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Quality From Canada

Inside Red Light Holland’s Plan to Bring Psilocybin Products to the Global Market

By Pam Chmiel
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Red Light Holland (CSE: TRIP) has established its foundation in the Netherlands, where psilocybin truffles, the underground sclerotia of psilocybin mushrooms, are legally permitted for cultivation and sale. The above-ground mushroom is prohibited, but the truffle is treated differently under Dutch law, despite delivering the same psychoactive effects.

“It’s really the same thing, with the same effects,” says CEO Todd Shapiro, “but because it forms underground, it can be sold in compliance with Dutch law.”

From its cultivation facility, RLH distributes truffles through a wholesale partnership to over 150 wellness shops under its brands iMicrodose and Maka. “We like to think of them as wellness shops rather than smart shops, like they are referred to in Holland,” Shapiro explains, underscoring the company’s emphasis on education, QR-code-based information, and community engagement. While regulations prevent RLH from turning truffles into edibles such as gummies or chocolates, its vacuum-sealed, raw truffles have become a steady revenue stream. “They’re a bit walnut-y,” Shapiro notes, “but they sell well and people rarely complain.”

 

Canada: Positioning for a Regulated Future                                                           In Canada, RLH is preparing for the potential regulatory shift that could pave the way for the legalization of psilocybin products. The company has already developed psilocybin gummy formulations, but for now, it only sells them as functional mushroom products that don’t contain psilocybin. This approach not only helps build brand recognition, but it also keeps the company R&D-ready, allowing it to move quickly if Health Canada establishes a legal framework for psilocybin.

 

United States: Research Partnerships for Validation                                        South of the border, RLH has partnered with Irvine Labs, a DEA-registered laboratory in California. The lab is testing RLH’s truffles, imported from the Netherlands, to confirm potency, safety, and pharmacological value. The partnership is central to RLH’s long-term vision of formulating psilocybin capsules tailored to various needs, including microdosing, therapeutic use, and wellness.

Shapiro frames the multi-pronged approach as deliberate groundwork for the future. “The Netherlands gives us a legal, revenue-generating business today. Canada positions us for tomorrow. And in the U.S., we’re laying the foundation with science so that when the regulatory environment changes, we’ll be ready.”

 

Research & Consumer Insights                                                                                In addition to building commercial distribution, Red Light Holland is investing in research that could help shape future regulations. Through its iMicrodose app, the company collects voluntary, anonymized data from consumers in the Netherlands on how they are using psilocybin truffles, whether for trauma, pain management, recreation, or general wellness. Shapiro points to a substantial interest in using psilocybin to tame menopause symptoms from their data.

 

“We ask our consumers if they’d like to participate in the app and give us data on how they’re using it,” explains Shapiro.

 

The data was analyzed in collaboration with Drug Science UK under the leadership of renowned neuroscientist Professor David Nutt, one of the most respected voices in psychedelic research and policy. The published study confirmed that RLH’s data provided meaningful evidence of consumer benefit. “A lot of it is anecdotal research, which is key research,” says Shapiro. “It’s almost like its own Phase 1.”

The findings also carried a regulatory impact. RLH presented its consumer data to lawmakers in Oregon as they developed the state’s psilocybin program, contributing to the inclusion of microdosing language in the final bill. “This was a huge win for the company,” Shapiro says. “It adds credibility, validation, and shows how we can responsibly influence policy through science-backed data.”

For RLH, consumer research serves a dual purpose: it provides a self-regulatory framework for the safe distribution of products today, and it informs the company’s plans for future formulations as regulations evolve.

 

Standardization & Medical Pathways                                                                   Red Light Holland is also working behind the scenes to prepare psilocybin for the medical market. The company has partnered with labs in both Canada and the U.S. to analyze and standardize its products, laying the groundwork for future pharmaceutical-style formulations.

In Canada, RLH has collaborated with Seacrest Laboratories in Montreal, securing multiple permits for the import of psilocybin from Health Canada. These projects have produced certificates of analysis (COAs) to understand psilocybin content better and explore standardized dosing formats. “We’re learning about the standardization of our product,” says Shapiro, “whether that eventually becomes ground into powder form or an extract. The end goal is to move toward a consistent, pill-like product for microdosing.”

In the U.S., RLH works with Irvine Labs in California, a rare FDA-approved, DEA-compliant facility, to advance similar objectives. The partnership underscores RLH’s long-term ambition: validating its Dutch truffles as a source for medical-grade psilocybin products that could one day be distributed under compassionate care or special access programs.

“It’s a slow path,” Shapiro admits. “No one would normally start a business that they could only sell in about one percent of the world. But if you want to be an outlier versus an outlaw, you take the careful approach by generating sustainable revenue in Holland while advancing science and regulations in North America.”

 

Slow and Steady                                                                                                    While regulatory doors are starting to crack open in places like Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and the Czech Republic, RLH isn’t rushing in. Shapiro is careful to point out that the company has no interest in repeating the mistakes of many cannabis operators who built massive facilities before the market was ready, only to burn through cash and collapse in oversaturated conditions. Instead, RLH is pacing itself, positioning products, standardizing formulations, and preparing for the moment commercialization becomes viable.

“It’s frustrating for some investors who want instant results,” Shapiro admits, “but the reality is we can only sell in one percent of the world right now. We’d run out of money if we tried to scale too fast. Every move has to be deliberate.”

For RLH, the mission remains steady: take psilocybin from the underground to the mainstream. Until regulations evolve, the company is committed to cautious progress, ensuring it will be ready to deliver once legalization expands.

 

Market Readiness                                                                                                       To help normalize psilocybin, RLH has leveraged functional mushrooms with its Happy Caps grow kits and mushroom gummies to establish brand awareness. Happy Caps started as homegrow kits for lion’s mane, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms, products that ended up on the shelves of Costco and other major Canadian retailers. The idea is simple: just as Canada allowed adults to grow cannabis at home after legalization, psilocybin might one day follow a similar path. If that happens, RLH will already be positioned with both the distribution channels and consumer familiarity to shift from lion’s mane to psilocybin.

More recently, RLH launched mushroom gummies in Canada made with a lion’s mane and shiitake blend. These gummies carry a Health Canada–approved NPN number, which allows the company to make validated health claims, such as immune-boosting and antioxidant properties that most competitors cannot legally advertise. Shapiro says this not only sets RLH apart in the crowded functional mushroom category, but also provides a ready-made blueprint for psilocybin gummies once regulations allow. “It’s a much easier way to consume than chewing on a raw truffle,” he explains. In other words, today’s Happy Caps gummies are tomorrow’s psilocybin edibles.

In parallel, RLH is deepening its scientific foundation through a partnership with Irvine Labs. The company has already imported truffle samples for testing, focusing on potency, shelf-life stability, and consistency—critical steps in moving psilocybin from a naturally variable product to a standardized medicine. “If you’re microdosing for medical reasons, you want to be sure each dose delivers the same effect,” Shapiro explains.

That requires rigorous testing under pharmaceutical standards, much like cannabis research has revealed the complexities of the entourage effect.

Shelf stability has emerged as one of the biggest challenges. Like fresh produce, truffles degrade quickly if not kept under controlled conditions. For RLH, understanding how to preserve potency over time is key to developing future formulations, whether in pill or extraction form. “Consistency is always the goal when it comes to drug discovery,” Shapiro notes.

 

Strategic Growth Through M&A                                                                    Beyond consumer products and R&D, RLH is also exploring mergers and acquisitions as a path to scale. Shapiro says the focus is on acquiring brands with strong recognition and the potential to be cash flow positive, rather than companies burning capital. “A great Instagram account and loyal customers can be half the battle,” he notes. The idea is to consolidate products, share resources, and expand distribution while maintaining financial discipline.

Still, opportunities are scarce. After reviewing more than 40 companies over the past two years, Shapiro says nearly all were losing money. The demands of major retailers compound the challenge—fulfilling large orders requires significant upfront inventory and the ability to survive long payment cycles, which can stretch 90 days or more.

While RLH has heard of pioneering efforts, such as Oregon’s first psilocybin edibles, local ownership laws, and public company reporting requirements make direct entry into that market difficult. For now, the company continues to evaluate partnerships and acquisitions that align with its strategy, while supporting others that advance the industry. As Shapiro puts it, “Rising tides lift all boats.”

 

Looking Ahead                                                                                                        Red Light Holland is narrowing its focus on CPG products, leveraging its experience in the Netherlands while preparing for a global market. While the company continues some cultivation, its strategy centers on creating standardized, science-backed psilocybin products that can reach more people and address the growing mental health crisis. “We’re a psilocybin company at the end of the day,” says Shapiro, “focused on products that can help people, responsibly and sustainably, while navigating complex regulations and building a foundation for future growth.” By combining research, consumer insights, careful regulatory planning, and selective M&A, RLH is positioning itself to take psilocybin from niche wellness shops to mainstream markets worldwide.

