Dispensing Cannabis business knowledge beyond a million square feet of cultivation space. Blunt Business navigates the challenges and opportunities of one of the most profitable industries on earth. Join us each episode to hear our weekly round tables and interviews with industry professionals.
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36 min
Flavoring the Future: Inside True Terpenes' Cannabis Revolution
True Terpenes CEO Daniel Cook joins Blunt Business to discuss the company's innovative "Loud Flavors" platform, designed to provide accessible, nostalgia-driven entry points for new cannabis consumers. We explore rigorous toxicology compliance, co-funded university research at Johns Hopkins and UCLA, data-driven market insights across legal states, and the evolving business implications of federal cannabis rescheduling. 1 Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
20 min
The Clash Over Massachusetts Question 8
The debate over Question 8 —the controversial ballot initiative seeking to repeal adult-use cannabis sales in Massachusetts—has pitted prohibitionist campaigns against major political leaders and industry advocates. Scrutiny highlighted by WGBH centers on the unexpected financial backers and national anti-legalization groups fueling the rollback effort, which WBUR notes could dismantle a multi-billion-dollar commercial market and wipe out roughly 20,000 licensed jobs. Pushing back strongly against the repeal, high-profile opponents such as U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley have stepped into the spotlight, arguing via Cannabis Business Times that safeguarding the legal framework is essential for both racial equity and economic justice across the Commonwealth. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
21 min
Last Call for Legal THC: Mainstream Media Sounds the Alarm on the Looming Federal Hemp Ban
Major outlets like PBS NewsHour , NPR , and Forbes are turning their spotlight onto an impending regulatory cliff that threatens to dismantle America's $28 billion hemp-derived THC market. As the year-end countdown accelerates, national reporting is moving beyond niche cannabis circles to expose how closing the 2018 Farm Bill's cannabinoid loophole could wipe out retail shelves overnight. From the rapid rise of mainstream THC-infused seltzers to severe financial fallout—such as frozen bank accounts and abruptly called commercial loans—this surge in high-profile coverage is transforming an obscure legislative showdown into an urgent economic talking point for mainstream consumers and businesses alike. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
26 min
Massachusetts Cannabis on the Brink: 18,000 Jobs at Stake as Voters Defend Legalization
Massachusetts is at the center of the nation's cannabis conversation as a looming repeal ballot initiative threatens the livelihoods of nearly 18,000 workers across the state's marijuana industry. Despite the existential risk to these businesses and local jobs, recent polling shows that Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly oppose repealing adult-use cannabis, signaling strong public commitment to maintaining the regulated market. This critical fight for market stability in the Commonwealth unfolds alongside wider industry maturation, where even traditional commercial insurers are pushing for broader cannabis access to capture demand in states where legal cannabis has firmly taken root. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
26 min
Crushed by Red Tape and Illicit Rivals: California and New York’s Cannabis Reality Check
While the broader cannabis market grapples with steep price compression, state-level missteps in both California and New York have turned promise into an uphill battle for legal operators. In California , despite generating $8.4 billion in economic impact, compliant businesses face relentless margin collapse driven by aggressive competition from an entrenched underground market, forcing the state into continuous law-enforcement crackdowns on illicit operators. Meanwhile, across the country, New York has scaled into a billion-dollar market on paper, yet its licensed operators are suffocating under bureaucratic inertia, regulatory red tape, and storefront bottlenecks that desperately require relief to let operators breathe . Across both coasts, legal operators are finding that high state revenues and massive demand mean very little when untaxed competition and administrative hurdles threaten to wipe out commercial margins entirely. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
37 min
Cultivating Better Care: How Humboldt Health is Revolutionizing Benefits for the Cannabis Industry
Humboldt Health is breaking new ground with a specialized healthcare captive tailored specifically for cannabis businesses with 50 to 2,000 employees. Blackwell Captive Scott Byrne joins Blunt Business to full us in on the details on the plan offering enrollment on October 1st. By leveraging shared purchasing power and self-funding models, the program empowers employers with greater data transparency, cost efficiency, and design flexibility that traditional carriers rarely offer. The plan integrates modern solutions—such as 24/7 virtual behavioral health, Outfox AI-driven provider navigation, and the five-PBM "Bwell RX" coalition aimed at curbing pharmacy expenses and reclaiming drug rebates. We also look at the future of cannabis reclassification and thus possibly how operating under state-level regulations could open the door for future medical marijuana coverage as industry acceptance expands. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
20 min
Hemp’s 30-Day Countdown on Regulation and Risk
As the timer ticks down on an impending federal crackdown, the hemp industry faces an existential race against the clock. Mainstream retailers—led by convenience store associations—are urging Congress to hit the pause button on an outright ban and instead establish a regulated, age-gated marketplace for consumable THC products. Meanwhile, commercial insurers are already recalibrating their risk models and tightening coverage in anticipation of severe legal fallout. With just 30 days left before enforcement deadlines reshuffle the deck, operators across retail and agriculture are caught in a frantic scramble to pivot before time officially runs out on the market's current legal standing. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
34 min
Berner Bets on Himself: Bringing Splash City to the Big Screen
In this episode of Blunt Business, Berner opens up about putting his own money on the line to co-write, co-direct, and produce his gritty Bay Area crime thriller, Splash City. Rather than waiting around for traditional studio approval, the cannabis mogul and artist invested $2 million of his own capital to deliver a finished film to Lionsgate, exploring San Francisco’s underground wave of "bipping" through the eyes of two brothers on divergent paths. Berner shares how he navigated two years in the editing bay whittling down a sprawling three-and-a-half-hour cut into a tight 90 minutes, the process of demanding authentic street dialogue, and the satisfaction of watching his self-funded gamble pay off on the theatrical big screen. Splash City is streaming on demand on streaming platforms including Apple , Roku and Prime Video Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
10 min
Cannabis Clashes with Legal Storms and Operational Shifts
The federal government’s increasing acknowledgment of medical cannabis applications marks a pivotal turning point for the sector, granting long-sought validation to consumers and patients alike. However, this formal legitimacy comes with heightened accountability, obligating operators to raise their standards around clinical credibility, operational transparency, and rigorous patient education.At the same time, the broader market remains caught in a turbulent regulatory transition. While rescheduling initiatives offer a potential path forward, businesses and their legal advisors continue to navigate persistent banking bottlenecks, restricted capital access, and compounding risks of insolvency and financial distress. Compounding these structural hurdles, major multi-state operators—including Cresco Labs, Green Thumb Industries, Curaleaf, and Verano—now face a severe wave of legal exposure. Beset by sweeping federal class actions, civil RICO claims targeting therapeutic marketing practices, and mounting insurance coverage disputes, the commercial cannabis industry is navigating an increasingly complex legal and financial battlefield. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
26 min
Cannabis Reform Takes Center Stage in the 2026 Midterms
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, marijuana reform is proving to be a rare unifying force across the political spectrum. Driven by high-stakes federal rescheduling efforts and a fresh wave of state-level ballot measures, cannabis policy has evolved from a fringe topic into a mainstream, bipartisan priority. Politicians on both sides of the aisle are increasingly recognizing that "the green vote" could be the key to driving crucial voter turnout, making marijuana legalization one of the most closely watched battlegrounds of the upcoming election cycle. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
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