Maximum Yield's Industry News August 2018

AUGUST 2017 // MAXIMUM YIELD’S INDUSTRY NEWS 

UNITING THE INDUSTRY GLOBALLY SINCE 1998 

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AUGUST 2017 

Volume 15 - Number 11 

PUBLISHER 

Maximum Yield Inc. 

GENERAL MANAGER 

Ilona Hawser 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

Toby Gorman 

editor@maximumyield.com 

WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT EDITOR 

Julie McManus 

ASSOCIATE EDITORS 

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Julie Chadwick 

ADVERTISING SALES 

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Hailey Woolgar 

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FEATURES // 

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Art Director // Alice Joe 

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64 

Industry News is published monthly by 

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8 August 2017 // Maximum Yield’s Industry News

46 

48 

40 

departments // 

54 

FROM THE EDITOR 10 

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 12 

INDUSTRY BUZZ 26 

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY // Knalysis Technologies 40 

YOU TELL US // Tantalus Labs 46 

DEVELOPMENTS & DIALOGUE // CWCB Expo 2017 48 

60 

COMPANY SPOTLIGHT // Futurola 54 

DISPENSARY PROFILE // Northern Specialty Health 56 

CONSULTANT'S CORNER // Medicine Man 60 

INNOVATION STATION // BioAgra 62 

Maximum Yield’s Industry News // August 2017 

9

From the EDITOR 

Welcome to the August 2017 issue of Industry News. There is a thread that runs 

through this issue that we’ve been noticing more lately, and that is the crossover 

from established industries into the developing industry of medicinal cannabis. This, 

of course, is spurred on by the ever-increasing number of US states and other countries 

that are becoming more accepting of medicinal cannabis. 

BioAgra, featured on page 62, is one of those companies applying knowledge and 

experience from an established industry—in this case, health care—and applying it to 

the fledgling marijuana industry. Similarly, Knalysis Technologies, featured on page 

40, has adopted health care technology to the medicinal cannabis field by developing 

software to seamlessly link physician, provider, and patient so that people who require 

marijuana for health reasons can have more efficient access to what they need. 

It is companies like BioAgra and Knalysis that are paving the path to help build the 

medical cannabis industry. Much of what they do has never been done before, and their 

efforts are all part of a larger picture that moves industry bravely forward. 

This growth and innovation, of course, requires oversight and planning, which is why 

writer Anne Schultz travelled to New York City to attend the fourth annual Cannabis 

World Congress and Business Expo. The event, which took place June 14–16 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, hosted 

more than 70 sessions with 100 expert speakers who addressed and discussed the successes and challenges of the 

industry in the present and future. It also provided a forum for attendees to network and 

share with individuals from sectors and industries involved with cannabis industry. 

You can find Anne’s feature on page 48. 

If you have any insight you’d like to share, or just want readers to know more about what 

you and your team do, feel free to contact us at editor@maximumyield.com. 

Thanks for reading Inews. 

Artwork courtesy of BioAgra 


PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT 

Current Culture H 2 O Under Current 

Demo Display and Nutrient Rack 

Increase the visibility and sales of Current 

Culture H 2O (CCH2O) products with the 

company's new line of retail displays. Bring its proven production 

system to your store with a Cultured Solutions nutrient display rack or 

Under Current demo display. The striking retail displays feature fast 

assembly time and are made in the USA with the highest grade heavyduty, 

powder-coated steel. Designed with the retailer in mind, the racks 

take precise inventory, make stocking a breeze, and allow for efficient 

use of retail space and marketing of the complete CCH2O product line. 

Choose from multiple retail display packages that include an Under Current demo 

display and a four-foot or eight-foot Cultured Solutions nutrient rack. All packages 

include marketing material and swag. Free retail displays and deep discounts are 

available with select stocking purchases. 

– cch2o.com 

Reiziger Root Booster 

A sea treasure to activate, revive, and heal. 

Borne from the sea for the discerning 

craftsman, Reiziger Root Booster has 

the reassurance of being used by 

many professional gardeners and 

growers for over 20 years to activate, 

revive, and stimulate indoor hydroponic 

plants, outdoor plants, seedlings, trees, 

flowers, bulbs, natives, and more. This 

nutrient-rich, organic root stimulator has 

the power to save, revive, or help newly 

potted plants and transplants, grow 

early white healthy roots, give more 

uniformity, and improve survivability, 

resulting in greener, vigorous plant 

growth and abundant new flowers. 

Search for the ship on the gold bottle. 

– reiziger.com 

Plant Vitality Anabolic Plant Roids 

Exclusively distributed to shops by Erith 

Horticulture, Anabolic Plant Roids is the 

latest product to hit the shelves from Plant 

Vitality. Plant Vitality Anabolic Plant Roids is an 

all-new, explosive blend of legal, performanceenhancing 

steroids for plants. Through scientific 

breakthroughs and nano state reactor power, 

Plant Vitality Anabolic Plant Roids takes your 

crops to a whole new level of insane growth. 

Plant Vitality Anabolic Plant Roids contains 

concentrated natural plant steroids and can be 

absorbed through foliage, flowers, and roots, 

which greatly multiply and enhance fruit and yield 

potential. Formulated for growers of any skill set 

or expertise; not to be used by people wanting 

small plants and poor yields. 

– erithhorticulture.com 

Dramm TracFog Nozzle Extensions 

Dramm now offers an optional nozzle extension for its line of TracFog PTO-driven 

fog systems. These nozzle extensions extend the nozzle outlet so that the fogger 

can easily treat individual Quonset greenhouses from the doorway just by driving 

alongside. The nozzle extensions thread onto the standard outlets on the 

TracFog and can be easily swapped in a matter of minutes. Many greenhouse 

businesses have a combination of gutter-connected and individual houses. 

The nozzle extensions allow the unit to be utilized to treat both types of 

greenhouse easily and quickly. The TracFog is available in two different sizes 

for different sized greenhouses. The 25-gallon unit can treat 500,000 square 

feet with one tank and the 100-gallon unit can treat 2,000,000 square feet. 

The TracFOG allows growers to rapidly treat large areas, reducing the 

amount of labor and improving efficiency and efficacy of sprays. 

– dramm.com 


Growing better just got easier. 

Quality and quantity of most any crop will depend on how it started out. 

SunBlaster has been providing high quality lighting for indoor agriculture 

for almost two decades. The right start for all indoor crops. 

No matter what you want to grow indoors, Sun Blaster Lighting and 

accessories will help you grow better. 

LED High Output Strip Lighting 

Where the future is growing. 

Grow even better with our Propagation Accessories 

SunBlosler Lighting products ore ovoiloble through leading Indoor Gorden Distributors and Retailers across 

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PRODUCT Spotlight 

Green-Qubes's 

Quick-Qube 

Green-Qube is once 

again shaking up the 

growroom industry 

with a revolutionary 

new tent concept. The 

Quick-Qube represents 

a new way to create an 

easy growing space. 

Adapted from an industrial 

gazebo frame, 

the patented pop-up 

framework combines 

Green-Qube’s 

class-leading outer 

shell with a super sturdy, yet lightweight aluminum 

frame. The Quick-Qube is fast, easy, and requires 

almost no effort to erect. Its aluminum frame is 

1.4-millimeters thick and has incredible strength, 

holding over 100 kilograms. Best of all, it’s anti-corrosive and 

so will never rust. It also allows you to truly maximize your 

growing floor space as there are no intruding floor poles, just 

five adjustable legs. Get growing in record speed, as the tent 

also offers instant collapsing and neat and easy storage, with no 

chance of poles or corners being mislaid. Available for all large 

tent sizes from September 2017. Pre-orders now being taken. 

– green-qube.com 

Reiziger Grow Food A & B 

Everything Reiziger does is grounded 

in a history of more than 30 years of 

formulating fertilizers to a traditional recipe. Sworn by Dutch 

craftsmen for decades, this legendary two-part nutrient system 

gives the most vigorous growth rates possible. For Dutch 

hydroponic master gardeners, growing is an art form. It is about 

long-standing craftsmanship and the unique 

blend of art and science. To help 

them master their craft, Dutch 

breeders and growers 

swear by Reiziger 

Grow Food A & B 

for greener, lusher 

plants. When you 

use Reiziger, you 

join the ranks of 

generations of Dutch 

craftsmen who know 

how easy it is to 

achieve rewarding 

growth rates. Search 

for the ship on the 

gold bottle. 



® 

©2016 Foxfarm Soil & Fertilizer Company 

800-4 FOXFARM www.FoxFarmFertilizer.com


BlueDiamond ET Air Pumps 

With almost three quarters of a century of experience in the industry, BlueDiamond provides 

a range of ET air pumps that are perfect for wastewater applications. Ensuring plenty of water 

movement, the ET range can boost oxygen levels in the water, allowing aerobic bacteria 

to decompose. All while providing a clean, oil-free air source that is exceptionally quiet 

in operation, even when running continuously for long periods. Within the ET range, the 

Envir-o ET60 boasts a flow of 2.12 cubic feet per minute and is also an incredibly easy service 

procedure with a competitively priced service kit. With a weatherproof, robust construction 

that is supported by the standard BlueDiamond range two year warranty, the ET60 is the 

obvious choice for a wastewater treatment pump. BlueDiamond 

also provides tubing, air stones, hose clips, and more. 

– bluediamondpumps.com 

Reiziger Expanded Clay 

The perfect starting point for 

magnificent gardens, Reiziger 

Expanded Clay provides excellent 

root support and drainage, as 

well as vigorous root growth. It 

helps hydroponic craftsmen grow 

big healthy plants, fruits, and 

vegetables. Reiziger Expanded Clay 

is inert, pH neutral, and does not 

contain any nutrient value. Ideal for 

recirculating hydroponic systems, 

Reiziger Expanded Clay’s smart 

Aqualock formula helps absorb 

more water and protects against 

under watering and overwatering. 

Reiziger guarantees the expanded 

clay substrate meets the highest 

chemical and physical standards 

and is free from weeds and 

pathogenic organisms for that next 

echelon in size, yield, and taste. 

Growers can be confident that many 

skilled Dutch craftsmen have used 

Reiziger growing media for years. 


NovaGreen 

Mite-Y-Phite 

0-7-17 

Mite-Y-Phite is a unique formulation 

containing three important nutrients 

essential to enabling a plant to 

develop and maintain a strong 

immune system. By doing so, the 

plant can overcome environmental 

stress such as physical damage, heat, 

and drought, and develop better 

resilience to pests and diseases. 

Mite-Y-Phite 0-7-17 contains potassium 

silicate, a beneficial substance that 

has been found to alleviate many abiotic and biotic stresses. 

Not all silicon (Si) in soil is soluble and available to crops. The 

American Plant Food Control Officials designated Si as a “plant 

beneficial substance.” Silicon plays an important role in plant 

health, and reinforces cell walls by deposition of solid silica. 

Plants can take up large amounts of Si where it contributes to 

their mechanical strength, and helps to protect plants from 

environmental stress. For some crops, Si fertilization of soils 

increases crop yield. A second mechanism for the beneficial 

effects of Si is its role in triggering a range of natural defenses. 

