High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast

By AnnaRae Grabstein and Ben Larson

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Category: Entrepreneurship

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Subscribers: 4
Reviews: 0
Episodes: 170

Description

Hosts Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein serve up unfiltered insights, reveal their insiders' perspectives, and illuminate transformative ideas about the cannabis industry for people who want to make sense of it all.



Episode Date
#152 - Bootstrapping to $100M in California Cannabis with Big Oil Co.’s John LaFata
Sep 09, 2026
TWICL (9/4/26) - Hemp Gets a One-Month Lifeline, M&A Power Plays & Michigan’s Tax Reality
Sep 08, 2026
#151 - Cannabis Business News Roundup w/ Ben & AnnaRae: De-cluttering, DEA & PPP
Sep 02, 2026
TWICL (8/28/26) - 2,500 Pages of Rescheduling Testimony, $CURA vs. $ACB, and New York's High Art
Aug 31, 2026
#150 - Cannabis Investing Realities with Tiby Erdely of Key Investment Partners
Aug 26, 2026
TWICL (8/21/26) - Hostile Takeovers, EU Export Goldmine & Congress Presses the White House
Aug 24, 2026
#149 - Building a Hemp Beverage Empire Inside Alcohol: Jason Dayton of Trail Magic
Aug 19, 2026
#148 - How CAM Built a $73M California Cannabis Brand with Anna Willey
Aug 12, 2026
#147 - Reclaiming California’s Cannabis Market with DCC Director Clint Kellum
Jul 30, 2026
#146 - Building Anti-Fragile Cannabis Culture, Multi-State M&A, and the DEA's Schedule III Hearings
Jul 23, 2026
TWICL (7/17/26) - DEA Hearing, Senate Dems Refile the CAOA, Pennsylvania Punts (Again) + Kiva x Conan
Jul 20, 2026
#145 - Shifting Trends, AI, & State Markets with Leah Spokojny, CRO at BDSA
Jul 16, 2026
TWICL (July 10, 2026) - What Actually Happened at the DEA Hearings + Virginia's 2027 Timeline
Jul 13, 2026
#144 - Betting Big on One Brand: Ohio’s Market Leader w/ Zach Weprin (Certified)
Jul 10, 2026
#143 - How Eddie Brennan Built ayrloom’s $75M Empire (Plus DEA Hearing Update)
Jul 01, 2026
TWICL (June 26,2026) - Another Nasdaq Moment, Questions about DEA Fairness, and more
Jun 27, 2026
IgniteIt Chicago Replay: AI, M&A, and Policy Blitz
Jun 27, 2026
#142 - Is California Cannabis Going Global? Glass House Brands President Graham Farrar on NYSE Up-listing & Schedule III
Jun 23, 2026
#141 - Cannabis Biz News Roundup: CANRA Insights, Trulieve’s NYSE Debut & AI Labels w/ Ben & AnnaRae
Jun 11, 2026
#140 - Unlocking the Power of Minor Cannabinoids: Proving the Science of CBN with Alleh Lindquist of FloraWorks
Jun 04, 2026
TWICL(May 29, 2026) - NY's $10M for Seed-to-Sale, Curaleaf's Reverse Split & SAM Gets Tossed
Jun 04, 2026
#139 - Discernment, Reinvention and Becoming Media People in Cannabis with Ben & AnnaRae
May 27, 2026
TWICL (May 15, 2026) - DEA Registration Wave, GA's Medical Milestone & What Earnings Season Told Us
May 21, 2026
#138 - Unmasking Cannabis Pathogens with TUMI Genomics CEO Melanie Nash
May 21, 2026
#137 - The $11B THC Beverage Roadmap with Jason Zelinski (NielsenIQ)
May 15, 2026
#136 - Rescheduling Financial Deep Dive with Gail Rand & Michael Harlow
May 06, 2026
TWICL ( May 1, 2026) - Cannabis Rescheduling: What We Still Don't Know
May 04, 2026
#135 - The Rescheduling Order: A Legal Deep Dive
Apr 29, 2026
TWICL (Apr 17, 2026) - 4/20 & Rescheduling — Medical Cannabis Goes Federal
Apr 24, 2026
#134 - Centralized Strategy, Local Execution: Inside the iAnthus MSO Turnaround w/ CEO, Richie Proud
Apr 22, 2026
TWICL (Apr 17, 2026) - $110 Oil, Falling Eighths, and the Hemp Legislation Rollercoaster
Apr 20, 2026
