Hirsh Jain, Ananda Strategy

Welcome to the Green Rush, a weekly conversation at the intersection of cannabis, psychedelics, the capital markets, and culture, produced by KCSA Podcast Labs. Today, we sat down with returning guest Adam Smith, Founder and President of Alliance for Sensible Markets to discuss the news that Vice President Kamala Harris will be rolling out her plan for cannabis legalization. Adam is a longtime activist in the industry, primarily working behind the scenes to develop, draft, and lobby for the passage of cannabis bills at both the state and federal levels. Adam conceptualized, co-wrote, and championed Oregon’s landmark 2019 interstate commerce law (on which the 2023 Washington law was also based) and helped write and advocated for California’s 2022 interstate law. His expertise and influence have been instrumental in shaping the legal landscape of cannabis in the United States. During our conversation, Adam will share his unique insights on Vice President Harris's upcoming legalization plan, analyzing its potential impact on the industry, the economy, and society at large. We'll explore the intricate details of the proposal, discuss possible challenges and opportunities, and examine how this federal initiative might interact with existing state laws. So don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy! Social Media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatadamsmith/  Other Links/Mentions: Alliance for Sensible Markets: https://www.sensiblemarkets.org/  Marijuana Moment article https://www.marijuanamoment.net/kamala-harris-rolls-out-marijuana-legalization-plan-pledging-to-make-it-the-law-of-the-land/  Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Anne Donohoe and Lewis Goldberg (who still has a bet with Adam!) of KCSA Strategic Communications.  Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther, and Executive Producer, Maria Petsanas. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/

Welcome to the Green Rush, a weekly conversation at the intersection of cannabis, psychedelics, the capital markets, and culture, produced by KCSA Podcast Labs. Today, we have a special edition of the Green Rush featuring our newest production, Alternatively Speaking. In our debut season, we're diving into a revolutionary concept in health span, longevity, and healthcare.  Our hosts sat down with Alternatively Speaking's first-ever guest, Jamie Justice, Executive Vice President of the Health Domain at XPRIZE Foundation and Adjunct Professor in Internal Medicine Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, and Sticht Center on Healthy Aging and Alzheimer’s Prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM). Jamie is dedicated to Geroscience research that advances the hypothesis that by targeting the basic biology of aging the incidence of multiple age-related diseases can be delayed or prevented. So don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy! Podcast Highlights: Introduction & XPRIZE Foundation Origins (00:00 - 02:29): Overview of the longevity industry, the impact of the Ansari XPRIZE on private space travel, and XPRIZE’s influence on companies like SpaceX. Jamie Justice’s Background & Passion for Research (02:30 - 06:14): Jamie’s journey into gerontology, early research experiences with older adults, and her focus on empathy and the human aspect of aging. Exploring Aging & Longevity (06:15 - 10:21): Discussion on the fundamental questions of aging, how different interventions (lifestyle, supplements, drugs) impact human health and longevity. Translating Aging Research into Practice (10:22 - 13:10): Jamie’s work at Wake Forest, ongoing efforts to apply aging research in real-world settings, and the philosophical aspects of aging—living fully versus focusing on death. Healthspan vs. Lifespan & Longevity Goals (13:11 - 20:43): Exploring the concept of the ‘longevity dividend,’ aligning biological health with extended life, and the strategies to improve healthspan by optimizing current biology. XPRIZE HealthSPAN Award & Future of Aging Research (20:44 - 28:28): Introduction to the XPRIZE HealthSPAN Award program, the bold scientific goals it supports, challenges in aging research, and the collaborative efforts to advance the field. Social Media: X: @j_n_justice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-justice-ph-d-6b933146/  Other Links/Mentions: https://www.xprize.org/  https://www.xprize.org/prizes/healthspan  Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications.  Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther and Executive Producer, Maria Petsanas. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/

Welcome to the Green Rush, a weekly conversation at the intersection of cannabis, psychedelics, the capital markets, and culture, produced by KCSA Podcast Labs. Today, our hosts sat down with Jhavid Mohseni, CEO of Aperon Corporation. Jhavid's 27-year career spans multiple industries. In 2016, he founded Tamerlane Trading, which became the world's leading quality-verified marketplace for bulk wholesale cannabis. He spearheaded the establishment of the International Cannabis and Hemp Standards (ICHS) to promote trust and transparency in the cannabis supply chain. Jhavid's venture Big Tree Grading implemented ICHS standards, significantly improving cannabis quality grading. In 2023, Jhavid co-founded Cannafax, an AI-enabled platform for qualitative grading and appraisal creating efficiencies in the global cannabis trade.  So don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy! Guest's Social Media: Jhavid’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhavidmohseni  Jhavid’s Twitter: https://x.com/jhavid_mohseni  Aperon’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aperon-corporation  Links / Mentions: Aperon Corp https://aperoncorp.com/    Tamerland Trading Co. https://tamerlane.com/  International Cannabis and Hemp Standards (ICHS) https://www.ichstandards.org  Cannafax https://www.cannafax.com/  Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg, Phil Carlson, and Maria Petsanas of KCSA Strategic Communications. Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther and Executive Producer, Maria Petsanas. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/

