Recorded on the Friday after election day, John Hudak returns for a far reaching conversation on policy and cannabis history. He first honestly and thoughtfully discusses polling and prognostication from this cycle showcasing all that was involved in the election outcome. We then dive into governance. We discover the concept of American civic duty going beyond simply voting. We realize the fact that the ultimate accountability of our elected officials rests in the hands of we the people. We run through the Nov. 8th cannabis wins and the meaning of those wins. And we finish by discussing Marijuana: A Short History, John’s book available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Brookings Press Website.
As this episode goes up, tomorrow is election day. We figured there’s no better person to sum up what’s about to happen regarding cannabis ballot initiatives than THE Steve Fox. We begin with a little personal history from way back in episode 34 and then dive in to Steve’s take on how this year is different than 2012. The interview was recorded October 17th- it preceded Sheldon Adelson’s investment in Arizona and Nevada- so we discuss the timing of the investment coming less than a month before election day. We wonder aloud about the effectiveness of this late investment. Steve gives us his take on how it’s gonna go and why and how he uses the word marijuana vs. cannabis…and just what’s on the docket for him moving into 2017.
John Whiteman of Wana Brands joins us to discuss the Wana story. He takes us through his personal history and how he found himself in the cannabis space. John discusses the early days of the medical market in Colorado and the various products Wana tested before settling in on the current product assortment. The conversation happened a few weeks back and John brings up polling in Nevada…which works out well as Andrew Jolley of NV returns to give us an update on where we are with that ballot initiative as the opposition gets underway.
Jesce Horton returns and gives us an update on his new venture Saints cannabis as well as the latest on the MCBA. We go back to episode 78 to get some personal history and then Jesce and I find ourselves in Bryant Park in NYC having a straightforward conversation about race. We discuss the concept of “other” and what’s presented to all of us through the mass media. As we learn that cannabis is so much more than we initially conceived, we discover the fact that the cannabis industry by way of being marginalized by prohibition has the opportunity to lead the way regarding ratcheting down the concept of other by discovering similarities. An MCBA Spotlight episode.
Viv McPeak kicks us off by sharing the difference between Hempfest 25 and Hempfest 1 as well as all that goes in to producing the inimitable event. We then have a cavalcade of guests including acclaimed actor Eric Roberts, of the Emery’s Jodie Emery, of the Endocanabinoid system, Dr. Bob Melamede, state house candidate Stephanie Viscovvich, Chief Greenleaf and THE Ed Rosenberg. We finish the episode by sitting down with John Davis who is name checked quite often when we speak of Washington state so it was great to get a chance to say hello and hear what’s on his mind at this moment in time.