BofC Live

On this episode - BofC Live features conversation with Liz Stahura, the Co-Founder and President of BDSA - the Official Insights Partner of Business of Cannabis. This BofC Live focuses on their projections for Canada's overall market size in 2025, how COVID-19 has impacted overall Canadian sales this year and how cannabis consumers are purchasing cannabis when given the online and delivery options.

On this episode - BofC Live highlights today's Benchmarks Update from Cannabis Benchmarks as well as provides details of upcoming Business of Cannabis events.

On this episode - BofC Live features conversation with Jason Moscovici of ROBIC, an intellectual property law firm in Montreal, Quebec. ROBIC is the presenting partner of Business of Cannabis' Cannabis Forward networking event on Tuesday, May 26th. Moscovici is a long-time attorney in the cannabis sector and brings both a deep history and wealth of knowledge into the sector.

On this episode - BofC Live features conversations with James Jesty of Friendly Stranger, Andy Palalas of Canna Cabana and Zygmunt Strawcyznski of Poteck Power Corp. These three back-to-back conversations highlight what is happening at the end of the supply chain with retailers (Friendly Stranger and Canna Cabana) as well as the front of the supply chain with producers.

Imraan Khan is the CEO of Detonate Cannabis Agency - the foremost agency working on experiential and event-based marketing in the cannabis sector. Business of Cannabis wanted to connect with Khan to talk about his company's trajectory in the sector and the future direction of the company and the sector.

Liz Stahura, Co-Founder and President of BDSA (formerly BDS Analytics), joined BofC Live to talk about her company becoming the Official Insights Partner of Business of Cannabis.

BofC Live is the daily news and interview program of Business of Cannabis. Business of Cannabis highlights the companies, brands, people and trends driving the sector. This episode features a conversation with Mario Naric and Ian Haase of Motif Labs - a recent licensee from Health Canada and an ambitious entrant into the extraction market.

Nick Pateras, the Managing Director, Europe for Materia Ventures joined BofC Live to talk about their entrance into both the UK and German markets. As well, Pateras discussed emerging European cannabis markets - including Malta.

The CEO and CCO of WeedMD join BofC Live to discuss WeedMD's merger with Starseed Medicinal, growing outdoors in Southern Ontario and how having a built in, insurance-covered, patient base allows WeedMD to operate from a position of strength even in the challenging COVID-19 era.

BofC Live is the daily news and interview program of Business of Cannabis. Business of Cannabis highlights the companies, brands, people and trends driving the sector. This episode features a conversation with Harrison Stoker of HOBO Cannabis Company talking about their expansion into Ontario - as well as the positioning of the overall company between bars, restaurants and barber shops.

Ian Dyck of Shopify joins BofC Live to discuss Shopify's long-standing role in the legal cannabis industry in Canada - serving producers, government agencies and private retailers alike. In partnership with Business of Cannabis, Shopify is presenting a 4-part series titled: Creating an Omnichannel Cannabis Retail Experience presented by Shopify - which launches on Friday, May 15, 2020.

Tanner Stewart is the founder of Stewart Farms, an aquaponic grower in St. Stephen, NB. Stewart Farms received their license from Health Canada in April and moved plants into the facility on April 20, 2020. Tanner Stewart is the founder of Stewart Farms, an aquaponic grower in St. Stephen, NB. Stewart Farms received their license from Health Canada in April and moved plants into the facility on April 20, 2020.

Michael Garbuz is the founder + CEO of High 12 Brands and founder + President of Materia Ventures. On the High 12 Brands' side of the house, consumer-facing products have hit shelves in both BC and Ontario within the past month and Materia Ventures has launched a CBD vape pen into the UK market. This conversation talks about these two new developments, what it means for both companies and what near- and longer-term future may look like.

Kayla Mann is the CFO of Habitat - a microcultivator that grows aquaponically in Chase, BC. Their unique mix of Coho salmon farming and cannabis cultivation - all organic certified - has recently entered the market through Shelter Craft Collective.

