Recently we decided to take a drive and visit one of our favorite medical marijuana dispensaries. 99 High Tide is the only dispensary in Malibu, and it takes the responsibility of providing healing and relief very seriously. The shop is located near the iconic Malibu Pier and sits atop Zuma Jays surf shop. Once inside, patients are treated to a...

Cost accounting in the cannabis industry can be really confusing. Why does it matter, you ask? Because the Internal Revenue Service disallows all trade or business deductions except cost of goods sold. Expenses such as rent, adverting, utilities, wages, etc. can’t be deducted unless they are related to the cost of making or purchasing an inventoriable product. The IRS makes it...

Maine Governor Paul LePage released a video this week urging voters to reject "Question 1," which would legalize recreational marijuana. LePage made several controversial claims regarding the dangers of marijuana use. Among them was the statement that marijuana users were "three times" as likely to become heroin addicts. This has not been supported by any research. In fact, marijuana may...

A good package should tell a story about your brand and your company. It can convey to the consumer what the product represents. Is the product high-quality, fun, or medicinal? All of these concepts may be told through packaging materials, designs, and treatments. Packaging can drive up sales. An identifiable brand not only will draw in buyers, but also bring...

It’s been a retail holiday truism for decades: As much as one-third of yearly sales will come in the last eight weeks of the year. But does this hold true in the current cannabis retail environment? Well, yes—and no. Greg Shoenfeld, director of dispensary relations at BDS Analytics, believes the current legal cannabis market is impacted by the holidays...

Making the time to implement proven cannabis business solutions will only result in positive benefits for owners overworked and overwhelmed with the demands of a growing industry. Over the past twenty-five years, I’ve built and sold five companies, raised more than $100 million in capital, earned an MBA from Harvard, supported close family members through alcoholism and raised three awesome...

Vatra sees a sweet future for its Skunk line of stylish, discreet bags. In our dreams, broken glass may represent disappointment and negativity. For those who have shattered their favorite pipes, the sentiment is remarkably similar. Protecting expensive glass seems like an obvious necessity, but not everyone is comfortable slinging an obvious paraphernalia holder over their shoulder. Many cannabis apparel and...

Sean Donahoe explains the challenges of organizing the Golden State, and why Prop 64 will pass. Finding a definitive label for Sean Donahoe is a fruitless, if enjoyable, endeavor. Educated at the University of California at Santa Cruz and the London School of Economics and Political Science, the policy wonk and business strategist not only has been an active and...

A picture may tell a thousand words, but we've got 15, and that just scratches the surface when describing the amazing journey of "Farmer Tom" Lauerman, an organic farmer, social activist and educator at the forefront of the medical marijuana movement. Here, he shares a "day in the life" at his farm in Vancouver, Washington.    

Elem-n-tal multi-display digital menus instantly add legitimacy, clarity, functionality, and sex appeal to your dispensary. Before Anthony Vernaglia co-founded Elem·n·tal in early 2015 he worked for a London fund that managed a portfolio based on previously locked-up assets. When he realized he’d rather create something than continue to shuffle existing value, he launched SiRV Interactive, providing digital display systems to...