As is typical of most entrepreneurs, I like to think that I am responsible for my success. Entrepreneurs do work very hard, and some are talented enough (and lucky enough) to become successful. 

Growers, tenders, trimmers, producers and distributors all take different risks, skillsets and roles. Working with cannabis insiders operating on both sides of the law gives insight into the process of cultivating these plants and turning them into profit. Utilizing trim is one such way.

The strain of cannabis grown doesn’t matter as much as the process you use to grow, harvest and prep the product for sale. Fruit and vegetables bought in a store aren’t just ripped from the ground and sold as is – they’re gussied up and made presentable. Cannabis is no different.

I remember sometime around 2007, sitting in the boardroom for a publicly-traded company I ran. Ten men sat around a table with me; a potential investor was on speakerphone. We were requesting $10 million in funding from him. 

 "Honey," he said to me. "What if I didn't give you $10 million, but I gave you $100 million instead? How would you spend it?"

It was a misogynistic and loaded question that I knew he would never ask my male colleagues. Without losing my cool, I remained silent for 20 seconds, relishing the uncomfortable silence. Then I said, "I'd go to Neiman Marcus, of course! What else would I do with the money?"

Don't look now, but marijuana stocks are blazing hot, once again.

Pot stocks have been on fire since the beginning of November, which follows a roughly 19-month lull (April 2019 to October 2020) where they grossly underperformed. For instance, the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF, which holds stakes in dozens of direct and ancillary pot players, is up 129% since the end of October.

If you're wondering what changed, look no further than the political makeup in the United States.

The emerging legal cannabis industry is going global, with a growing list of countries that have legalized cannabis for adult and/or medical use, and even more countries exploring a similar move.

At the same time, the world’s climate is changing, with extreme weather patterns picking up in frequency and severity all over the world.

Climate change is affecting virtually every aspect and sector of the agriculture industry, and that is likely to be the case for cannabis too as outdoor cultivation is permitted in more areas.

The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, the organization responsible for regulating cannabis retail in Ontario, will begin issuing 30 cannabis Retail Store Authorizations per week.

The AGCO announced the changes in a blog post earlier this week.

The agency has already increased the pace of RSAs in recent months. In December, the AGCO said it would double its approval pace, and went from issuing 40 RSAs per month to 80.

In the most recent announcement, the AGCO says it will now issue 120 RSAs per month.

Each year, our editors pour through products to find the most innovative, interesting, and helpful tech hitting the shelves. For our year-end 2020 issue of Cannabis & Tech Today, the competition was fierce. We whittled down the list to just 25 items for both the industry pro and the cannasseur. Take a look and share your favorites with us on social media @cannatechtoday.

HempLab Inc. CompleTest. Photo courtesy of HempLab Inc.

CBD (cannabidiol) is one of the most controversial topics of the instant. The rising popularity of CBD involves the commencement of many research studies about the benefits of this substrate. The information obtained is not only proving the real positive effects of CBD on human health, but also affixes more properties to be investigated and tested. If during the last decade the CBD market was one of the demanded ones  today it is the most demanded due to constant increase of consumers and rising interest towards CBD.

Are We Late to Tap Into the Cbd Market?

Not really!

Here are some reasons why it is not late to tap into this market and make profit of its rising popularity.

Given all of the unexpected circumstances of 2020, virtually every company — in every industry — is undergoing some level of change. From rethinking how their businesses are run, to reevaluating which strategies are going to be effective moving forward, there’s a lot for business owners to think about in 2021.

The cannabis industry has not been exempt from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite the development and distribution of new vaccines, many are still wondering what recovery could look like.