Displaying episodes by topic: resale of cannabis

Does irradiated cannabis still contain mold spores? In this deep-dive episode, Trevor and Kirk explore the science behind cannabis irradiation, fungal contamination, and the hidden risks of mycotoxins. Dr. Saji George and Mamta Rani from McGill University break down how gamma irradiation is used to sterilize cannabis—and why even this industry-standard sterilization may not eliminate all harmful fungal spores or toxins. They reveal that while irradiation significantly reduces fungal contamination, advanced testing still detected viable spores and residual mycotoxins in some cannabis legal products. For immunocompromised patients, even minimal exposure to spores or toxins can matter. We explore testing gaps, regulatory limits, workplace risks, and new biocontrol solutions to prevent contamination at the source. Listen now to understand how cannabis irradiation works — and where the cracks in the system may be.

Kirk continues his road stories from Spain. In the previous series, we learned how Cannabis cultivation is legal, public consumption is illegal, and personal use is decriminalized. In this series, Kirk and Trevor discuss the hemp products sold in resale Cannabis Shops found throughout Spain. The nuanced laws of Spain has allowed a proliferation of stores, found in many tourist areas, to sell various cannabis-derived products that contain less than 0.3% THC Delta9. These products are sold in bright packages labeled by the cannabinoids found within. Some of which, like THCX or THCP, produce psychoactive effects. Is buying cannabis in Spain as a tourist a good idea? Have a listen

It's a beautiful late summer day. Let's do something different. Kirk and Trevor take a stroll around their hometown of Dauphin, Manitoba. They talk cannabis, Kirk's European travel plans and greet people on the street. Our co-hosts duck into a local cannabis shop, Payson's Joint. They record stories from staff and customers. Unrehearsed, person-on-the-street stories are the best! They always go in directions you didn't expect. We hear about sex and glass pipes and if "big cannabis" is mixing different strains into one bottle. Come for a stroll.

Once again, VanHoot is traveling northern prairie highways and Kirk is stopping to make cold calls to recreational stores along the way. In this episode, he revisits some of the shops he visited in past trips to ask specific questions about how people are using Rec Shops to obtain their medicine.  Have a listen as he also discovers what budtenders are selling in the 2025.

Ontario entrepreneurs are solving a problem that Trevor confronts on a weekly basis. People going to recreational cannabis stores with health questions like, "Are these gummies okay with my seizure meds?" We know that a large percentage of customers at recreational cannabis stores are using their cannabis for health and wellness purposes. Yet, budtenders are limited in the health information that they can provide. In this episode, Kirk and Trevor learn how two businesses owners are filling in the gaps left by governments’ lack of attention within the Medical Cannabis program. Lisa Bigioni is the Co-Founder and CEO at Stok'd, a retail cannabis store. Anushya Vijayaraghevan is a pharmacist and Co-Founder of Apothecare. Their niche filling collaboration is that Stok'd, an experiential cannabis retail shop, gives customers access to Apothecare, a pharmacist-led virtual consultation service. Together, these businesses provide a pathway for those searching to learn how to use cannabis for their health and wellness. This is another example of how the Cannabis Industry is meeting the needs of those looking to learn the health benefits of using cannabis.

Newton Zheng is a good Canadian guy. (That seems important to mention, lately). Listen to his rise in athletics (we're calling him the Rocky of Badminton now), to Newton taking a different career path than Elon Musk, to Newton becoming a digital marketing entrepreneur. Newton and his team at ePropel Digital has found a niche helping cannabis dispensaries and other cannabis businesses. Cannabis businesses have many, many rules and regulations about how or if they can advertise. And if you can't let potential customers know that your business exists, how are they going to buy from you? ePropel Digital helps cannabis businesses increase their sales using an organic digital marketing system. It doesn't break any restrictions. ePropel helps businesses to be found at the top of Google when their potential customers search for their products or services. After you listen to the episode, Newton has one more surprise for you. Click the referral link below to get a deal on marketing your business from Newton and the folks at ePropel!