Welcome to the Green Rush, a weekly conversation at the intersection of cannabis, psychedelics, the capital markets, and culture, produced by KCSA Podcast Labs. Today, our hosts sat down with George Jage, Co-Founder and CEO of Jage Media, the driving force behind MJ Unpacked, the acclaimed cannabis trade event tailored exclusively for retail and brand executives. Since 2019, George and his team have been dedicated to fostering community within the cannabis industry through dynamic business media and events. His previous roles include serving as President of Marijuana Business Daily and CEO of DOPE Magazine. Recognized for his contributions, George has received prestigious awards such as the Nevada Entrepreneur Award and the Jerry Valen Award of Distinction. Through initiatives like MJ Unpacked, George continues to enhance the cannabis industry by facilitating valuable networking opportunities and promoting growth and collaboration. As a reminder, the next MJ Unpacked events are on Nov. 5 - 7, 2024, Union Station Hotel, St. Louis, MO and Apr. 29 - May 1, 2025, Hard Rock Hotel, Atlantic City, NJ So don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy! Links to guest's social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgejage/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/georgejage  Links and Mentions: MJ Unpacked: https://mjunpacked.com/  Jage Media: https://jagemedia.com/  World Tea Expo: https://www.worldteaexpo.com/  MJBizDaily: https://mjbizdaily.com/  MJBizCon: https://mjbizconference.com/  Dope Magazine: https://dopemagazine.com/  Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Anne Donohoe and Phil Carlson of KCSA Strategic Communications. Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther, and Executive Producer, Maria Petsanas. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/ Check out our new podcast, Alternatively Speaking. The first 10-episode series dives into the world of longevity, exploring the advancements and challenges surrounding the pursuit of living longer, healthier lives. https://altspeaking.com/

Welcome to the Green Rush, a weekly conversation at the intersection of cannabis, psychedelics, the capital markets, and culture, produced by KCSA Strategic Communications. This week, we sat down with Luna Stower, Head of Impact at Ispire Technology. Luna is an industry veteran who has passionately advocated for cannabis legalization and social equity. At Ispire, she is at the forefront of efforts to drive positive social change through the development and distribution of cutting-edge vaping technologies. Luna's leadership in advocacy, education, and technology has made her a prominent voice in the industry, and we’re thrilled to have her join Green Rush. So don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy! Links and Social Media: Luna’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lunastower/  Luna’s X: https://twitter.com/lunastower Luna’s Website: https://www.lunastower.com/  Ispire Website: https://ispiretechnology.com/ Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Anne Donohoe and Phil Carlson of KCSA Strategic Communications. Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther and Executive Producer, Maria Petsanas. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/

The Green Rush team is revisiting our extensive archives, curating a selection of over 300 past episodes. This collection will feature memorable moments, insightful interviews, and some of the team's favorite episodes, providing both new listeners and long-time fans an opportunity to explore or rediscover the best of Green Rush.  Back in 2020, we sat down with Javier Hasse, one of the leading voices in the cannabis industry about the cannabis news of the day including how cannabis companies are responding to the Black Lives Matter movement against police brutality, the launch of his Spanish language news site El Planteo, the role of women in the industry and his favorite stories to tell about his time working in the cannabis industry. With a well-earned reputation as one of the most dutiful and diligent reporters covering the cannabis space, Javier is in the elite tier of media that is a must-follow for anyone interested in the cannabis industry. So don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy! Links to guest’s social media: @JavierHasse https://x.com/javierhasse?lang=en  LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/javierhasse/?locale=en_US  Links and Mentions: El Planteo https://elplanteo.com/  Javier’s work on Benzinga https://www.benzinga.com/author/javier-hasse  Javier’s work on Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/  Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications. Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther and Executive Producer, Maria Petsanas. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/

Welcome to the Green Rush, a weekly conversation at the intersection of cannabis, psychedelics, the capital markets, and culture, produced by KCSA Podcast Labs. This week, we sat down with Hirsh Jain, Founder of Ananda Strategy. Ananda Strategy is a strategy consultancy advising leading cannabis brands, retailers, technology businesses, and venture capital funds across the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. Ananda Strategy represents many of California’s leading cannabis retailers, helping lead their expansion strategy, competitive licensing efforts, and M&A activity. Ananda also serves operators in the Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio, and Oregon markets, as well as operators in Canada and Western Europe. Hirsh is Vice Chair of the Cannabis Chamber of Commerce and serves on the boards of NORML California as well as SC Labs, a leading cannabis testing company. He previously held leadership roles at Caliva and MedMen, and worked as the Global Policy Lead at Airbnb, managing public policy in key markets worldwide. Before that, Hirsh was with McKinsey & Company in their Public Sector Practice. Hirsh holds a B.A. in Philosophy from UC Berkeley and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He has a deep commitment to cannabis law reform, having studied the impacts of the War on Drugs. Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/anandastrategy/ https://twitter.com/anandastrategy  https://www.linkedin.com/in/hirsh-jain-b896b080/  Other Links/Mentions: Ananda Strategy - https://www.anandastrategy.com/ Ohio adult-use cannabis - https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2024/08/21/adult-use-recreational-marijuana-sales-surge-across-ohio Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, Crista Egger - https://greenrushpodcast.com/crista-eggers-nebraskans-for-medical-marijuana/  Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Phil Carlson and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications.  Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther, and Executive Producer, Maria Petsanas. Check out our new podcast Alternatively Speaking where our hosts dive into the advancements and challenges surrounding the pursuit of living longer, healthier lives in our first 10-episode series. Visit https://altspeaking.com. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/

