The Cannabis Accounting Podcast

DOPE CFO
  • 4.7 (13)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The Cannabis Accounting Podcast discusses the ins and outs of cannabis/cbd/hemp accounting. Topics include 280E, chart of accounts, starting & growing your own firm, overcoming software challenges, and more! Looking to get into cannabis accounting? To learn more visit dopecfo.com.

  1. EP 207: The Biggest Month In Cannabis in 15 Years | April 2026 Recap

    1D AGO

    EP 207: The Biggest Month In Cannabis in 15 Years | April 2026 Recap

    In this episode of the Cannabis Accounting Podcast, Andrew Hunzicker, CPA, founder and CEO of DOPE CFO, recaps the biggest cannabis industry news from April 2026. Listen to learn about: ✅ The historic rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule III: what the April 23rd DOJ order means and why it's the most significant federal development in 15 years ✅ The end of 280E: how Schedule III eliminates one of the most punishing tax laws in cannabis and what it means overnight for client financials ✅ The DEA registration portal: what it is, why the first 60 days are critical, and what cannabis businesses need to do right now ✅ Hemp, the Farm Bill, and the state-level battles shaping the industry heading into the midterms ✅ What's coming next: the More Act, full descheduling, banking reform, and the wave of new cannabis companies expected to enter the market Articles mentioned in the episode: https://mjbizdaily.com/news/can-the-28-billion-hemp-industry-be-saved/615123/ https://www.marijuanamoment.net/virginia-governor-wants-amendments-to-marijuana-sales-legalization-bill-including-delayed-market-launch/ https://ganjapreneur.com/ohio-judge-blocks-state-from-enforcing-thc-beverage-ban/ https://mjbizdaily.com/news/meet-the-native-tribe-taking-on-the-most-anti-cannabis-state-in-the-us/615150/ https://vicentellp.com/press/landmark-colorado-bill-introduced-to-modernize-colorado-thc-drinks-sales/ https://ganjapreneur.com/massachusetts-cannabis-regulators-pass-cultivation-licensing-freeze/ https://vicentellp.com/press/president-trump-signs-executive-order-accelerating-psychedelic-research-and-patient-access/ https://ganjapreneur.com/massachusetts-gov-signs-cannabis-industry-updates-into-law/ https://www.marijuanamoment.net/teen-marijuana-use-is-lower-now-than-before-legalization-government-study-from-minnesota-officials-shows/ https://www.marijuanamoment.net/congress-has-the-votes-to-pass-federal-marijuana-reform-top-house-democrat-says/ https://norml.org/blog/2026/04/22/poll-most-americans-support-making-marijuana-legal-nationwide-opinions-shaped-by-personal-experience/ https://www.marijuanamoment.net/tennessee-lawmaker-calls-for-special-session-focused-on-medical-marijuana-as-its-federally-reclassified-under-trump/ https://www.marijuanamoment.net/federal-marijuana-rescheduling-announced-by-department-of-justice-months-after-trump-executive-order/ https://mmapplication.diversion.dea.gov/ https://ganjapreneur.com/report-indiana-residents-spend-about-2b-on-cannabis-annually-despite-prohibition/ https://www.marijuanamoment.net/house-passes-farm-bill-including-hemp-provisions-but-without-delaying-thc-product-ban-scheduled-for-this-year/ https://www.marijuanamoment.net/gop-led-congressional-committee-votes-to-block-marijuana-rescheduling-defying-trump/ https://themarijuanaherald.com/2026/04/global-cannabis-market-projected-to-reach-148-9-billion-by-2031/ https://mjbizdaily.com/news/how-mso-terrascend-is-leading-the-cannabis-industry-forward/615734/

    16 min
  2. EP 206: The Real Cost of Running a Small Cannabis Farm (Two Operators Get Honest)

    6D AGO

    EP 206: The Real Cost of Running a Small Cannabis Farm (Two Operators Get Honest)