– growthproducts.com 

Professional Flower Filters 

Mite-Y-Phite is a unique formulation Professional Flower Filter Carbon Filters are now available in more 

sizes than ever. With 15 new sizes to choose from, alongside the pre-existing sizes, you are sure to find a 

Flower Filter suitable for your growroom. Utilizing the finest virgin Australian RC412 granular carbon, the 

best in the world, Flower Filters remove 99.9 per cent of odors and impurities from the air. The carbon is 

tightly machine-packed, which allows for more carbon and less movement. The open-air mesh design 

maximizes airflow through the filter. With a top and base made from 1.6-millimeter thick aluminium, 

and a refined aluminium flange, the Flower Filter is lightweight and easy to handle. Includes two free 

pre-filters. Available from Easy Grow. 

– easy-grow.co.uk 



Remo Supercharged 500ml Nutrient Kit 

The new Remo Nutrients 500ml Supercharged kit contains all 

you need to get growing with Remo, with two 500-milliliter 

bottles of Micro, Grow, Bloom, AstroFlower, MagNifiCal, 

Nature’s Candy, and VeloKelp. The kit also includes a free Remo 

measuring cup, free growroom glasses, feed chart sticker, and 

Remo product information booklet. Remo Nutrients offer a 

complete system of vitamins, minerals, and extracts that your 

plants need to achieve their maximum growth potential. Using 

pharmaceutical-grade ingredients, Remo Nutrients opens 

up your garden’s growth potential to the maximum degree. 

Available now from Easy Grow. 

– easy-grow.co.uk 

Growtainers Commercial Container Farm 

Growtainers is pleased to announce the availability of its 

custom-designed, food safety compliant 53-foot commercial 

container farm. Unlike any other container farm on the market 

today, the state-of-the-art Growtainer includes a separate 

96-square-foot prep area that prevents contamination or 

climate fluctuations entering the 

production area. Equipped with 

a the proprietary Growrack 

system, with 480 square 

feet of ebb and flood 

growing space, energy 

efficient LED lighting, 

high tech climate and 

environmental controls, 

water quality 

monitoring and 

dosing system, 

and a proprietary 

irrigation system, 

these professional 

units are built for high 

volume production. 

– growtainers.com 


6x23 8x39 12x39 14x39 10x39 

Carbon Ace Carbon filters feature a 2 inch bed of virgin activated Australian 

AC-900 granular carbon. The activated carbon absorbs and traps pollutant 

molecules within the carbon removing contaminants, odors and impurities 

from the air. These filters are light-weight and have powder coated aluminum 

tops and bases. Carbon Ace filters have a built in flange and one pre-filter is 

included. When you have a full house, count on Carbon Ace. 

Exclusively distributed by: 

www.sunlightsupply.com


Grower’s Choice 1,000W Double-ended Ceramic Metal Halide Lamp 

Introducing the world’s first 1,000W CMH lamp. As a direct replacement for your existing 1,000W HID fixtures, this 1,000W CMH 

lamp provides the absolute highest photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to your specialty flowering plants. Emitting an 

astonishing 2,050 micromoles and with an extremely high CRI of 90, this lamp will not only increase your overall dry weight but 

will also raise the quality of your harvest. Grower’s Choice has continuously produced the world’s most accurate spectrum, closely 

replicating the sheer power of the sun. By using existing doubleended 

fixtures with our new 1,000W CMH lamp you can 

completely overhaul the lighting in your facility, 

and enjoy watching your yields increase as your 

temperatures decrease. 

– growersc.com 

Autopilot CO 2 Generators from Hydrofarm 

A Hydrofarm exclusive, Autopilot CO 2 Generators provide 

and maintain the carbon dioxide levels needed to meet 

maximum growing potential, and cost very little to run. Safe 

and easy to operate, these highly reliable CO 2 generators are 

equipped with a safety feature that shuts off the gas source 

if the unit tips over. Autopilot CO 2 Generators are available 

in both propane and natural gas models, along with highaltitude 

versions in three sizes: four-burner, eight-burner, and 

10-burner. They feature a 

solid-state electronic ignition 

module, which eliminates the 

need for a pilot light. 

– hydrofarm.com 

SCROGGER Smart P SCROG 

SCROGGER, the world leader in plant training and support kits, 

is proud to introduce the Smart P SCROG. When purchased in 

a six-pack configuration, the Smart P SCROG is the company's 

most cost-efficient kit ever. Smart P SCROG is a low cost ScrOG 

kit, complete with a five or 10 gallon Smart Pot. Each single pack 

contains one and each money-saving, bulk six-pack contains six 

of the following items: a 21-inch patented polycarbonate screen 

with 3.25-inch openings, a set of four 

adjustable stakes (which adjust to 

approximately 18-36 inches), 

eight eight-inch zip ties, 

and an original Smart 

Pot (five or 10 gallon). 

The system sets up in 

minutes without tools. 

– scrogger.com 

Upgraded Flo-N-Gro Systems 

Flo-N-Gro hydroponic growing systems continue to evolve as new features are developed, like the 

innovative bottom drain that is now included in all Flo-N-Gro buckets. A distinctive notch in the 

bottom of the bucket captures every bit of water, which results in total drainage, eliminates standing 

water, and makes cleaning easier and more effective. The built-in bulkhead fitting in 

the bottom drain is ideally suited to Hydro Flow’s ½- or ¾-inch tub outlet fitting. 

It easily screws in and requires only a single washer, for a leak-proof seal. This 

built-in tub outlet bulkhead is threaded in such a way that it allows the fittings to 

screw in and tighten, leaving the fitting in the optimum operating orientation. 

The bottom of the bucket has been elevated off the floor, which keeps the 

bucket clear of the floor and prevents the root 

zone water temperature from being affected by 

the floor temperature. 

– flo-n-gro.net 



NovaGreen “TKO” 

Phosphite 0-29-26 

NovaGreen’s “TKO” PHOSPHITE 

0-29-26 is the nutrient-packed 

knockout punch growers need 

in their arsenal. This solution 

stimulates growth, boosts plant 

immunity, and increases yield. TKO 

is a super water-soluble and highly 

concentrated phosphorus and 

potassium (P/K) solution that’s more 

effective than traditional granular 

fertilizers. Unlike other products 

that use phosphates, TKO uses 

smaller phosphites, which result in 

improved plant uptake capabilities 

and minimize product waste. TKO 

also quickly improves P/K imbalances 

and helps growers produce bigger, 

stronger, and heavier flowers. In a recent Growth Products study 

testing TKO’s effectiveness, the product reduced the incidence 

of downy mildew on cucumbers and squash by 68 per cent 

over the control group. When paired with Bravo Weather Stik, 

it reduced the incidence by 76 per cent over the control group. 

Versatile TKO can be used in soil and soilless mixes, inside or 

outside, as a foliar spray, in hydroponics and constant feed 

systems. TKO safe for the environment and workers. 

– growthproducts.com 

Active Air Inline Filter from Hydrofarm 

For effectively removing odors, dust, and particulates from 

indoor environments, the new inline carbon filter from 

Hydrofarm’s Active Air brand features dual direction airflow 

ability. It also features a two-stage filtration design: the air 

passes through two interior carbon filters before exiting, for 

superior filtration. A Hydrofarm exclusive, it allows remote filter 

placement for saving valuable growroom space and is easy to 

install and use. Available in six-inch and eight-inch sizes. 

– hydrofarm.com 


Greater Control 

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M3 

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PeriPod 

bluelab.com 

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bluelab.com


Titan Controls Hyperion 2 

Titan Controls’ Hyperion has become synonymous with advanced indoor gardening 

environmental control technology. Thanks to premium components, sturdy, dust-free housings, 

and exceptional finish, Titan Controls has earned a reputation for producing sophisticated, 

professional-grade equipment that lasts. Adding to this renowned line is the newest addition to 

the family, the Hyperion 2. This wireless environmental controller will monitor and control your 

growroom’s temperature, dehumidifier, CO 2 system, and up to four lights. Extensively tested 

to meet Titan Controls’ high standards, the Hyperion 2 allows growers to control their space 

from up to 200 feet away with a remote control, which is 

included with purchase. 

– titancontrols.net 

Kind LED Commercially 

Certified Indoor Grow Lights 

Kind LED Commercial Grow Lights challenge the standard of 

high-performance horticulture lighting technology, having 

passed the stringent safety requirements needed to earn a 

certification from respected UL Laboratories. Finding a grow 

light with UL certification doesn’t mean that cost, wattage, 

or PAR output must be compromised. Kind LED grow lights 

use 40 per cent less power, saving nearly half the costs of the 

electricity used for a traditional HID grow light. With eightstage 

internal timers and a complete 12-band proprietary 

spectrum, growers can program the Kind LED grow light to 

mimic sunrise and sunset, resulting in faster, healthier, larger, 

and better-quality yields. A secondary optical lens magnifies 

PAR and increases canopy penetration by up to 200 per cent, 

significantly increasing “under canopy” production and yield. 

– kindledgrowlights.com 

Gorilla Grow Tents 

Denier (D) is a unit of measurement used to determine the 

thickness of the individual threads in a fabric; the higher the 

number, the thicker the fabric. The use of thicker fabric means 

that Gorilla Grow Tents are more lightproof, more durable, 

quieter, stronger, safer, and the best possible growing 

environment for plants. Tents with a lower D count will rip easily, 

leak light more readily, and offer problematic indoor growing 

environments. Their inadequate thread density presents an 

unnecessary risk of dangerous hazards such as flooding, and 

their old-fashioned swirl reflection design creates hot spots and 

does not effectively utilize rogue light. Grow tents use fabrics 

that can range anywhere from 200-1,680D. Gorilla Grow Tents 

offer the thickest fabric, measuring at 

1,680D, which is three to nine times 

thicker than other tents in the market. 

– gorillagrowtent.com 

SuperCloset Bubble Flow Bucket 

As the leading manufacturer of Automated Superponic Grow Systems and Grow 

Boxes in the world for the last 15 years, consumer demand continues to thrive 

and grow. Due to increasing demand, SuperCloset Bubble Flow Bucket Systems, as well as 

other SuperCloset products, are expanding into garden centers and shops nationwide. 

SuperCloset Bubble Flow Bucket Systems utilize the Superponic method, which 

is the fusion of proven hydroponic methods including deep water culture, 

aeroponics, and top feed combined in a single system, recirculating 

hyper-oxygenated water through the ebb and flow upwelling feature, thus 

eliminating perilous micro-environments. With products designed for all skill 

levels from beginner to professional, a three-year warranty, lifetime customer, 

technical, and grow support, and countless awards, it’s a no-brainer that the 

full product line has expanded into stores nationwide. 

– supercloset.com 



25

INDUSTRY BUZZ 

Aloha Green is Good to Grow 

Aloha Green Holdings received the green light from the Hawaii State Department of Health to 

proceed operations within its second production center on Oahu. According to an article in 

Cannabis Business Times, the purpose-built cannabis greenhouse is the first of its kind in Hawaii 

and it will allow for a 400 per cent increase in production capability. “By bringing our state-ofthe-art 

greenhouse online, Aloha Green is able to meet current and future patient demand for 

safe lab-tested cannabis medicine,” says Tai Cheng, COO. “Aloha Green’s goal is to provide 

value-priced medicine to qualified patients. Greenhouse-grown cannabis will use significantly 

less electricity than indoor grown cannabis. These savings are being passed on to the patients. 

The cost of living is already high in Hawaii, and the cost of medicine should not force patients to 

make the hard choice of whether to seek relief from their symptoms,” adds James H.Q. Lee, CEO. 