Cannabusiness Sustainability

Taking Cannabis Global: Inside Somai Pharmaceuticals’ Multi-Country Strategy

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In an industry defined by local operators struggling to stay afloat and confined within their borders, Michael Sassano, founder and CEO of Somai Pharmaceuticals, has created a blueprint for scaling cannabis worldwide with pharmaceutical discipline and regulatory agility. With headquarters in Lisbon and operations in 12 countries today, Somai is preparing to reach 18 by year’s end.

The company has already secured distribution in Germany, the UK, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand, with France recently authorizing Somai’s products for its growing patient program. By the end of this year, six more markets, including parts of Eastern Europe, will be added to the roster.

 

“Every new country is like starting a company from scratch,” Sassano said in an interview. “You have to understand not only the national regulations but also how local medical communities perceive cannabis, how prescriptions are written, and what distributors are required to do. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.”

 

Operating across borders has taught Somai how to adapt to widely different healthcare environments. In Germany, cannabis is covered by insurance in some instances, requiring negotiations with health funds. In the UK, the market is dominated by private clinics and cash-paying patients. Australia and New Zealand have highly structured import programs, while France is still moving cautiously through pilot projects.

This incremental, country-by-country buildout has given Somai real-world experience operating across multiple regulatory systems, positioning the company as one of the most credible voices on international cannabis harmonization.

 

High Standards Are Key

At the core of Somai’s global strategy is its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Lisbon, certified under EU-GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). This certification is a mandatory requirement for selling medical-grade cannabis products in the EU and most international markets.

 

“EU-GMP is the gold standard,” Sassano says. “Without it, you simply can’t access the bulk of the world’s regulated medical markets.”

 

This distinction highlights one of the biggest differences between the US and international cannabis industries. In the United States, the market is fractured by a state-by-state model, with companies forced to duplicate infrastructure in every new state because products can’t cross state lines. By contrast, Somai can centralize manufacturing in Portugal and distribute to multiple countries. Products produced in Lisbon are eligible for export across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, and other compliant markets.

Unlike US operators who may quickly launch products like gummies with minimal oversight, a EU-GMP market-authorized medicine requires approximately two and a half years of validation, stability testing, and regulatory review before reaching patients. The payoff is consistency, safety, and the ability to meet the expectations of regulators, physicians, and patients alike.

By owning EU-GMP manufacturing and pairing it with distribution partnerships across 12 (soon 18) countries, Somai is among a select handful of cannabis companies capable of bringing pharmaceutical-grade products to the global market.

 

Strategic Partnerships, Cultivation, and Research

Somai’s global growth relies on a carefully balanced supply chain strategy that combines in-house cultivation with an extensive network of international partners. In addition to cultivating indoor flower at its own facilities, it also works with about 15 cultivation partners worldwide.

In most European markets, pharmaceutical cannabis must move through distributors before reaching pharmacies. Somai works with leading distribution companies, ensuring products reach doctors and patients in compliance with local laws.

Research partnerships are also part of Somai’s business strategy. The company collaborated with a university in Lisbon to conduct clinical research evaluating its manufacturing process, ensuring consistency from one product to another and from batch to batch. This validation of consistency is crucial for Somai to claim medical status and prove it.

“There are really only five global operator brands today in the market, and then a lot of localized brands, clinic brands, and white-label brands,” Sassano notes. “Our focus is on building a pharmaceutical brand with true international reach.”

 

Pharmaceutical Rigor from the Start

“In pharmaceuticals, quality is binary,” Sassano explains. “Either you meet the exacting standards or you don’t. There is no middle ground.”

This applies from raw material sourcing to batch release protocols. Unlike the US, which often requires independent third-party lab testing, the EU herbal medicine framework permits EU-GMP-certified facilities, such as Somai, to conduct all necessary testing in-house. Somai operates its own EU-GMP lab, a rarity in cannabis but standard in pharma.

The lab operates under strict oversight from a Qualified Person (QP), who leads the independent Quality Assurance (QA) department. The QA/QP team conducts regular onsite reviews of all procedures and documentation, ensuring that production, laboratory testing, and batch releases adhere to rigorous protocols. “Nobody can influence the lab or its reports,” Sassano emphasizes. Each product undergoes multiple checks: raw material testing, formulation verification, and random dosage confirmation.

Even packaging and labeling are treated with pharmaceutical precision. Labels must comply with each country’s language and dosage requirements, and patient information leaflets are tailored to the regulatory environment. “It might seem like a small thing, but one mistake on a label can stop a shipment at customs and delay patient access by months,” Sassano notes.

Sassano supports the rigorous framework. “Doctors will only prescribe, and patients will only trust cannabis if it meets the same standards as any other medicine on the shelf.”

 

Navigating a Patchwork of Regulations

Some nations allow doctors to prescribe freely, while others limit access to a narrow list of conditions. Even within the same country, patients may face dramatically different experiences.

Sassano points to Italy as a case in point. While prescriptions are permitted, the way pharmacists prepare medicines can vary region by region. “A patient in Milan might get a different preparation than a patient in Rome, even with the same prescription,” he explains. “That creates inconsistency for patients and makes it extremely challenging for producers to standardize.”

The difference between magisterial preparations and finished dosage form medicines illustrates the unevenness of the system. In newer markets, such as the UK and Australia, patients now receive finished dosage products that are fully packaged, labeled, and ready to use, just like any other pharmaceutical. But in older systems, pharmacists were often required to compound medicines themselves, a legacy from the early years when manufacturers didn’t exist and flower was the only product available.

Germany still clings to this model. Pharmacy compounding laws require pharmacists to fill vape cartridges or re-bottle oils instead of allowing manufacturers to deliver standardized, child-proof, finished dosage forms directly. “In some cases, they’re literally just swapping a cap, calling it magisterial prep, and charging patients double,”

Sassano notes. “It’s an archaic system that needs to go.”

Despite these hurdles, Sassano sees eventual harmonization as inevitable. “Europe cannot sustain a market where 27 countries have 27 different systems,” he argues. “Over time, patient demand and cross-border trade will push regulators toward standardization. Finished dosage forms are the future.”

 

Global Market Access

Somai’s EU-GMP certification positions it for international distribution. Unlike the US state-by-state system, where borders are closed and infrastructure must be duplicated in each market, EU-GMP allows a single production hub to supply multiple countries. As a recognized pharmaceutical standard, it enables Somai’s products to move across borders into any country that accepts EU-GMP medicines.

This flexibility is critical because cannabis is treated differently around the world. Europe and many international markets have strong herbal medicine traditions, so cannabis extracts fall under the herbal pharmacopoeia as true medicines and are subject to rigorous pharmaceutical rules. In contrast, the US market is closed off under FDA oversight, which historically favors synthetic cannabinoids over botanical extracts.

Still, Somai is positioning itself for future entry. “We’re working with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs because there is no federally approved cannabis extract made domestically,” Sassano says. “If cannabis is ever integrated into federal programs, it will need to be a registered medicine, not a dispensary product.”

Beyond the U.S., Somai has already secured FDA-style registrations in countries like Thailand, is pursuing approvals in Japan, and has entered France’s government-controlled medical program, where cannabis is subsidized for patients.

“These are true medicines that can travel cross-border,” Sassano says. “Wherever cannabis is accepted as a medicine, we want to be there.”

 

Conclusion

Michael Sassano’s insights offer a roadmap not just for his company but for the entire industry. “Cannabis is a medicine first,” he emphasizes. “Our responsibility is to show regulators, doctors, and patients that it can be produced, prescribed, and trusted like any other pharmaceutical. Once that trust is established, global acceptance will follow.”

Quick Q&A Recap

Q: Who is Michael Sassano?
A: Michael Sassano is the founder and CEO of Somai Pharmaceuticals, a company scaling cannabis globally with pharmaceutical-grade standards.

Q: What is Somai Pharmaceuticals’ global footprint?
A: Somai currently operates in 12 countries and plans to expand into 18 by the end of the year.

Q: Why is EU-GMP certification important in cannabis?
A: EU-GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) is the gold standard for pharmaceutical products and a requirement to sell medical cannabis in most international markets.

Q: How does Somai’s model differ from U.S. cannabis companies?
A: Unlike U.S. operators confined by state borders, Somai can centralize manufacturing in Portugal and distribute across multiple countries under EU-GMP rules.

Q: What are the main challenges of international cannabis expansion?
A: Each country has unique regulations, healthcare systems, and distribution requirements, forcing companies to adapt market by market.

Q: How does Somai ensure pharmaceutical quality?
A: The company operates its own EU-GMP-certified lab with strict Quality Assurance oversight, ensuring consistency, safety, and regulatory compliance.

Q: What role do partnerships play in Somai’s strategy?
A: Somai balances in-house cultivation with about 15 global cultivation partners and works with leading distributors to reach doctors and patients.

Q: What is the future of cannabis regulation in Europe?
A: Sassano believes eventual harmonization is inevitable, with standardized finished dosage forms replacing outdated pharmacy compounding practices.

Q: Is Somai targeting the U.S. market?
A: Yes. Somai is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and preparing for potential federal approval of cannabis-based medicines.