    In this episode of the Cannabis Accounting Podcast, host Raymond Guns sits down with Amanda Metzler, owner-operator of Bigsby Farms in Oregon, and Matt Kennicott, Executive Director of the Cannabis Association of New Mexico. Amanda has one simple belief — if you don't control your costs, the market will control you. Matt knows another truth — bad policy kills more businesses than bad operators. Amanda has been farming since 2016 and built the largest solar installation on any farm in Oregon. Matt runs a micro-cultivation farm and leads the Cannabis Association of New Mexico. They have both seen the industry go from gold rush to grown-up business. And they keep seeing the same mistakes destroy farms over and over again. They talk about: 🚨 The border seizure problem nobody warns you about: Border Patrol has seized over $1M in legal cannabis at New Mexico checkpoints. Operators now vacuum seal and wipe down product like smugglers just to move inventory they're legally allowed to sell. 💸 Why consignment killed Oregon farmers: One farm started giving product to wholesalers on consignment and the whole state copied them. Now farmers front all the money and get paid last — if they get paid at all. ⚡ Amanda's $125K solar investment that changed everything: She powers her entire seed-to-sale operation for under $200 a month with just two people and only grows what's already sold. The days of growing all the weed and asking "will you buy my weed?" are over. 📦 The packaging war and child-attractive labeling fight: New Mexico proposed forcing brands into plain black-and-white packaging with sans-serif font "to protect kids." Matt built a public education campaign over one weekend that got the state health department and poison control center on board instead. 📉 The tax trap crushing retailers right now: New Mexico's cannabis excise tax is currently 13% and rises 1% every July until 2030. Combined with gross receipts tax, customers pay over 21% at checkout — so they go back to the illicit market. Retailers need 40 new customers every month just to maintain current margins. 🌾 Why unlimited licensing breaks everyone: New Mexico handed out unlimited licenses with almost no barrier to entry. Now the market is oversaturated, margins are razor thin, and licenses have zero value. You cannot sell or transfer your license at all. This episode is for cannabis owners and investors who want to stop chasing hype and start running businesses that actually survive. Subscribe for deep dives on cannabis business, accounting, regs, and growth! 🔥 🌱 Connect with Matt Kennicott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mkennicott31/

    48 min
  3. EP 205: How to Add Millions in Value to Clients & Grow Your CFO Firm

    APR 24

    EP 205: How to Add Millions in Value to Clients & Grow Your CFO Firm

    So you landed a cannabis client... now what? Here's what it actually looks like to serve a cannabis client as a world-class CFO. --- With federal rescheduling on the horizon, cannabis CFOs have never been more in demand. DOPE CFO gives you the tools, training, and network to build a premium cannabis CFO advisory practice — ready to go from day one. Get started here: https://go.dopecfo.com/get-started-6?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=specialized-cfo&utm_term=cfo+client+service&utm_content=non+lottery+tickets+cfo+edition --- Andrew Hunzicker, CPA, founder and CEO of DOPE CFO, has spent 26 years finding what Nassim Taleb calls "non-lottery tickets" — low-cost, low-effort moves with massive upside. In this video, he breaks down how that framework applies to client service, and why the CFOs who get this right become the most indispensable person in the room. Andrew covers: - Why bookkeeping, taxes, and audits have zero value in the eyes of your client — and what actually does - The month-end close discipline most firms skip and why it's the foundation for everything else - How to split your month into execution work and pure value-add time — and why your competition structurally can't do the same - Real stories from 26 years in the field — the small bets that cost nothing and paid off for years - The one cannabis-specific move he's been pitching to every operator he meets — nearly zero cost, potentially six figures back in your client's pocket The CFO who masters this doesn't just keep clients — they become the first call for everything. 🌿 Ready to build your specialized practice? https://go.dopecfo.com/get-started-6?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=specialized-cfo&utm_term=cfo+client+service&utm_content=non+lottery+tickets+cfo+edition

    30 min
  4. EP 204: The Global Cannabis Supply Chain Reality No One Talks About

    APR 22

    EP 204: The Global Cannabis Supply Chain Reality No One Talks About

    Most cannabis companies in the global supply chain aren't failing because of regulation — they're failing because they're running businesses like magpies. Chasing whatever's shiny. No strategy. In this episode of the Cannabis Accounting Podcast, host Raymond Guns sits down with Atiyyah Ferouz, founder and CEO of AgCann Consultancy and one of the most globally connected compliance experts in the cannabis industry, to break down what really happens when producers try to move cannabis across borders — and why chasing the "export" buzzword is quietly bankrupting small operators. Atiyyah has been in cannabis since Canada's 2018 legalization, starting as a tissue culture lab manager, scaling up to run a million-square-foot greenhouse, and then launching AgCann in 2020 with just $10,000 in the bank. Today she runs five cannabis businesses across three continents, is a certified pharmaceutical GMP professional, and has advised producers in emerging markets from Thailand to Colombia to Germany. Atiyyah talks about: 🌍 Why your domestic price is often higher than what you'd get in Europe or Australia — and why most operators don't find out until it's too late ⚠️ The "Can I buy a GMP?" problem: Operators hear buzzwords like GMP, Germany, and export and chase them without understanding what any of it actually means. Small cultivators producing 200 kilos a year do not need to go GMP — and trying to will break them. 💸 The cash flow trap nobody warns you about: European payment terms are 60 to 90 days. A million dollars of flower can sit locked up for three months before you see a dime — and one buyer going bankrupt can take your company down with them. ✨What "magpie management" actually looks like — absorbing 15 parts of the supply chain, chasing every buzzword, and never building the strategy to sustain any of it 🚩 What has her concerned (Germany moving compliance goalposts mid-shipment) and genuinely excited (France, emerging markets, new primary producers coming online) The global cannabis supply chain is still being built — and it'll probably take 30 to 40 years to fully mature. But the operators who survive this phase will be the ones who stop chasing trends, build real partnerships, and respect the fundamentals. Subscribe for honest conversations about the business, legal, and financial side of cannabis every week. 🌱 👉 Connect with Atiyyah Ferouz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atiyyahferouz/