#133 - The Future of THC Beverages: A Policy Deep Dive with Dawson Hobbs of WSWA
Apr 15, 2026
#132 - Scaling a Cannabis Empire: Boston Dickerson of Show Me Organics on Missouri and Kentucky Success
Apr 01, 2026
#131 - Sex, Drugs, and MSOs: Tanya Griffin on Illinois Retail & Radical Authenticity
Mar 26, 2026
#130 - Market Spotlights & Disciplined Growth: Elliot Lane on the Future of IgniteIt
Mar 19, 2026
TWICL (Mar 13, 2026) - Cannabis Earnings Season, Florida Legalization Stalls, + Michigan’s $3B Market
Mar 16, 2026
#129 - Cannabis Business News Roundup: Tilray’s BrewDog Bet & AI Regulatory Enforcement
Mar 11, 2026
TWICL (Mar 6, 2026) - Is New York the New Cannabis Capital? $4.6B Projections, SCOTUS Gun Rights, & Brand Power Shifts
Mar 08, 2026
#128 - Redefining Medicine & Schedule 6 w/ Steph Sherer of Americans for Safe Access
Mar 05, 2026
#127 - $3 Billion In: What Cannabis Lenders Look For w/ Steven Ernest of Chicago Atlantic
Feb 25, 2026
TWICL (Feb 20, 2026) - Farm Bill Drafts, German M&A, and the "Social" Retail Revolution
Feb 24, 2026
#126 - Beyond THC: Dr. Riley Kirk on Smell, Science, and Cannabis Education
Feb 19, 2026
#125 - Cannabis Business News Roundup: Ohio MSO Lawsuit, Texas Medical Growth, and FDA Countdown
Feb 11, 2026
TWICL (Feb 6, 2026) - Cannabis, Congress, And The Olympic Moment
Feb 10, 2026
#124 - Building THC Beverages That Actually Scale w/ Rick Schepp & Charles Bieler
Feb 04, 2026
#123 - Operating While the Ground Is Moving w/ Thomas Winstanley of Edibles.com
Jan 28, 2026
TWICL (Jan 23, 2026) - Rescheduling Reality Check
Jan 23, 2026
#122 - Signals from the Middle: Ashwin Raj on Cannabis’ Next Phase
Jan 21, 2026
#121 - Why Wyld and Grön Joined Forces w/ Aaron Morris and Draper Bender
Jan 14, 2026
This Week in Cannabis Live (Jan 2, 2026) - Predictions: Buying Year or Waiting Game?
Jan 13, 2026
#120 - Cannabis by the Numbers: Cy Scott, CEO of Headset on Rescheduling & 2026 Signals
Jan 07, 2026
#119 - Year-End Wrap Up Part 2: Predictions, Policy Reality, & Fire Horse Energy
Dec 31, 2025
This Week in Cannabis Live (Dec 19, 2025) — Rescheduling, Rulemaking & What Comes Next
Dec 23, 2025
#118 - Year-End Wrap Up Part 1: Media Meltdown & 2026 Predictions
Dec 22, 2025
#117 - Live from Las Vegas with Cultivated Media & Cannabis Musings Part 2
Dec 15, 2025
#116 - Live from Las Vegas with Cultivated Media & Cannabis Musings Part 1
Dec 12, 2025
#115 - Holiday Hiatus & High Spirits News
Dec 02, 2025
#114 - What Comes Next for Hemp THC Beverages w/ Martín Caballero, Managing Editor at BevNET.com
Nov 21, 2025
#113 - From Blueberries To Regenerative Cannabis: How Coastal Sun Built A Profitable, Planet-First Brand w/ Darren Story
Nov 19, 2025
#112 - Mapping Cannabis Patents, Power, And The Coming Wave Of Lawsuits w/ Dr. Ruth Fisher
Nov 10, 2025
#111 - How Hemp Beverages Are Rewriting Adult Drinking w/ Jeff Cantalupo of Listen Ventures
Nov 03, 2025
#110 - High-Risk, High Fees: Why Cannabis Payments Are Still Broken w/ Aubrey Amatelli of PayRio
Oct 27, 2025
#109 - How Uncle Arnie’s Is Scaling from Cannabis Cool to National Brand w/ Theo Terris, CEO
Oct 20, 2025
#108 - Government Shutdown, Michigan's 24% tax hike, and Ben's Ode to California | Cannabis Business News Round-up
Oct 13, 2025
#107 - How to Buy Back Your Brand: The Levia Comeback Story w/ Kristin and Eric Rogers
Oct 02, 2025
#106 - Weed for the People—Taxed or Otherwise: Elliot Lewis Unfiltered
Sep 25, 2025
#105 - From Oregon to New York: Brand Expansion w/ Marianne Cursetjee, CEO of Alibi Cannabis
Sep 18, 2025
