Tag Archives: business analysis

A Q&A With Christian Hageseth: Innovate or Die

By Aaron G. Biros
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Christian Hageseth, founder of American Cannabis Partners, Green Man Cannabis and the Colorado Cannabis Ranch and author of “Big Weed,” gave a presentation at the recent High Times Business Summit titled “Innovate or Die.” During the session, he discussed at length why industry leadership in innovation is key in determining the progress and growth of the cannabis industry.

Christian Hageseth, founder of American Cannabis Partners
Christian Hageseth, founder of American Cannabis Partners

His company, Green Man Cannabis, has won the Cannabis Cup four times and he has been a partner at five dispensaries and six grow operations. He is currently a partner at two dispensaries and two grow operations and he is a founding partner of a medical research group in Israel. Christian Hageseth has years of experience working with cannabis in a number of capacities that has culminated in a keen eye for understanding the cannabis industry. We sat down with Hageseth to learn more about some of his expectations for the industry’s future.


 

Cannabis Industry Journal: Can you discuss why you decided to take your research group to Israel?

Christian Hageseth: Obviously the United States has barriers to medical research on the plant, so it is seriously lacking the ability to discover more about the plant. We know the NIH [National Institutes of Health] has been helping Dr. Raphael Mechoulam in Israel to study cannabis and THC for the past 35 years, even though this is not permitted in the United States. Israel is willing to allow the research in an open format. We will be able to get an independent review board and the ability to work with institutions in Israel.

Christian Hageseth, founder of American Cannabis Partners, Green Man Cannabis and the Colorado Cannabis Ranch and author of "Big Weed"
Christian Hageseth, founder of American Cannabis Partners, Green Man Cannabis and the Colorado Cannabis Ranch and author of “Big Weed”

CIJ: What kind of research are you looking to accomplish?

Christian: We are researching what cannabis formulation and delivery mechanism would work better than what is available for certain ailments. The research should initiate in March with the goal of reaching clinical trials in the future. We are looking to study the treatment of five ailments with cannabis: migraines, joint pain, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome and psoriasis.

CIJ: How do you think your research will help people?

Christian: I own dispensaries, and I see people come in and ask for advice on how to treat their insomnia or migraines all the time. We want to be able to recommend something that will accurately treat them. Simply recommending an indica or sativa strain is such a hollow answer for people that are actually in physical pain and need precise treatment. We want to be able to provide the real answers to people seeking help.

The Colorado Cannabis Ranch will be the first cultivation center in Colorado to offer educational tours, similar to a brewery or winery
The Colorado Cannabis Ranch will be the first cultivation center in Colorado to offer educational tours, similar to a brewery or winery

CIJ: Switching gears a little, how is progress on the Colorado Cannabis Ranch?

Christian: We are ready to break ground on the Colorado Cannabis Ranch (the Weedery) in the beginning of March this year. We expect greenhouses at the Ranch to be operational by July along with a summer concert series a little later.

CIJ: Looking at the cannabis industry as a whole, where do you think innovation will come from in the near future?

Christian: Emerging medical technologies will have the greatest impact on the industry. Nanoparticle delivery systems for sublingual drug delivery are one example of biotechnology that I foresee having a major impact. I can expect some major innovations in some of the process technology around extraction. The technology around extracting specific and separate cannabinoids in particular will get refined more and more. The industry as a whole and market expansion will be driven by product development.

Analyzing National Trends for Marijuana Policy: Q&A with Matt Karnes

By Aaron G. Biros, Matthew A. Karnes, CPA
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According to Matthew Karnes, founder and managing partner of GreenWave Advisors, LLC, looking toward the growth of the cannabis industry requires analysis of the changes in state and federal laws. “Eventual rescheduling or de-listing of marijuana as a federally prohibited drug, will hopefully lead to consistent and uniform national regulation and taxing authorizations that will ultimately change the structural and economic landscape of the industry,” says Karnes in an article here.COLOR-PIC-200x300

Looking at the sales trends in current legal states is a viable option to make financial projections, but much of that relies on the changing legal and political landscape of our country. According to Karnes, because it is impossible to accurately predict federal rescheduling or full legalization, investors must look at short, medium and long term trends to guide their decision making process. Cannabis Industry Journal sat down with Matthew Karnes to discuss some of the foreseeable trends.


 

Cannabis Industry Journal: What are some of the trends happening presently, that you can expect to continue?

Matthew Karnes: Just as states continue to pass legislation in some form of legalization measure, there is talk at the federal level of minimizing interference with state policies and removing prohibition statutes. We can see this national progression continuing until rescheduling cannabis eliminates the current obstructions that have limited industry growth.

Where states continue to roll out legislation to legalize cannabis, the rate of retail and cultivation license granting will have a large effect on the growth rates for each given state. Free market approaches as seen in Colorado and California will allow for faster growth rates than more restrictive states.

Recreational and adult use measures being introduced are notable disruptions in the medical sector that once fueled legalization. Medical research and development of strains for specific ailments is still in its early stages due to the impact of federal policy on research.

With an eye forward to eventual federal rescheduling or possible de-listing it is reasonable to assume that uniform national testing and operational standardization protocols will eventually be implemented at least as a baseline binding thread that will steadfastly assure consumers of an expectant consistency of product.

CIJ: Where do you see medium term trends taking the industry?

Matt: With more and more states legalizing cannabis in some form, we can expect the federal government to make a policy change. This will be accomplished via a DEA policy change or through congressional avenues in conjunction with federal agencies like the FDA, USDA and Department of Agriculture administering regulations.

With FDA or Department of Agriculture implementing cannabis policies, we can expect increased interest from outside the industry in research and development of cannabis-based drugs. This will lead to a medical market with more targeted medicine with precise dosing. We can expect more physicians to gain comfort in treating ailments with cannabis as well.

The recreational market will expand greatly with normalized commerce, enabling larger cultivation operations and infused products brands could grow to the national scale with interstate commerce.

CIJ: Where do you see the industry going long term?

Matt: When the cannabis industry matures down the road, we can expect multiple offshoots occurring. The recreational industry will involve local, regional and national policy much like the alcohol industry, and will likely resemble a liquor store model with individual “mom and pop” type businesses.

We anticipate that the medical market will recalibrate as more targeted products with precise dosing and efficacy are developed. At that point it will experience increased competition and consolidation. Without medical research and clinical trials, we cannot accurately project the growth of the medical sector.

Regulations involving tax revenue will most likely use a similar mechanism that states use for alcohol and tobacco taxation. Entities like state liquor control boards will oversee cannabis regulations. When that time comes, the cannabis industry will no longer be a novel idea and will become another conventional ‘consumer staple.’