American Herbal Products 

Association and ASTM 

International Sign MOU on 

Cannabis Standards 

American Herbal Products Association 

(AHPA) and ASTM International have signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding to work together 

on standards for the cannabis industry, states 

a press release on ASTM’s website. Under the 

agreement, ASTM will coordinate standards 

development activities for the cannabis industry 

while AHPA will gain benefits such as recognition of its technical 

contributions and regulatory recommendations. “We are thrilled 

to now be contributing to standards development through one of 

the world’s top standards organizations,” says Jane Wilson, director 

of program development at AHPA. “AHPA has provided and will 

continue to provide much-needed expertise in this fast-growing 

industry,” says Ralph Paroli, PhD, the committee’s new chairman and 

the director of R&D in measurement science and standards at the 

National Research Council of Canada. “AHPA’s support for this new 

committee will help expedite international standards development, 

identify gaps, prevent duplicative efforts, and more.” 

Bowery Raises $20M to Build Vertical Farms 

Indoor farming start-up Bowery has raised $20 million 

to open a second vertical farm and continue investing in 

its technology platform. The Series A funding was co-led 

by General Catalyst and GGV Capital with participation 

from GV (formerly Google Ventures). This brings the 

Bowery’s total funding to $27.5 million, with previous 

investments made by First Round, Box Group, chef Tom 

Colicchio, and Blue Apron CEO Matt Salzberg. “Our goal 

is to locate these farms in a way to provide the highest 

quality food to cities where it has traveled a very short 

period of time compared to the traditional agriculture 

supply chain where it can be two to three weeks from 

when our food is picked to when it reaches us,” Irving 

Fain, co-founder and CEO, said in an inc.com article. 

Matt Andrus Takes on New Position at Arborjet 

Matt Andrus has taken on the new appointment as horticulture technical specialist at Arborjet. In his new 

role, Andrus will be responsible for helping to conduct research studies, promoting sales, and providing 

consultations. With the recent surge in home gardening, Arborjet identified an opportunity to provide 

ecofriendly plant care solutions. Matt’s background and extensive field experience supports these efforts. “I 

take great pride in the innovative work that our research and development team has done for Arborjet, and 

I look forward to building on those efforts in my new role,” he says. “I’m excited to continue to educate 

the community and help in driving those new market opportunities forward for our team.” Prior to his 

roles at Arborjet, Matt was the head propagator and manager of six large greenhouses. In addition, 

he started a rooftop garden business. Matt also teaches public and private classes about various 

cultivation techniques. He studied at the National Outdoor Leadership School in Wyoming and 

has also received risk assessment, wilderness first responder, and outdoor educator certifications 

from the Wilderness Medicine Institute. 



27

INDUSTRY Buzz 

Pentair and Urban 

Organics Open Second 

Aquaponics Farm 

Pentair and Urban Organics 

have opened a second 

commercial-scale indoor 

aquaponic farm in St. Paul, MN. The 87,000-square-foot facility 

will annually produce 275,000 pounds of fish and 475,000 pounds 

of organic produce. “The world’s population is growing, and with 

it, the demand for fish protein is quickly surpassing sustainable 

natural fish production,” says Karl Frykman, president of Pentair 

Water, in a press release on nasdaq.com. “We joined forces with 

Urban Organics to help accelerate the development of largescale 

modern aquaponics as we believe it can provide a real 

commercial option to help solve this growing food dilemma.” 

Water filtration technology developed by Pentair allows Urban 

Organics to raise plants in warm water with high nutrient levels 

alongside fish in cold water with low nutrient levels, thus taking 

advantage of the colder Minnesota climate and saving energy. 

“Our collaboration with Pentair has helped us achieve our vision 

of creating a new model for urban agriculture that ensures 

access to healthy foods while using less than two per cent of the 

water consumed by traditional agriculture,” says David Haider, 

co-founder of Urban Organics. 

Lumileds Officially 

an Independent 

Company 

Lumileds is officially 

operating as an 

independent company. 

The change comes after 

funds affiliated with Apollo 

Global Management and 

Philips completed their 

previously disclosed 

transaction. As announced 

in December 2016, Apollo and Philips agreed to a transaction 

where Philips would sell 80.1 per cent interest in Lumileds to 

certain funds managed by Apollo and retain the remaining 

19.9 per cent interest in the company. “We are fortunate to 

have Apollo and Philips’ support as Lumileds embarks upon 

our next chapter as an innovator of high performance LEDs 

and a leader in advanced lighting solutions,” says Mark Adams, 

CEO of Lumileds. “Lumileds has over 100 years of innovation 

as a pioneer in the lighting industry,” says Robert Seminara, 

senior partner at Apollo. “We look forward to working with 

the Lumileds Team in support of what we believe will be a very 

successful future.” 


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INDUSTRY Buzz 

Bright Agrotech Works to Close the Hydroponic Knowledge Gap 

Being a modern farmer requires equal parts adaptability, creativity, perseverance, and 

customer service. In addition to growing fresh, flavorful food, a farmer is also a marketer, plant 

scientist, plumber, salesperson, community educator, social media manager, and everything 

in between. The problem? A lot of today’s most passionate growers don’t have the skills or 

experience needed to start or scale a hydroponic farm with confidence. That’s where Upstart 

University comes in. Upstart U makes hydroponic learning accessible to anyone with an 

internet connection. With 30+ multimedia-rich courses, engaging student forums, and free 

educational articles, Upstart U can empower you to build, operate, and succeed with your own 

modern farm. If you’re ready to learn from industry experts about everything from business 

planning to nutrient management, enroll today at upstartuniversity.net/my. 

Grower’s Gear is Hiring 

Grower’s Gear, a rapidly 

growing Californiabased 

company 

taking the fabric 

aeration container 

concept to the highest 

level of performance 

and customization, seeks 

charismatic, driven individuals 

to help meet the ever-increasing demand for its products. 

Sales team members are responsible for developing leads, 

tracking interactions, making sales, and representing the 

Grower’s Gear brand at trade shows and events. This sales 

position requires excellent negotiation skills, strong written 

and verbal communication abilities, technology literacy, 

and the ability to take direction and work independently. 

The ideal candidate would have a bachelor’s degree in 

sales, business administration, communications, or a related 

field and possess at least two years’ sales experience, the 

ability and desire to travel, and a positive attitude. Please 

contact Grower’s Gear at info@growersgear.com for a full 

job description, inquiries, or to submit a résumé to be 

considered for this position. 

Green Organic 

Dutchman Holdings 

Hires New President and 

Strategic Advisor 

The Green Organic Dutchman 

Holdings Ltd. (TGOD), an organic 

medical cannabis producer, has 

appointed Csaba Reider as its new 

president and Marc Bertrand as its new strategic advisor. Reider 

brings over 35 years of senior executive leadership experience in 

the consumer-packaged goods industry. Prior to joining TGOD, 

he was the CEO and president of SunPac Foods, president and 

CEO of Xyience Inc., and vice president at Cott Corporation 

and Cott Beverages Canada. Marc Bertrand has nearly 30 years’ 

experience with brand building, strategic licensing, international 

markets, manufacturing, and complex financial transactions. 

“The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. is excited about 

the addition of two such highly achieved individuals joining our 

team. As TGOD continues its rapid growth evolving into a larger 

company, the vast experience, knowledge, and capabilities of 

these additional team members will undoubtedly have a profound 

impact on our future success,” states Rob Anderson, CEO, in an 

article on investingnews.com. 

Nate Ferverda Joins Current Culture H 2 O 

Nate Ferverda has joined Current Culture H 2O (CCH 2O) as vice 

president of sales. He brings over 20 years of industry experience 

to the CCH 2O team. His experience in retail, manufacturing, and 

gardening provides a deep understanding of the various facets in 

the industry. “It’s exciting to see the evolution of the industry. As 

the industry grows, efficiency is rapidly becoming the future. I am very pleased to join CCH 2O, 

a company that is the future of hydroponic gardening,” says Nate. Current Culture H 2O is just as 

excited to have such a top-level individual become a part of our team. “Nate will be instrumental 

to our next phase of growth as we continue to innovate and expand our brand,” says Dan 

Wilson, president and founder. Please join us in welcoming him to the CCH 2O family. 


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INDUSTRY Buzz 

Adam Edwards Joins 

EYE HORTILUX Team 

in Colorado 

Adam Edwards is the new 

district sales manager for EYE 

HORTILUX in Colorado. Adam 

has spent most of his career 

overseeing and managing 

the sales and service of highly 

controlled indoor spaces for 

the indoor cultivation industry. This experience, along with 

his background in environmental studies at the University 

of Colorado Boulder, gives him a wealth of knowledge and 

first-hand experience that he can share with local growers. 

“Right now, there is such innovation in the industry that it is 

hard for growers to evaluate what is really a step forward in 

plant growth and what is just marketing hype,” he says. “I want 

to work with these professionals in all aspects of the industry 

to help sort out what is the best way to maximize their yields.” 

Director of specialty products Mike Anderson is excited to have 

Adam on the team. “Adam’s vast knowledge of the grow market 

is an asset to the Colorado area,” he says. “I hope growers will 

consider him a resource to turn to when they have questions 

about best practices for achieving maximum results.” To contact 

Adam, call 1-877-905-2562 or visit eyehortilux.com. 

Four Highlife 

Cups for 

Dutch Passion 

Dutch Passion 

collected four 

cannabis cups 

at the recent 

Highlife Cup 

in Amsterdam. 

Masterkush was 

the overall cup 

winner, and it also 

won first prize in 

the kush category. 

It’s an original 

kush variety with 

unusually high potency levels, which set it apart from average 

varieties. Dutch Passion CBD Auto Compassion Lime took 

first place in the CBD category. This easy-to-grow feminized 

auto with a 1:1 ratio of THC:CBD is very resinous and popular 

with medical growers and concentrate fans due to the high oil 

content. Finally, in the auto category, Dutch Passion took third 

place with their new Auto Glueberry OG. This is one of Dutch 

Passions strongest autos so far with genetics from Blueberry, 

Gorilla Glue, and OG Kush. 


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INDUSTRY Buzz 

Mike Habbyshaw Joins EYE HORTILUX’s Canadian Team 

Mike Habbyshaw has joined EYE HORTILUX as sales manager for the Canadian 

market. Mike will work with growers, retailers, and distributors to make sure products 

are available in locations throughout the country. He is also tasked with making 

sure users at all levels of growing have access to the latest information on lighting 

technology for plant growth. “I have enjoyed working with many of the growers in this 

market and now I can show them the benefits of the EYE HORTILUX brand products,” 

he says. “My goal is to help growers increase their production and grow beautiful, 

healthy plants and the right lighting will do that.” Says director of specialty products 

Mike Anderson, the new team member brings with him an extensive background 

in this industry. “Mike has experience in the manufacturing side of the business as 

well as knowledge of the retail market, since he has managed a horticulture store,” 

Anderson says. “We hope customers at all levels will also rely on Mike for technical 

advice on growing since he is a Certified Master Grower.” To contact Mike, call 

1-877-905-2562 or visit eyehortilux.com. 