#104 - Unlocking Global Cannabis: Global Growth & Tourism w/ Cameron Clarke, CEO of Kanha
Sep 11, 2025
#103 - The Queen of New York Cannabis: Lulu Tsui on Revelry, Community, and Culture
Aug 28, 2025
#102 - The Exit Interview: 20 Years of Cannabis Advocacy w/ Aaron Smith of NCIA
Aug 22, 2025
#101 - From Music to Marijuana: Building Iconic Brands in Cannabis w/ Rama Mayo of Hall of Flowers
Aug 13, 2025
#100 - You Asked, We Answered: High Spirits at 100 w/ Ben & AnnaRae
Aug 08, 2025
#099 - How Ayrloom Is Dominating NY’s Cannabis Market with a 100+ Year Legacy w/ Mack Hueber, President of Ayrloom
Jul 31, 2025
#098 - From TikTok Experiment to Multi-Million Dollar Hemp Marketplace w/ Kimmie Gamez of Soberish
Jul 24, 2025
#097 - High Stakes: The Numbers Behind New York & New Jersey w/ Rick Bashkoff, CEO of Lit Alerts
Jul 17, 2025
#096 - Fixing California Cannabis: Taxes, Reform & What Comes Next w/ Amy O'Gorman Jenkins
Jul 10, 2025
#095 - Smelly Frog Soup & Big Ugly Bills: TX, NC, CA and DC Get Topsy Turvy with Hemp & Cannabis w/ Ben & AnnaRae
Jul 02, 2025
#094 - The Leadership Journey: From Prop 215 to Pioneering CEO with AnnaRae Grabstein and Sabrina Noah
Jun 27, 2025
#093 - From Wharton to Weed: Tiffany Chin's Journey with Snoop and Death Row
Jun 20, 2025
#092 - How Leaders are Failing Themselves and their Teams w/ Andrea Baillo
Jun 19, 2025
#091 - Cannabis at a Crossroads: Where We Go from Here w/ Ben & AnnaRae
Jun 10, 2025
#090 - The Great Reshuffle: Hemp, Alcohol, and the Future of THC Access w/ Andrew Livingston
May 30, 2025
#089 - This Industry Is Overly Optimistic: Cannabis Realism w/ Marc Hauser
May 23, 2025
#088 - Why C-Stores Could Shape the Future of Cannabis & Hemp Beverages w/ Melissa VonderHaar, Managing Director of iSee TradeWorks
May 16, 2025
#087 - From Hedge Funds to Hash: Inside Cannabis IR with Jesse Redmond
May 09, 2025
#086 - Cannabis Business News Roundup: DEA gets a new head, Organigram acquires Collective Projects, SBA loans for hemp & more!
May 05, 2025
#085 - 4/20 By The Numbers and Data-Driven Decision Making w/ Kris Walker, President & CCO @ Hoodie Analytics
Apr 25, 2025
#084 - Less Hype, More Grit: Mitchell Osak on the Cannabis Industry
Apr 18, 2025
#083 - From Bongs to Beverages: Leading in Cannabis Through 20 Years of Change w/ Dave Daily, Founder of Grav
Apr 11, 2025
#082 - How The Tariff War Will Reshape the Cannabis Industry w/ Ben & AnnaRae
Apr 04, 2025
#081 - How Will Alcohol Regulations Impact the Future of THC Drinks? w/ Neil Willner, Counsel at Vicente.
Mar 28, 2025
#080 - The Cannabis Industry is in a Knife Fight - Who Survives? w/ Jerry Derevyanny, Partner @ Bengal Capital
Mar 21, 2025
#079 - Launching a THC Beverage with Hippie Water ft. CEO, Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer, and CPO, Taylor Eileen Sewell
Mar 13, 2025
#078 - Cannabis Business News Roundup: Tariff Impacts, Business Fundamentals, MSOs Hedge with Hemp Bev, and the Texas Hemp Ban
Mar 07, 2025
#077 - Multi-State Brand Building with Miss Grass w/ CEO and Co-Founder, Kate Miller
Feb 28, 2025
#076 - High Tech, High Returns: The Evolution of Cannabis Retail w/ Chris Violas, CEO of Blaze
Feb 21, 2025
#075 - Legacy of Cannabis Cultivation and Bringing Sungrown to Market w/ Scott Vasterling of Humboldt Family Farms
Feb 13, 2025
#074 - Understanding Receivership & Bankruptcy in Cannabis & Hemp w/ Ted Lanes
Jan 24, 2025
#073 - Reaching Peak Performance in 2025 w/ Melanie Curtis, Performance Coach and World Record-Holding Pro Skydiver
Jan 17, 2025
#072 - Flying High with Hemp Beverages in 2025 w/ Craig 'Lewie' Lewis, CEO of Flyers Cocktail Co.