Treating Cannabis Like A Fine Wine

By Sean Creamer
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The experience in both wine and cannabis starts with ritual: swirling, inhaling, letting heat or air coax the plant’s chemistry to life. Where wine has long relied on sommeliers to guide that moment, cannabis has spent decades without an equivalent voice to explain how cultivation, curing, and preparation shape what a consumer feels.

The emergence of the Ganjier is an attempt to fill that gap. Created by a group of cultivators, hashmakers, historians, and retailers, including figures like Kevin Jodrey, Swami Chaitanya, Nick Tanem, and Derek Gilman, the Ganjier Council is designed to professionalize cannabis evaluation and service. Think of it as the cannabis world’s version of the Court of Master Sommeliers: a certification built around sensory training, product knowledge, and the language needed to communicate quality.

Reverence for process is exactly what the Ganjier certification program aims to formalize. Kevin Jodrey, the renowned cultivator and original architect of the curriculum, describes Ganjiers as interpreters. “Ganjiers fit into the conversation as translators, somebody who clarifies language, so that when you say something to me, and I say something to someone else, it means the same thing.” It mirrors the work of sommeliers, a comparison Jodrey makes explicitly: “That’s really what sommeliers do, they translate wine into language that allows people to understand what to expect.”

As legalization accelerates and price compression pushes products toward uniformity, this shared language, the ability to turn sensory experience into common understanding, may be cannabis’s most powerful differentiator.

 

Meet the Experts Teaching the World to Taste Cannabis like Fine Wine

The modern Ganjier began as something far more personal. Jodrey recalls its earliest moment taking shape at home. “The Ganjier was invented in my kitchen. My son came up with the name, he said, ‘Dad, you’re a Ganjier, you’re a cannabis culturalist. You’re all things cannabis.’” What started as a family nickname soon resonated more widely. As legalization gained momentum, Green Flower founders Max Simon and Derek Gilman approached Jodrey with a proposal. “They came to me and said, Hey, Kev, we have an idea that we would like to create a program that highlights the nuances of cannabis in a way that allows the complex world to be brought to light so that customers, new people, consumers can see the picture in a way they haven’t.”

Shaping that clarity took work. Over several years, Jodrey and a team of eighteen practitioners debated how to define cannabis quality in a way that could stand the test of time. “It allowed the 18 of us, over the course of  7,000 hours in a multi-year period, to brawl it out and determine how to look at something in an objective manner. It was an idea of how to create cannabis connoisseurship that has a hundred-year life.”

Tanem, a California-based hashmaker and founding Ganjier Council member, remembers how the Council ultimately formed around that mission. “Derrick Gilman collected a number of us professionals that had skill sets in different areas throughout the industry, from breeding to cultivation to the law to history to extraction, you name it. The goal was to cover all bases via a program that would teach what quality is in cannabis. “People don’t really know how to assess quality, and so that’s a big part of what the Ganjier does,” said Tanem. “We really give a full background of the industry, from cultivation to law to the history to extraction to customer interaction protocols, etc.”

The path cannabis is now traveling mirrors the evolution of other connoisseur markets. Jocelyn Sheltraw, founder of The Budist, a cannabis scoring and education platform, notes that wine, beer, and coffee all matured through codification. “It’s just understanding how other connoisseur markets have evolved, and really studying the history of how consumers come to appreciate products. Whether you look at wine, beer, or coffee, they all use the same 100-point system created by Robert Parker in the late 1970s and early 1980s.” 

She emphasizes that no scoring system gains traction without guidance for interpreting it. “It took the Sherpas, it took the educators to translate that to consumers across all of those industries.” Competitions and community forums also played a role. “Competitions were a major part of drawing light on quality, and the oldest wine competition in the United States actually dates back to the 1850s.” 

Cannabis is now following the same arc, with its own judging culture, from legacy region cups to large-scale events like the upcoming MJBiz Con awards on December 2nd-5th, which bring brands, cultivators, and reviewers under one roof to evaluate products on shared terms. Cannabis connoisseurship is now entering that same phase: a shift from tradition held in pockets to a shared, teachable system of evaluation. The Ganjier is its first attempt at building a unified language.

Training and the Craft of Evaluation

If the origins of the Ganjier reflect cannabis culture’s past, the curriculum represents its future. The program is designed to function much like formal wine education, combining sensory discipline, technical learning, and service training. Students work through extensive online modules and then take part in in-person instruction led by multiple council members with different palates and professional backgrounds. 

Tanem describes the value of that diversity. “Students who come through the Ganjier program not only do two days of in-person training, but they also do anywhere from two weeks to two years of online training where they go through all of the different aspects of the industry.” Once students come out for the in-person class, there are four or five instructors or council members who provide different opinions and education. “For instance, from Swami [Chaitanya], who wants a smoother smoke and a well-cured product he calls vintage, to people like myself who have the ears to the streets,” said Tanem. “We have a lot of council members that are in retail today, in cultivation, in extraction. Having that variation in how we present what quality is, because quality can be subjective.”

A major part of that training is undoing the industry’s fixation on THC percentage. “We teach away from promoting high THC products,” Tanem says. “People want the highest THC, and we really want to educate people against that. We talk about the other volatile compounds, from sulfurs to esters to terpenes. There is a lot more to cannabis than just high THC numbers.”

The structure for this deeper analysis comes through the Systematic Assessment Protocol, or SAP, the sensory backbone of the curriculum. Jodrey explains it as a guided way to evaluate cannabis in stages. “The SAP is basically a digital scorecard with criteria that, when you touch the category, allows you to understand what this category is and how we look at it.” First up, according to Jodrey, is aroma, followed by appearance, then combustion or flavor, and then experience. The approach distinguishes between objective traits and subjective preferences. “Very volatile cannabis indicates good storage and good production,” he notes. “But a variety with low aroma might be perfect for someone who lives with their family, and the smell of pot offends them.”

Even outside the formal Ganjier curriculum, people who cultivate, process, and evaluate cannabis are running into the same limitation: combustion obscures the very subtleties the SAP is designed to measure. Former cultivator and current PAX Labs VP of Marketing Justin Tacy says this was a constant frustration long before he ever entered the device world. 

“As a cultivator, it was always frustrating to have people take what I spent years and years developing and just throw it in a bong and rip the whole gram in one go,” said Tacy. “That gives you the psychoactive effects, but it doesn’t really give you appreciation for the nuances around different terpenes and flavors.” 

Glassware and devices in cannabis are a crucial vehicle for connoisseurship. The same way wine glass design affects aroma delivery and perception, the tools used to consume cannabis can either sharpen or blunt the sensory experience. 

“It [dry air vaporization] really allows you to taste the genetics the way the cultivator intended, and pick up some of those more nuanced effects that only come from vaporizing certain terpenes versus combusting them,” Tacy noted. 

The point underscores a larger shift within cannabis connoisseurship, which is how you smoke matters. Just as glassware shapes how wine expresses its structure, the way flower is heated determines which compounds rise to the surface and which are muted or lost. That emphasis on controlled, repeatable sensory experience is exactly what the Ganjier SAP aims to formalize. 

“Wine is picking up complexity and notes and creating identification so people can understand,” Jodrey says. “We provide that, but we also provide other factors that wine does not have, which are the sustainability of aroma and penetration of aroma.” 

Behind the scenes, the Council built the curriculum piece by piece. “We broke this thing into pieces: cannabis science, law, history, retail, cultivation.” The team then went and found the people who fit into all those pieces, enabling the creation of the curriculum. “The Ganjier is a book; we all wrote a couple of chapters each in this book,” said Jodrey. “We created a common respect that was collaborative, and it was a golden time to create a language that we knew would hold up.”

That language now feeds into the broader connoisseurship ecosystem. Sheltraw describes the relationship between the Ganjier program and consumer platforms like The Budist. “Ganjier is the educational platform, equivalent of the sommelier program. Budist is the commercial platform where you apply that knowledge. Budist would then be the Wine Advocate, or Budist would be Vivino.” She emphasizes the importance of consistent judging methods. 

The SAP supplies the structure behind those evaluations. “With the SAP, there are 50 different data points. You are looking at trichome density, bud texture, and the complexity of flavors and aromas. Just to assess one flower can easily take over an hour.” And at the consumer level, the system becomes more approachable. “At Budist, we still use that same 100 point system, like all of these other major industries, but simplified for consumers. There are really four key attributes: aroma, appearance, flavor, and effect.”

Together, these elements turn the Ganjier curriculum into something much larger than a training course. It is a shared methodology, one that moves cannabis evaluation away from potency myths and toward a transparent, structured language of quality.

How Ganjiers Will Reshape Retail, Cultivation, and Brand Strategy

The rise of the Ganjier is beginning to reshape how cannabis is bought, taught, and experienced. What started as a sensory certification is now influencing every corner of the industry, from retail counters to events to tourism. 

