In October, Kentucky will hold a lottery to see which of the thousands of applicants will receive the state’s several dozen highly-coveted medical cannabis licenses. In the latest Weed Wonks, Jordan Wellington hosts Sam Flynn, Executive Director of the Kentucky Medical Cannabis Program, for a look at the steps the Bluegrass State has taken to build a medical marijuana market that focuses both on patient access and ensuring the economic viability of the market for the state’s cannabis companies. The two also discuss the importance of adult education and how Kentucky has looked at the experience of other states to build a medical cannabis market that will work for patients and businesses alike.

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In the latest Weed Wonks, Jordan Wellington and Mason Tvert of Strategies 64 host NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano for a look back at the last few decades of cannabis politics and policy reform and what it took to get where we are today. The three cannabis policy veterans discuss the subjectivity of marijuana’s “potential for abuse,” the critical role played by public perception, and why cannabis rescheduling would be the biggest shift in cannabis policy — ever.

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In the latest Weed Wonks, Jordan Wellington hosts top Colorado marijuana regulator and CANNRA President Dominique Mendiola for an in-depth talk about the long and winding road of cannabis policy, how policy has been shaped by the past decade of legal cannabis, how policymakers have become more data-driven, and how the experience of legal cannabis policy is shaping the state’s alternative medicine initiative.  

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The agency in charge of regulating cannabis in Massachusetts is facing heightened scrutiny from the media and the governor. Weed Wonks host Jordan Wellington is joined by attorney Adam Fine of Vicente LLP’s Boston office for a discussion about the criticism levied at the Cannabis Control Commission, the firm’s successful lawsuit to allow maritime transport of legal cannabis, and why regulatory agencies shouldn’t be afraid to fail and make big moves.

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In the second half of a two-part Weed Wonks episode ahead of the International Cannabis Bar Association’s annual Cannabis Law Institute conference, Jordan Wellington hosts INCBA Board Member Amber Littlejohn, who is of counsel at Ice Miller, and Mitzi Vaughn, shareholder at Karr Tuttle Campbell, for a talk about the policy implications of rescheduling, why incremental process is so important for cannabis legalization and normalization, and the difference between cannabis policies that sound good and those that will actually be effective.

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In the first of a two-part Weed Wonks episode ahead of the International Cannabis Bar Association’s annual Cannabis Law Institute conference, INCBA Board President Jason Horst and 1906 Chief Legal Officer Shabnam Malek discuss the legal complexities of a federally illegal industry, trademark law in the cannabis sector, and what it means when lawyers “find their tribe” in the cannabis space.

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Earlier this year, Germany became the first European country to legalize cannabis for adult use, sparking excitement across the continent and around the cannabis world. What will legal marijuana look like in Europe's largest economy? And how will it compare to legalization in the U.S.? Jordan Wellington hosts Lewis Koski, Chief Strategy Officer at Metrc and a former Colorado cannabis regulator, for an in-depth talk about what cannabis regulation will look like in Germany, how German cannabis cultivation clubs will work, and what the country can learn from Colorado and other states that have already legalized.

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The promise of marijuana tax revenue was a key selling point for legalization, and it continues to be a major policy issue for the regulated cannabis industry. It is also a pain point for many businesses, as well as the consumers they serve. 

In this Weed Wonks episode, Jordan Wellington hosts Nick Richards, Partner at Greenspoon Marder LLP for a deep dive into the tax policies surrounding cannabis and what a lack of guidance and no shortage of trial and error has meant for the cannabis industry.

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What can the cannabis world learn from U.S. federal regulation of the e-cigarette industry? In this episode of Weed Wonks, host Jordan Wellington talks with Douglas Fischer, general counsel for Advanced Vapor Devices, about regulatory challenges the e-cigarette industry has faced and what they may portend for the cannabis industry following federal legalization. They also discuss the importance of sensible federal oversight and how regulatory failure can lead to market failure. 

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In this episode, Jordan Wellington hosts Kimberly Roy of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission for a talk on how the state is educating veterans and other consumers, both young and old, about cannabis. They also discuss the recent state-issued pardons for cannabis offenses, efforts to “keep things honest” when it comes to cannabis testing, and the steps being taken to level the playing field for legal cannabis in the Commonwealth.

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