. Jeremy tells two former regulators what he wishes agencies understood about reporters, explains why he pushed back when Axios grouped legal cannabis with sports betting and pornography, and argues the industry keeps winning narrow fights while losing the case for legalization.

Also: rescheduling, the hemp fight, and the Massachusetts ballot question that would repeal adult use.

Subscribe to Cultivated, Jeremy's daily cannabis newsletter: https://www.cultivated.news/upgrade

The Hybrid is hosted by Shawn Collins, founding Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, and Erik Gundersen, founding Director of the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy. Each episode brings conversations on cannabis policy, regulation, hemp, and the marijuana industry with the people shaping it.

Follow so you never miss an episode, and leave a rating if this conversation stayed with you.

Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams opens up about cannabis, social anxiety, and the NFL on The Hybrid, the cannabis policy podcast hosted by two former state regulators.

Shawn Collins and Erik Gundersen sit down with Ricky Williams, founder of the cannabis lifestyle brand Highsman and co-founder of Project Champion, along with Project Champion President Gretchen Gailey. Ricky shares the story most people never heard: the night at the University of Texas that changed his relationship with the plant on the way to the Heisman and the NCAA rushing record, the social anxiety diagnosis that finally gave his struggle a name, his years as the face of Paxil, and the decision to walk away from the NFL at the peak of his career. He describes the education that followed, from Ayurveda and herbal medicine to yoga teacher training in India, and how it shaped the healer and entrepreneur he became.

The second half turns to cannabis policy. Gretchen explains how Project Champion brought Ricky, Jim McMahon, and Kyle Turley together as a bipartisan coalition of former professional athletes lobbying for cannabis and hemp reform, including the Texas hemp fight, federal rescheduling, and the Massachusetts ballot question that would repeal adult use legalization. Ricky and the hosts also dig into celebrity cannabis brands, consumer trust, athlete health, and what state regulations get wrong from the perspective of a multi-state brand founder.

Learn more about Project Champion and support their work: https://www.projectchampion.org

The Hybrid is hosted by Shawn Collins, founding Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, and Erik Gundersen, founding Director of the Maine Office of Cannabis Policy. Each episode brings conversations on cannabis policy, regulation, hemp, and the marijuana industry with the people shaping it.

Follow The Hybrid so you never miss an episode, and leave a rating if this conversation stayed with you.

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies sit down with Eric Taubel of the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management for a conversation about regulating three cannabis markets at once - and what happens to the most mainstream of them when the federal hemp ban takes effect in November.

Minnesota legalized adult-use cannabis in 2023, but what it built is unlike any other state: a brand-new agency overseeing a new adult-use market, an existing medical program, and a lower-potency hemp market that was already in breweries, liquor stores, and Target before the first dispensary opened. Three years in, the stores are open, the license numbers are in, and the product that made Minnesota the center of the cannabis conversation is about to become federally illegal.

Eric joins The Hybrid to talk about his path from general counsel at the Minnesota Department of Education to employee number six at OCM, why the office looked like the biggest state project since the Obamacare exchanges, and how the first hundred days were spent rewriting the bill, hiring the lawyers who would draft the rules, and sequencing the work as agency first, rules second, market third. The conversation walks through what that sequencing cost and what it bought: pressure from every direction during a rollout every headline still calls tumultuous, why Eric treats "it's taking too long" as a criticism of a goal he never shared, and the early returns - more than 325 licenses issued, 75 percent of them micro businesses, and 43 percent held by verified social equity operators.

Shawn, Erik, and Eric also dig into the hemp story: how a divided legislature "accidentally" legalized THC beverages in 2022, why Minnesota's breweries had a ready-made product and distribution system waiting, who the hemp consumer really is, why the state refuses to regulate vestibules and triple ID checks, and what the November 12 ban actually changes - the products are legal the day before and the day after; what changes is every business's risk calculation, and OCM built a licensed landing spot for hemp operators before the ban was even signed.

From there, the conversation turns to social equity beyond the license: a $15 million-a-year community reinvestment fund, automatic expungement that worked so fast applicants could not find their own records, plain-language guidance written for a sixth-grade reading level, a three-person customer service desk that answered 14,000 calls last year, and the moment every regulator reaches when the market has to start organizing itself.

This episode is about Minnesota, but it is also about every state asking whether cannabis, hemp, and medical belong in separate markets - and what it takes to turn a statute into one.

Learn more about the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management at https://mn.gov/ocm

🎧 New episodes drop regularly. Follow @TheHybridPod on Instagram for updates.

🔎 Topics: Minnesota cannabis, Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management, Eric Taubel, cannabis regulation, cannabis policy, adult-use cannabis, medical cannabis, hemp THC, THC beverages, hemp ban, federal hemp ban, micro business license, cannabis licensing, social equity, community reinvestment, expungement, craft cannabis, market launch, cannabis agency, legalization, The Hybrid podcast

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies sit down with Ryan Dominguez of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition for a conversation about Question 8, the November ballot measure that would repeal adult-use cannabis legalization in Massachusetts.

