The New Chardonnay Heather Cabot

In 2010, Jessica Billingsley co-founded MJ Freeway, the company that paved the way for the modern cannabis industry to be regulated from "seed to sale." In 2019, MJFreeway was spun into a new venture called Akerna (KERN) and as part of a new SPAC became the first cannabis compliance technology  company to list on the Nasdaq.  Now as Akerna's Chairman and CEO, Billingsley is one of the few women to helm a publicly traded cannabis company. According to new research by Arcview and the National Cannabis Industry Association only 8% of CEO's in cannabis are female.  

The longtime entrepreneur who holds a degree in computer science and communications from University of Georgia sat down with Heather in late 2020 to talk about how she leveraged her tech background into cannabis at the dawn of the industry, the challenges she faced in the early days and her advice to up and coming female founders. 

Heather catches up with cannabis pioneer Bruce Linton, founder and former CEO of Canopy Growth (NYSE: CGC), and one of the stars of her new book, The New Chardonnay. 

On the eve of Election Day, Linton shares his thoughts about the future of cannabis in America as five states vote on legalization including New Jersey and Arizona; why he is excited about his investment in Michigan cannabis company Gage; his increasing affinity for the future of industrial hemp across the globe; why he's hot on psychedelics and cooled on the outlook for over the counter CBD.   

Throughout the 2020 election season, the debate over cannabis reform has shed light on the challenges facing people convicted of low-level cannabis crimes to clear their records as laws change. As you'll hear in this episode, these out of date and increasingly invalid local convictions can hinder individuals from securing employment, housing and even bar them from volunteering in  their children's schools. 

Governors in states including, Colorado, Illinois, and Washington have begun to issue pardons. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer just signed new legislation to allow people with certain misdemeanor marijuana convictions to apply for expungement.  In California, high tech is helping to quicken the pace of record clearing thanks to a band of civic-minded software engineers from the non-profit Code for America.  This episode, Heather chats with Alia Toran-Burrell,  senior manager of Code for America's Clear My Record program and meets an individual who recently learned his conviction has been erased and is now able to move on with his life. 

Michael Klein, founder and CEO of God's Greenery, an online Christian community dedicated to CBD and a new line of hemp-derived products featuring CBD, reveals his epiphany about the intersection of faith and the booming CBD industry. Heather finds out how the entertainment exec, with stints at Conde Nast, MTV and Sundance Channel, stumbled into the world of cannabis and CBD and why he thinks the 41 million Americans who identify as Christians are an untapped market for plant-based healing. 

As Colorado passes a new law to diversify its pot industry including pardons for low-level marijuana offenders, Heather sits down with cannabis executive and social justice activist Wanda James. James, the first Black dispensary owner in US and a former Democratic campaign strategist, has been advocating for racial justice in Colorado and beyond for more than a decade. Her fight is deeply personal. Colorado's move comes as former Vice President Joe Biden in his race for the White House, continues to refrain from endorsing marijuana legalization in his platform - instead emphasizing decriminalization. James shares her reaction and predictions for the road ahead. 
 

An illuminating and emotional interview with medical cannabis executive and activist Dr. Chanda Macias. Macias, known as "Dr. Chanda," is the owner of two medical cannabis ventures, Ilera Holistic, a cultivation and manufacturing business in New Orleans, and National Holistic Healing Center medical dispensary in Washington, DC. She is the first African-American woman in the US to own a medical cannabis license and holds a Ph.D. in cellular and molecular biology from Howard University and an MBA from Rutgers. Dr Chanda, a mother of four children, also serves as CEO and chairwoman of the national women's networking organization, WomenGrow and also as first vice chair of the National Cannabis Roundtable. She spoke with Heather on May 5, 2020.