Seth Yakatan

Raising & Selling 📈 $1B+ Raised 💰 22 Companies Sold 🤝

Are you struggling to communicate your vision to the capital gatekeepers?

Are you exploring selling your business but don’t know anything about:
✘ Due diligence
✘ Term sheets
✘ Earnouts

Friend, you're lucky you found me...

I'm Seth Yakatan.

I have 30-odd years experience as a corporate finance professional.

My specialties are:
💰 Raising money
🤝 Selling companies

And I’m f**king good at it.

I’ve raised over $1B and sold 22 businesses.

My career has mostly been supporting small-cap and major corporations seeking capital to grow, or
to find strategic acquirers.

Most of these companies are in: 
— biotech
— cannabis
— pharmaceuticals
— DTC consumer goods

I’ve been on boards, taken companies public, gone up against multinational corporations, raised from VC and PE funds.

All of it. 
Many times over.
Whatever your problem is, I’ve seen it before.

But let me level with you:

What I REALLY love is helping people to get to the finish line.

Talking to entrepreneurs excites me.

But in my experience, entrepreneurs are mostly s**t at raising capital and selling companies.

** They just don’t understand investors **

And that’s where I come in.

Together, we workshop: 
✔ Your pitch
✔ Your deck
✔ Your strategy 

And help you raise the capital to GROW and SELL your business.

If you need this help—and almost every business does—send me a DM.

Like, now.

Don't lose another potential investor or acquirer with the wrong pitch.

Seth ✌️

Co-Founder

Merchant Bank / Advisory / Family Office

Will there be ONLY ONE California distro left standing?

If that’s true, my money’s on NABIS.

Nabis just acquired assets from Humble Cannabis Solutions.

Distribution. 
Commerce systems. 
Compliance. 
Logistics.

Others chase vibes, Nabis keeps chasing leverage.


>> What’s Happening?

Nabis just picked up assets from Humble Cannabis Solutions.

No hype. Just more control over the infrastructure that moves cannabis.

And now they OWN California…


>> Why This Matters

Infrastructure wins in markets where margins are thin.

And A/R drives the leverage of brands and suppliers.

Owning distribution, commerce, and compliance creates LEVERAGE.


>> What Am I Watching?

Can KSS last?

How many brands realize too late that they don’t control their own destiny?

Whats next for Vince Ning and Jun S. Lee? 

No vibes. No hyperbole. No fanfare.

Just own the damn channel…

The WHOLE DAMN THING.

I LOVE it when someone proves me WRONG… particularly when it’s someone with such a unique and positive character.

Case in point… my main hermano Los Arias and the Green Horizons, you guys have CRUSHED IT.


>> What’s Happening?

A few years back I heard something I thought was crazy

Someone was running around trying to raise big money for a greenhouse in the desert of CA.

A green house? How much $$$?? WTF???

Wrote him off as crazy.

Well, Green Horizons has built one of the best facilities I have walked, PERIOD.

Clean, tighter than a tick, good flower, and serious PASSION…

Impressive, MOST impressive.


>> Why Is This Important?

Sometimes I’m puzzled by the industry and things which I see and hear…

It’s one thing to raise this money. It’s another to know how to use it AND execute…

Cultivation is really easy to do wrong, and very hard to do right…everything about what Los and Green Horizons has built is RIGHT.

And I could not be happier for Los and his whole squad.

Sometimes you just have to BELIVE.


>> What Am I Watching?

Will anyone else have the STONES to build more cultivation in CA?

How soon will this crew stand up facility #2?

Will Green Horizons change the view of CA and the desert?

They sure changed this Joshua Tree’s path…

Abrazos, Jefe…

"You can't fight the desert. You have to ride with it." ~ Louis L'Amour.


Los is an INSPIRING DUDE who just back on LinkedIn, give him a follow and keep up to date with their progress 📈

Am I Trending???

Well you know what I say:

Once is luck, twice is an anomaly…

Three times? Then you’ve got a trend, my friend.

I was highly privileged to be featured alongside the savvy Mitchell Osak in this excellent Forbes piece by Javier Hasse on cannabis M&A in 2026.

Superb reporting, AS ALWAYS Javier.

Essential reading for everyone trying to make moves in the industry this year.

Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gxNfAQ6W

Here’s an idea: why not just sell Hemp TCH Beverages till the last possible second

Eight brands including Cann, Drink DELTA, Wynk™, MAGIC CACTUS, Nectar, HOWDY and NOWADAYS are rolling out at Sprouts (WITH A BAN PENDING).