In 2018, the Federal Cannabis Act was proclaimed. This federal act gave the provinces many of the responsibilities of managing the recreational use of cannabis. Although the recreational consumption of cannabis became legal throughout Canada, the Manitoba conservative government of 2018 placed several restrictions on cannabis, including not allowing Manitobans to grow cannabis at home. This despite our neighbors in Saskatchewan and Ontario being allow to grow their 4 plants at home as laid out in the federal act.  As of May 1, 2025 the New Democratic Party government, made some changes to the Manitoban cannabis regulations. In this episode Amanda Creasy, MBA, a Director within the Liquor Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA), discusses the new Manitoba regulations. She explains the rational for the changes that were made and also why other changes were not made. Have a listen to discover how Manitobans can now grow four indoor plants and why the prohibition of public consumption of cannabis remains.

Kirk and Trevor meet Sean Boyd, a member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation and discuss the operations of Little Beach Harvest, a cannabis dispensary owned and operated by the Shinnecock tribe. The key to this episode is the community leverages its sovereign status to create its own cannabis regulations, allowing for indoor cultivation and a more customer-centric approach. The community has created a welcoming, community-oriented experience and supports Shinnecock entrepreneurs and businesses. The episode touches upon the history of economic development challenges and the ongoing fight for sovereignty. Little Beach Harvest is in a unique position as a tribally-owned cannabis business operating on sovereign land.

VanHoot is now traveling the roads of northern British Columbia. While Michelle is off filling their cupboards and cooler, Kirk and River explore the resale cannabis market in those small communities they visit. Kirk records some of the discussions collecting cannabis stories to better understand cannabis from the budtenders’ perspective.  In this episode, we learn: how cannabis is marketed day-to-day, is a part time job for busy people, and is also positively affecting smaller community.  At one point Kirk sniffs resale cannabis from Mason Jars envisioning the future farmgate access.  When you listen to a Road Story episode, you are transported into the continuing adventures of VanHoot and its occupants.

Once again, Kirk is on the road collecting stories, and never knowing where a story will take him. This road trip is in British Columbia where infused pre-rolls are the hottest summer blitz. Join Kirk and his dog River as they collect stories from cannabis stores, a vape shop, and while standing in a parking lot. We learn how bud tenders gain knowledge of cannabis: being an exit drug, assisting pregnant women, curing cancer, or just chilling at a town council meeting. You just never know what a Road Story will teach you about cannabis use.

One sunny evening in the summer of 2020, Kirk and Trevor had a meeting on Kirk's driveway. Even though all indoor meetings were taboo, they met someone bursting with excitement. Eric Greening's face lit up as he described the cannabis growing facility he envisioned building north east of Dauphin.  Four years, a pandemic, spiraling inflation and all the other unknown unknowns of building a facility and starting a business are now behind the persistent Mr. Greening. As proud Dauphinites, we are excited to say Greencraft Cannabis is now selling product! And.... after much pestering, we got a peek inside! Come with us on an audio tour of the facility. There is a cannabis "tree" whose trunk Trevor can't wrap his hand around, a sunset room with alien-looking golden light, the secrets of how you control tiny invaders when you can't use any pesticides, and so much more!

More than 200,000 Canadians are registered Medical Cannabis patients.  Due to a cumbersome national system, many of these individuals discover the benefits of Cannabis alone, with little therapeutic expertise to guide them.  Learning about your medicine or just trying to access your medicine, these tasks are made easier when engaged with a business like Tantus Health; a Medical Cannabis Dispensary. Their consultants design natural wellness plans to educate individuals and provide personal guides to alleviates those frustrating unknowns that come when using Cannabis as medicine.  In this episode, Kirk and Trevor discover a Canadian licensed medical cannabis company who: provides quality medicine consistently, forms strong relationships with their patients, and helps west coast first responders suffering from PTSD.  With Tantus Health, you are not alone with your prescribed cannabis.