George Smitherman is President and CEO of the Cannabis Council of Canada. He took the helm in early March 2020 and was immediately put in the role of advocating for the industry in Ottawa and beyond in the midst of a global pandemic. We wanted to connect with him about how his work has changed over the past seven weeks - and what the future might hold for his and the organization's work.

In this unprecedented time amid COVID-19, Omar Khan of H+K Strategies joined BofC Live to discuss with Jay Rosenthal how the cannabis industry could access support made available by the Canadian government. As well, what the era of social distancing meant for cannabis retailers and would-be retailers in Ontario - and throughout Canada.

Michael Garbuz of Materia Ventures and High 12 Brands joined BofC Live to talk about the state of the industry in Canada, especially given the near-universal practice of social distancing about to take hold of the country.

Matt Maurer of Torkin Manes joined Jay Rosenthal on #BofCLive to talk about his firm's event on February 4, 2020 focused on educating would-be cannabis retailers about the full scope of considerations - legal and otherwise. Maurer spoke about the industry backdrop in which this event will take place.

Hunter Forman of Torkin Manes joined Jay Rosenthal on #BofCLive to talk about his firm's event on February 4, 2020 focused on educating would-be cannabis retailers about the full scope of considerations - legal and otherwise.

Oren Shuster, CEO of IMC Ltd. came by the studio to talk with Business of Cannabis about the Israeli company's start-up story and growth into the European market. IMC Ltd. is traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker $IMCC‍

Andrew Wilder of Torkin Manes joined Jay Rosenthal on #BofCLive to talk about his firm's event on February 4, 2020 focused on educating would-be cannabis retailers about the full scope of considerations - legal and otherwise.

Robert Tyrie of FoliEdge Academy joined Jay Rosenthal for BofC Live to talk about the FoliEdge Academy training program, their unique partnership with Seneca College and provided an offer specifically for Business of Cannabis viewers/listeners. For more information, email Robert at rob@foliedgeacademy.com and say that you heard about the program on Business of Cannabis.‍

Having made the transition from the legacy market to the newly regulated market, Village Bloomery in Vancouver, BC is a retail cannabis shop with a deep history. That history has allowed the co-founders, Jeremy Jacob and Andrea Dobbs, to continue to serve a diverse and loyal audience, but also have a unique perspective on what is good, and very challenging, about the current industry. In this conversation, Andrea Dobbs shares her perspective about how the regulated cannabis retail and consumer experience could be improved and what her customers - both old and new - are saying about the current state of affairs.

In this BofC Live podcast, team members from MNP, the Canadian Securities Exchange, Aird + Berlis and MGO | Ello sat down with Business of Cannabis to get a sense of where the industry is today and where it is going in the future as it relates to cannabis capital markets.

This BofC Live podcast includes team members from MNP, the Canadian Securities Exchange, Aird + Berlis and MGO | Ello who provide a sense of where the industry is today and where it is going in the future - especially as it relates to the US market and how, and if, that impacts the Canadian and global markets.

Having made the transition from the legacy market to the newly regulated market, Village Bloomery in Vancouver, BC is a retail cannabis shop with a deep history. That history has allowed the co-founders, Jeremy Jacob and Andrea Dobbs, to continue to serve a diverse and loyal audience, but also have a unique perspective on what is good, and very challenging, about the current industry. In this conversation, Jeremy Jacob shares some of this perspective - both from his role at the Village Bloomery, but also as the President of the Association of Canadian Cannabis Retailers.

Curt Robbins is a well-known and well-respected voice in the cannabis industry - having been part of it for two decades. He has joined Business of Cannabis previously, but sat down with Business of Cannabis co-founder and president Jay Rosenthal at MJBizCon 2019 for their first face-to-face conversation. The conversation ranged from the future of cannabis in the US to a deep dive into CBG, "the mother of all cannabinoids"

Held annually in Las Vegas, MJBizCon is largest B2B cannabis business conference and expo in the world. Business of Cannabis was on hand to connect with key leaders in the sector to gain insight and perspective on the current state of the industry. Chris Walsh, the newly-announced CEO of Marijuana Business Daily joined Business of Cannabis for a conversation from the show.