Yes. A national grocery store! Actual Hemp THC beverage! Next to groceries!


>> What’s Happening?

Sprouts just green lit the sale of THC drinks in stores.

First Target, NOW a mainstream grocer.

So while half the industry is still arguing about about regulation…

….Sprouts says: “Cool. We’ll take the money.”

>> Why Does This Matter?

This is something of a watershed moment for THC beverages.

Alcohol didn’t win because it was moral.

Nicotine didn’t win because it was healthy.

They won because they were available, familiar, and frictionless.

THC drinks just took a HUGE step in that direction.

>> What Am I Watching?

Which retailers will follow? (Because they WILL…)

Which of these eight brands win at grocery, and which dies trying?

How will regulators react now??


Fun fact: The market is moving faster than the rulebook.

Retail just signaled a big fat IDGAF for regulatory clarity.

You’re still debating whether THC beverages are “real”…

Congrats, you’re already two years behind.

No alternative text description for this image

Well...it happened: Wyld + Grön announced a definitive merger yesterday.

If you've been following me or listening to my BS, this is great news.

Why?

1. This represents a hallmark transaction for the industry and can foster a new era of M&A in the future

2. The combined company fully illustrates the importance of PLATFORMS driven by BRANDS

3. This represents the first national platform (and in ANT other industry this would be the basis of a Private Equity roll up deal/strategy)

4. It illustrates that there are companies (i) of scale, (ii) generating revenue and profit, (iii) that can find exits, (iv) that are Founder-led and (v) that can be stronger and grow together !!!

5. With this announcement and some form of Federal change on the horizon, 2026 could be our best year YET.

Congrats to all my friends at both companies on an AMAZING deal...

Aaron Morris and Christine Apple you should both be proud… and thank you both for showing the world what IS POSSIBLE!!!!

And if you know Draper Bender, then you know how and why this got done. Period.

Here is to the future for us all.

P.S. This video was recorded July 17, 2025 with Michael Krefman and Michael Peterson on From the Weeds to the Clouds

Even a broken clock is right twice a day....

Glad you all gave up because some of us just GOT STARTED.

Looks like 2026 is off to a terrible start…


>> What’s Happening?

Nothing at all, just go back to sleep

Cannabist’s VA footprint goes for $130M.

Wyld/Gron pops off.

Illicit does a landmark ESOP.

Sunderstorm grabs Lime.

Nabis grabs Humble.

Key takes Bellrock.

Canopy puts $150M on the balance sheet

But its only January, go back to sleep….


>> Why Does This Matter?

The strong are getting STRONGER.

Notice any similarities in any of these deals? (read any of my posts??)

I have profiled most of these companies as “working”.

And the others have big balance sheets.

THE CONSOLODATION will not be televised.


>> What Am I Watching?

Who and what is NEXT?

SUPER-BRAND V2 is coming. Count on it…

Can someone take control of California?

What am I missing??

First of 12 innings down.

The pitcher has not even warmed up and

Already its a Perfect GAME ….

Germany is officially importing TONS of lettuce.

The EU’s biggest single c@nnabis market is sprinting toward 600 metric tons of annual imports.


>> What's Happening?

Germany's medical cannabis imports have climbed quarter over quarter.

From 41 metric tons in early 2025 to 57 t in Q3 2025, crushing records.

German regulators even raised the annual import ceiling once the original quota was exhausted.

Prescription access is expanding and telemedicine is growing…the trajectory now looks like hundreds of tons annually…

>> Why Is This Important?

Germany is now Europe's largest regulated medical cannabis market and its explosive import growth is a global signal.

Deutschland’s policy reforms have created predictable patient access and a huge upstream opportunity for exporters and supply chain players.

At 600 tons of annual imports, that is global supply chain scale and a new benchmark for what "big cannabis" might look like outside North America.


>> What Am I Watching?

Can anyone in Europe actually grow weed at scale, or will the country remain dependent on imports long term?

How pricing, pharmacy networks, and telemedicine evolve and can a patient market can coexist with both social clubs + adult use.

Which countries and companies position themselves as primary exporters into Europe's hottest cannabis corridor?


Bottom line:

Europe's medical cannabis boom isn't theoretical anymore…

It is measurable, explosive, and reshaping global supply chains.