    42 min
  5. EP 203: Hemp Beverages, Federal Deadlines & 280E Risk: What Every Operator Needs to Know Now

    APR 15

    EP 203: Hemp Beverages, Federal Deadlines & 280E Risk: What Every Operator Needs to Know Now

    In this episode of the Cannabis Accounting Podcast, host Raymond Guns sits down with Jim Ickes, Partner at Frantz Ward and one of the most experienced cannabis and hemp attorneys in the country, to break down the legal and financial reality facing the hemp beverage industry right now — and why the longer arc still points toward normalization. Jim has been practicing law for 26 years, working in cannabis for a decade, and has advised everyone from Ohio operators to the Greek Ministry of Agriculture on medical cannabis frameworks. Since 2023, hemp beverages have been his primary focus — which means he had a front-row seat to both the boom and the regulatory gut punch that followed. Jim breaks down: 🍺 Why hemp beverages took off: Low-dose THC gave millions of people a friendlier way to enjoy cannabis without the paranoia. Five milligrams was the sweet spot — and the industry grew fast because of it. ⚖️ The law nobody saw coming: In November 2025, a 0.4 milligram THC cap was quietly attached to a must-pass government funding bill. Businesses that had spent hundreds of thousands building hemp brands woke up to a completely different market overnight. 🗺️ What is happening state by state: Minnesota and Texas are building their own programs. Ohio is already pulling products off shelves. The market is shifting fast — and mostly heading south. 💰 The 280E problem nobody is talking about: If a hemp product crosses the federal THC limit it could be treated the same as marijuana — bringing the same crushing tax rules that have hurt cannabis operators for years. The hemp beverage category took a hit, but the industry has absorbed worse. Jim's been in this long enough to know the difference between a setback and an ending — and this isn't an ending. Subscribe for honest conversations about the business, legal, and financial side of cannabis every week. 🌱 👉 Connect with Jim Ickes: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-ickes-839a1113/

    35 min
  6. EP 202: People Are Your Profits: Inside Cannabis Recruiting Across 12 Global Markets

    APR 10

    EP 202: People Are Your Profits: Inside Cannabis Recruiting Across 12 Global Markets

    👉 Finance professionals looking to get into cannabis accounting, check out our free training here: https://go.dopecfo.com/specialized-cfo-vsl?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=specialized-cfo&utm_term=people+are+your+profits&utm_content=real+cost+bad+cannabis+hire 👉 Cannabis business owners looking for specialized accounting solutions, check out DOPE CFO here: https://www.dopecfo.us/ In this episode of the Cannabis Accounting Podcast, host Raymond Guns sits down with Stephanie Pow, founder of Emerald Lane Recruitment. Stephanie has one simple belief — your people are the reason your business wins or loses. Everything else comes second. She has worked across 12 global cannabis markets for seven years. She has seen companies rise and fall. And she keeps seeing the same mistakes over and over again. Stephanie talks about: 🌱 Lean teams are the new normal: The days of big departments and unlimited staff are gone. Today's cannabis companies need people who can do many jobs and learn fast. Is your team built for that? 🌍 Why cannabis keeps losing good talent: There is a gap between how the industry sees itself and how the outside world sees it. That gap is costing cannabis companies some of their best potential hires. 💰 Why new markets keep making the same hiring mistakes: Stephanie shares a story about a cannabis company that trusted the wrong person — and nearly lost everything because of it. 🤝 What a good recruiter actually does for you: It's not just about finding people. A great recruiting partner brings you market data, salary ranges, and honest feedback you simply can't get on your own. This episode is for cannabis operators and investors who want to stop treating hiring as an afterthought. Subscribe for deep dives on cannabis business, accounting, regs, and growth! 🔥 👉 Connect with Stephanie Pow: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniepow-globalcannabisrecruiter/