Matt Maurer is a leading cannabis attorney in Canada and a partner at Torkin Manes in Toronto. In the wake of a lackluster year of cannabis retail in the Province of Ontario, an announcement was made on December 12, 2019 that a new approach was being executed in the Province. Maurer has digested the new approach and joined us the following day while at MJBizCon 2019 to talk to Jay Rosenthal of Business of Cannabis about the new approach and what it means for Ontario, for would-be retailers and for the Canadian cannabis sector overall.

Cassandra Farrington is a global leader in the cannabis sector. As the co-founder of Marijuana Business Daily, she oversaw the growth and success of the both the publication and the industry-leading conference and expo: MJBizCon. Farrington joined Business of Cannabis'Jay Rosenthal to talk about the current state of the industry, how MJBizCon has grown and the business success story that is MJBiz Daily.

Over the course of the past 24 hours, scores of interviews and hundreds of conversations by the Business of Cannabis team, some themes emerged from Day 1 of MJBizCon 2019. Here are four...

Athletes for Care is an advocacy group pushing for more thoughtful policy and practice for athletes and sport governing bodies. Business of Cannabis joined Athletes for Care for their event and caught up with athletes past and present pushing for change. Former NHL-er Ryan VandenBusshe stopped by the podcast booth to talk about his background with cannabis - including his company New Leaf Canada, history with Athletes for Care and why advocacy is so important. This podcast was made possible by Strainprint and Jessica Moran joined us to introduce each podcast.

Athletes for Care is an advocacy group pushing for more thoughtful policy and practice for athletes and sport governing bodies. Business of Cannabis joined Athletes for Care for their event and caught up with athletes past and present pushing for change. In this podcast, Olympic gold medalist Ross Rebagliati joined Jay Rosenthal to talk about his storied history as an athlete who is inextricably linked to cannabis. As well, Rebagliati has launched his own cannabis brands - Legacy.

Cova Software is a preeminent point of sale software for cannabis retailers. During this event for would-be retailers put on by Cova Software, Jay Rosenthal of Business of Cannabis spoke with Steven Fry and Darryl Allen of Sessions Cannabis about their experience starting a cannabis retail store in Hamilton, Ontario. Steven Fry's story about winning Ontario's retail cannabis lottery has been captured in a well-read piece in Toronto Life titled: Confessions of a Legal Pot Dealer.Anne Forkutza of Cova Software joins Jay for the introduction of the podcast.

Nathan Woodward, CEO of James E. Wagner Cultivation (JWC) sat down in their Kitchener, Ontario facility to talk about their aeroponic growing techniques, what it's like to run a family-operated - yet publicly traded - start up - all within a highly-regulated industry.

Jay Rosenthal from the Business of Cannabis recorded a series of interviews at the Athletes for Care event in Toronto, Ontario in November 2019. This podcast series includes founders and leaders at Athletes for Care, including this session with Dr. Mike Hart, a preeminent Canadian doctor working in medical cannabis. This podcast was made possible by Strainprint Technologies and Jessica Moran of the Strainprint team joins the pod to introduce Dr. Hart.

Sean Samuel of Cannabis OneFive stopped by the Business of Cannabis studio to talk about the three pillars he views as successful in the cannabis sector: people, process and technology (the golden triangle). As well, how Cannabis OneFive is helping companies on all three fronts.

Jay Rosenthal from the Business of Cannabis team visited Ottawa cannabis retailer Superette as they announced their unique partnership with the Ottawa Food Bank. Mimi Lam with Superette and Samantha Ingram of the Ottawa Food Bank spoke with Jay about the partnership and the importance of being engaged locally.