If you haven't been tracking Germany's trajectory closely, you're late.

In case you missed it 

Wyld and Grön was announced earlier this week...

Have to give props again to both teams on the absolute magnitude of this deal for the industry....I am still amazed by this one....

And do not forget why....and what else is possible and for who...

Jeeter - a DreamFields Brand
Timeless
Nova Farms
Standard Wellness
C3 Industries

Thank you Aaron Morris + Christine Apple for showing the WORLD what this industry CAN DO !!!!

Here is to the future for us all...
and never sleep on Draper Bender (might just be the best in the business) 

P.S. This video was recorded July 17, 2025 with the amazing squad of Michael Krefman and Michael Peterson on From the Weeds to the Clouds
(MORE PROGNOSTICATIONS FORTHCOMING.... )

I am never giving up on California...EVER...

Keep an eye on my friends at Embarc
Keeping it REAL FOR EVERYONE....

CA is still #1 and will be #1 for a while.

We ain't going nowhere...

Just training for the next 12 rounds....

Welcome to Las Vegas !!!!
Wait...did I see you there ?
Well if I did, maybe you made the edit...

Seibo Shen
Elliot Lane + IgniteIt Cannabis
Diana A. + First Citizens Bank
Salvatore (Sal) LaTorre
Aisha Alves + the squad from FlowerHire
My main man Frank Colombo,  CFA + Viridian Capital Advisors
The ever popular Jesse Parenti, TRA 
Marty Higgins
and the ever magnanimous Lisa Williams + Hello Again

Want to thank my good friends from Sweed for all the help !

When does a celebrity brand officially hit the skids?

When it turns into a $50M lawsuit.

Iron Mike Tyson and The Nature Boy Ric Flair just turned their brand in weed biz into federal lawsuit.

And the allegations are wild.


>> What’s Happening?

Tyson and Flair filed a 76-page RICO-heavy lawsuit against their former cannabis partners at Carma Holdings.

Accusations include all the good stuff: wire fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion and securities fraud. 

And further accused management of siphoning off cash and company funds for private jets, yachts, home renovations, mortgages and lavish perks.

NY Post has the scoop if you want to read the details...

Tyson & Flair are seeking more than $50 million in damages.


>> Why This Matters?

RICO is typically reserved for organized fraud and systemic corruption not partner disputes.

Defendants are pushing back hard, calling the suit “fiction dressed up as a lawsuit.” 

Celebrity + cultural icons + weed business + alleged internal theft = BAD LOOK

As an industry we do NOT need further headline drama.


>> What Am I Watching?

Does this show anything about governance, IP control, and fiduciary accountability?

Or does it just becomes another in a long list of “bad-celebrity brand” tabloid footnotes?

Can RICO stick here?

Which is the next celebrity cannabis brand to go ass over tea kettle? 

Bottom line:

Celebrity cannabis brand launches make headlines.

Celebrity cannabis boardroom lawsuits makes worse headlines.

Can we just NOT do any more celebrity brands, PLEASE??

You think its easy to get a deal done?

Think again...

Getting any deal done is HARD:
— Senior Debt
— Equity
— M&A
— Partnerships

It's like walking a drunk person home in the snow.

You might slip and fall a few times before you get there..

You have to realize it is going to fall out of bed once or twice.

And you have to have people around you who know how to get it done....
AND CLOSE.

Appreciate my friends Louis Magazzu and  Rachel Wright, CPA, MST for the discussion and the crew from IgniteIt Cannabis for the platform....

Nothing makes me happier than seeing good people succeed.

Especially those who pulled me up with them on the path.

So it gives me GREAT pleasure to give a huge congratulations to my friend  Austin DeAngelis on his most recent feat with furl.


>> What’s Happening?

A few years back I got pulled into Eaze, one of the better experiences of my life.

Were it not for the software sales veteran boom-mic trio of Nick Fasano, Austin DeAngelis and Owen Ruh…

I would have been left out on Venice Boardwalk.

But they took me in as one of their own and I am eternally grateful for that.

Especially when you have to pivot to make moves in c@annabis.


>> Why is This Important?

Sometimes you hear people leave the industry and hope they land feet first…

Then you check it…

One of the guys who pulled me along at Eaze

Drops a presser about a $10M seed round for his new AI start up deal furl.