Ten years after voters passed Question 4, Massachusetts has one of the most established cannabis markets in the country: hundreds of licensed businesses, tens of thousands of jobs, and hundreds of millions of dollars flowing to state programs and host communities. Question 8 would unwind it — and make Massachusetts the first state ever to dismantle a functioning, regulated adult-use market by popular vote.

Ryan joins The Hybrid to talk about his path from the State House to founding the Coalition, how the repeal effort qualified for the ballot while much of the industry was not paying attention, and what we know about the out-of-state organization and funding behind it. The conversation walks through exactly what Question 8 would do: what a yes vote and a no vote actually mean, the rollback of possession limits, the recriminalization of home grow, and why repeal would devastate the medical program along with the adult-use market it targets — roughly 80 percent of the market, and medical deserts for patients across the Commonwealth.

Shawn, Erik, and Ryan also dig into what is at stake: more than 20,000 jobs, roughly $300 million a year in tax revenue, a $30-million-a-year Social Equity Trust Fund, and the life savings of small business owners with no federal bankruptcy protections to fall back on.

From there, the conversation turns to the campaign itself: how Stop the Repeal is building a grassroots education effort in a low-turnout year, why communities that currently prohibit cannabis retail may decide the outcome, the danger of complacency among supporters of legalization, what businesses and listeners can do to help, and Ryan's message for undecided voters.

This episode is about Massachusetts, but it is also about every legal state: if repeal works here, it will not stay here.

Take the pledge, volunteer, or get campaign materials at https://NoOn8MA.com

🎧 New episodes drop regularly. Follow @TheHybridPod on Instagram for updates.

🔎 Topics: Massachusetts cannabis, Question 8, cannabis repeal, Stop the Repeal, Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition, Ryan Dominguez, cannabis legalization, ballot question, adult-use cannabis, medical cannabis, possession limits, home grow, social equity, Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund, cannabis jobs, cannabis tax revenue, host communities, voter education, cannabis policy, cannabis regulation, The Hybrid podcast

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies sit down with Christina Dempsey of the California Department of Cannabis Control for a conversation about the future of cannabis regulation.

California is the largest cannabis market in the country, but it is also one of the most complicated: a long medical cannabis history, a deep legacy market, local control, public safety concerns, industry compliance challenges, and constant pressure from both state and federal policy developments.

Christina joins The Hybrid to talk about her path into cannabis regulation, her work at California DCC, and what it takes to help oversee a market this large and complex. The conversation covers California’s regulatory evolution, coordination across agencies, the realities of legislative and policy work, and the role of public trust in cannabis oversight.

The episode also explores California’s use of technology, including the Cannabis Product Image Analyzer, an AI-powered tool designed to help assess cannabis labels, packaging, and marketing for potential child-appealing features. Shawn, Erik, and Christina discuss what AI can do in a regulatory setting, what it cannot do, and why human judgment still matters.

From there, the conversation turns to rescheduling, interstate commerce, federal and state policy uncertainty, and how regulators should prepare for a future where cannabis markets may eventually become more connected across state lines.

Finally, Christina joins Shawn and Erik for The Regulator Draft, where each person identifies foundational policies they would prioritize if they were building a cannabis regulatory system from scratch.

🎧 New episodes drop regularly. Follow @TheHybridPod on Instagram for updates.

🔎 Topics: California cannabis, cannabis regulation, California Department of Cannabis Control, Christina Dempsey, cannabis policy, AI in cannabis oversight, Cannabis Product Image Analyzer, cannabis labeling, cannabis packaging, interstate commerce, rescheduling, cannabis testing, track-and-trace, social equity, data transparency, public safety, consumer protection, The Hybrid podcast

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies go guest-free for a looser, host-only episode of The Hybrid about the messy middle of cannabis legalization.

The conversation starts in Virginia, where adults can legally possess cannabis but still do not have a regulated adult-use retail market. Shawn and Erik unpack what happens when legalization moves faster than implementation, why legal possession without legal access creates an unfinished policy framework, and how delay can make the eventual regulatory job even harder.

From there, they play “Would You Rather Regulate?” and work through a series of uncomfortable cannabis policy choices: oversupply versus market concentration, THC beverages versus consumption lounges, hated seed-to-sale systems versus limited market visibility, lab integrity issues versus youth-appeal packaging, and legislatures that either change the law constantly or refuse to fix obvious problems.

This episode is a little more fun, a little more unfiltered, and still grounded in the real work of cannabis regulation: enforcement, product safety, market design, political pressure, and the tradeoffs that come with building a system in public.

🎧 New episodes drop regularly. Follow @TheHybridPod on Instagram for updates.

