AHA Media

EDIBLES, INFUSED FOODS & BEVERAGES: HURDLES AND REWARDS AHEAD

In this video: Peter Guo, Andrew Parshad, Virginia Vidal, Chuck Smith, Terry Donnelly, Dooma Wendschuh

While 93% of cannabis users want to try infused products, and the government is tentatively saying “next year,” some in the cannabis sector doubt the green light will ever be extended because of uncontrolled effects. But firms like Colorado infused-product maker Dixie Brands Inc. are going so far as to buy a company on the CSE to secure an investment spot. Others are going ahead regardless with expensive extraction R&D. If the federal government digs its heels, is it encouraging black market sales since demand is there already? And will the $200 billion food and $42 billion alcohol lobbies interfere? In this panel, interested and expert parties in the infused-marijuana sector talk about the bumpy road and potential profit from legal edibles and potables in Canada. Moderated By: Peter Guo

Panelists:

Peter Guo
B.C. Leader – Cannabis Industry Services and Enterprise Risk Services, MNP

Andrew Parshad
Founder and President, Cannabis License Experts

Virginia Vidal
CEO, Mary’s Wellness Ltd

Chuck Smith
CEO, Dixie Brands Inc.

Terry Donnelly
CEO, Hill Street Beverage Company

Dooma Wendschuh
Co-Founder, Province Brands of Canada

EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING: WHY CONSUMER SATISFACTION IS THE MAKE-OR-BREAK OF RETAIL

In this video: Alex Shiff, Amber Craig, Anne Forkutza, Rob Hendrix, Nick Pateras, Ian Dawkins

They’ve abandoned the black market for legal product. Now customer satisfaction means everything. And there’s a long list of ways we can directly affect that – positively or negatively. These include: pricing strategies (which can be low enough to torpedo illegal sales or high enough to sustain them), long-term price unpredictability, supply-chain problems and product shortages, and a generally friendly retail experience (whether face-to-face in a bricks-and-mortar dispensary, or in a user-friendly online site). LPs also face the challenge of targeting their promotion to customers’ needs, providing the product experience they’re looking for and differentiating themselves from the competition. This session offers experts who know “the market” as people, and who understand how they think and what they expect. Moderated by: Alex Shiff

Panelists:

Alex Shiff
Senior Consultant, Navigator

Amber Craig
VP Marketing, 420 Premium Markets

Anne Forkutza
VP of Customer Experience, Cova

Rob Hendrix
Owner, Cannabis Central LLC

Nick Pateras
Vice President, Strategy, Lift&Co

Ian Dawkins
Co-Founder, Althing Consulting, President of the Cannabis Commerce Association of Canada

Closing Keynote

In this video: Krishna Andavolu

Weediquette’s Krishna Andavolu discusses how the stories we tell today will inform the future of cannabis culture. Drawing on years of reporting and seasons of producing character-based, high-stakes documentary television, Krishna will share his insights about media and cannabis, and how this post-legalization crucible (in Canada and beyond) will forge the future of pot for years to come.

Krishna Andavolu
Host and Executive Producer of Weediquette, VICE Media

Opening Remarks

In this video: Shane Christopher Neal

Standardizing the Profile of Medical Compounds in Cannabis Using Space Exploration Technology.

In this video: Dr. Dedi Meiri

Like any plant, cannabis is a product of its environment within the limits of its genetic complement and, like any plant, the environmental context determines many attributes such as size, shape, colour, taste and complement of secondary metabolites such as THC and CBD. The prospect of raising cannabis to the status of a conventional pharmaceutical commodity requires breeding and horticultural management strategies, including environment control recipes, that ensure the standardization of the profile of medical compounds. Technologies that evolved in the life support requirements for space exploration will be discussed and demonstrated for their relevance in medical cannabis production.

Standardizing the Profile of Medical Compounds in Cannabis Using Space Exploration Technology.

In this video: Dr. Mike Dixon

The Controlled Environment Systems Research Facility at the University of Guelph In Canada is among the world’s leading venues for research and technology development devoted to biological life support (ie. plants in space) for human space exploration. The requirements for high fidelity environment control for reliable and safe food production in space are among the most critical issues to resolve as food determines how far from Earth we can go and how long we can stay. These same plant production technologies have equally useful applications here on Earth, especially in the phyto-pharmaceutical field of medical cannabis.

MANDATORY TESTING LIMITS, QUALITY ASSURANCE & CONTROL

In this video: Av Singh, Dr. John Coleman, Dr. Brigitte Simons, Jodi McDonald, Dr. Kaveh Kahen, Barinder Rasode

The stringency of the Canadian Cannabis Act enforcing product compliance to set testing guidelines is being evaluated by the global marketplace. In this session, industry leaders will talk about the challenges and tactical execution of how products are tested and reported to pass compliance for lot release. There is opportunity to minimize risk in the analytical variance of cannabis product testing between labs and to better understand standardization for potency, pesticide quantification and trace contaminant investigations lending to higher value product development. Our experts will impart a series of “frequently asked questions” and solutions that will lend to practical information to increase your ability to stay within the regulatory lines, and give your customers a quality assured product. Moderated by: Av Singh

Panelists:

Av Singh
Cannabis Cultivation Advisor, Flemming & Singh Cannabis Inc., Chief Science Officer, Green Gorilla

Dr. John Coleman
Co-Founder & President, Anandia

Dr. Brigitte Simons
VP of Laboratories and Operations, Molecular Science Corp

Jodi McDonald
Founder & President, Keystone Labs

Dr. Kaveh Kahen
Co-Founder and CEO, Sigma Analytical Services

Barinder Rasode
Founder, NICHE, CEO, Grow Tech Labs