With gold plated investors Ten Eleven Ventures, Rapid7 CEO Corey Thomas and Open Opportunity Fund, furl seems like a BANGER.


>> What Am I Watching?

What do I know about AI? Well frankly nothing…

But I do now how hard it is to pivot industries.

I also know how hard it is to RASIE CAPITAL.

SO when you pivot and knock the ball out of the park….

I can only admire the achievement and offer my most sincere congratulations.

Austin, I’m betting on you and furl thats for sure.

And thank you for all the help you have given me.

‘Seth, how did you make it into Forbes AGAIN?’

Well dummy I worked my butt off and I picked the right partner. That’s how…

Last week, Forbes published a piece on cannabis M&A that I was quoted in — alongside Mitchell Osak, who is the most credible and consistently right analyst in Canadian cannabis consulting, full stop.

No hype. No BS. No capital-markets vocabulary tests. This article didn’t come out of thin air.

It was grounded in a long-form piece Mitchell and I debated, pressure-tested, and refined because the loudest narrative in cannabis right now (“M&A is dead”) is… well just lazy.


>> What’s Happening?

M&A narratives dominate headlines, but how?

Behind the curtain, consolidation IS happening.

Private deals, restructurings, recaps, and strategic repositioning is where the action is.


>> Why Does This Matter?

Public markets for the next big cannabis deal? Maybe…

The next wave of exits, value and consolidation will emerge through private channels.

M&A didn’t disappear. It just stopped showing up in places that make for easy screenshots.

Public markets are frozen and private markets are doing the real work.

And anyone still waiting for a headline-grabbing “tsunami” deal from a busted MSO balance sheet is watching the wrong screen.


>> What Am I Watching Next?

How private capital structures continue to adapt to cannabis realities?

Does MORE off-market consolidation accelerate?

Does federal clarity finally unlock the value trapped in state-legal operators?

If you care about where real deal flow lives, this Forbes piece will be a reference point for 2026.

If you’re an operator, investor, or board member still anchoring strategy to press releases instead of private deal flow… good luck.


Two final points:

The Forbes piece is worth your time

Mitchell’s perspective is worth following

And if you want the WHOLE 18 pages behind the article download it here:

https://lnkd.in/eBxsGE7H

Read it. Argue with it. But don’t ignore it.

It's not what they say when you are IN the room
It's ALL ABOUT what they say when you are NOT IN the room...

What happens when two rival founders stop competing and start collaborating? 

Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein find out from Draper Bender, President of Grön, as he shares the unlikely beginning of his friendship with Aaron Morris, CEO of Wyld  the man he once viewed as a bold, untouchable industry persona. 

Remember this was a Founder-led deal, there were no bankers. It was a direct, operator-to-operator discussion and transaction. No financial engineering. Just aligned businesses with similar DNA: bootstrapped, profitable, and deeply operational to their cores...

I was not even close to this one. 
Love you Draper and Christine Apple
And Aaron Morris count on me sending more pictures of boxes....
XO

Props to AnnaRae Grabstein + Ben Larson for the LOVE
And get on High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast
On Apple Podcast (apple.co/40e8I2T )
Spotify (spoti.fi/4iUKphY )
and YouTube (https://lnkd.in/g5CMxNAM)

Here's the latest speculation on Schedule 3…


A few weeks ago a Senator proposed a measure that would direct the AG of the USA to create a commission charged with making recommendations on a c@nnabis regulatory system….


That MODELS for what is currently in place for ALCOHOL….YUP.

>> What's Happening?

Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) introduced the PREPARE Act.


This directs the U.S. Attorney General to establish a Federal Regulation of Cannabis Commission.

This will draft a regulatory framework for post-prohibition cannabis.


Safety standards, labeling, crop and trade practices, banking & revenue systems, and social equity impact.

The bill would effectively give the AG Trump's a formal job to coordinate federal cannabis policy and set rules before full legalization.

>> Why is this Important?

A commission BEFORE legalization is scary.

That's not helping us….that's pre-ordained federal architecture by committee, which seems to create MORE problems.

The industry deserves clarity on issues like taxation, banking, and ADA/FTC guidance.


Not MORE mechanisms based on bureaucracy.


>> What Am I Watching?

Does this commission actually draft binding regulatory standards or just recommendations that Congress can ignore?

Which stakeholders get a seat at the table?

Does this become the new pretext to delay real federal legalization until the next election cycle?

Commissions are easy press releases. Regulation is hard law.

