Cannabis Cultivation to Corporation

Five Dollar Buzz

This week, George, Pete and Roger share a joint together with two dudes that make the business of getting stoned, dare we say, respectable. We're talking about the cannabis industry in America and all of its, ahem, "highs" and lows. First we have Patrick Ryder. He is the North American Cannabis Practice Leader for HUB International; a top five global risk management brokerage firm. From Denver, CO he has been working with multinational cannabis companies on risk mitigation techniques since the release of the Cole Memorandum paved the way for states to decriminalize adult-use marijuana. Then we have Brian D. Jones who joined Quadscore Insurance Services as the Executive Vice President in 2021. He contributes a wealth of diverse insurance industry experience. His depth of knowledge in handling a broad array of complex operational, regulatory, underwriting, management, and actuarial matters also added value to his previous roles at Hartford Life, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Hartford Investment Management Company, and AXA XL, a division of AXA. Most recently, he was on the front lines of the cannabis insurance market from its infancy in 2017 through its maturation. He developed an underwriting strategy for the cannabis account portfolio and kept his team up to date on changes in the market. Mr. Jones developed a thorough distribution channel of brokers who work with cannabis clients, and he regularly meets with executive-level stakeholders to design solutions and innovative ways to insure their risks. Essentially, Patrick and Brian's resumes are fancy ways of saying that they help (or helped) smoke shops and growers get insured ever since Obama said states can do what they want with weed. We chew on the very beginnings of legal marijuana and its cultural epicenter in Denver, CO, the steady spread of states to follow, the Federal government's role (or lack, thereof...ready to grab half of your stash but won't allow you to take normal deductions like any other "too legit to quit" business can do), the good guys in business (Bay Area rapper Berner who owns the Cookies pot shops), the bad guys (lots of legislative red tape, lack of regulation) and the ugly (those poor bastards that know how to get us really, really stoned but, well, they can't exactly do math). So, load up your cartridge, swallow a few gummies, shake that flower from your grinder, roll your joint, stuff your blunt, pack your pipe and waft through a fast-paced, highly informative, extremely passionate wall of sweet smoke as the Buzzards take another hit from the bong. And remember, folks, if you have any questions or comments about this show or others or have any suggestions for topics and guests, feel free to email us at [e-mail]. It may take a second to get to ya as we sleep one off but, rest assured, we'll be there, our friends.