“We are now having Bud Bars at weddings and events instead of alcohol bars, where Ganjier would be the budtender at a Bud Bar at a wedding,” Tanem said. “We are also seeing Ganjier in so many different spaces and aspects of the industry from buyers for dispensaries to QC to the head of distro, the head of sales departments, lead cultivation techs, and femmers [A femmer is someone who carries out the processes used to create feminized cannabis seeds, typically through controlled stress techniques, colloidal silver sprays, or silver thiosulfate (STS) applications that suppress male flower development.].  Tanem notes that recreational smokers and industry participants want to become Ganjiers for a whole host of reasons. 

As such, the credential has begun to create its own global community. “Every single time I go out in the field, whether I am in Hawaii or Barcelona or Berlin or Thailand, I will pull up at an event, and there are other Ganjiers there, and it is a congregation. They know each other; they can build from that,” Tanem says. These gatherings reinforce a shared standard, which then filters back into consumer education.

But even as connoisseurship gains ground, most consumers still operate via narrow decision-making looks built around potency, price, and whatever happens to be familiar. Without time or instruction at the point of sale, people default to what they know, a pattern that obscures the meaningful aspects of quality. Tacy, who spent a decade cultivating flower before joining PAX, sees this as one of the industry’s largest hurdles. 

“The market rushed to easy-to-understand numbers, high THC, weight, and maybe the color of the product, ” said Tacy. “Those are driving a lot of the industry versus what’s the value and experience you’re getting for that dollar.”

The point echoes what Ganjiers confront daily: as long as potency remains a stand-in for quality, the nuances cultivators labor to express remain out of reach for consumers. 

Jodrey frames the market context driving this need for guidance. Disposable income controls the purchase. Ninety to ninety-five percent of all purchases in cannabis are fundamentally price-driven,” he said. Education becomes the tool that helps consumers choose based on fit rather than strength or discount. Retail environments are already adjusting. “What you have to do is create a situation that lets people feel relaxed, and Ganjiers help you understand what is available in the world of cannabis so you can make better choices. That changes entire businesses,” said Jodrey. 

This vision aligns with the broader consumer landscape that Sheltraw sees emerging. “It will be very similar to what we see in wine. You are going to see your Ganjier working at cannabis retail, and as tourism evolves, you will see Ganjiers at farms educating consumers.” That presence will be omnichannel. “Wherever the consumer is, whether it is digital, social, dispensaries, or farms, we are going to see Ganjiers assisting customers.” Consumer knowledge is limited, and people are doing what they’ve done in the past; consumers are purchasing based on price point and THC level. Professional evaluation helps bridge that gap, and brands are beginning to realize that connoisseurship can also be a strategy. “Brands in cannabis recognize that this can be the impact of what we are doing to get out of this price and potency trap,” says Sheltraw. 

In a market where sameness is easy and differentiation is hard, the Ganjier offers something rare: a way to raise the value of cannabis through understanding, story, and experience.

Cheers!

The same rituals that open a glass of wine or a jar of cured flower remind us that tasting is as much interpretation as it is sensation. 

As cannabis moves from prohibition to professionalism, the Ganjier represents the shift from novelty to craft, from a scattered vocabulary to a shared one. Nick Tanem sees that future taking shape as new markets mature and consumers search for guidance on quality. Kevin Jodrey frames it even more directly. 

“The Ganjier is just really meant to create a language, fundamentally a language, that everyone speaks from store to store. So that when you say a strain does this, it translates to that somewhere else. It is language. It is understanding.” In that understanding lies the foundation of cannabis connoisseurship espoused by the Ganjier Council.

Get your Ganjier certificate here.

Hear more from Kevin Jodrey on the Inovating Cannabis Podcast.

Hear more from Nick Tanem on the Innovating Cannabis Podcast.

 

Target Just Opened the Door — Is Your Brand Compliance-Ready for Mass Retailers?

By Pam Chmiel
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Will Target’s move to sell THC drinks be the catalyst the industry needs to push for higher standards?

Target’s decision to start selling hemp-derived THC beverages marks a major milestone for the cannabis industry and a reality check for brands hoping to follow. Selling into mass retail is not just about scaling production or packaging appeal. It requires proving that your product meets the same safety and manufacturing standards as food, pharma, and cosmetics.

As Darwin Millard, Technical Director at CSQ Certification, explains, “Retailers like Walmart and Target protect their liability by only buying from GMP-certified producers. That certification is their shield.” Without an accredited Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification, cannabis brands may not make it past the first round of vendor qualification.

The cannabis industry has traditionally operated in a silo, selling B2B to other licensed operators that rarely demand third-party certifications. Mass retailers operate differently. They rely on accredited certification programs to verify every layer of the supply chain, from ingredient sourcing to packaging. This mitigates risk and ensures traceability if something goes wrong.

Many hemp brands rely on co-manufacturers already bottling for alcohol and alternative beverage industries, but those manufacturers are often not GMP-certified for cannabis products. Existing food safety schemes, such as SQF or BRC, do not yet recognize cannabinoids as approved ingredients. Target may have overlooked this gap when approving its current selection of hemp beverages, but this is likely to be addressed going forward.

Target’s move could push the entire cannabis supply chain to adopt GMPs to protect consumers and ensure consistent quality. As Millard warns, “It could be the thing that gives our industry its biggest black eye if something goes wrong, or the moment that raises the bar for safety and quality once and for all.”

 

What It Takes To Get GMP Certified

GMP certification is a rigorous, multi-step process that demonstrates a company’s commitment to verified quality and safety standards. While companies may perform internal audits or have business partners review their processes, the most widely recognized and trusted method is third-party certification.

Third-party certification involves an independent organization auditing every aspect of your operation to ensure compliance with established GMP requirements. This provides a clear, objective verification that processes, documentation, and product handling meet global standards.

Not all third-party certifications carry the same weight. Accredited certifications are independently verified by an external authority and recognized internationally as meeting stringent standards for quality and safety. Unaccredited certifications, in contrast, may offer internal assurance but generally do not hold the same credibility with regulators, retailers, or international partners.

For brands targeting mass retail or global trade, third-party certification serves as proof that safety, traceability, and quality standards are adhered to.

 

What Compliance Looks Like

Not only does the cannabis industry need to embrace standards for scaling to mass retail, but it also needs to embrace standards for global trade. That includes accredited GMP certification rather than a certificate from an unverified auditor.

Cultivation falls under Current Good Agricultural Practices (GACP), ensuring that every stage of plant growth and harvest meets rigorous safety and quality benchmarks.

Effective cultivation standards cover both indoor and outdoor grow environments and include strict protocols for:

  • Water quality and irrigation management
  • Equipment sanitation and maintenance
  • Crop protection and propagation materials (including clones, seeds, and tissue culture)
  • Temperature and atmospheric control during drying and curing

Once plants are harvested, the process transitions from GACP to GMP standards, marking the shift from cultivation to manufacturing. “Harvest is the hard line,” says Millard. “Once you start to process the plant in a controlled environment by trimming, curing, or packaging, you’re operating under GMP.”

The CSQ Cultivation program also covers flower handling, grinding, and pre-roll production, but stops short of infused or extracted products. When it comes to post-harvest remediation techniques like irradiation, CSQ doesn’t explicitly prohibit them but requires detailed, documented procedures.

“We treat drying and curing like refrigerated or frozen food storage,” Millard explains. “There are specific temperature and environmental conditions that must be maintained to preserve product safety and quality.”

In the extraction process, standards define best practices for processing and handling cannabinoid materials. Standards cover everything from raw extracts, such as live resin or rosin, to refined materials, including distillate or purified cannabinoids. They also include formulation, risk assessment, and allergen implications for products intended for inhalation, ingestion, or topical use.

 

The Last Mile: Warehousing and Distribution

Once cannabis products leave the manufacturing facility, maintaining safety and quality becomes the responsibility of distributors and warehouse operators. Mass retailers will expect vendors to follow the same high standards throughout storage and transit as they do during production.

Controlled storage environments are a requirement for ensuring product preservation. Temperature, humidity, and atmospheric conditions must be monitored and documented to preserve volatile compounds in concentrates, infused products, and THC beverages, similar to perishable food or beverage items.

Proper warehousing protocols also protect against contamination, degradation, and liability. Companies that can prove systems for handling, tracking, and storing products across the supply chain will have a competitive advantage with mass retailers.

 

Retail Responsibility: Preserving Quality and Mitigating Liability

Once cannabis products reach the retail shelf, the responsibility for maintaining safety and quality shifts to the retailer. Like perishable foods, cannabis products can degrade if not stored under proper temperature, humidity, or lighting conditions. For high-end concentrates or infused products, even minor lapses in any of these factors can significantly impact potency, consistency, and the overall consumer experience.

If products degrade, retailers could face legal liability or incur costly recalls. In some cases, manufacturers may prove that products left the facility compliant with Certificate of Analysis (COA) standards, but without proper storage at the retail level, those standards cannot be maintained.

Standardized operating procedures (SOPs) for storage, handling, and temperature monitoring remove liability from the retailer and make sure consumers receive the quality product they are promised. Batch records, documented storage conditions, and adherence to best practices allow them to demonstrate that they took all reasonable steps to maintain product integrity.

High-end extractors and other manufacturers often worry that retail infrastructure is not yet equipped to handle sensitive products. Improper storage can result in financial losses and reputational damage. Embracing certifications and best practices will become increasingly essential as the industry matures and customers demand higher quality.