Don't confuse politicking with legalization.

Contact your elected officials today…PLEASE.

Why was I so hyped on Beverage ???

I am a history major
I studied how Alcohol was rolled out over the last 80 years

Why ?

Normalized adoption and distribution...
And they MAKE MONEY
(and its the only thing that we have as an example)

and you know what...they make $$$$$

Thanks to Alex DeFazio and the The High Index for the spot

You want to get in the game ?

Get yourself to a meeting with my folks from IgniteIt Cannabis
thats right...

GARDEN STATE COMING IN HOT...
February 10th, 2026
Westin Jersey City

and make sure you bring me a Hoagie....

Register HERE: https://bit.ly/49pHgUF

and use my CODE: SETH20

Patrick Lane Elliot Lane Javier Hasse

Everything early stage is HARD...
Next to impossible actually

I don't have a solution for early..

C@nnabis
Biotech
SaSS
AI
Retail
CPG/Beverage

All hard...

We just have 2 arms tied behind our backs on top of it all...

Grateful for the spot on From the Weeds to the Clouds
Michael Krefman + Michael Peterson

Where do hemp beverages belong?

Well, what do we know:

1. They sure found a way to enter traditional distribution channels

2. Alcohol use is declining

3. Consumers are driving demand

With the hemp ban looming I'm not sure which way is UP.

So you tell me?

Thank you to my friend Peter Su, PBC-CP, CTP, CCBP, CRS, GRCP, GRCA, IDPP, CBE for having me on...

25+ yrs of industry advocacy & executive experience, bridging legacy culture with modern strategy, building credible brands and partnerships so companies can thrive with purpose (and profit). Many businesses struggle to grow without losing their authentic roots -- I have measurable success launching multi-million dollar brands in wellness/plant medicine industries without leaving their foundations behind.

I’m a visionary, influential cannabis & psychedelics brand builder with 60,000+ followers across my platforms, a decriminalization advocate, published writer, and decorated market strategist.

Best known for pioneering social impact initiatives & communications leadership. 

With a Master’s in Teaching from USF + 2 decades of hands-on drug policy experience, I blend mission w/ execution at the highest levels. An OG in the psychedelic movement, I’m recognized for an unwavering commitment to activism, education & brand integrity, and taking cannabis companies public (employee #1 at both Jetty Extracts and Ispire Vape, the first vape brand to IPO on NASDAQ). As Chief Impact Officer, I led sustainability & DEI programs while generating $20M+ in revenue.

I helped shape the legal cannabis landscape, launching & scaling iconic brands while advancing durable, scalable, justice-driven impact campaigns. 

As former Director of Mycology & Retail Education for CHAMPS Trade Shows (the world’s longest-running counterculture B2B expo), I spearheaded psychedelic education initiatives for smoke shops selling functional and entheogenic fungi, producing seminars and curating safe, non-synthetic product exhibitors.

A globally recognized speaker and thought-leader on human rights and patient advocacy, I’ve taken the stage at MJBizCon, MJUnpacked, Spannabis, Hall of Flowers, ICBC, Emerald Cup, Benzinga, Cannafest, and Mary Jane Berlin.

Featured and/or published in: High Times, Rolling Stone, Forbes, Benzinga, The Guardian, MJBizDaily, CNN, SF Weekly, Cosmopolitan, Netflix (“Big Vape”), VICE, mg, CHAMPS Retailer Report & DOPE Magazine.

Equity advocate with NCIA, Last Prisoner Project, ICIA, Compassionate Vets, and legacy orgs.

Educator at heart (background in public schools, juvenile halls & corporate training), passionate about demystifying plant medicine for consumers, lawmakers & retailers.

Certified Ganjier, Cannabis Trainer, bilingual educator, women’s empowerment mentor, global competition judge (CA State Fair Cannabis Awards, Emerald Cup, Dabadoo, Cannifest, FullMoon Sesh).

Community cultivator who helped decriminalize entheogens in Oakland & Santa Cruz, CA.

Luna Stower

For me, being named a "Jewish cannabis trailblazer' by NORML isn’t about a headline, but about memory, responsibility & visibility.

#Jewish people make up less than 0.19% of the world’s population, yet we are deeply woven into the fabric of cannabis, from medicine making to policy reform, from #education to organizing.

We’ve always been here. Sometimes celebrated. Other times, erased.