🔎 Topics: cannabis legalization, cannabis regulation, Virginia cannabis, adult-use cannabis, cannabis retail, market structure, oversupply, hemp beverages, THC beverages, consumption lounges, seed-to-sale tracking, cannabis testing, packaging, cannabis policy, The Hybrid podcast

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies sit down with Adria Berry, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, to talk about regulating one of the most closely watched cannabis markets in the country.

Adria reflects on stepping into Oklahoma’s medical marijuana program during a period of explosive growth, enforcement pressure, and public scrutiny. The conversation explores what it took to build OMMA into a standalone agency, how the state responded to oversupply and illicit market concerns, and what regulators actually confront when an industry matures in real time.

They also discuss the changing relationship between state and federal cannabis policy, the implications of Schedule III, and what Adria has learned serving as President of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA).

This episode is a candid look at leadership, public service, and the difficult balance between access, enforcement, and accountability in modern cannabis regulation.

🎧 New episodes drop regularly. Follow @TheHybridPod on Instagram for updates.

🔎 Topics: Oklahoma cannabis, OMMA, cannabis regulation, enforcement, illicit market, Schedule III, cannabis policy, CANNRA, medical marijuana, The Hybrid podcast

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies sit down with Willy Vlasic, founder of Vlasic Labs, to talk about building a cannabis brand with a name people already trust.

Willy shares how he came up in cannabis from the ground level, why he chose not to chase the intoxicating hemp boom, and what it takes to build something durable in a fragmented, highly regulated market. The conversation also explores how cannabis compares to traditional consumer brands and where the industry is heading next.

They also discuss Willy’s commitment to criminal justice reform through the Last Prisoner Project, including his advocacy around the case of jailed basketball player Jarred Shaw.

🎧 New episodes drop regularly. Follow @TheHybridPod on Instagram for updates.

🔎 Topics: cannabis industry, hemp vs cannabis, CBD, brand building, consumer trust, cannabis policy, criminal justice reform, Vlasic Labs, The Hybrid podcast

https://www.lastprisonerproject.org/

https://www.forgottenprisoner.org/

https://freedomgrow.org/

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies sit down with Jacques Santucci, founder of Opus Consulting, to unpack a side of the cannabis industry that rarely makes the headlines but is becoming increasingly common as markets mature: financial distress.

Cannabis businesses are operating in a demanding environment. Wholesale prices have compressed in many states, capital has tightened, taxes remain high, and regulatory costs continue to shape the economics of running a licensed operation. Even capable operators can find themselves under serious pressure.

Jacques works directly inside those moments. Through Opus Consulting, he advises cannabis companies, lenders, and investors on strategy, restructuring, and receiverships when businesses need to stabilize operations, protect assets, or prepare for sale.

The conversation walks through why cannabis companies end up in distress, the warning signs owners often ignore too long, and how receiverships actually work inside a licensed and highly regulated industry. They also explore the role regulators play when a cannabis license holder runs into financial trouble and what policymakers should understand about the realities of distressed operators.

They close by stepping back from individual cases to look at what the rise in restructurings says about the cannabis industry more broadly, including consolidation, operational discipline, and the next phase of market maturity.

🎧 New episodes drop regularly. Follow @TheHybridPod on Instagram for updates.

🔎 Topics: cannabis industry restructuring, cannabis receiverships, distressed cannabis companies, cannabis business strategy, cannabis regulation, cannabis finance, regulated markets, industry consolidation, Opus Consulting, The Hybrid podcast

Shawn Collins of THC Group and Erik Gundersen of ERG Strategies sit down with Mackenzie Slade of Cannabis Public Policy Consulting (CPPC) to unpack a phrase that gets thrown around in every cannabis hearing and rulemaking: “evidence-based policy.”

They get specific. What does evidence look like when the best data is observational, the politics is loud, and the market evolves faster than regulators can write rules? The conversation moves through cannabis regulatory science, including emerging work using AI to approximate human affect ratings of cannabis imagery, and what that could mean for advertising review, compliance, and defensibility.

From there, they dig into randomized controlled trials and why trial design matters for policy levers that actually move behavior, including taxes, labeling, and consumer trust. Switzerland’s adult-use public health experiments come up as a case study in what policy looks like when government treats research as infrastructure, not window dressing.

They close with hemp through late 2026. Demand exists. Channels are shifting. Definitions and enforcement will decide who captures the spend, and who gets squeezed.

Referenced in this episode:
AI Study (medRxiv preprint): https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.14.25339699
Swiss RCT Study Design (Frontiers in Psychiatry): https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1139325
Swiss RCT Outcomes (Addiction): https://doi.org/10.1111/add.70080
Verasight (representative sampling firm): https://www.verasight.io/

🎧 New episodes drop regularly. Follow @TheHybridPod on Instagram for updates.

🔎 Topics: cannabis regulatory science, evidence-based policy, AI and compliance, cannabis advertising rules, randomized controlled trials, policy experimentation, labeling and consumer trust, hemp-derived THC, market demand, regulatory governance, CPPC, The Hybrid podcast