University of Buffalo 

Invests in MMJ 

International 

Cannabis Study 

According to a press 

release on PRWeb, the Buffalo Institute for Genomics and 

Data Analytics (BIG) at the University of Buffalo has invested 

$800,000 in MMJ International Holdings’ medical cannabis 

research project in Buffalo. “By combining the university’s 

assets with those of MMJ, a positive economic impact can be 

achieved while simultaneously enhancing medical cannabis 

clinical trial opportunities for Buffalo,” says chairman Timothy 

Moynahan. “The Clinical and Translational Science Award 

(CTSA) granted to the University of Buffalo will pilot MMJ’s 

novel software methods, which accompanied by rigorous 

scientific research will result in a data-driven product 

formulation. While the partnership is a business enterprise, 

there is no doubt it has altruistic dimensions; to provide safe 

and efficacious cannabis medicines that alleviate pain, replace 

opioids, and diminish or eliminate disease.” 

Spiked Soil is Hiring 

Spiked Soil, 

maker of the 

ultimate organic 

plant cocktail, is 

looking to hire 

a team of highly 

motivated sales associates to promote 

its business. The sales team is responsible for connecting 

customers with the unique, cocktail-themed line of soils and 

nutrients while achieving company goals and maintaining 

brand standards. Some travel is required for trade shows 

and customer outreach. To meet these expectations, 

an ideal applicant would be able to take direction, work 

independently, and negotiate effectively. To be considered 

for a position, candidates should have a bachelor’s degree 

in sales, business administration, communications, or a 

related field along with a minimum of two years of sales 

experience. Team players interested in learning more about 

the position can send inquiries and résumés via email to 

info@spikedsoil.com. 

HelloMD Partners with PharmaCannis 

According to a press release on PR Newswire, HelloMD has partnered with PharmaCannis. 

Together, the companies will provide new and existing patients with a complete end-toend 

MMJ solution, which will include expanded access to cannabis expertise, physicians, 

education, and medical cannabis products. The services will first roll out in New York state, 

with several other states to follow. “Given the tremendous differences in medical cannabis 

markets from state to state, partnering with best-in-class operators like PharmaCannis is 

absolutely critical for HelloMD as we work to expand patient access to medical cannabis. 

It is also an important step towards making our services available nationwide,” says Larry 

Lisser, senior VP of business development for HelloMD. “As PharmaCannis expands its product line and services in New York—and 

the state expands access to its program—we found a partner in HelloMD that could help us accelerate our reach and brand 

awareness across this growing market,” says Jeremy Unruh, general counsel of PharmaCannis. “HelloMD’s stellar reputation in 

California, along with their thoughtful approach to community-oriented services, made working together a priority for us.” 


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INDUSTRY Buzz 

Dates for 2018 World 

Medical Cannabis 

Conference & Expo 

Confirmed 

Compassionate Certification 

Centers (CCC) has announced 

the official dates for the 

second annual World Medical 

Cannabis Conference & Expo. 

The event will take place April 

12-14, 2018, at the David L. 

Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Designed 

to unite medical professionals, patients, and the industry’s 

leading entrepreneurs, the expo will merge medical education 

with cannabis business innovation. Nearly 4,000 attendees 

are expected to attend the expo, including 150 exhibiting 

companies and dozens of medical, investment, and industry 

thought leaders. “Our conferences serve as a catalyst for 

healthcare progress and strive to create awareness. We want 

to inspire people of all different backgrounds to get involved 

and shape the evolution of this industry,” says CCC co-founder 

Melonie Kotchey. For tickets or information, call 1-888-316-9085 

or visit cccregister.com. The conference will coincide with the 

first Pennsylvania dispensary openings slated for spring 2018. 

Royal Knight AG Officially Launched 

Royal Knight Ag, a science-backed consulting and brokerage 

company based in Bensalem, PA, officially launched on July 

12. Its mission: to help customers increase their yields while 

helping the environment. Royal Knight AG knows that getting 

bigger, stickier, sweeter buds starts with the soil. By working 

with top scientists, it has developed powerful organic carbonbased 

fertilizers that not only supply the soil with nitrogen, 

phosphorus, and potassium, but also increases the soil’s carbon 

levels, allowing for bigger stronger buds. Royal Knight Ag’s 

philosophy is education first as the company believe that an 

educated community of growers is 

essential for the industry. Not only 

does it provide the tools and 

products that growers need 

for sustainable growing, but 

Royal Knight Ag also works 

hand-in-hand with both 

professional and recreational 

growers to insure they get 

the results that they desire. 

For more information, visit 

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frankiec@royalknight-ag.com. 


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INDUSTRY Buzz 

Urban Agriculture Company Takes Home Two Stevie Awards 

The Urban Agriculture Company, which makes all-in-one organic grow kits and outdoor living 

products, announced in a press release on EIN Presswire that it won two Stevie Awards at the 15th 

Annual American Business Awards (ABA). The Stevie Awards recognize outstanding performances 

in the workplace worldwide, and are conferred in seven programs including the ABA. They won 

a Gold Stevie Award for Start-up of the Year in consumer products and a Silver People’s Choice 

Stevie Award for Favorite New Products. “We are thrilled to have been recognized in this year’s 

American Business Awards. Winning awards for both our business performance and our products is 

a wonderful testament to the hard work our team has put into making Urban Agriculture’s first year 

such a success,” says Chad Corzine, founder and CEO of Urban Agriculture Company. “It’s been 

quite the ride so far, and we are excited to continue sharing our mission to help make growing and 

maintaining a garden accessible and simple for everyone, no matter the size of their living space.” 

Sugarmade Now 

Accepts Bitcoin 

Sugarmade announced 

in a press release on PR Newswire that it now accepts Bitcoin 

for all purchases on its websites on caligrownsupplies.com 

and carryoutsupplies.com. Sugarmade expects this move 

to significantly reduce its credit card process costs, reduce 

chargeback fraud, and limit potential losses due to identity 

theft, all while allowing increased flexibility for customers. 

“We are happy to accommodate the many requests we have 

received for payment via Bitcoin,” says CEO Jimmy Chan. “Our 

web traffic has grown substantially this 

year and with the recent turn up of our 

new website, which offers hydroponic 

supplies, flexible payment terms 

are more important than ever. 

Bitcoin provides our customers 

this flexibility while allowing 

Sugarmade to control costs.” 

Display Package Available from Hydrofarm 

The Green Pad CO 2 Generator, 

available from Hydrofarm, is now 

offering retailers a merchandising 

package with the qualifying 

purchase of all three Green 

Pad CO 2 products: Original 

Green Pad, Green Pad 

Jr., and Grand Daddy 

Pad. Qualifiying stores 

will receive a lightweight 

display, product samples, 

posters, and stickers. This 

offer is limited to one 

merchandising package 

per store and available 

while supplies last. Ask 

your Hydrofarm sales 

rep for details. 

iCAN Partners with LeafCann 

iCAN: Israel-Cannabis (iCAN), an Israeli company that develops medical cannabis formulations, clinical trials, 

and cannabis testing, has partnered with LeafCann Research and Advisory, an Australian developer of cannabis 

medications, clinical research, and education. According to the press release on PR Newswire, the new venture, 

iCAN: Australia, will collaborate on medicinal cannabis research, education, acceleration, and innovation. 

The venture will also take interest in CannaTech Australia, the country’s first major MMJ summit that 

will take place in Sydney in 2018. “We are thrilled to partner with LeafCann to form iCAN: Australia. 

Our collaboration will bring world-class cannabis products to the Australian market as well 

as accelerate our collaborative research and development of new products for a range of 

indications,” says Saul Kaye, CEO of iCAN: Israel-Cannabis. 


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TRENDS & TECHNOLOGY 

With a vision that they could provide health 

technology that connects all aspects of the medical 

marijuana industry, Canadian company Knalysis 

Technologies have envisioned and pioneered software 

to seamlessly link physician, provider, and patient. 

e’re aiming to connect the entire medical marijuana field,” 

“Wsays Knalysis CEO Paul Methot, who connected with Inews to 

talk about his company. “Our products were developed directly with a 

national network of clinicians in the medical marijuana domain, and are 

built to deliver better monitoring of symptoms, moods, and treatments 

for both physician and patient.” The primary goal is to determine the 

efficacy of cannabis strains on the symptoms of all illnesses currently 

treatable by medical marijuana. 

Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada WWW knalysis.com 1 st Year in business 

1-418-694-7047 

Who or what inspired the idea 

for Knalysis Technologies? 

Our other business, Pragmatic Informatics, 

is a software development company. 

One of our biggest clients has been 

Marijuana For Trauma (MFT), a military 

veteran-owned and operated company 

whose mission is to improve the quality 

of life for anyone suffering from 

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 

chronic pain, and other medical conditions 

using medical cannabis. 

Much of what they do—and indeed, a 

lot of what the whole medical cannabis 

field is trying to do—has never been 

done before. They are all paving new 

paths. Together with MFT, we identified 

massive gaps in the technology. Over 

two years, we built several technology 

platforms customized for the cannabis 

industry and helped them leapfrog 

into being one of the largest cannabis 

businesses in Canada. 

In early 2016, MFT ventured into doing 

clinical research on the efficacies of 

the medical strains on the market to 

combat PTSD, but they struggled to find 

a way to capture the data. Together, 

we built the wellness tracker app. By 

the summer, so many other businesses 

were asking them to share the tools 

we had built—especially the app—so 

we spun off Knalysis Technologies to 

offer them to the public. We have now 

commercialized our products so that 

others can now make use of our app, 

analytics web portal, and cannabis 

patient manager. 



41

TRENDS & Technology 

Who is using the cannabis 

patient manager? How 

does it differ from existing 

medical software? 

There are a lot of electronic medical 

records (EMRs) platforms out there. 

You see them every time you go to the 

doctor or dentist. The administrators 

are the backbone of this industry and 

they found it far too time consuming to 

use a normal EMR, which are designed 

for hospitals. They are huge, robust 

platforms with thousands of features, 

which meant thousands of buttons and 

options on the screen they have no 

need to use. They wanted a tool to track 

patients with fields specific to medical 

marijuana. We customized everything 

about our cannabis patient manager to 

address how they worked with the goal 

of automating many of their tasks and 

saving them time. Their adoption of it 

proved we were on the right track. 

What are the key differences 

between your two trackers, the 

Knalysis wellness tracker for 

everyday use and the wellness 

tracker for PTSD? 

Our everyday use version of the app is 

designed to determine what medical 

cannabis strains help to alleviate 

symptoms of 54 ailments currently 

recognized by the US and Canadian 

government. This can include PTSD, 

multiple sclerosis, cancer, and seizures, 

for example. The PTSD version of 

the app contains only moods and 

symptoms specific to PTSD. 

Both versions of the app empower users 

to actively engage in their personal 

health monitoring for ailments treated 

by medical marijuana. Users can track 

their symptoms, moods, and treatments. 

Does the PTSD app make strain 

recommendations based on a 

person’s mood, or, how exactly 

does it work? How accurately 

can mood be established with a 

smartphone? 

For businesses that work in this industry 

(clinics, dispensaries, researchers, 

growers) we offer a subscription to 

Analytics Web Portal, a website where 

they can monitor all the users and 

customers in their group and test out 

their own strains to see which ones best 

help the symptoms. Users can choose to 

join or leave any group. 

For a user, they enter in their present 

symptom(s) and the mood(s) they are 

currently feeling. They take their 

treatment and in about an hour the app 

asks them to provide their mood again. 