Consumers expect cannabis products to be safe, consistent, and accurately labeled. Maintaining quality throughout the supply chain ensures that products match what is promised. Otherwise, what reaches the shelf may be nothing more than THC content with degraded flavor, aroma, or texture, far from the intended experience.

 

Raising the Bar For Cannabis Quality

Target’s entry into hemp-infused beverages marks a turning point for the cannabis industry. Success in mass retail requires rigorous quality standards, including GMP and GACP practices, temperature-controlled storage, and documented SOPs, to protect consumers and retailers while preserving product quality. These practices position brands for mass retail and prepare the industry for international trade, where standards are even more stringent.

Dive deeper into standards with Darwin Millard on the Innovating Cannabis Podcast.

The Industry Is Failing At Last Mile Cannabis Preservation

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Multiple scientific studies and lab results have provided compelling evidence that terpenes and volatile metabolites in cannabis rapidly degrade when exposed to light, oxygen, heat, and time, and therefore, reduce the entourage effect that depends on a specific balance of cannabinoids and terpenes. Because of this, what the product label promises is not what the consumer is getting.

The clock starts ticking at harvest, where terpenes start degrading at a rapid rate if not handled and stored correctly. Evaporation, oxidation, or structural change can alter both the composition and balance of compounds.

 

Fragile Aromas, Fading Effects: The Science of Terpene Loss

Terpenes, the aromatic compounds responsible for cannabis’s distinctive scent and effects, are highly sensitive to environmental stress. Studies show that these same conditions also degrade cannabinoids like THC, which converts to the less potent CBN over time. A 2021 study in the Journal of Cannabis Research found that flower stored at higher temperatures lost both THC and terpene content, while a 2024 Scientific Reports study revealed that UV light can degrade THC and CBD within days.

Each terpene reacts differently to stress. The lighter ones, like pinene and myrcene, start to fade at even modestly warm temperatures. Mid-weight terpenes such as limonene (that bright citrus note) and linalool (the floral lavender scent) hold on a bit longer but still break down when air or light gets in. Even the heavier, more stable compounds—like caryophyllene and humulene—eventually oxidize when storage conditions are poor. As those delicate aromas disappear, so does much of what makes each strain unique, subtly changing the flavor, scent, and effects of the flower.

 

Beverages Under Attack

Cannabis-infused beverages are particularly susceptible to potency loss if not properly stored. One primary cause is oxidation, where THC degrades into cannabinol (CBN), a compound with significantly less psychoactive effect. This transformation can occur rapidly in beverages due to the increased surface area of emulsified droplets and the presence of oxygen in the liquid. For instance, a study by Vertosa demonstrated that exposure to light and oxygen can lead to a potency loss of up to 8 percent over 12 weeks in specific formulations.

Additionally, physical interactions between the beverage’s emulsion and packaging materials can exacerbate potency loss. Hydrophobic emulsion droplets may adhere to hydrophobic surfaces, such as the interior linings of aluminum cans, leading to a reduction in cannabinoid content over time. To mitigate these issues, it’s best to use antioxidant-rich formulations, select appropriate packaging materials, and maintain proper storage conditions to maintain the efficacy of cannabis-infused beverages.

This is why information on a certificate of analysis can differ dramatically from what a consumer ultimately experiences in the end product.

When product degradation occurs, your label no longer accurately represents the contents of the product, and now the consumer is not receiving what they were promised. The danger also here is in dosing; if THC turns into CBN and loses potency because of degradation, but the label says 10mg of THC, the customer will not have an accurate baseline for dosing.

Improper storage without temperature control can lead to microbes growing in your product, so moisture content and water activity will play a big role in sabotaging shelf stability.

 

Degradation in Concentrates and Formulated Products

Concentrates, vape oils, and infused products are also vulnerable, if not more so, to degradation. No matter the format, cannabinoids and terpenes are delicate molecules that break down under unfriendly environmental conditions. In fact, research shows that these environmental factors can change the very chemistry of the extract, reducing potency and altering the product’s intended effects.

According to SC Labs, which regularly tests and studies terpene stability, even “sealed” vape cartridges and concentrate jars can experience terpene evaporation and oxidation when exposed to warm or brightly lit environments. Over time, this not only dulls the aroma and flavor but can also create new by-products as terpenes and cannabinoids oxidize. Monoterpenes, the lighter, more volatile compounds that give cannabis its bright, complex aroma, are especially quick to disappear, while heavier sesquiterpenes linger longer but still degrade without proper storage.

A review by Broughton and colleagues (2023) on cannabinoid stability found that THC and CBD are highly unstable under poor conditions, and their breakdown accelerates in liquid or semi-liquid formats like vape oils and emulsions. Another study published in Chemical Research in Toxicology found that high temperatures used in dabbing or vaping can produce degradation by-products, including isoprene and benzene derivatives, especially when terpene concentrations are high. Even during extraction, terpene loss can occur; the transition from flower to concentrate often strips away the lighter aromatics, leaving a narrower and chemically altered profile.

All of this means that the degradation “clock” starts much earlier than most realize, beginning at harvest, accelerating through packaging and transport, and continuing on the dispensary shelf. Proper temperature control, opaque airtight containers, and low-oxygen environments are needed to maintain chemical integrity and preserve the original profile that the product label promises.

 

Packaging and Storage Impact: Terpene and THC Stability
Terpene and cannabinoid degradation in cannabis products is heavily influenced by packaging and storage conditions. The material and closure system of the packaging are critical for preservation. Semi-permeable plastics or non-airtight closures can allow water vapor and oxygen to penetrate, accelerating product degradation. Packaging specifications, such as water vapor and oxygen transmission rates, directly affect shelf life; cheaper options with higher transmission rates can drastically reduce product quality. Improper handling—leaving packages open, exposing them to heat, or subjecting them to light—can further degrade THC and terpenes, making all cannabis formats, from flower to edibles to concentrates, vulnerable to potency loss.

Retailers play an extremely important role in the preservation process. How cannabis is stored, moved, and displayed in the store can either protect or accelerate product degradation. One of the biggest offenders is the widely used deli-style showcase for selling cannabis flower, where buds are exposed to light and frequent handling, dramatically increasing the risk of terpene and THC loss. Even the most carefully cultivated and processed products can lose stability if retailers fail to maintain proper temperature, light protection, and airtight handling during storage, stocking, and transfer.

The bottom line: Protecting and preserving cannabis means keeping the supply chain cool, airtight, and out of the light, from processing all the way to the retail shelf, where it might impact the stability of your product and a consumer’s experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wellness Watch

Why America Needs a National Medical Cannabis Program, Now

By Pam Chmiel
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The cannabis industry’s fragmented foundation is creating a host of problems tied to the lack of federal legalization. Many experts believe that without a national medical cannabis framework, the future of cannabis as a medicine in America could leave patients unprotected, research underfunded, and the industry consumed by unchecked commercial interests.

Few voices have been more vocal about this than Dr. Jordan Tishler, a Harvard-trained physician who spent 15 years working in a VA hospital before dedicating his career to cannabinoid medicine. Today, as the founder of InhaleMD and the president of the non-profit Association of Cannabinoid Specialists, Tishler is a leading advocate for creating a structured, federally recognized medical cannabis system.

 

“Over 180 million Americans over the age of 50 will develop one or more illnesses that can be treated with cannabis,” Tishler explains. “We cannot leave their care to marketing claims, dispensary staff, or patchwork state laws. Patients deserve proper medical treatment.”

 

Why Federal Legalization Falls Short

The current push for legalization often centers on ending prohibition, addressing social justice issues, and creating economic opportunities. While those goals matter, Tishler argues that legalization without a medical framework could actually undermine the perception of cannabis as medicine.

 

“Without a national medical system, we will see an industry driven by sales rather than science,” he warns. “Companies will have no incentive to invest in costly clinical research if they can simply go to market and make unverified claims. That would be the death knell of cannabis as a legitimate medicine.”

 

The problem is already visible in the hemp market, where unsubstantiated health claims and mislabeled products have flooded store shelves. Without federal oversight, Tishler says, cannabis risks becoming more snake oil than science-backed treatment.

Patients Caught in the Middle

Right now, medical cannabis patients face enormous disparities depending on where they live. In states like California, only a small fraction of cannabis is sold through medical channels, leaving patients to rely on retail budtenders for guidance.

 Florida remains the only state that requires a prescription-style “Order” that dispensaries must follow, but most states treat cannabis more like a consumer good than a medication. That lack of structure leaves vulnerable patients, many of them elderly or living with chronic illness, without consistent, professional guidance.

What a National System Could Look Like

According to Tishler and the Association of Cannabinoid Specialists, a true medical cannabis system would need to accomplish several key goals:

  1. Federal legalization of medical cannabis so patients can access treatment under the care of qualified clinicians.
  2. A standardized prescribing system that ensures patients receive consistent dosages, product types, and usage instructions.
  3. Insurance coverage so treatment is accessible to all patients, not just those who can afford to pay out of pocket.
  4. Ban on unsubstantiated claims to protect patients from predatory marketing.
  5. Interstate operability so patients can travel with their medicine without fear of losing access or facing discrimination.
  6. Ongoing scientific research is driven by a regulatory framework that incentivizes companies to conduct clinical trials.

