What’s the biggest challenge facing the cannabis industry right now, and how are you and/or your company addressing it?
The biggest issue we face is sort of two-fold. 1. The wrong people are creating laws and regulations for the industry. That means that people who know, understand, believe in or even want cannabis to be available to anyone and everyone are NOT the ones creating laws, regs or guidelines for the industry. That also means that they are creating these laws, regs and guidelines from a place of ignorance and fear and seem to only care about what the government can make off of the industry in taxes and fees. Each state faces its own regulatory hurdles laid out by corrupt lawmakers at best. 2. The corporate cannabis side of things operates in ways that actually hurts the industry overall by lobbying against homegrow and caregiver rights, as well as limited licenses which ends up keeping the people who actually deserve to be in the industry from being able to get their foot in the door (Florida in nutshell). Crony capitalism is not wanted in this space yet here we are again with the wealthy ruling class trying to create an industry where they dominate and make it impossible for others to operate in and be successful. I’ve made it one of my key missions here to fight back against all of this corrupt bs by creating Fat Nugs Magazine, where we simply support small, mom and pop, equity, legacy, veteran and women owned cannabis businesses and voices. We do not work with any company who has ever lobbied against homegrown and caregiver rights, and we refuse to do the pay-to-play bs that seems to have a very tight grip on the entire industry, causing false narratives and inauthentic voices to be heard. Uplifting the plant into its rightful place into society is our one written goal, and that comes with fighting back against the corporate mouth pieces that spread bs in this space.
Where do you see the most exciting opportunity for growth and innovation in cannabis?
I think the next big area of growth is in the south overall, especially places like Georgia where the market is clamoring for legal weed. I also see beverages continuing to pick up on the hemp side of things, which I’m a big fan of. When it comes to innovation, I see tech and data becoming more and more useful in the space which will probably be the biggest portion of growth in the industry over the next decade. That tech might be AI driven to assist in cultivation or even with a company like Sorting Robotics who offers a different look at creating quality consumables.
What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to break into the cannabis industry?
My one piece of advice would be to make sure you truly love cannabis before even considering moving into the space, because there really is no money and in many cases even though you might have an amazing skill set of some sort, often times you’ll need to be a jack of all trades and do a ton of things you’ve never done before. So make sure you’re comfortable being uncomfortable. And if you do make the switch and join the industry, make sure to align yourself with good people doing good things or you can easily find yourself caught up with the wrong company doing things for the wrong people.
What is the most important thing you have learned from your experiences in the cannabis industry?
I’ve learned a ton of things while being in the industry. The most important thing I’ve learned while being in this space is to simply be a good human who uplifts others and the plant without having any expectations in return. The other super important thing is to be consistent and show up every damn day, especially on those days you don’t want to at all. The last thing is to ignore people who claim to be experts in just about anything cannabis. There is nothing worse than someone who thinks they know it all when it comes to the plant.
What do you want your legacy to be as it relates to the cannabis industry?
I would like to be remembered as someone who loves this plant and did everything he could to uplift it and the community and culture that surrounds it.
Do you have a comment for Dustin?