Jan 10, 2025
#071 - End of Year Wrap-Up: Vireo's Bold Moves, Rise of Hemp Beverages, and 2025 Predictions
Dec 20, 2024
#070 - MJBizCon Recap: Ben & AnnaRae catch-up on everything from Disneyland Magic to THC-Infused parties
Dec 13, 2024
#069 - Cannabis Business News Roundup: MN fumbles social equity, GTI bets big on bev, Senate draft of Farm Bill drops, and more | November 21, 2024
Nov 22, 2024
#068 - The Future of Cannabis Tech w/ Socrates Rosenfeld, CEO of Jane Technologies
Nov 17, 2024
#067 - Election Recap w/ Returning Guest, Hirsh Jain of Ananda Strategy
Nov 08, 2024
#066 - At the Helm of North America's #1 Edibles Brand w/ Joe Hodas, President at Wana Brands
Nov 01, 2024
#065 - Launching the Coalition of Adult Beverage Alternatives w/ Diana Eberlein
Oct 25, 2024
#064 - The Watchful Eye of Seth Yakatan
Oct 18, 2024
#063 - CEO Roundtable at Benzinga w/ Sunderstorm, Prelude, Speedwell, Wolf Meyer, & Vertosa
Oct 11, 2024
#062 - Blunt Banter with Ben & AnnaRae | Meadowlands, Hemp Beverages, Reinventing Yourself, Harborside, Port Workers Strike, Trulieve Defamation Suit
Oct 03, 2024
#061 - Cannabis Business News Roundup w/ Guest Co-Host, Jeremy Berke
Sep 30, 2024
#060 - Howdy! The Texas Hemp Takeover w/ Ben Meggs, CEO of Bayou City Hemp, Howdy, 8th Wonder...
Sep 23, 2024
#059 - Demystifying Metrc and the Multi-Sided Platform Business w/ CEO, Michael Johnson
Sep 16, 2024
#058 - The First 30 Days After Launch 🚀 w/ Tahir Johnson, CEO of Simply Pure Trenton
Sep 11, 2024
#057 - Blunt Banter with Javier Hasse of Benzinga & El Planteo
Aug 30, 2024
#056 - Building and Rapidly Scaling in Public with Brēz w/ CEO and Founder, Aaron Nosbisch
Aug 23, 2024
#055 - Devil's Lettuce Went Down to Georgia w/ Judson Hill of Fine Fettle
Aug 16, 2024
#054 - Cannabis Business News Round-up | August 7 2024 | Harris-Walz, OH Rec Opens, No MO Hemp
Aug 09, 2024
#053 - What Kamala Means for Cannabis and Criminal Justice Reform w/ Jason Ortiz of The Last Prisoner Project
Aug 01, 2024
#052 - Hemp v. Cannabis is Bigger in Texas w/ Nico Richardson of Texas Original
Jul 25, 2024
#051 - Who is the Cannabis Media Council? w/ Amy Deneson, Executive Director
Jul 19, 2024
#050 - The Far-Reaching Implications of the Chevron Ruling w/ Leah Heise of Wolf Meyer
Jul 12, 2024
#049 - Gaining Clarity on Mainstream THC Distribution w/ Scott O'Malley, CEO of Clarity Company
Jun 28, 2024
#048 - Cannabis Business News Roundup: Vape Gate Part Deux? Pardon Me?! + HBD to us!