I’m over-simplifying the process, of 

course; however, the before and after 

provide us a metric. Combine that 

with the quantitative data of tens of 

thousands of others having the same 

symptoms, moods, and treatments, and 

we can start to draw some conclusions. 

Anecdotally, veterans with PTSD will 

tell you that Pink Kush [cannabis] will 

help them have far less nightmares at 

night and get a much better sleep. With 

the app, we can track all the different 

strains offered in the Pink Kush family 

across North America and tell you 

exactly which growers make the one that 

treats it the best. For someone suffering, 

this can make the difference between a 

medicine that works decent or one that 

works great. 

We are working with cannabis coaches, 

clinicians, growers, and researchers as 

the app, gains uptake. Currently, they 

recommend strains to users and then 

watch the data. We can then hone in on 

which strains work best for particular 

symptoms and moods. This influences 

what the grower focuses on for their next 

grow cycle on or what the dispensary 

should order next. 

As we gain more data, the app will 

begin to offer suggestions, especially if 

it detects negative patterns over time. 

“WE WANT TO 

EMPOWER THE 

USER TO SEE THEIR 

OWN PATTERNS 

AND HABITS AND 

MAKE CHANGES.” 



43

TRENDS & Technology 

As for our moods, we have five 

levels of moods ranging from green 

(or happy) moods down to red (angry) 

moods. A complex algorithm assigns 

values to the combinations of moods 

chosen so it can be used for graphing 

and pattern analysis. 

Lastly, we have a fourth module in 

the app called “impact.” Sometimes 

events in your life influence your mood 

(your dog dies, you get married, etc.) 

and we want to be able to tell the 

difference between moods associated 

with symptoms and influences from 

external events. 

Where does the information 

(treatment recommendations, 

mood patterns, and graphs) 

come from? 

Currently, we are not recommending 

anything through the app. We want 

to empower the user to see their own 

patterns and habits and make changes. 

Are you waking up every morning 

at 4 a.m. in pain? Perhaps you need 

a longer-lasting intake method (a 

capsule can last for many more hours 

than vaping, for example). It’s not always 

that simple, though, and that is 

why the app data can be shared with 

the user’s doctor or coach to find the 

strains that best work for them. 

Using colors for the moods can show at 

a glance how you are progressing week 

over week and month over month. Now 

they have data that tells them what they 

are doing is not working and that they 

need to make a change, get advice from 

a professional, and try different strains. 

Soon you will be able to also track 

your other medications alongside your 

cannabis treatments, water intake, blood 

pressure, and many more. 

Our lead developer is Richard Bennett, 

who has a doctorate in machine learning 

and data analytics. Our team is made 

up of coders with past employment at 

Microsoft, IBM, McAfee, and Boeing. We 

also have several PhDs on staff who 

excel in math and algorithms. 

Is there a social media/sharing 

aspect to this technology? 

Definitely not. We want people to share 

their feelings and symptoms in the app 

and feel comfortable being candid. Adding 

in Facebook might deter people from 

being honest. If the user consents, then 

they can share their data with their doctor, 

cannabis coach, or as part of a group 

gathering data on strains. The technology 

was designed to be very secure (the 

background of most of the team was in IT 

security, myself included). Our technologies 

meet or exceed all standards for 

security and privacy in North America. 

“FOR SOMEONE 

SUFFERING, THIS 

CAN MAKE THE 

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 

A MEDICINE THAT 

WORKS DECENT 

OR ONE THAT 

WORKS GREAT.” 

“WE WANT TO EMPOWER 

THE USER TO SEE THEIR 

OWN PATTERNS AND 

HABITS AND MAKE 

CHANGES.” 



45

YOU TELL US 

With construction recently completed 

on SunLab, a massive cultivation facility 

in Maple Ridge, just east of Vancouver, 

Tantalus Labs is poised to push its 

mandate to “advance the frontier of 

cannabis through sun-grown cultivation” 

to the next level. Managing director 

Dan Sutton and creative director 

Alexander Close explain. 

595 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC 

www.TantalusLabs.com 

4 Years in business 

WHAT DID YOU AND YOUR PARTNERS DO BEFORE 

STARTING THIS COMPANY? 

Tantalus Labs was founded in 2012 in supernatural British 

Columbia by a handful of agronomists with experience in 

tech-driven greenhouse production of forestry seedlings, 

tomatoes, and bedding plants. We might have a bit of 

cannabis experience thrown in there too. We are a team of 

scientists, designers, and engineers committed to cultivating 

world-class cannabis products in technical greenhouses. 

The experience we draw from, technology-wise, focuses 

on environmental monitoring, control, and automation; 

straddling hardware and software to give the modern 

grower better tools to control their outcomes. 

HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS INDUSTRY? 

Tantalus Labs was born from a realization that cannabis 

has been traditionally grown in suboptimal conditions. 

Artificial lighting within indoor environments has become 

industry standard due to the illicit and stealthy nature of 

black-market operations. As regulations change, allowing 

for large cultivation centers, many companies are falling 

into old habits and choosing to grow indoors. This is causing 

a large and unnecessary drain of electricity to produce 

a suboptimal agricultural product. Tantalus Labs was 

founded to change this and shift future cannabis cultivation 

into high-efficiency greenhouses. 

HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY PHILOSOPHY TRANSLATE 

TO OPPORTUNITIES? 

The initial decision that Tantalus Labs made to build sungrown 

greenhouse infrastructure for cannabis was one 

that took its reasoning from first principles. We needed 

to uncover the fundamental truths in horticulture to end 

up with our beliefs. This practice has become core to our 

company operating philosophy. The sun-grown advantage 

creates substantial reduction in energy use, benefitting both 

the environment and our cost of production. Tantalus Labs 

is looking forward to producing our first crops under the 

ACMPR regulations this spring. 


WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR STRUGGLES AS 

YOU STARTED THE BUSINESS AND HOW DID 

YOU OVERCOME THEM? 

Starting a business is fraught with obstacles. Some 

days seem like pushing water uphill. If there is a deep 

cause to why the business exists, beyond profit, you 

will be able to find the grit necessary to push through 

inevitable periods of struggle. We believe strongly in a 

bright, sun-grown future for cannabis, and tapping into 

this core reason makes obstacles seem less ominous. 

HOW DID YOU GAIN MARKET SHARE 

AND RECOGNITION? 

The soon-to-be-legal cannabis market in Canada is a 

multi-billion dollar industry. We are focused on creating 

the best cannabis products we can, and to share them 

with customers in ways that highlight our company 

values. If we can consistently provide products that 

surprise and delight our customer base, we will be 

able to increase our sales. We see the world through a 

special lens, and we have found an early community of 

evangelists who share our perception of the importance 

of a sun-grown future. 

WHAT ARE YOUR COMPANY’S STRENGTHS? 

Tantalus Labs has developed a culture with roots in 

logic and debate. From the early days, with our choice 

to go sun-grown, a commitment to agricultural innovation 

was baked into our company DNA. We see this as 

one of our core strengths when we approach important 

decisions. An ability to view topics rooted in agricultural 

science, and to openly debate them without favorites, is 

a strength we work on keeping. 

TANTALUS LABS WAS BORN FROM A REALIZATION 

THAT CANNABIS HAS BEEN TRADITIONALLY GROWN 

IN SUBOPTIMAL CONDITIONS.” 

WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR PROUDEST MOMENTS? 

Each milestone that Tantalus Labs passes brings a 

sense of pride. Finishing the construction of SunLab 

was no small feat, and everyone across the team felt the 

moment of accomplishment. Recognition for the positive 

change of the sun-grown movement is also a standout, 

perhaps best marked by Dan Sutton’s TED talk. 

WHAT SIGNIFICANT THINGS HAVE YOU LEARNED 

SO FAR ABOUT THE INDUSTRY? 

The cannabis industry moves quickly, and it often 

leads to extreme oscillation of temperaments, prices, 

and rules. If, as a company, we stay focused on our 

long game and where we want the industry and 

ourselves to be in five years’ time, we can keep the 

vision strong. Raise more money than you need 

and project timelines with substantial contingency, 

always. The future is sun-grown. Indoor cannabis 

cultivation will rapidly become undesirable as 

consumers look to choose sustainable cannabis and 

producers search for production efficiencies. 


47

DEVELOPMENTS & DIALOGUE 

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS: 

2017 

by Anne Schultz 

As Attorney General Jeff 

Sessions and Homeland 

Security Secretary John 

Kelly push forward with their 

mission to revive the war on 

drugs and go after states that 

have existing legal cannabis 

programs, events like the 

recent 4 th Annual Cannabis 

World Congress and Business 

Expo in New York City take 

on even more importance. 

Anne Schultz, who attended 

the event, explains. 

With an estimated worth of $7 billion 

in North America today, the 

cannabis industry is projected to grow 

to approximately $50 billion within the 

next decade. As the industry continues 

to rapidly grow, so do legal concerns and 

how they will impact its future in the US. 

With the threat of legal pressure still 

a reality, events like the Cannabis 

World Congress and Business Expo 

(CWCBE) provide a forum for attendees 

to network and share with individuals 

from sectors and industries involved 

with cannabis industry. The event, 

which took place June 14 –16 at the 

Jacob Javits Convention Center, hosted 

more than 70 sessions with 100 expert 

speakers who addressed and discussed 

the successes and challenges of the 

industry in the present and future. 

“In the past, advocates for cannabis 

were primarily focused on making an 

industry out of the movement. Now, we 

are looking to add sophistication to these 

programs, with a strong emphasis on 

diversity, banking, and taxation, as well 

as accessibility for medical and scientific 

research,” says CWCBE managing 

director Scott Giannotti. 

Delving further into these and other 

political issues was a powerhouse 

lineup of keynote speakers that included 

former Governor of Minnesota Jesse 

Ventura, Republican political strategist 

Roger Stone, New York State Senator 

Diane Savino, and civil rights leader 

Reverend Al Sharpton. In his speech, 

Sharpton made it clear that while 

progress has been made over the years, 

there is a long journey ahead in terms of 

state and federal political uncertainty. 

Stone, a long-time political strategist 

for Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, 

and President Donald Trump, has been 

active in the movement for almost 30 

years and announced his bipartisan 

collaboration with John Morgan, Judge 

Andrew Napolitano, Ventura, and Tyler 

Nixon, great-nephew of Richard Nixon, 

among others, to focus on urging 

Trump to exercise good public policy 

and keep his pledge in supporting 

and honoring the 29 states’ rights that 

have legalized cannabis in some form. 

Another focus is to remove cannabis 

from its inclusion as a Schedule 1 drug 

so doctors can prescribe it to those 

who need it. 



49

DEVELOPMENTS & Dialogue 

“I am very optimistic because the facts 

are on our side,” says Stone. “If you are 

interested in making America great 

again, interested in a robust and vibrant 

economy, interested in greater revenues 

to help solve public policy problems, 

if you are interested in creating jobs, 

then you should be supporting the legal 

cannabis industry across the country.” 

Currently, there are 30 states that 

allow doctor-authorized use of medical 

cannabis and additional 16 states that 

include statutory protections for CBD use. 

Although some view the recent 

extension of the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer 

amendment (formerly Rohrabacher-Farr) 

as a victory, Savino issued a warning 

to not be lulled into a false sense of 

security. The Rohrabacher-Blumenauer 

amendment, which originally passed 

in 2014 by Congressman Dana 

Rohrabacher, effectively prohibits the 

U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) from 

utilizing federal funds for medical 

marijuana prosecution. It does not 

protect recreational use of marijuana 

and still must be reauthorized annually. 