    43 min
  7. EP 201: Inside the UK Cannabis System: Clinics, Pharmacies & Regulatory Bottlenecks

    APR 6

    EP 201: Inside the UK Cannabis System: Clinics, Pharmacies & Regulatory Bottlenecks

    👉 Finance professionals looking to get into cannabis accounting, check out our free training here: https://go.dopecfo.com/specialized-cfo-vsl?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=specialized-cfo&utm_term=inside+the+uk+cannabis+system&utm_content=europes+next+big+cannabis+market 👉 Cannabis business owners looking for specialized accounting solutions, check out DOPE CFO here: https://www.dopecfo.us/ In this episode of the Cannabis Accounting Podcast, host Raymond Guns sits down with Robert Jappie, Partner at Field Fisher and the lawyer who set up the UK's first dedicated cannabis regulatory department, to pull back the curtain on how one of the world's most closely watched medical cannabis markets actually works. Robert has spent seven years advising cannabis companies at every stage of the UK supply chain — from cultivators and importers to pharmacies and clinics — making him one of Europe's most sought-after voices on cannabis regulation and compliance. Robert talks about: 🏛️ The law that wasn't built for business: Legalization in 2018 was driven by mothers of epileptic children having their cannabis oils seized at the UK border — but the government's goal was compassion, not commerce, leaving operators to fight a restrictive environment for years. 📊 The 1.8 million patient gap: Only 100,000 legal patients after seven years, while 1.4–1.8 million people still self-medicate from the illicit market. 💼 Why capital is flowing back into European cannabis and what to expect for clinic M&A and IPOs through 2026 and 2027. This episode is a must-watch for cannabis investors, operators, and finance professionals who want to understand how a market actually gets built from the inside out — the regulatory constraints, the supply chain economics, and the opportunity that still lies ahead. Subscribe for deep dives on cannabis business, accounting, regs, and growth! 🔥 👉 Connect with Robert Jappie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-jappie-life-sciences-cannabis-food-agri-tech/

    48 min
  8. EP 200: Global Cannabis Strategies: Supply Chains That Scale Beyond Borders

    APR 1

    EP 200: Global Cannabis Strategies: Supply Chains That Scale Beyond Borders

    👉 Finance professionals looking to get into cannabis accounting, check out our free training here: https://go.dopecfo.com/specialized-cfo-vsl 👉 Cannabis business owners looking for specialized accounting solutions, check out DOPE CFO here: https://www.dopecfo.us/ In this episode of the Cannabis Accounting Podcast, host Raymond Guns sits down with Heidi Whitman, global cannabis consultant and co-founder of EmpowHer Cannabis Society, to dive into the evolving cannabis industry and what it takes to succeed in this competitive space. Heidi shares her journey from running a successful animal care business to becoming a global leader in cannabis strategy. With years of experience in both human and animal wellness, Heidi brings a unique perspective on building ethical, sustainable businesses in the cannabis world.Heidi opens up about:🔬 The heartbreaking reality: UK children with epilepsy—whose parent advocates sparked the medical cannabis movement—still denied NHS access, forced to buy illegally.🌍 Evolving global supply chains: From Canadian imports to EU-GMP compliant trade with Thailand, Morocco, and regional UK grows.⚖️ Regulatory musts: Why track-and-trace, governance, and ditching corner-cutting (faked COAs) are non-negotiable for longevity.💪 Women's empowerment: Building the largest female-led cannabis network and championing underserved women's health trials.📈 Long-term mindset: Rejecting "scale-and-sell" flips for ethical partnerships, subtle products (soft gels over flower), and normalization for everyday users.This episode is a must-watch for cannabis entrepreneurs, investors, and professionals looking to gain actionable insights from a seasoned industry expert. Heidi’s stories and advice will inspire you to think bigger, act smarter, and build a lasting impact in the cannabis space.Subscribe for deep dives on cannabis business, accounting, regs, and growth! 🔥 👉 EmpowHer Cannabis Society: https://empowhersociety.world/📧 Heidi Whitman: https://heidi-whitman.com/

    37 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

The Cannabis Accounting Podcast discusses the ins and outs of cannabis/cbd/hemp accounting. Topics include 280E, chart of accounts, starting & growing your own firm, overcoming software challenges, and more! Looking to get into cannabis accounting? To learn more visit dopecfo.com.

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