I was raised by legacy #cannabis culture, shaped by people who treated the plant as medicine, resistance, and community long before it was a market. 

I’m also Jewish -- and those identities are not separate. They show up in how I work, who I support, and what I refuse to compromise on.

In an industry rushing toward scale, consolidation, and a sort of cultural amnesia, representation still REALLY matters.

Not as a vanity metric, but as accountability.
Because visibility without ethics is kinda hollow, isn't it? And as we've seen... progress without memory doesn’t last long (or feel right).

I wrote more about this -- including why #JewsinWeed exists, why MJBiz Mitzvah hit harder than expected, and why responsibility matters more than recognition on my Luna Stower Strategies website blog:

https://lnkd.in/gfVKGBFF

Tag some powerful members of the tribe in the comments! Jordan Isenstadt Seth Yakatan Stella Morrison Stu Zakim Shelby Poole Mitchell Osak Mitch Kulick Adam Rothstein Adam Rosenberg Golda Moldavsky Shahar Yamay Tomer Oliel Ron Eric Charles Kaplinsky Mara Gordon Annie Starr Michael Brosgart Douglas Pamela Epstein Alex Goldenberg

Luna Stower, MAT, CG✨

Open article: Jewish Cannabis Trailblazer Recognized by NORML | Luna Stower by lunastower.com

Jewish Cannabis Trailblazer Recognized by NORML | Luna Stower

The Cannabis Chamber of Commerce global market check-in today had a very clear message: This industry is DONE with hypotheticals. It’s entering its execution era.

Key takeaway: Our industry is growing up globally, just not evenly.  

5 points to call-out:

1) The U.S. is stuck in limbo (obvies).

Rescheduling is still a waiting game and the final DOJ rule keeps getting pushed, so litigation's expected & everyone’s planning around uncertainty. A Sched. III outcome would be a real unlock globally for imports/exports, R&D, and global trade. If U.S. rescheduling happens, we’re lookin' at a dual-system shift: State-based #cannabis dispensaries on one side -- federally compliant, pharma-focused Schedule III lane for R&D + international trade on the other.

2) Europe's where the momentum is.

Germany’s medical market is moving fast and not always cleanly. Prices dropped hard, now ~€2–3 per gram in just a few months. Recreational clubs are scaling, with hundreds approved. A recent court ruling blocking clone sales just created a whole new lane for tissue culture and genetics services. Switzerland is moving toward adult-use by 2027, but Austria remains tight.

3) Latin America (my fave) is no longer “emerging,” it’s investable.

Already a $440M market and growing. Colombia now has medical flower in pharmacies. Costa Rica and Uruguay are opening regulated pathways, including #CBD in medical systems. Low production costs, real farmland & massive patient populations make LatAm impossible to ignore for long-term global operators.

4) Canada is steady, not sexy: a mature market in a slow grind phase.
 
No CBD reclassification miracle. Companies are specializing, tightening ops, and looking outward for growth. International expansion is the strategy, not scale-for-scale’s-sake (sound familiar?).

5) The real shift no one should miss: “GMP washing” is getting exposed.  Now, execution beats storytelling. Regulators everywhere are moving from capacity-building to enforcement. (that means inspections, audits, accountability). Paper compliance without real systems won’t hold up anymore. Capital knows this. Investors want fewer platforms with real inspection resilience, not just certificate logos.

On the ecosystem side, it was good to see real investment in community & infrastructure, new leadership, strong member tools, job boards that actually help, and event organizers getting smarter about curated connections vs chaos.

The lesson: The winners won’t be the loudest. They’ll be the ones who can pass inspections, move across borders & execute under pressure.

What are YOU seeing on the ground in the US, #Europe + #LatAm?
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Shout out to members: Hirsh, Ian, VERDANT Strategies, Chris, Jeanne, Amna,  Joshua S., Gina, Robert, Jenny, Kandice, Beard Bros Pharms, Emilie (MJBiz), Patrick (IgniteIt Inc. IgniteIt Cannabis), Mike, Laura, K.C., Guinevere, Vanessa, Neal, Peter, Canopy HR, Dutchie, Armanino, Grass Goddess Consulting LLC, Joseph, ePropel Digital, Rachel Scheri

When IP meets import law, sh*t gets REAL.💥 The PAX v. STIIIZY ruling speaks VOLUMES about power in the vape hardware space. 👀 

PAX won its US ITC patent case blocking imports of STIIIZY oil vape devices manufactured by ALD Group Limited from entering the States (Sec. 337 Tariff Act). 🇺🇸❌

Federal Trade regulators shut the border to infringing hardware, issuing the import ban against FOUR PAX patents tied to leak-resistant vape tech and other battery tech.