This summer, the Green Rush team is revisiting our extensive archives, curating a selection of over 300 past episodes. This collection will feature memorable moments, insightful interviews, and some of the team's favorite episodes, providing both new listeners and long-time fans an opportunity to explore or rediscover the best of Green Rush. Stay tuned for the upcoming launch of our new podcast in the fall, "Alternatively Speaking." We’re revisiting our interview with Jim Belushi, actor, musician, comedian, all around entertainer as well as cannabis entrepreneur and the founder of Belushi’s Farms. Jim has long been a household name due to his distinguished acting career but he’s also incredibly active in the cannabis community with a nearly 100 acre farm in the heart of Oregon’s beautiful banana belt, he is out there getting his hands dirty and producing some of the most-talked about cannabis in the state. With brands like Captain Jack, The Blues Brothers and Good Ugly Weed and Belushi’s Secret Stash, Jim Belushi’s cannabis products are quickly becoming the most talked about product line across the state. So don’t sit back, lean forward and enjoy! Links to guest’s social media: Jim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JimBelushi Jim’s IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000902/ Belushi Farm’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/belushisfarm/ Links and Mentions: Belushi’s Farm homepage: https://www.belushisfarm.com/ Belushi’s Farm’s Products: https://www.zazzle.com/store/belushis_farm  Jim Belushi and Steve Deangelo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtCpUu0pK7E Jim on the Farm: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAsqcwehu7i/ Jim on the Farm Part 2: https://www.instagram.com/p/B-XX1FNhlIG/ Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Anne Donohoe and Phil Carlson of KCSA Strategic Communications. Special thanks to our Executive Producer Maria Petsanas and Program Director Shea Gunther. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/

Welcome to the Green Rush, a weekly conversation at the intersection of cannabis, psychedelics, the capital markets, and culture, produced by KCSA Strategic Communications. This week, we sat down with Tyler Beuerlein. Tyler is Chief Strategic Business Development Officer of Safe Harbor Financial, leveraging his extensive experience in building brands, managing key relationships, and strategic partnerships. Tyler has been at the forefront of the cannabis industry for over eight years and touches Financial Institutions, Government Officials, Regulatory Bodies, and the State Legal Cannabis industry.  Prior to working at Safe Harbor, Tyler served as the Chief Revenue Officer and Chief Business Development Officer for Hypur Ventures and is the former Chairman of the National Cannabis Industry Association Banking and Financial Services Committee. Additionally, Tyler was appointed to serve on both the Marijuana Business Daily’s Advisory Board and ATACH Cannabis Beverage Council and is also a member of the Forbes Business Development Council. Formerly, Beuerlein founded and managed a large beverage company and was a professional athlete in the New York Mets organization. Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tyler-beuerlein/ Other Links/Mentions: https://shfinancial.org/ Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications.  Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/

Andrew has been closely following the efforts of organizations like MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) and Lykos Therapeutics as they pioneer the use of MDMA-assisted therapy for treating PTSD. Recently, the FDA delivered a surprising and disappointing decision, declining to approve MDMA-assisted therapy despite promising clinical data and asking the company to conduct an additional Phase 3 Study. This ruling has sent shockwaves through the field of psychedelic medicine, especially for those who had high hopes that MDMA would become the first federally regulated psychedelic treatment. In our conversation today, Andrew will share his insights on the FDA's decision, the implications for Lykos Therapeutics, and what this means for the future of psychedelic therapies. We’ll delve into the challenges faced by Lykos, including the FDA’s request for an additional clinical trial, which could add years and significant costs to the approval process. We’ll also explore the broader context of this decision—how it affects the momentum of the psychedelic medicine movement, the reaction from supporters and critics alike, and the potential shifts in strategy as the industry continues to navigate regulatory hurdles. For those interested in the intersection of health, science, and business, this discussion promises to be both timely and insightful. So, without further ado, let’s dive into our conversation with Andrew Jacobs. Link to Andrew's New York Times bio: https://www.nytimes.com/by/andrew-jacobs Social Media: X: @AndrewJacobsNYT Other Links/Mentions: F.D.A. Declines to Approve MDMA Therapy, Seeking More Study What Is MDMA Therapy and What Are Its Risks? A Psychedelics Reporter With a Changing Perspective Show Credits: This episode was hosted by Lewis Goldberg and Anne Donohoe of KCSA Strategic Communications. Special thanks to our Program Director, Shea Gunther. You can learn more about how KCSA can help your cannabis and psychedelic companies by visiting www.kcsa.com or emailing [email protected]. You can also connect with us via our social channels: X: @KCSAPodcastLabs Instagram: @KCSAPodcastLabs LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kcsapodcastlabs/