These policies would not only protect patients but also advance cannabis science, strengthen the healthcare system, and put the U.S. on par with other countries, like Germany and Israel, that have integrated medical cannabis into national health programs.

The Social Justice Connection

For Tishler, the conversation about medical cannabis is inseparable from social justice. Healthcare outcomes in the U.S. are already poor compared to other developed nations, and they are significantly worse for communities of color. Without a national program, cannabis care will continue to follow the same inequitable patterns.

“Medical cannabis treatment must be part of the social justice discussion,” Tishler says.”Ending the war on drugs is not enough. Patients need safe, effective medicine and knowledgeable guidance to achieve the best outcomes.”

 

A Call to Action

The cannabis industry has an opportunity to rally around this cause, but time is running out. As recreational legalization spreads state by state, the risk grows that medical care will be sidelined, leaving patients to fend for themselves in a marketplace driven by revenue, not medicine.

“Congress is willfully overlooking the importance of proper medical cannabis treatment,” Tishler says. “We need a national system now, before the window closes.”

The Association of Cannabinoid Specialists has published a white paper outlining the essential elements of reform to ensure that patient care remains at the center of cannabis policy. Their message is clear: cannabis medicine is not simply a consumer product; it is a healthcare issue.

If the U.S. hopes to move beyond prohibition while protecting patients and fostering scientific innovation, a national medical cannabis system may be the industry’s most important cause yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.cannaspecialists.org/a_federal_framework_of_regulation_for_medical_cannabis_use

From The Lab

An Inside Look at Germany’s Cannabis Supply Chain With The Grünhorn Group

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On April 1, 2024, Germany launched Pillar 1 of its adult-use legalization framework, building on its established medical cannabis program that has been in place since 2017. Since then, the number of medical patients has surged, as prescriptions remain the only fully legal access point for cannabis aside from home cultivation or membership in non-commercial private clubs, both still limited by incomplete regulations. Unlike the United States, where dispensaries are the backbone of cannabis sales, Germany maintains a more tightly regulated model: patients must secure a doctor’s prescription and fulfill it through a pharmacy.

The next stage, Pillar 2, is expected to introduce licensed retail outlets for adult-use sales, eliminating the requirement for prescriptions. However, with the Christian Democratic Party now in office and maintaining a strong stance against cannabis legalization, these plans face significant uncertainty. While advocates remain hopeful for progress, the CDU’s opposition could delay, restrict, or even reverse parts of the rollout, leaving the future of Germany’s adult-use market in question.

In the meantime, Germany is laying the groundwork for a national infrastructure rooted in its medical system, a stark contrast to the fragmented, state-by-state patchwork in the U.S. This centralized approach not only offers greater oversight and consistency but also positions Germany as a potential model for other European nations exploring reform.

At the center of this rapidly evolving landscape is the Grünhorn Group, one of the country’s most influential players. With an estimated 20 percent market share serving between 5–7 million patients in a nation of 84 million, Grünhorn has established a vertically integrated supply chain that spans importing biomass from global producers, EU-GMP-certified manufacturing, and robust distribution networks. Beyond production, the company operates Germany’s largest online pharmacy platform, giving patients access to products from multiple manufacturers. According to Matthias Fischer, Managing Director of Canymed, Grünhorn’s distribution partner, the group generated €33 million in revenue in 2024, provided medicine to approximately 60,000 patients, and engaged with nearly 6,000 prescribing physicians.

 

Prioritizing Data Collection for Medical Research                                                              For Grünhorn, data is at the core of both its medical mission and its business strategy. The company systematically collects patient feedback on the effects of its products—whether for sleep, anxiety, focus, or other conditions—to inform evidence-based product development. This feedback loop allows Grünhorn to collaborate closely with cultivation partners in designing strains that balance cannabinoids and terpenes to address specific therapeutic needs.

Beyond patient-level insights, Grünhorn is also investing heavily in analytical research. The company operates a gas chromatograph to precisely measure and map the cannabinoid and terpene composition of imported biomass, creating a detailed strain database. To date, Grünhorn has cataloged between 400 and 500 strains of interest, providing one of the most comprehensive genetic and chemical libraries in Germany’s cannabis sector.

“I think the future lies in predicting and knowing which cannabinoids will effectively address specific health indications,” says Fischer, underscoring the company’s long-term vision of turning raw data into targeted, science-driven therapies.

 

Germany is an Import Market

While Germany has licensed domestic cultivation, led by producers such as Tilray, Demecan, and Aurora, the country remains heavily dependent on imports. According to Fischer, the quality of German-grown cannabis has not yet reached the standards set by established cultivation markets in Canada, Portugal, Denmark, and Colombia. To maintain product consistency and meet patient expectations, Grünhorn partners with a Canadian grower, underscoring the ongoing importance of international supply in Germany’s cannabis ecosystem.

Economic factors also weigh heavily on domestic production. High energy costs make large-scale cultivation within Germany particularly challenging, pushing wholesale prices above those of imported flower. As a result, most of the market is supplied by international partners who can cultivate at scale more efficiently and deliver the product at a lower cost.

This reliance on global supply chains is not unique to Grünhorn.

Cantourage, one of Germany’s largest medical cannabis manufacturers, has built its strategy around imports, maintaining partnerships with 40 cultivators across 17 countries. Together, these dynamics reinforce Germany’s role as one of the world’s largest import-driven cannabis markets, even as it develops its own infrastructure.

 

Bottlenecks in the Pharmacy System

Germany’s pharmacy network, spanning both retail and online channels, remains the cornerstone of cannabis dispensing in the country. As patient demand surges, many traditional pharmacies have launched digital platforms to streamline order management. Grünhorn has leaned into this shift, expanding its online pharmacy delivery while forging partnerships with local pharmacists who see cannabis as a valuable revenue driver.

Yet the system is under strain. Because only licensed pharmacists can legally fulfill prescriptions, they often face capacity challenges. Compounding, bottling, labeling, and testing must still be performed manually, creating bottlenecks in day-to-day operations. To keep pace, some pharmacists pre-produce standardized products based on everyday patient needs, despite the model being designed for on-demand compounding. Recognizing these inefficiencies, Grünhorn is investing in custom machinery and software solutions to help pharmacists scale production without compromising compliance, while maintaining oversight of quality and safety.

Another hurdle is product consistency. With prescriptions filled at thousands of independent pharmacies, often by third-party providers, slight variations in formulation are inevitable. “It’s like having 6,000 different factories manufacturing your product,” Fischer explains. To address this, Grünhorn is working on standardized fulfillment models to align independent pharmacies with the quality benchmarks already set by its own online platform.

To further streamline the process, Grünhorn has integrated telemedicine into its supply chain. Patients can now connect directly with physicians, obtain prescriptions, and submit them seamlessly for fulfillment. This innovation helps address a recurring frustration: doctors inadvertently prescribing products that are out of stock, despite having access to inventory databases, ultimately reducing delays and ensuring patients remain on consistent treatment plans.

 

Partnerships and Opportunities                                                                                  Grünhorn’s pharmacy data reveals that 20-30 percent of products generate 80 percent of revenue, indicating a potential for future product consolidation, according to Fischer. For investors, this presents an opportunity to fund medical brands with proven track records that are poised for growth and expansion.

In addition to producing its wholesale product line, Grünhorn is well-positioned and equipped to assist other brands looking to enter the German marketplace and welcomes co-branded product partnerships. They forged a partnership with Somai Pharmaceuticals, based in Portugal, resulting in a two-year, €10 million manufacturing and distribution deal.

Fischer also believes AI will play a significant role in managing the industry in the future, suggesting an opportunity for those looking to enter the German market through technological innovation.

“The biggest challenge we must overcome in the next couple of years is to generate data and medical studies,” Fischer emphasizes. “We have many products with nice ideas, interested patients, and qualifying physicians, but we need more studies and proven evidence to present to new doctors and insurance companies, who are still challenging cannabinoid therapy and requesting data studies.”

For more insights into the German market, listen to an interview with Matthias Fischer on the Innovating Cannabis podcast.

 

Blockchain-Powered Cannabis CTV Unlocks Advertising Opportunities

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The next evolution of marketing in the cannabis industry has arrived.

Global Compliance Application Corp. (GCAC), a publicly traded Canadian company specializing in blockchain technology, has launched Citizen Green, a connected TV (CTV) channel designed to educate viewers on various aspects of the cannabis industry. The content will cover a broad range of topics, including cannabis health and wellness, business insights, hemp, and psychedelics.

Available worldwide, Citizen Green’s programming extends beyond North America, featuring international content, such as an Australian show that focuses on building homes with industrial hemp. This global reach positions the channel as an ideal platform for advertisers seeking to establish and expand their international cannabis brands.

