Inclusion in the Cannabis Industry

With the amount of big money flowing into the cannabis industry, inclusion is becoming a larger topic for those advocates and the people whose livelihoods were made from this plant long before it was “safe” to operate. It is becoming clearer that indeed, the playing field is NOT EVEN. Many in the industry are finding that despite having been in the industry for years, even decades, they are losing jobs to those with formal degrees and coming from conventional industries. Inclusion goes beyond social equity, where the focus is righting the wrongs of the drug war and giving those that served time for doing what former politicians and police officers are now profiting off of. Inclusion is about keeping everyone that got the industry to where it is now IN the industry, instead of being left behind by those with deep pockets and a focus on profit. 

 

Topics covered

• Social equity
• Inclusion from an investors perspective
• The importance of data in the bigger scheme of things
• Are industry lobby groups lobbying for inclusion or the interests of businesses 
• How can investors and bankers impact inclusion
• What we, the original cannabis advocates and activists, can do to remain relevant in the face of big money with opposing interests
• Strategies we can learn from traditional industries to employ in our favor 
• Ways we can play the game like the politicians and big money/big businesses do through utilizing things like opportunity zones to further our cause and lift our people up
• The importance of staying in the game, despite the challenges
• How a unified voice and a strong community is the only way to fight money and outside influence

 

3 important takeaways:

• Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Learn from other industries and use their tactics to our advantage
• We need to learn to deploy institutional money in a positive way. Doing good is not mutually exclusive from making a profit. 
• Be wary of what data you’re sharing, and who you're giving your data to. Before signing up for a cultivation app - think of how that data can be used if big AG were to purchase it. Sometimes something that seems easy and efficient in the short term may not be helpful in the long run

 

Guest Bio and Social Media Links: Colby is a 22 year veteran of the financial services industry working with many of the largest institutional and private investors.  As CEO of Quiver Holdings, LLC Colby has provided strategic guidance to private companies throughout their capital raising campaigns. Colby has been educating and managing investors and entrepreneurs on all subjects related to finance and investing.   Prior to Colby's focus on investment banking and corporate structure he was a top producing branch manager for some of the largest regional and independent broker dealers with an emphasis on branch expansion and post merger integration. Colby