Cannabis retail in Canada is in its very early days, with hundreds and likely thousands of new stores coming on line in the coming 12-24 months. Cova Software, a POS system for retailers, calls 22 of the 25 Ontario retailers their partners. Anne Forkutza VP Strategic Partnerships and Brand Officer at Cova Software joined Business of Cannabis in-studio to talk about that retail ramp up and what would-be retailers should know about starting a retail store.

In October 2019, the Business of Cannabis partnered with Canada 2020, on a policy conference called Canadian Grown. On this episode, Jay Rosenthal of Business of Cannabis and Alex Patterson, Executive Director of Canada 2020 spoke with Nick Nanos of Nanos Research, a leading public opinion research firm in Canada.

On this episode of #BofCLive, we talk with Trina Fraser of Brazeau Seller Law. Trina is a leading regulatory attorney in the cannabis secto and was a speaker at the Canada 2020 Canadian Grown policy conference. She stopped by the podcast booth to talk with Alex Paterson of Canada 2020 and Brett Chang of the Business of Cannabis team.

Jupiter Research is a leading provider of vaporizer technology in the US and Canadian markets. Tissenbaum stopped in to talk about their approach to Canada, how the issues with vape technology in the US has actually opened the door for legal, regulated vape tech in Canada.

Karina from Responsible Cannabis Use stopped by the studio again to talk about their latest survey about edibles. Their surveys aim to educate Canadians about responsible use and their survey - which BofC co-founder Jay Rosenthal took on air - is used to inform Canadians about the roll-out of Legalization 2.0 - specifically, edibles.

Bruce Linton is the co-founder and former CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation, the world's largest cannabis company. Linton was in attendance at the Canada 2020 Canadian Grown policy conference and stopped by the podcast booth to talk with Alex Paterson of Canada 2020 and Brett Chang and Jay Rosenthal of the Business of Cannabis team. The conversation was wide-ranging and touched on policy, international trade and even Snoop Dogg.

Chuck Rifici is a pioneer in the Canadian cannabis landscape, having co-founded Tweed, which became Canopy Growth Corporation. His professional background, however, also intersects with politics and policy, as he served as the CFO of the Liberal Party of Canada. At the Canada 2020 conference in October 2019, he shared his perspective on the industry as well as the policies that govern it with Jay Rosenthal of Business of Cannabis as well as Alex Paterson of Canada 2020.

The Honourable Anne McLellan has a storied history in Canadian policy and politics. Related to cannabis, she co-chaired the Task Force on Cannabis Legalization and Regulation. She has been a strong voice advocating for industry responsibility and a thoughtful approach to regulation in Canada. She joined Jay Rosenthal of Business of Cannabis and Alex Paterson of Canada 2020 for this BofC Live podcast recording.

Kelly Beker was an early employee at MedReleaf and later joined the team at Aurora. She has been a long-time friend of the Business of Cannabis and following her departure from Aurora earlier in the year, headed to Asia to explore emerging cannabis markets there. She connected with Business of Cannabis from Cambodia, where she is exploring the next wave of medical cannabis legalization through her firm: Cannabis Global Impact.

Loïc Calvez is the Co-Founder + CEO of ALCiT an IT managed services company based in Ontario. ALCiT bring experience across sectors into the cannabis space and are serving as a partner in Cannabis + Technology on September 27 in Toronto.

Mary-Margaret Jones is the Managing Director of RNMKR Agency. RNMKR is a partner in Cannabis + Technology on September 27th. Maire joined the show to talk about her background and experience and learning all about the sector.

Mike Zmuda is a well-known voice in the cannabis sector in Canada - publishing under the handle: @junglestrikeguy. As well, he works in information security at Tantulus Labs. Mike joined BofC Live from our Toronto studios to talk about his view of where the sector is and how it will unfold in the coming months and the intersection of cannabis and technology. (With a sprinkling of Night Court too.)