As consumers increasingly cut the cord on traditional cable, smart TVs are gaining traction, particularly among the 50+ demographic — an untapped, canna-curious audience. According to Statista, 40 percent of Americans stream TV content, while traditional cable and broadcast TV each account for around 20 percent.

Building the Citizen Green CTV Channel with Strategic Content Partnerships

Citizen Green’s President, Steve Peterson, is spearheading the strategy for the new CTV channel, focusing on shows with built-in audiences — after all, we live in an influencer-driven world. A key component of this strategy was GCAC’s acquisition of Weed and Whiskey, a Dallas-based CTV Roku channel. This acquisition laid the foundation for what would become Citizen Green, rebranded to appeal to a broader, health-and-wellness-focused audience beyond the niche of cannabis culture. The channel is now available on multiple platforms, including Apple, Android, Fire TV, and Android TV.

Citizen Green’s lineup also includes Grunt Style, a San Antonio-based military-themed T-shirt company founded by veterans, known for their patriotic slogans. The Grunt Style Foundation creates content with a strong following in the military community, anchoring Citizen Green’s veteran-focused messaging.

Cannabis Coast to Coast News, a popular cannabis news show anchored by former sports broadcaster Jimmy Young, boasts over a million views and is also an “anchor tenant” in Peterson’s strategy, which he likens to filling a shopping mall. “To attract vibrant tenants, I needed strong key tenants, like the Macys and Nordstroms in a mall,” Peterson explains. “There’s a lot of cannabis content out there that doesn’t have the following it deserves, and now I’m filling out the stores in the mall with a variety of content — from music and movies to podcasts, entertainment, and education — creating revenue opportunities along the way.”

Peterson is confident that Citizen Green will be a powerful brand-building and revenue-generating platform for content providers through advertising and e-commerce initiatives.

Cannabis Advertising on CTV

Cannabis brands face significant advertising restrictions on traditional TV due to regulations imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which governs radio, satellite, and cable communications. Because cannabis remains federally illegal, the FCC restricts its advertising. However, connected TV (CTV) operates under different rules. Unlike conventional broadcast television, the FCC has limited authority over internet-delivered or streaming content, providing a new opportunity for cannabis marketers.

“We’ve established clear guardrails to ensure compliance and avoid any issues,” explains Peterson. “Transparency is key — we want to make sure there are no false or misleading statements.”

Leveraging Ethereum Blockchain for Enhanced CTV Advertising

According to Advertising Week, the future of CTV advertising is filled with opportunities, especially with AI and blockchain driving advancements in targeting, fraud prevention, and contextual relevance. As a blockchain company, Citizen Green is poised to take CTV advertising to the next level by making it more interactive while ensuring transparency and compliance within the cannabis industry.

Through blockchain technology, Citizen Green provides real-time engagement between consumers and advertisers using smart contract mechanisms. Viewers can scan QR codes on their TV screens to access exclusive deals, a product’s Certificate of Authority (COA) to verify lab testing, or landing pages for brand stories. CTV’s video-on-demand feature enables viewers to pause and engage with a brand they find interesting, making it a powerful tool for brand building. Once a coupon is downloaded into the viewer’s e-wallet, advertisers can retarget that customer, much like email marketing. The only information advertisers receive is the e-wallet ID, keeping the transaction anonymous except for details on how and where the coupon was redeemed.

Additionally, Citizen Green allows viewers to shop directly through the platform by hovering over images with their remote, bringing up a shopping cart for immediate purchase. Brands can also use on-demand printing services to sell branded merchandise, adding further value to their CTV advertising efforts.

Advertising Opportunities on Citizen Green CTV

Citizen Green offers a range of advertising opportunities beyond its regular programming, including a pay-per-view model for live-streaming events such as concerts, educational seminars, and lectures. This provides advertisers with multiple channels to promote their brands. The platform will also feature a mobile app for easy access to cannabis content.

Unlike traditional linear TV, CTV operates as a digital platform, utilizing first- and third-party data to target audiences wherever they stream. This means advertisers can reach specific viewer segments and retarget consumers with tailored CTV campaigns. Like other digital advertising platforms, performance can be tracked through tools like Google Analytics, enabling brands to measure customer journeys and return on investment (ROI). Its interactive features make Citizen Green a robust demand and lead-generation tool.

“Integrating blockchain-driven ads into streaming video content, where allowed, and delivering them to a targeted, scalable market is the next evolution of advertising and revenue generation in the cannabis industry,” says GCAC North America President Steve Peterson. Streaming TV provides advertisers with access to a broad demographic, making it a prime platform for those seeking to stand out in the competitive cannabis market.

Hear Steve Peterson’s full interview on the Innovating Cannabis Podcast featured on Citizen Green TV.

From The Lab

MJBowl Comes For New York Brands

By Pam Chmiel
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MJBizCon, the largest and one of the most influential gatherings in the cannabis industry, is adding a new element to its lineup: a cannabis competition.

This year marks the debut of the MJBowl awards on December 4th in Las Vegas, produced in partnership with Budist, the first-ever review platform to combine consumer feedback with expert ratings from seasoned professionals.

Elevating Cannabis Standards

Often compared to Wine Spectator, the influential magazine known for expert ratings, detailed tasting notes, and industry news, Budist applies a similar model to cannabis.

“Cannabis needed a professional ratings and review platform that elevates a brand’s standards,” said Claudio Miranda, co-founder and COO of Budist. “Just like wine, coffee, or craft beer, cannabis deserves a transparent, unbiased system for measuring quality.”

The inaugural event will feature separate competitions in California and New York, with winners crowned in each state. While future editions may pit markets against one another, for now, the MJBowl is designed as a celebration of excellence rather than a direct state-to-state showdown, since cannabis remains federally illegal and cannot be shipped across state lines.

Driving Premiumization in Cannabis

Beyond ratings and reviews, Budist is also tackling one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: the lack of education around products. Miranda points out that cannabis is often reduced to a race to the bottom, where products are judged primarily on low prices and high THC percentages.

By introducing expert-driven evaluations, Budist aims to help consumers understand why some products command a higher price, just as wine drinkers learn to distinguish between a $10 and a $100 bottle. The platform also shines a spotlight on cultivators and brands that invest in craftsmanship, such as high-quality sun-grown flower, which is often undervalued in today’s market.

“Education is key,” Miranda explained. “Some consumers want value products, and that’s fine. But others are willing to pay more for craftsmanship and quality, and they want to know why that product is worth the premium. That’s where we come in—helping consumers make sense of the differences.”

Budist vs. Ganjier: Complementary Roles

Because Budist is often compared to the Ganjier program, Miranda clarifies the distinction and how they complement one another.

  • Ganjier, founded by renowned cultivator Kevin Jodrey, is the industry’s first sommelier-style certification program. It provides deep product knowledge, professional credentials, and evaluation training similar to earning a degree.
  • Budist is a platform. It gives certified experts, including many Ganjiers, an outlet to apply their skills in the marketplace.

In addition to expert reviews, Budist also includes consumer ratings, creating a dual system modeled after platforms like Rotten Tomatoes, where both critics and everyday users contribute.

 

“Both perspectives are valid,” Miranda said. “Our professionals might include Ganjiers, longtime competition judges, journalists, or educators, but they all share a commitment to standardized, unbiased product evaluation. At the same time, consumer input provides balance and insight into what everyday users value.”

 

Together, programs like Ganjier and platforms like Budist help professionalize cannabis evaluation, giving the industry tools to recognize quality while also educating consumers about the nuances that distinguish one product from another.

California vs. New York: Different Stages, Different Stories

One of the most compelling aspects of the MJBowl will be seeing how winners differ between California and New York.

California has had a legal cannabis framework for over 20 years and is a hub of innovation for brands, product formats, retail experiences, and cultivation and extraction methods. New York’s regulated market, by contrast, is still in its early stages. While its traditional market is longstanding, the legal side has fewer brands and less product diversity, making it more of a developing market than a mature one.

It’s not just about the products. Each MJ Bowl competition reflects the culture of its state. In New York, social equity license holders make up a majority of the market, accounting for approximately 54 percent across cultivation, manufacturing, and retail. Many of these operators come from the legacy market and support one another as they transition into the legal industry. Growers supply brands, brands support retailers, and retailers provide visibility for their community peers. This longstanding network of collaboration is now thriving in the regulated space, giving New York’s cannabis scene a uniquely cooperative spirit.

California, by contrast, brings decades of product innovation and a deep bench of brands, with judges steeped in West Coast cannabis culture. New York’s judging team is being built from within its own community. “This isn’t about California going to New York and telling them what we think of their products,” Miranda said. “It’s about letting each market speak for itself, from producers to consumers and professionals alike.”

How Judges Decide What Wins

According to Miranda, winning products don’t follow a single formula; trends, innovation, and what’s bubbling up in the market all matter. Years ago, hydrocarbon extracts such as shatter and wax dominated competitions, while today’s connoisseurs favor solventless products like rosin. Edibles have evolved from simple brownies to precisely dosed chocolates, beverages, and nanotech-infused products. Judges also reward innovation across hardware and packaging, not just flower or concentrates.