Bernardo the owner, and founder of 8000 Kicks believes hemp is the past and future of textile manufacturing. His business goal is to leave a legacy. In this legacy, hemp becomes mainstream and the most ubiquitous fiber available in the textile industry. This small European company creates shoes using the strongest canvas fiber available, with soles made of algal blooms. While continuously monitoring international sustainable manufacturing processes, 8000 Kicks produces shoes that are both waterproof and breathable guaranteeing no toxic substances are used. His business, started with his 77-year-old grandmother, builds running shoes, casual shoes, Chelsea Boots, back packs, belts, socks, and accessaries. In this episode, Kirk and Trevor learn how a small business created a durable Chelsea Boot Kirk now wears as his casual winter shoe.

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While traveling the Saskatchewan highways, Kirk sees a sign in the ditch directing him to a unique recreational cannabis shop. He takes a hard left to visit a First Nations Reserve looking for a simple short Road Story. Instead, he finds Montana, a caring individual who manages his reserve's recreational cannabis store with a harm reductionists approach.  This simple short Road Story became an entire episode.  Listen to how one individual can help a community with cannabis.

Kirk brings Trevor another batch of Summer Road Stories. Kirk spent time traveling through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba learning from Bud Tenders. We hear how CBG, the Cannabinoid of the summer, is “a bubble bath for the brain”. Kirk and guests discuss the strategies Bud Tenders use to help people buy their medical cannabis. While sitting in one small town, a long boarder stopped to talk about the cool van Kirk is travelling in and leaves a cannabis story behind that teases the Manitoba Government. Summers are short in Canada but the stories about cannabis are never ending. Tune in to this episode for some grass roots My Cannabis Stories from Prairie people

We first met Spencer Payson in Episode 75 - Road Stories. When he opened a new store in our hometown of Dauphin Manitoba, Kirk went to say hello. Talking to an owner of a Recreation Cannabis store provides practical insights to how society is changing it perception on cannabis. Sitting in the staff room of his new store, Spencer shares personal and professional stories about his cannabis experiences. We also learn how he trains his staff to assist those customers looking to buy their medical cannabis from his recreational store.

Canadians are changing their perspective of cannabis. People are using it as medicine and access has never been easier. Why is this bad? Why should anyone care how we access our medicinal cannabis? Canada is one of the few countries with federally legal cannabis. However, Canadians are not all benefiting from the creation of the Cannabis Act. There are barriers doing cannabis clinical research. Many prescribers and provincial health systems still refuse to help patients safely access medicinal cannabis despite legalization. This is just not good health care according to Dr. Lynda Balneaves. Her team set out to quantify patients’ hurdles with the Medical Cannabis Access and Experiences in Canada Study. In this episode, Kirk and Trevor explore how medical cannabis is different from recreational cannabis and how the status quo of lumping them together is just not good for patient care.

Kieley is in the lead as our most interviewed guest. Kirk still teases Trevor how he blushed back on E34 when Trevor and Kieley talked about cannabis and sexual dysfunction. We talked to her on the Craft Cannabis Panel on E63 and during our trip to Calgary Hemfest in E78. Today we catch up with this cannabis entrepreneur and force of nature. The company she founded, Parkland Flower, is winning awards and she is pursuing new ventures with Hyde Advisory and Investments. Come listen to the evolution of a entrepreneur and where Kieley thinks the cannabis space is headed!

On July 23, 1983 at an altitude of 41,000 feet, Air Canada Flight 143 travelling between Montreal and Edmonton ran out of fuel because of confusion between metric and imperial measurements. However, the crew of the Boeing 767 successfully landed the passenger jet in Manitoba’s Interlake in what is now known as the Gimli Glider. That intrepid flight crew applied their years of training and experience to an unprecedented situation to become heroes. Much like when a PhD with international training in biochemistry, genetics and pharmaceutical manufacturing successfully glides into the cannabis space. Meet Dr. Brent Guppy and BioScision Pharma. This wide-ranging conversation covers sexing plants, topicals with microbial contamination, testing cannabis for heavy metals and our new favorite word to try to say five times fast “nanoemulsions”. Did we mention BioScision’s retail line, Hwy 59 Cannabis, has a vape cart named after the famous unpowered Boeing 767 that landed in a certain Icelandic town?