After working in the vape space since 2014, I've seen it all.

What I've learned?

Copying others' tech or not properly compensating for their ideas never bodes well -- especially when they have the $ and resolve to drive drawn-out lawsuits.

This isn't a wild scandal, just another day in the vape game, and canna-biz in general. 

The real story is what this says about control, supply chains, and leverage.

STIIIZY likely isn't going anywhere. As a dominant brand with scale, capital & options in an IP-heavy industry, companies like theirs usually just pivot to redesign, license, swap manufacturers, or engineer around infringed patents. 

But the suit DOES illuminate what our industry DOESN'T love admitting: 

How dependent we ALL are (not JUST cannabis #vapes) on overseas #manufacturing... and how vulnerable that makes brands when #IP disputes collide w/ trade law. ⚖️

When hardware is made offshore, patents become pretty gnarly pressure points, making trade enforcement a 'competitive tool' -- and legal decisions like these reshape timelines, margins & sourcing overnight.

This decision should inform how the next gen devices get built/sourced/protected. 💯 

The lesson?

Tighten up on product dev and defensive patent strategy, 'cause intellectual property matters -- as manufacturing choices do -- and demands respect. 

Because #import laws are deciding, in real time, who has momentum, who has friction, and who fails. 

A harsh reminder that #cannabis may be state-legal some places... but the hardware ecosystem we rely on STILL plays by federal #trade rules. 🤷‍♀️

Just another industry cautionary tale exposing how markets work, and laws actually play-out. 👀
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Question for the Industry:❓ 

How do we support good-faith operators in doing things the right way in this 'free-for-all, wild West' space, and encourage those who aren't to do so?

Without taking a side, or demonizing -- it's a fact STIIIZY has been the subject of multiple legal & regulatory disputes/lawsuits, such as alleging marketing to youth & misrepresentation of #THC levels, and has been publicly embroiled in labeling & compliance controversies.

As one of the largest retail operators & brands, is there room for growth in ethical leadership, to ensure the whole industry doesn't suffer from the bad press?

Is this part of a bigger issue, on why we need to be good actors when scrutiny arrives at our doorstep -- especially in the controversial, highly-scrutinized #vape space?

What are your thoughts on this? Weigh-in below 👇

OUR PANEL WAS A HIT! 🔥 ⭐ This star-studded webinar on Sched. III was one of those convos that reminds me why slowing things down creates clarity.

I’ve received *dozens of messages* since Thursday's MJ Unpacked panel, saying some version of the same thing:

"Most informative panel I’ve seen on this platform; great overview of the topic.”

“Finally cut through the noise and hubbub.”

“Thank you for not overselling certainty.”

That mattered to me, because that was the intention. ✅ 

This wasn’t #Cannabis Rescheduling 101, nor a victory lap. And it definitely wasn’t built for headlines. We focused on what’s actually happening, not what people wish was going down:

• Real timelines & legal paths forward, not fantasy 
• Why litigation is unavoidable (regardless of path taken) ⚖️
• Who benefits as it's currently framed + who carries new risk 
• The growing pharma tilt & why FDA posture on #hemp and CBD matters 💊 
• Why SAFE #Banking does not solve structural issues 💰 
• How fragmented messaging weakens leverage ... and what coordinated action could look like instead

What made it so special? 

Different seats, different incentives, zero fluff.  Real operators, policy leaders, and legal minds, willing to say “we don’t know” where that was the honest answer.

...And of course, badass, experienced and professional women. 💪🏽💅🏽 

As a moderator, my goal is never to dominate the room or take up space.

It’s to listen with extreme presence, protect the integrity of the conversation, keep grounded in reality + always ensure smart people can actually hear each other. 👂🏽 

Judging by the incredible #community response, that landed. :)

Shout out to Regent Wanda L. James for her sharp wit + unmatched energy, Ali Jubelirer's powerful mind & analysis, Meg Sanders' unbeatable experience & nuanced perspective & Shanita Penny's unwaivering spirit, pushing these issues harder than most. 