Jun 21, 2024
#047 - Deploying Capital in Today's Cannabinoid Landscape w/ Heather Molloy of Speedwell Partners
Jun 14, 2024
#046 - Boardroom Dynamics in Cannabis w/ Wendy Berger, Board Member at Green Thumb Industries (GTI)
Jun 07, 2024
#045 - Triumphs and Challenges of California Cannabis Retail w/ Lauren Carpenter of Embarc
May 30, 2024
#044 - Breaking News: Farm Bill Flux and Fragmentation of Hemp Regulation w/ Michelle Bodian of Vicente LLP
May 23, 2024
#043 - Blunt Banter with Ian Dominguez of Delta Emerald Ventures
May 17, 2024
#042 - Leading the Charge: From Michigan to DC w/ Chris Jackson, Chair of NCIA
May 10, 2024
#041 - Cannabis Business News Round-up: Schedule III, the Farm Bill, and CAOA part deux
May 03, 2024
#040 - Expansion Strategies for Cannabis and Hemp Brands w/ Colin Keeler of Kiva
Apr 26, 2024
#039 - Branding and Growing Craft Cannabis w/ Joyce Cenali
Apr 12, 2024
#038 - How To Go Tax Free with an ESOP w/ Darren Gleeman of MBO Ventures
Apr 05, 2024
#037 - The Rapid Rise of Retail in Hemp THC w/ David Gonzalez of Hemp House
Mar 28, 2024
#036 - Conservative Cannabis: The Red Wave w/ Hirsh Jain of Ananda Strategy
Mar 21, 2024
#035 - Betting on Hemp Beverages with Mindset Capital's Aaron Edelheit
Mar 15, 2024
#034 - The Art of Data Driven Sales Success w/ Krista Raymer
Mar 07, 2024
#033 - The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA): What You Need to Know
Feb 29, 2024
#032 - Cannabis Experts & Consumer Reviews with Budist’s Jocelyn Sheltraw & Claudio Miranda
Feb 22, 2024
#031 - Infusing Trust & Leadership into the Cannabis Supply Chain w/ Dr. Harold Han & Ben Larson of Vertosa
Feb 15, 2024
#030 - Cannabis Business News Round-up: THC Beverages, Pennsylvania's Legalization, Gallup Poll Results: America Loves Cannabis
Feb 08, 2024
#028 - The Complexity of Cannabis Distribution w/ Will Brophy of Nabis
Jan 26, 2024
#027 - Corporate Responsibility, Expungement, and the New Jersey Update w/ Chirali Patel
Jan 18, 2024
#026 - Inside Minnesota's Cannabinoid Revolution w/ Leili Fatehi & Laura Monn Ginsburg
Jan 11, 2024
#025 - How Hemp Will Reshape Cannabis in 2024 w/ Bob Hoban & Xavier Jaillet
Jan 05, 2024
#024 - EOY Cannabis Business News Round-up | December 28, 2023
Dec 28, 2023
#023 - Leveraging AI to Increase Cannabis and Hemp Sales w/ Ben York of Genetica
Dec 22, 2023
#022 - What You Thought You Knew About Terpenes w/ Max Koby & Dr. Oswald of Abstrax
Dec 14, 2023
#021 - How to Build an Iconic Cannabis Brand like Old Pal w/ Rusty Wilenkin
Dec 08, 2023
#020 - Live from Las Vegas! ft. Michael Cooper (MadisonJay Solutions) and Chris Lindsey (ATACH)
Dec 01, 2023
#019 - Ben & AnnaRae's Gratitude Episode
Nov 21, 2023
#018 - Oh. Hi. Oh! And what you need to know. w/ Erin Gore from Garden Society
Nov 16, 2023
#017 - From Big Bev to Big Cannabis, and Back Again w/ Paul Weaver
Nov 09, 2023
#016 - Why Washington State is a Different Kind of Cannabis Market w/ Dr. Jordan Zager
Nov 02, 2023
#015 - Decoding the Science and Strategy of Hemp Derived Cannabinoids w/ Dave Neundorfer
Oct 27, 2023
#014 - Secrets to Earning Press & Thought Leadership in Cannabis w/ Rosie Mattio
Oct 20, 2023
#013 - Cannabis Business News Round-up | October 12, 2023
Oct 12, 2023
#012 - Cannabis Beverage and the Legacy Consumer with Ave Miller from Uncle Arnie's
Oct 05, 2023
#011 - NY Cannabis Chaos: Insights from Two Licensed CEOs w/ Karli Miller-Hornick and Brittany Carbone
Sep 21, 2023
#010 - Cannabis Business News Round-up | September 14, 2023
Sep 14, 2023
#009 - Unraveling the Complex World of Hemp Laws w/ Rod Kight & Gary Kaminsky
Sep 07, 2023
#008 - Pamela Epstein on Cannabis, Hemp, Beverages and More
Aug 31, 2023
#007 - Getting Real About THC Potency & Quality Control w/ Josh Wurzer
Aug 24, 2023
#006 - Traceability Landscape and All Things Cannabis Data w/ Joe Khoury
Aug 17, 2023
#005 - Cannabis Business News Round Up | August 10, 2023
Aug 10, 2023
#004 - What Does Rescheduling Mean for My Cannabis Business? w/ Khurshid Khoja
Jul 20, 2023
#003 - Cannabis Business News Round Up | July 14, 2023
Jul 14, 2023
#002 - Navigating Seasonal Products, Pride and Identity Politics w/ Kristi Palmer & Jake Bullock
Jun 22, 2023
#001 - The New Titans of Cannabis: Understanding Market Consolidation
Jun 01, 2023