According to Savino, Sessions’ recent 

actions “should send a chill down the 

spine of every legislator in the Congress 

and state legislator in this country.” 

She also addressed a wall that the 

industry continues to hit when it comes 

to scientific and medical research, 

where federal officials state there is no 

research to substantiate the benefit of 

medical marijuana. “Canada, Ireland, 

Israel . . . [it’s] as if those places don’t 

exist to them. If it wasn’t done here in 

the United States, if it wasn’t approved 

by the FDA, it’s as if the research was 

never done. It’s the most amazing 

disconnect I’ve ever seen,” she says. 

The state of New York currently has only 

five license holders and 20 dispensaries. 

Change, let alone huge public policy 

changes, will occur slowly. The trend 

seems to be that it takes states about 10 

years to legalize recreational use after 

gaining its medical status. Savino says she 

is now focusing her attention on stabilizing 

and growing the New York program and 

expanding the patient base through 

educational events like the CWCBE. 

“If you are interested in 

making America great 

again, interested in a robust 

and vibrant economy, 

interested in greater 

revenues to help solve 

public policy problems, 

if you are interested in 

creating jobs, then you 

should be supporting the 

legal cannabis industry 

across the country.” 


More than 66 per cent of the US 

population now live in a state that 

has legalized cannabis in some form. 

Removing programs already in place 

could be economically detrimental to 

states like Colorado and California 

that have budgeted funds in an 

industry that is legal and regulated. 

According to the Colorado Department 

of Revenue, for fiscal year 2015-2016, the 

first US$40 million of retail marijuana 

excise tax revenue was distributed 

to the Colorado Department of 

Education’s Building Excellent Schools 

Today (BEST) program and US$2.5 

million of excise tax collections were 

transferred to the Public School Fund. 

In 2016, the state took in US$1.3 billion 

from in-state cannabis sales. Currently, 

Colorado’s unemployment rate is the 

lowest in the nation at 2.3 per cent. 

While businesses continue to 

operate with the uncertainty of 

provisional protection from the 

Rohrabacher-Blumenauer amendment 

and the Cole Memorandum—which 

instructs the DOJ to make it a low 

priority to enforce marijuana laws 

if they’re in compliance with state 

law—creating and enforcing national 

standards within the cannabis 

industry could help reduce the need 

to create additional regulations, says 

Joshua Laterman, CEO of the National 

Association of Cannabis Businesses. 

“The biggest issue is that there is so 

much happening. We are reaching 

out and working with local allies 

and industries and need to work 

together to create new opportunities 

to find out what the needs are,” says 

Kate Bell, legislative counsel for the 

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), the 

nation’s largest marijuana policy 

reform organization. 

“It’s really anyone’s game at this 

point. The industry continues to 

change and there is such an influx 

of new people coming in. Some 

people come up to our booth asking 

what our product does, having never 

seen or heard of a trimmer, to those 

who have done their homework 

and are asking in-depth technical 

“Cannabis businesses 

can no longer casually 

operate like they 

have in the past, and 

individuals wanting to 

come into the industry 

or wanting to stay in 

it need to understand 

how regulations and 

legislation will affect 

their endeavors.” 


51

DEVELOPMENTS & Dialogue 

questions. Regardless of what level 

they are at, from a home grower to 

a licensed commercial facility, we 

are here to do what we can to help 

them with processing their product 

more efficiently,” says Gary Fast of 

Triminator, one of the more than 100 

exhibitors on the floor at the expo. 

Although there were exhibitors 

present that focused on the 

cultivation and processing side such 

as Forever Flowering Greenhouse, 

Apeks Supercritical, SolisTek, and 

Advanced Nutrients, the expo had a 

heavily political focus and featured 

several consulting groups, law firms, 

advocacy groups, investment firms, 

and professional organizations. It 

was a strong indication that cannabis 

businesses can no longer casually 

operate like they have in the past and 

individuals wanting to come into the 

industry or wanting to stay in it need 

to understand how regulations and 

legislation will affect their endeavors. 

The takeaway from the CWCBE 

is that now is the time to build a 

foundation that can offer stability and 

sustainability for this rapidly growing 

industry, and it can be accomplished 

through incorporation of self-regulatory 

practices and involvement with 

advocacy groups and legislators. The 

next CWCBE will take place in Los 

Angeles, September 13-15 and in Boston, 

October 4-6. Visit cwcbexpo.com for 

more information. 


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COMPANY SPOTLIGHT 

5824 Uplander Way, Culver City, CA 90230 1-800-651-9598, 1-310-258-9982 WWW futurolausa.com 

21 Years in business 

Now with worldwide distribution, a US market, and more than fifty employees, family business 

Futurola enjoys strong brand recognition in a specific niche of the burgeoning cannabis sphere. 

Specializing in custom rolling products, the business has seen nothing but growth in the last 20 years 

and its intends to continue that trajectory, says creative director Carly Morrison. 

It was more than two decades ago 

that family business Futurola was 

headhunted by a family-owned 

business in Amsterdam looking to 

expand and build its brand in the US. 

Born from the Amsterdam-based Future 

Coffee Shop in 1996, the company’s 

philosophy that it is “the future of 

rolling” is represented in its products, 

says creative director Carly Morrison. 

“In celebration of the Amsterdam 

smoking culture, we develop products 

centered around pre-rolled cones 

and unbleached rolling paper,” she 

says. “We believe that through all the 

developments and influences in the 

cannabis industry, people are always 

drawn back to the original ways of 

doing things. There isn’t a simpler 

pleasure than smoking a joint wrapped 

in super thin rolling paper.” 

Futurola’s first product was the 

King Size Cone Roller, designed in 

Amsterdam and patented worldwide. 

From there, the company experienced 

unexpectedly rapid growth and not 

only moved several times but also 

expanded its line to include hundreds 

of products, such as its pre-rolled cones, 

rolling papers, herb shredders, and 

King Size Cone Rollers. The Futurola 

Knockbox, a machine that can fill 100 

pre-rolled cones in just two minutes, 

has revolutionized the world of prerolled 

mass production. The company 

also partnered with weed personality 

Tommy Chong to produce a line of 

custom herb shredders and cone rollers. 

With a background in brand building 

for the music and fashion industries, 

Morrison says it was an interesting 

experience to take everything they had 

learned about creative direction in 

fashion and music and apply it to the 

cannabis space. 

“There is no way to overcome this other 

than through trial and error. It’s a mix 

between presenting things in a way 


that people like and staying true to what you like,” she says, 

adding that branding and content production in the cannabis 

space is drastically different than in the fashion industry. 

“Also, as creatives, it is quite a learning experience to be 

handed the reins on the entire process of running a business.” 

With strengths not only in innovative products but 

e-commerce customer service, client relations, understanding 

business trends, packaging, branding and content production, 

Morrison adds that some of the company's proudest moments 

included moving into its new warehouse and working with the 

largest companies in the industry. 

“We love to look at the growth percentages from year to 

year and see how much we are accomplishing in such short 

periods of time,” she says. “The most important aspect in 

building any company is having a solid foundation and a 

great team. You must be able to wear many hats until you can 

afford to hire people smarter than you, but you will have to 

be strong enough to give up some of the workload eventually. 

You need to be able to trust other people with your brainchild. 

There is no place for ego in a small business.” 

One of the primary things they have learned at Futurola 

over the last 20 years is to not get caught up in what everyone 

else is doing and stay focused on themselves and their 

business. “We feel that too many people try to jump on the 

waves of whatever is trending at the moment, but people 

always come back to their roots eventually,” says Morrison. 

“Occasionally you have these days that really make you 

think, ‘Wow, it is so cool that I am getting to experience this 

and I’m technically working right now.’ For me, the strongest 

incarnation of that feeling was inspired the day we visited a 

client and close friend’s grow operation in Washington to film 

a demonstrative video of some new Knockbox accessories, 

the Cone Loader and Universal Unload Station. Touring the 

massive facility wearing coveralls and a hairnet with heels, 

seeing all the steps it takes to produce the cannabis, smelling 

the differences between the living and cured flowers, 

standing on a platform in the middle of a field of cannabis 

plants—these are very vivid memories. It’s surreal to go 

from growing up with cannabis being elusive and illegal, to 

working in a professional space where it’s basically falling 

from the sky.” 

In summary, Morrison says the 

secret to Futurola's success is to really 

believe that a team is only as strong 

as its weakest link, and to do its best 

to help whoever that might be at any 

given moment. “We set high goals 

with large rewards,” she says. 

THE FUTURE OF ROLLING 

“ It’s surreal 

to go from 

growing up 

with cannabis 

being elusive 

and illegal to 

working in a 

professional 

space where 

it’s basically 

falling from 

the sky.” 


55

DISPENSARY PROFILE 

The journey from a life-changing 

accident to owning a cannabis 

dispensary has been a long and 

arduous one for Ryan Milkey, proprietor 

of Northern Specialty Health in 

Michigan. A former electrician, Milkey 

is now providing medicine to 

countless patients in the Upper 

Peninsula and has recently 

opened a second location. In 

this dispensary profile, Lee G. 

Lyzit sits down with Milkey to 

get the backstory of how 

it all began. 

BY LEE G. LYZIT 

Ten years ago, Ryan Milkey, now the owner of the medical 

marijuana dispensary Northern Specialty Health in 

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, was pursuing his career as 

an electrician. Back then, he would never have dreamed of 

becoming a medical marijuana dispensary owner because 

pursuing a career in the electrical trade was his passion. 

This is not to say that he didn’t understand the healing 

powers of cannabis. He acknowledges that he experimented 

with cannabis in high school as both a recreational drug 

and a medicine for pain relief. Milkey was a football player 

who, like most football players, had sustained some serious 

and painful hits throughout his days on the gridiron. 

“Looking back, it was like I was subconsciously choosing 

cannabis as a medicine for pain instead of pain pills or 

alcohol,” says Milkey of his cannabis use in high school. 

Cannabis helped him stay “mentally grounded” when 

other substances, including alcohol, could make him feel 

aggravated or uncomfortable. 

However, Milkey’s electrical career, and just about 

everything else in his life, completely changed in June 2007. 

A horrendous four-wheeler accident left him with a broken 

neck and back and five broken ribs. Lucky to be alive, 

Milkey spent several months rehabilitating his damaged 

body. Though fortunately still able to walk, he suffered 

substantial nerve damage that affected the proper use of 

certain leg muscles and experienced severe ongoing nerverelated 

pain in his feet. 

After the accident, Milkey worked as much as he could 

but was unable to continue his electrical job in the same 

capacity. Working around his body’s good and bad days, he 

at times needed to lie down throughout the day, which made 

it difficult to maintain an electrician’s typical schedule. Still, 

battling the physical pain from his accident and on a slew 

of prescription pain killers that left him feeling “groggy and 

irritable,” he continued to do side jobs to make ends meet. 

Milkey’s lack of stability in the work place wasn’t the only 

new hardship he acquired. 



57

DISPENSARY Profile 

After fighting just to stay alive immediately after the accident, 

Milkey was then left with another problem: an addiction to 

prescription painkillers, including hydrocodone and fentanyl. 