Missed it? This 1 hour recording's VERY worthwhile: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gTgaZir5

Mad love to those who showed-up, ready to engage w/ complexity beyond the hype 🙏🏽 (Rex, Kaliko, Erica, Kristi, Adam, Corinne, Rose, Holly)

Big respect & gratitude to George & Kim Jage for putting together this all-star crew & prioritizing clarity and honest insights over fluff and noise!! 💯 💜 + their unstoppable team, Wendy, Zedrick, and Deborah for holding it down for the #cannabisindustry.

Open video: Unpacking Schedule III on m.youtube.com

Looking forward to The Cannabis Chamber of Commerce mixer in Sacramento Weds 1/28! ⭐ Who will I see there? 👀 

If you're heading up from the SF Bay Area, let's carpool & talk shop! 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 

Sponsored by VERDANT Strategies, Beard Bros Pharms.

RSVP 🔗 👇🏽

#cannabis #cannabisindustry #sacramento #business #networking Ramon Scheri Jeff Bill Hirsh Ian Monica Dina

Cali *almost* banned cannabis vapes with AB 762... then reality hit. 👀 Asm. Irwin’s disposables ban was amended to explicitly remove weed, targeting nicotine-e-Cig. 

Manufacturing & import restrictions on battery-embedded vapor devices start Jan 2027, and a sales ban beginning January 2028. 

This carve-out isn’t random; it's what happens when policy hits the limits of blunt instruments. 

The hearing record makes it obvious -- everyone agrees lithium-ion batteries are a problem and admits something lawmakers don’t love saying out loud 🤷‍♀️ Firefighters talked about recycling fires, waste authorities talked about cost. Parents talked about kids and cops talked about the underground market.

SHOUT OUT TO THE CANNABIS ADVOCATES + California NORML for pushing on this!

We were loud, and made the case that banning regulated cannabis #vapes wouldn’t fix battery waste, fires, or youth access. It would strengthen the trap market, undo years of labeling & disposal #education... and punish compliant operators while illegal products keep circulating. 

This is also why VapeSAFER was created, to ensure we stay ahead of improper policy and help the lawmakers regulate us intelligently, and in ways that don't kill people or our businesses. 

Feel familiar? It should after just watching the ITC block imports of vape hardware over patent infringement. 

Different arena, same lesson ⚖️ (see my other post from yesterday); when vape manufacturing lives offshore, trade law and policy decisions don’t stay theoretical. They turn into real pressure on supply chains, timelines, and market access. 🌍

AB 762 exposes the core issue #California keeps circling. When there’s no clear, enforceable framework for how #vape devices should be designed, powered, reused, or disposed of, policy defaults to category #bans because they’re easier to explain than systems.

No one agrees that bans or late carve-outs work, or policies that sound decisive without fully solving the problem should exist... but incremental progress is happening. 

The path forward isn’t with blanket bans, but redesign, removable batteries, real take-back and disposal programs, + accountability that actually works outside a hearing room.

#Cannabis was removed this round -- that matters -- but the underlying tension didn’t disappear. If the #cannabisindustry doesn’t keep leading on smarter design & better disposal pathways, we’ll keep replaying this cycle. 

The question is whether we use it to build durable solutions, or just delay the next version of the same fight. 🔁

Honored to be a part of this group and to have shared my story! 👀 https://lnkd.in/gmqB6cNk

Here are 30 powerful women sharing how plant-based wellness changed their lives!

Sharing is CARING and how we spread these stories… don’t be shy!

dzTV.app/women

Award-Winning Podcast Host & Media Strategist | Partner & VP at Pulse Signal Agency | Education-Driven Storytelling | Vice-Chair CA Cannabis Advisory Committee

Time to delete Tik Tok..

As media professionals, we’re constantly weighing reach against responsibility.

I joined TikTok last year with misgivings, knowing that platform ownership and moderation decisions inevitably shape what audiences see, and what they don’t. After spending time there, those concerns became harder to ignore.

Larry Ellison, the man who turned CBS News into the state propaganda channel, and cancelled Colbert to appease Trump, has purchased the US version of Tik Tok. Already they are cancelling any videos having to do with the murder of Alex Pretti, and not allowing the word “Epstein” to be used.

At what point does scale stop being worth the tradeoff?

For me, TikTok no longer aligned with my values or my responsibility to my audience, so I made the decision this weekend to delete my accounts.

Curious how others in media are navigating platform trust, governance, and integrity right now.

taplio

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The Battle

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