Kirk and Trevor bring you a Road Story that they didn’t need to leave home to find. A Mobile Cannabis Shop parked at Dauphin’s Countryfest, Canada’s longest running country music festival. Delta 9, Manitoba’s own Licensed Producer, made history as this was the first Mobile Cannabis store in Canada! The Delta 9 Mobile Cannabis Store was licensed by the Liquor Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba to sell cannabis at the 2022 Dauphin’s Countryfest site and again the 2022 Rockin’ the Fields of Minnedosa site later in the summer. Marshall Posner, Chief Marketing Officer for Delta 9, explained the nuances of selling cannabis at an outdoor summer music festival and how this was a history making event. Did Cannabis bring a new “chill” to Canada’s hottest country music festival? Have a listen and discover Cannabis is on the Go in Manitoba.

At the beginning of the Pandemic, we met Eric Greening. He wanted to start a craft cannabis operation just outside our hometown of Dauphin. We check in with Eric and see how pandemic construction has been going, and as a preview for our eventual facility tour! Trevor and Kirk also discuss what Trevor is and is not allowed to tell patients about cannabis as a pharmacist. Our My Cannabis story is HiND. They make special jars for your cannabis and other fashion items.

Traveling the Yellowhead Highway eastward, Kirk leaves Alberta behind. Visiting local Cannabis Stores, he collects and shares more Road Stories from the Bud Tenders he meets along his way back home to Manitoba

Do you have a favourite craft cannabis flower? Are you getting what you think you ordered? Think again. While attending the Calgary Hempfest, Kirk and Trevor gathered five Micro Cultivation License holders (plus a surprise cameo contributor!) to discuss the recreational cannabis retail space. The conversation revealed a complicated system of regulations, policies, and red tape which affect their ability to build brand loyalty. Although these passionate growers produce excellent weed, it is surprisingly difficult for their high quality, small batch, hand trimmed product to reach you, the consumer. Packaging, sale by lottery, and ambiguously named SKU's are some of the many convoluted rules of the game. Kirk and Trevor ponder whether the current recreational cannabis system actually prevents us from properly understanding the cannabis product we are purchasing, and how small cannabis producers might eventually break even.

One of the reason Reefer MEDness started was becasuse Trevor couldn't understand why medicinal cannabis wasn't in pharmacies.  Well, all the barriers aren't down yet but meet Rahim Dhalla.  We've talked to Rahim before, but this time we dive into the workings of his pharmacy, Hybrid Pharm.  Hybrid Pharm is a regular pharmacy where you can pick up your diabetes meds, get your flu shot and lately they are even doing COVID-19 testing.  But Hybrid Pharm is special for many reasons.  Not the least of which is, if all the paperwork is in place, you can walk into Hybrid Pharm and pick up your medicinal cannabis.  Welcome to the future, as Kirk and Trevor talk with Rahim about how this all works.

Description

“David Crosby, I read your chart man” is how Kirk starts his long-awaited chat with one of pop-culture’s most notorious Cannabis influencers. In 50-years, David Crosby has had a very public relationship with cannabis, addictions, incarceration, and relationships, which he willingly discusses. With thoughtful understanding that these past behaviours are well reported elsewhere, Kirk digs into current events asking his guest to speak to his new relationship with legal and medicinal cannabis. They discuss his involvement with NORML, his “Mighty Croz” branding, focusing mostly on his medical uses of cannabis; they even exchange their wives’ cookie recipe and how cannabis has become a very calculated element of David Crosby’s day-to-day creative life-style.

Kirk travels back to familiar territory. The master of the cold-call finds opportunity to bring listeners a couple Cannabis stories while visiting his Alberta family. Canadian listeners will remember how the hamlet of Lac La Biche helped the citizens of Fort McMurry after the great fire of May 2016. During his visit to this beautiful lake side community, Kirk spoke with the owner of Equilibrium, Lac La Biche’s first independent retail cannabis store. He then happened upon the grand opening of Spiritleaf, where he spoke with the happy owners of this franchise store. In this episode we learn from these front-line retailers about the Alberta market place and how a small town Alberta is not going without.  Alberta is kicking butt and taking names when it comes to legal Cannabis Retail.  Hey Ontario and BC, maybe you need a lesson from Wild Rose Country?