“They would work at first, but then I would build up a 

tolerance and need more. So, I would take more and then I 

would run out before my prescription was ready to be filled,” 

he says. In the time between prescription refills, it was not 

uncommon for Milkey to experience withdrawal symptoms. 

“This was not only extremely hard on me, but it was a very 

difficult time for my family.” 

Milkey knew he could not continue in the way he was 

headed, for his own sake and for the sake of his family. 

Remembering his experiences with cannabis in high school, 

Milkey decided to get a medical marijuana card with some 

encouragement from his wife, Penny. After voters approved 

the initiative in 2008, Milkey became one of the first patients 

to receive a medical marijuana card in the state of Michigan. 

Like others before him who had searched for effective 

alternatives to addictive pharmaceuticals, Milkey decided to 

take the propagation of his medicine into his own hands. He 

grew his own cannabis and experimented with a variety of 

extracts to see what would help his condition the most. With 

the help of medical marijuana, Milkey weaned himself off all 

opioids; something he describes as “life-saving”. Cannabis 

became his principal pain medication, supplemented by only 

one other pharmaceutical for his nerve problems. 

At this time, Northern Specialty Health was already 

operating in Houghton, MI. As Milkey grew his own 

cannabis and made his own extracts, he had only visited the 

dispensary on a couple of occasions. 

In 2013, Milkey heard there was a possibility the dispensary 

might close its doors. 

Passionate about the healing power of cannabis, Milkey was 

appalled at the possibility of the local dispensary closing. 

“I just couldn’t bear the thought of them closing down a 

facility that supplied a medicine that was so life-changing 

for me,” he says. Until then, he had never thought about 

owning this, or any other, dispensary. 

After some discussion, the Milkeys decided to buy Northern 

Specialty Health. They took over ownership on December 22, 

2013. Since purchasing the business, the Milkeys have helped 

supply high-quality medicinal marijuana to countless patients 

in the Upper Peninsula. In April 2015, Northern Specialty 

Health expanded and opened a second dispensary location in 

Calumet, MI. 

Supplied with a with a wide variety of cannabis-based 

medicines, Northern Specialty Health is stocked with 

cannabis flowers, Rick Simpson Oil (RSO), tinctures, 

gel caps, shatter, wax, kief, RSO lotion, and moon rocks 

(cannabis bud dipped in RSO and then dipped in kief). They 

also stock a wide variety of edibles, including gummy bears, 

fruit leathers, caramels, infused honey, brownies, and cakes. 

Aside from the medicine itself, Northern Specialty Health 

also supplies vaporizers and smoking accessories. 

“We would love to be known as a dispensary that 

consistently provides the highest quality medicine,” says 

Milkey. Since the Milkeys took over as owners, Northern 

Specialty Health’s mission has been to focus on quality over 

quantity. “We’re not worried about growing really big or 

getting rich. Our priority is supplying safe and high-quality 

medicine to patients in need.” 

“WE’RE NOT WORRIED ABOUT 

GROWING REALLY BIG OR GETTING 

RICH. OUR PRIORITY IS SUPPLYING 

SAFE AND HIGH-QUALITY 

MEDICINE TO PATIENTS IN NEED.” 


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CONSULTANT’S CORNER 

FLORIDA 

GOVERNOR 

RICK SCOTT 

SIGNS 

MEDICAL 

MARIJUANA 

INTO LAW 

BY MEDICINE MAN 

TECHNOLOGIES 

Florida voters made it 

clear medical marijuana 

was something they 

wanted, but it took some 

time for state legislators to 

hammer out regulations 

that would serve the 

people well. Governor 

Rick Scott finally signed 

the bill on June 23. 

It’s been a long, strange trip for medical 

marijuana in Florida, culminating in 

Governor Rick Scott signing medical 

marijuana into law on June 23. At 

Medicine Man Technologies, we’ve been 

watching this situation unfold in Florida 

ever since voters approved Amendment 

2 last year by a vote of 71 per cent. Now, 

the state’s legislature has officially 

amended current medical marijuana 

laws to reflect the ballot measure by 

passing Senate Bill 8-A and receiving 

Scott’s signature to seal the deal. 

EARLY DAYS OF MEDICAL 

MARIJUANA IN FLORIDA 

Previously, Florida voters failed to pass 

a similar medical marijuana amendment 

in 2014, securing just 58 per cent of the 

required 60 per cent supermajority 

vote needed to implement a (state) 

constitutional amendment. 

Following the defeat, the state’s 

legislature did pass the Compassionate 

Medical Cannabis Act of 2014, which was 

considered a highly imperfect law. It only 

granted patients suffering from epilepsy, 

cancer, and medical issues causing 

ongoing seizures or severe muscle spasms 

access to cannabis with 0.8 per cent or 

less tetrahydrocannabinol and more than 

10 per cent cannabidiol. It also granted 

just a limited number of cultivation and 

distribution licenses, further restricting 

access. Ultimately, because of its many 

flaws, medical marijuana operations in the 

state never truly got off the ground. 

Fast forward to early 2016 and the 

passing of HB 307, which expanded the 

2014 law to give terminally ill patients 

access to full-strength medical marijuana. 

Again, there were issues such as needing 

certification from two physicians, including 

one specialist, and at least a three-month 

relationship with those doctors. 

FLORIDA’S AMENDMENT 2 HITS 

THE RIGHT NOTES 

During the 2017 November election cycle, 

the tides turned for medical marijuana 

and the constitutional amendment 

passed with 71 per cent approval. Amendment 

2 was far more inclusive, providing 

either low-THC cannabis or full-strength 

medical marijuana to patients suffering 

from a wider range of conditions: 

• Cancer 

• Epilepsy 

• Glaucoma 

• HIV/AIDS 

• Post-traumatic stress disorder 

• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) 

• Crohn’s disease 

• Parkinson’s disease 

• Multiple sclerosis 

• Chronic nonmalignant pain 

• Comparable conditions to those 

enumerated 

• A terminal condition diagnosed by 

a physician other than the qualified 

physician issuing the physician 

certification 


Amendment 2 gave the state’s 

Department of Health the responsibility 

of regulating medical marijuana 

cultivation and treatment centers, as 

well as registering and issuing ID cards 

to patients and caregivers (who can buy 

marijuana on the behalf of a patient). The 

department was also required to finalize 

all of their regulations by June 3, and start 

issuing ID cards later this year. 

IT TAKES A SPECIAL SESSION TO 

PASS SENATE BILL 8-A 

After Amendment 2 passed, the Florida 

Department of Health released preliminary 

text for its medical marijuana rules 

in January of 2017 and held five public 

hearings to seek feedback from residents. 

Initial reactions to the proposed regulations 

were inherently negative, pointing to 

the department’s limiting access to the 10 

specifically listed medical conditions, and 

leaving out physician discretion for use in 

other situations and continuing to limit the 

number of licensed dispensaries. 

Amendment 2 was later addressed by 

the state’s legislature, and the rules were 

to be finalized during the 2017 session. 

The legislation, HB 1397, appeared to be 

on its way to passing but fell apart at the 

last moment when both chambers could 

not come to an agreement on how many 

retail dispensaries could be authorized to 

operate. It appeared that the rules would 

be again be left to the Department of 

Health to finalize in order to meet the 

required deadline. 

Fortunately, Scott called for a special 

session of the legislature to be held in 

June. While the call was initially made 

to address issues with the state’s budget, 

House Speaker Richard Corcoran stated 

that medical marijuana would also be 

included. He was quoted as saying, 

“Obviously, 71 per cent of the voters have 

called for something. There should be no 

reason why we can’t reach agreements 

and get that done and so my hope is that 

it will be added to the call.” 

During the special session, Senate 

Bill 8-A was introduced by Senator Rob 

Bradley (R) and finally passed by both 

chambers. Scott then signed it into law 

on June 23. 

SENATE BILL 8-A: HIGHLIGHTS 

OF THE NEW FLORIDA LAW 

One of the most significant features 

of the passed law is that despite the 

Department of Health’s initial rules text, 

it does allow physicians to certify use for 

patients with chronic pain and ailments 

comparable to those specifically listed. It 

also removes the three-month treatment 

prerequisite, expands the “45-day supply” 

rule to a 30-week certification and 

allows full-strength medical marijuana 

for certified patients. 

The Department of Health will begin 

issuing licenses for Medical Marijuana 

Treatment Centers (MMTC) in July, 

granting the holder the unrestricted 

ability to cultivate, process, transport, 

and dispense medical cannabis. License 

holders will also be able to open up to 

25 dispensary operations across the 

state. The law allows for 10 new growers 

right away, which will more than double 

the state’s current count of seven. Once 

patient registration numbers reach 

100,000, four more MMTC licenses will 

be made available. This incremental 

process will then repeat for every 

100,000 patients added to the registry. 

Now that Scott has signed medical marijuana 

into law, the team at Medicine 

Man Technologies looks forward to helping 

individuals and enterprises wanting 

to enter the market. Medicine Man offers 

private consultations, assists with legal 

cannabis cultivation, offers operations 

training, and much more. 


61

INNOVATION STATION 

Being a start-up in the unstable world of a developing 

industry like medicinal cannabis isn’t easy, but 

with the right connections and commitment to their 

strategy, BioAgra’s Dorian Balshin and Richard Stoner 

are making it work. 

Aeroponics Build Solutions 

200 Vinyl Court, Unit B 

Woodbridge, ON L4L 4A3 

WWW 

1-416-783-7072 

bio-agra.com 

1 Year in business 

ioAgra Technologies is a bio-agriculture technology company for 

B licensed producers, delivering proven technologies and products 

to burgeoning cannabis grow operations. 

Dorian Balshin and Richard Stoner, with backgrounds in the medical 

and agriculture industries, co-founded BioAgra in Toronto in 2016. 

Balshin co-founded Bio-Media Ltd., an international leader supplying 

prepared media to the medical and health food industries, while 

Stoner, through NASA funding, developed advance high-performance 

crop production systems and biocontrols for space and earth. 

Despite experience in a similar field, the start-up continues to work 

through red tape associated with the medical cannabis industry. 

“It’s a big learning curve for our partners understanding we are in 

the pharmaceutical business,” says Balshin. “But there are also the 

related challenges and satisfaction of implementing strict Health 

Canada guidelines with suppliers.” 

Balshin adds that he was intrigued by the medicinal cannabis 

industry prior to and after networking with like-minded industry people, 

including Stoner, who is considered the Grandfather of Aeroponics. 

As the only employees of the start-up, Balshin and Stoner wore 

many hats, with Balshin taking the title of CEO and Stoner director of 

product. “Still, we both had to source unique products and solution, 

identify and vet the right partners and alliances, identify go-to market 

strategies, and open doors with initial customers,” says Balshin. 

The company has since added two more employees, and now 

distributes Canada-wide with plans to expand to other countries as 

soon as possible. Balshin says the company is able to move quickly 

due to its experience understanding challenges licensed producers and 

growers face scaling growth in sterile environments. Another strength 

BioAgra enjoys is sourcing and building relationships with suppliers, 

inventors, manufacturers, and alliance partners, as well as identifying 

new technologies and products that are the best in the industry. 

Partnering with Stoner, adds Balshin, has given BioAgra a leg-up in 

the start-up phase. 

“The realization that we have partnered with the Grandfather of 

Aeroponics at exactly the right time has been great,” says Balshin. 