Budist is working to elevate standards by implementing a 100-point evaluation rubric that scores aroma, flavor, appearance, and effect, weighted differently according to category. For example, concentrates are judged heavily on aroma and flavor, while medicinal capsules are judged primarily on whether they deliver the promised effect.

The scoring system also recognizes that consumer expectations vary widely across categories. “You can’t measure rosin against distillate and call one better than the other; they’re different products serving different purposes,” Miranda explained. That’s why products compete within subcategories, ensuring fair comparisons and allowing each style to shine on its own merits.

For the MJBowl, there are five main competition categories:

  • Flower
  • Pre-rolls
  • Vaporizers
  • Concentrates
  • Edibles

Within these, entries are divided into 11 subcategories—such as distillates, live resin, solventless extracts, chocolates, gummies, and beverages to ensure recognition across the full spectrum of cannabis products.

What Winners Receive

In addition to honoring winners on the national stage at MJBizCon, the MJBowl ups the stakes with event tickets, an awards show entry, and a travel voucher to Las Vegas. Winning brands also gain major visibility through post-event press coverage, Budist social promotion, and amplification from MJBiz.

Retail partners in each state, such as The Artist Tree, with 10 California locations, and Gotham, with four dispensaries in New York, have committed to showcasing winners on their shelves.

“This isn’t an award that disappears once the show ends,” Miranda said. “It translates directly into new opportunities for brands. So we hope everybody enters.”

 

Hear Claudio Miranda’s full interview on the Innovating Cannabis Podcast and YouTube.

Wellness Watch

Why You Should Consider Medical-Grade Dry-Herb Vapes

By Pam Chmiel
No Comments

dry herb vaping    Switching from smoking to dry-herb vaping offers a safer way to consume while also preserving the delicate terpene and cannabinoid profiles that contribute to the entourage effect. Unlike combustion, which produces tar, carbon monoxide, and other toxic byproducts, vaporization heats cannabis at controlled temperatures to release active compounds with far fewer harmful emissions. While vaping is not risk-free, acute impairment, potential lung irritation, and the unknowns of long-term use remain, there is growing consensus that dry-herb vaporization represents a safer and more consistent method of consumption when paired with high-quality flower and rigorously tested devices.

Why Hardware Matters                                                                                                  Whether vaporizing concentrates or flower, the quality of the hardware is critical. Cheaply manufactured devices can pose significant health risks, ranging from heavy metal contamination to inconsistent heating elements that fail to maintain optimal temperatures. Recognizing the importance of safety, ASTM International (American Society for Testing and Materials) launched the D37 Vape Device Safety & Testing Initiative in 2024. The initiative is developing global standards around material safety, emissions testing, power regulation, and device disassembly, creating benchmarks to reduce consumer risk and ensure more reliable performance across devices that manufacturers should adhere to.

Compound Preservation and Temperature Control are Key                                            One of the biggest advantages of dry-herb vaping is compound preservation. Analytical studies have demonstrated that medical-grade vaporizers achieve exceptionally high decarboxylation efficiency for cannabinoids with vapor recovery rates ranging from 51–83% depending on the device and study conditions. This means that patients and consumers are not just avoiding harmful byproducts; they’re also gaining access to the therapeutic compounds they expect.

Temperature plays a central role in this. Research and industry guidelines suggest that the optimal vaporization range is between 180–230°C, just below the combustion threshold of 235°C. Within this window, active cannabinoids and terpenes are efficiently released without producing smoke. Different terpenes vaporize at different temperatures: myrcene around 166°C, limonene around 176°C, and linalool closer to 198°C, so patients and consumers can tailor both flavor and therapeutic effects by adjusting heat settings.

Devices with precision temperature controls, capable of maintaining a stable hot-air stream with minimal fluctuation, enable reproducible results, better flavor, and a reliable vapor cloud. For patients, this translates into a more predictable therapeutic experience; for recreational consumers, it enhances taste and enjoyment.

Reduction of Harmful Toxins                                                                                              The contrast between smoking and vaporization is stark. Analytical data show that the vapor produced by a medical-grade dry-herb device can be composed of up to 95% cannabinoids with minimal toxic byproducts. In comparison, combustion produces more than 100 additional chemicals, many of them carcinogenic or otherwise harmful to respiratory health.

For operators and healthcare providers, this distinction highlights the potential of vaporization as a harm-reduction tool. The reduction in carbon monoxide, tar, and irritants makes dry-herb vaping a cleaner alternative that aligns with both patient safety and public health objectives.

Reproducibility and Dosage Control                                                                       Consistency is essential in medical and clinical contexts. Temperature-controlled vaporizers can deliver stable, reproducible doses of cannabinoids, which is a critical advantage for patients who require predictable symptom relief. Clinical researchers also prefer vaporizers over smoking in trials because they ensure consistent cannabinoid delivery, making study outcomes more reliable.

In addition to dosage stability, these devices reduce airway irritation by cooling the vapor before inhalation. This combination of precision and patient comfort has positioned dry-herb vaporizers as valuable tools in both research and treatment settings, offering a reliable way to study cannabis pharmacology while ensuring consistent exposure levels.

Limitations and Safety Concerns                                                                                  Despite the advantages, it’s important to recognize limitations and potential risks.

  • Microbial Bioburden: Research indicates that vaporizing cannabis flower at standard temperatures (around 190°C) does not significantly reduce microbial contamination present on the plant material. For immunocompromised patients, this underscores the importance of sourcing flower that have undergone rigorous quality testing and meet pharmaceutical-grade standards.
  • Elemental Impurities: Cannabis naturally absorbs trace amounts of heavy metals from soil, but recent FDA-funded research found that using a dry-herb vaporizer does not significantly transfer those impurities into inhaled vapor. Even concerning elements such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury were detected at levels far below safety thresholds, reinforcing that vaporization is a much cleaner option than smoking.
  • Pesticide Residues: Many pesticides are heat-stable, meaning they can survive vaporization temperatures. This makes proper cultivation and third-party testing essential to ensuring that inhaled vapor is free from harmful residues.

In short, while device technology greatly mitigates risks associated with inhalation, the quality and purity of the raw cannabis remain equally critical to consumer safety.

Device Reputation and Regulatory Acceptance                                                        Medical-grade dry-herb vaporizers are required to meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification. These devices have been widely adopted in clinical trials and medical cannabis programs across the globe, offering regulators and researchers a trusted platform for studying cannabis vaporization.

Among them, the Storz & Bickel Volcano has become one of the most widely recognized models, frequently used in laboratory settings to deliver reproducible cannabinoid vapor while minimizing harmful byproducts. First launched in 2000, the Volcano remains a gold standard and was among the first devices approved for distribution in regulated medical markets, such as Germany and Israel. More recreational and portable-friendly devices, such as the Mighty, Venty, and most recently the Veazy, have since followed, further expanding medical-grade options for consumers, patients, and researchers.

Key Criteria for Medical-Grade Dry-Herb Vaportizers                                                  Not all vaporizers are created equal. Medical-grade devices are manufactured to stricter standards than consumer-grade products, with regulations that ensure safety, consistency, and compliance with relevant laws and regulations.

  • Certified Quality Systems: Medical-grade vaporizers are manufactured to ISO 13485 certification, a quality management system specifically designed for medical devices. This ensures every stage, from design and materials to production and final testing, meets rigorous standards.
  • Regulatory Compliance: In Europe, these devices must comply with the EU’s Medical Device Directive and related safety standards, placing them under the same category of oversight as other medical devices.
  • Precision Heating: Controlled heating technology keeps temperatures in the ideal vaporization range. This allows cannabinoids and terpenes to be released effectively without crossing into combustion, ensuring consistent dosing and minimizing the formation of harmful byproducts.
  • Material Safety: Only medical-grade, inert materials, such as stainless steel, ceramics, or specialized plastics, are used in components that come into contact with cannabis or vapor. This reduces the risk of contamination from metals or chemical leachates.
  • Controlled Production Environments: Devices are typically assembled in cleanrooms or under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) protocols to prevent contamination and ensure product purity.
  • Battery and Electrical Safety: Portable models must meet strict safety standards for lithium-ion batteries, with safeguards against overheating, short circuits, and malfunctions.

These manufacturing criteria set medical-grade vaporizers, like the Storz and Bickel brand, apart in both clinical and commercial contexts. For patients, they provide peace of mind. For regulators, they demonstrate compliance. For operators, this highlights the level of quality assurance that may become the benchmark as cannabis markets continue to professionalize.

The Takeaway For Industry Stakeholders                                                                            As consumers become more educated about the value of preserving cannabinoids and terpenes, vaporizers are well-positioned to become the preferred method of inhalation when smoking remains the chosen form of consumption.

As regulatory standards evolve and clinical research expands, medical-grade dry-herb vaporizers will continue to demonstrate their value, not just as consumer products, but as essential tools for harm reduction, patient care, and scientific study. For brands, aligning with this higher standard of creating medical-grade products is not only beneficial for patients and consumers but also crucial for setting safe industry standards.