We are looking back on the Summer of 2019.  One of Kirk and Trevor's highlites was going to HempFest in Saskatoon.  We talked to Jodi McDonald of Keystone Labs.  Jodi's company will sell you a "Key Box" to allow you to get lab quality analysis of your home grown cannabis.  And Jodi is infectiously  animated when she explain HPLC and mass spec.  Robert Belanger is a potter whose ceramic pipes are stronger than glass.  Robert gets the unusual complaint that his smoking accessories are too beautiful to use.  Lane Britnell goes deep on growing media.  Lane explains why "Dirt is dead.  Soil is alive."

What should you expect when shopping for cannabis in Manitoba?  Do you need your ID?  Can you order ahead?  Will your Cannabis be delivered? Is the staff educated on product?  Kirk visits a friendly place prepared to assist you with discovering Cannabis.  We are invited to tour one of the two Winnipeg based “Garden Variety” resale outlets.  Garden Variety “strives to elevate the industry and the retail experience with customer service that is anything but ordinary, while offering new products at an affordable price.”  Conveniently located near the international airport, both Winnipeggers and visitors to our provincial capital, have access to well-informed “Mood Makers.”  One Mood Maker helps Kirk with deciding the best flower for doing yard work.  You will be surprised how choosing the proper cannabis product can require some sophisticated thinking. This episode may increase your expectations on customer service; listen with caution.

Travel with Kirk and Trevor beyond simple harm reduction strategies. Kirk brings us stories from Vancouver Island to Gimli, showing us how the Cannabis Culture helps people be well. In Part 1, we meet Kevin Donnelly from Newleaf Outreach.  This new autonomous peer driven harm reduction group in Nanaimo, British Columbia promotes that drug peoples’ rights are human rights.  They also believe cannabis plays a role for people with substance use disorders. Then Kirk goes south to see Julia Veintrop from the Victoria Cannabis Buyers Club.  The VCBC is an important historic advocacy agency.  They've taken cannabis cases to the Supreme Court, but more importantly they have 23 years of experience assisting people with accessing affordable cannabis as their medicine. From new to established, Vancouver Island shows us the strength of peers helping peers. We have a My Cannabis Story from Char about a not so positive experience at a Guns N Roses concert. Come back for Part 2!  Gimli has more to offer than Crown Royal and the Icelandic Festival.

Trevor and Kirk went to the Cannabis and Hemp Expo in Winnipeg Sept 30, 2018.  They talked to lots of fascinating people!  They brought you 4 stories.  Savethedrive.com's CEO Chanel Graham was a home care nurse when she saw a need for getting cannabis to people who couldn't leave their homes.  Brad Pattison of Brad Pattison Pet Wellness stops cats from launching aerial attacks on their owners.  Dr. Brent Guppy of Synthase Genetics can help producers identify the genes to make better cannabis strains.  Nathan the VP of Community Outreach with the Winnipeg 420 group talked about 420 in 2019.  Recreational Cannabis is legal, but will everyone at the event at the Leg now be fined? 

What is the name of the trophy Governor General of Canada of 1892 had named after him?  Need a hint?  The winners of the trophy in 1971-72 had their names misspelled on the trophy as the “Boston Bruins.”   What does that trophy have to do with Dauphin and the fact recreational Cannabis will be legal October 17/18?  Find out, plus learn all sorts of interesting details about legalization from the CEO of Delta-9 John Arbuthnot.  Come for the mystery.  Stay for the Cannabis legalization education!  My Cannabis story is a young woman with pain from cancer treatment... with a happy ending!

Crystal Ball time!  What will cannabis stores in Manitoba look like?  Kirk goes south to Fort Collins, Colorado and visits a dispensary there.  What does a legal cannabis store look like?  How do the staff interact with customers?  Is it a nice inviting place or a seedy, run down, scary place?  I think you need to have a listen!