“He discovered aeroponics and related systems and products through 

a NASA-funded project for (International Space Station) fresh food 

growth nearly 25 years ago. The new cannabis industry, coupled with 

competitive forces, requires growers to maximize yields and quality 

in the shortest time at the lowest possible cost, can be delivered most 

effectively with a properly implemented aeroponics system.” 

Shortly after BioAgra secured a deal to represent Stoner globally, 

Stoner finalized a joint venture with the government of India after 15 

years of engagement. That deal will allow Stoner to implement his 

aeroponic systems at manufacturing facilities throughout the country. 


“That was probably one of the best days on the job so far, getting that call 

from Richard,” says Balshin. 

Still, new challenges arise every day in the unstable cannabis industry as it 

finds its way. 

“There are similarities to the dotcom boom in the mid-1990s with crazy valuations 

and minimum profitability,” says Balshin, adding that being flexible while 

maintaining and executing a clear strategy ensures that BioAgra will follow the 

right highway to success. “Make sure you’ve got staying power because ramp-up 

is almost always longer and harder than anticipated.” 

“ 

IT’S A BIG 

LEARNING CURVE 

FOR OUR PARTNERS 

UNDERSTANDING 

WE ARE IN THE 

PHARMACEUTICAL 

BUSINESS.” 


63

AS BUSINESS OWNERS OR MANAGERS... 

YOUR FIRST JOB IS 

CLARITY 

To operate a successful business, owners need to provide clarity on 

what the company’s vision and mission statements are, then follow up 

with commitment. Donald Cooper tells us how. | by Donald Cooper 

Managing a business today is tough 

and getting tougher. We’re all faced 

with more demanding customers, more 

and stronger competition, increased 

complexity, and shrinking margins. On 

top of that, great staff are hard to find 

and keep—and that problem won’t go 

away any time soon. 

Every industry is over-served and 

under-differentiated. To thrive, we 

must create, deliver, and communicate 

extraordinary customer value and 

experiences that clearly differentiate us 

from our competitors, make us “famous” 

and grow our bottom line. Mediocrity is 

no longer an option. 



65

In spite of what anyone tells you, whether your business is large, small, or just 

getting started, your first and most important job is creating clarity. Nobody talks 

about that. If we, as a business, don’t know clearly who we are, where we’re going, 

and what we stand for, how will our target customers know who we are? How can 

we be focused and intentional in running the business, and how will we know 

what talent we need to attract, develop, and retain to make it all happen? 

Clarity always starts at the top. So, as owners, leaders, or managers, our first job 

is to be clear about the following eight things: 

1. Who our target customers are and what life’s really like for them. 

2. The compelling customer value and experience that we commit to deliver. 

Value and experiences that will grab our target customers, clearly 

differentiate us from our competitors, make us famous, and grow our 

bottom line. 

3. How we’ll communicate our compelling value story in a crowded and cynical 

market. There’s no point being the best if we’re also the best kept secret. 

4. What we commit to become to be a profitable and responsible market 

leader in three to five years. How will our business be different from what 

and who we are today? The answers to this make up our company vision. 

5. The extraordinary bottom line that we commit to generate. Without a 

healthy bottom line, there is no business. 

6. The specific decisions, actions, and improvements that we must take—the 

mission—in every part of the business to get us to our three- to five-year 

vision. How might parts of our business model change to keep relevant? 

7. The talent, team, and organizational structure we need to create, and how 

to grow as leaders to make this happen. 

8. How we commit to behave along the way (our values, ethics, culture, and 

standards). One of the most important roles of our leaders is to guard the 

integrity of the business. 

“ 

WE’RE ALL FACED 

WITH MORE 

DEMANDING 

CUSTOMERS, MORE 

AND STRONGER 

COMPETITION, 

INCREASED 

COMPLEXITY, 

AND SHRINKING 

MARGINS.” 

Achieving Clarity 

So, how do you get started on improving clarity in your business? 

Clarity, commitment, urgency, and accountability start with you and 

filter all the way down the team through communication, daily example, 

rewards for performance, and consequences for non-performance. If you 

as an owner, leader, or manager are not clear about each of these eight 

key factors, who else in the business could possibly be? 

Realistically, as a business owner, leader, or manager, on a scale of 

one to 10, with 10 being “very clear,” how would you rate your personal 

clarity on each of these eight key success factors? How clear are your 

management team and your front-line people? Sit down with some of 

the best minds and hearts in your business, give 

them the list of the eight clarities, and have an open 

and honest conversation about what they’re clear 

about and not clear about. Finally, get agreement on 


what needs doing or fixing and specifically what will be done, by whom, by when, 

and measured how to improve clarity, commitment, urgency, and accountability 

throughout your business. 

Let’s Talk About Commitments 

You’ll notice that in the eight key clarities listed above, I’ve used the word 

“commitments.” I talked about what we commit to deliver, what we commit to 

become, the bottom line we commit to generate, and how we commit to behave 

along the way. 

Every business in the world talks about goals, targets, aims, and objectives. 

They have efficiency goals, sales targets, profit objectives, and they aim to 

satisfy customers. One of my recent business coaching clients proudly states on 

their website, “We strive to be ethical.” What the heck is that? 

All of these words—goals, targets, aims, and objectives—leave way too much 

wiggle room to not perform. We need to replace all of them with one word: 

commitments. There’s a big difference between a goal and a commitment. 

A target is something we hit sometimes and miss other times, and it’s okay 

because it’s just a target. Goals are something we score sometimes and miss 

other times, and that’s okay. And, in business, nobody cares what we aim to do; 

they want to know what we commit to do. When we change our language, we 

change our culture. We become what we speak. Talking about commitments 

helps create the culture of urgency and accountability that every business 

needs to thrive or even survive. 

So, for 2017 and beyond, what will you do, starting right now, to improve 

clarity in your business? From that clarity will come commitment, urgency, 

and accountability. 

“ 

CLARITY ALWAYS 

STARTS AT 

THE TOP. SO, 

AS OWNERS, 

LEADERS, OR 

MANAGERS, OUR 

FIRST JOB IS TO 

BE CLEAR.” 

Donald Cooper, MBA, CSP, HoF, has been both a world-class manufacturer 

and an award-winning fashion retailer. Now, as a Toronto-based international 

management speaker and coach, he helps business owners and managers to 

rethink, refocus and, reenergize their business to sell more, manage smarter, grow 

their bottom line, and have a life. Donald can be reached at 1-416-252-3704 or 

by email at donald@donaldcooper.com. For more info, free management articles, 

or to receive our free monthly management e-newsletter, check out our website 

donaldcooper.com. 


67

OBSESSION. 

YOUR TICKET TO EXCELLENCE. 

You can only unlock your dreams when you unlock your obsession. 

If you want it all, says Grant Cardone, stop thinking average is 

okay and focus on what matters to you. | by Grant Cardone 

“STOP TONING 

IT DOWN 

AND TRADING IN YOUR BIG 

DREAMS FOR AVERAGE.” 


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“BETWEEN 62 PER CENT AND 

76 PER CENT OF AMERICANS 

LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK. 

AVERAGE IS A 

FAILING FORMULA.” 

Society spins around you a cocoon of 

average. It tells you your big plans are 

unlikely or too audacious. It conditions 

you to stay inside a box instead of 

breaking out of one. Society teaches your 

obsession is unhealthy, strange, and even 

freakish. It tells you to buy a cute house, 

have a 401 (k), drive an hour commute, 

and spend evenings watching TV. 

Stop toning it down and trading in your 

big dreams for average. Society has 

taught you your goals are unattainable 

and you’ve bought it. Do you just want 

a steady job, respect of your peers, and 

a little nest egg for retirement—or do 

you secretly want to become massively 

successful? Personally, I want my cake 

and to eat it too. Why would I want cake 

if I can’t eat it? 

For me, success has never been about 

just one thing or one achievement. I have 

always wanted a lot of things. Success 

in my view is about being great at 

many things—and I suspect the same 

is true for you. I’m not satisfied with 

just having a lot of money, I want it all: 

health, wealth, family, love, recreation, 

community, and time to enjoy everything. 

WHY SETTLE FOR 

ONE COLOR WHEN 

I CAN HAVE THE 

WHOLE RAINBOW? 

Society teaches you that you can’t have 

it all and that you must have balance. 

It labels people who are obsessed as 

outliers and freaks. What’s strange 

to me is that it’s considered normal to 

settle for a life of mediocrity. Studies by 

bankrate.com suggest that somewhere 

between 62 per cent and 76 per cent of 

Americans live paycheck to paycheck. 

Average is a failing formula. People 

fail because of how they think. 

You must rid yourself of average 

thinking and get obsessed. If you 

want a fire, you’ll need some wood. 

That car of yours sitting in the 

garage needs gas. Your computer 

needs electricity. The same is true 

with your dreams—you’ve got to 

have fuel. The best fuel to help 

you get obsessed is your purposes 

throughout your life. 

Maybe today you are just about 

money. Well, good. Go and get that 

right. Or maybe you don’t care about 

money right now and just want to help 

people. Then go and get that right. 

When clarifying what you should be 

obsessed with, the following should 

be true: 

• It improves the outcome of 

your life and others’ lives. 

• It moves you to reveal more of 

your potential. 

So, what is your potential? 

Continuing to reach your full 

potential is the fuel that will allow 

you to avoid getting lost, complacent, 

and satisfied. Your purposes in life 

will continue to grow, mature, and 

evolve as you do. Regardless of how 

big your dreams are today, other 

possibilities within your potential 

will be revealed to you that will make 

previously out-of-reach targets look 

small. When you stop looking forward 

to accomplishing the next level you 

are at risk. Don’t be average. 


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AVERAGE TOLERATES LAZY 

People accept the idea of average and to be happy spending 

their lives trying to buy happiness with borrowed money from 

credit cards they must pay off with money they earn from a 

job they hate. People are sold on the idea if they get into the 

middle class, they’ll be better off than over 80 per cent of the 

world—only to find themselves confused as to why they have 

no time for their families and no money left over for pleasure. 

If you can’t take care of your own dreams, how can you ever 

take care of your neighbor? If you can’t pay your own bills, 

how can you help the person who needs help? If you can’t 

make your dreams a reality, how are you going to encourage 

others to? You can’t! Unhappy people can’t teach you how to 

be happy and the poor can’t teach you how to get rich. Nor 

can an average person teach you how to be exceptional. 

Steve Jobs said: 

“I want to put a dent 

in the universe.” 

Martin Luther King Jr. said: 

“I have a dream....” 

Gandhi said: 

“Be the change 

you want to see in 

the world.” 

You know these people because they were obsessed. They 

weren’t superheroes; they didn’t possess any special powers. 

They were just totally obsessed. You need to be obsessed 

with something, but understand that there’s no such thing as 

obsession lite. There is no need to be balanced. Regardless 

of your industry, where you live, and what your dream is, 

obsession is mandatory for huge success. Is there a single 

person you and I both know the name of who wasn’t obsessed? 

I doubt it. Victory comes at a price but so does settling. 

Grant Cordone is an international sales expert, New York 

Times bestselling author, and radio show host of The Cardone 

Zone. He has founded three companies: Cardone Enterprises, 

Cardone Real Estate Holdings, and the Cardone Group. He 

has shared his sales and business expertise as a motivational 

speaker and author of five books: Sell to Survive; The Closers 

Survival Guide; If You're Not First, You're Last; The 10X Rule; 

and Sell or Be Sold 


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