Consulting

Public policy and public opinion about cannabis are rapidly shifting. We can help you understand the landscape so you can focus on your work.

Forget what you think you know

We all have preconceived notions about cannabis. You might even still call it marijuana (we promise, we won’t judge). The reality is that cannabis businesses are made up of passionate and professional individuals who value their community and care deeply about their customers.

You want to engage with them? Break down your biases and build up your knowledge.

For governments

As with any industry, there are public risks that can and should be addressed by government. But they’re probably not the risks you would expect. 

To develop meaningful laws, you need to understand how cannabis businesses operate. We can help.

  • Need to get up to speed fast? We can help your team learn about the cannabis market. It’s an industry primer, tailored to your specific needs.

  • Are you developing a regulatory framework? We’ve been there. We can help you develop policies that further your community’s goals while allowing businesses to be successful. We can also help if you

  • Are you already working on implementation? Yep, you guessed it: we’ve been there, too. From licensing to inspections, we can help you leverage existing teams and processes to provide comprehensive oversight.

For academics

Academe is catching up to cannabis. Research and education have been sorely behind society’s progress, but we’re seeing that change: university-based cannabis research centers, college courses and certificate programs, and expansion of government-provided research funding all signal an evolution in academic thinking.

If you’re studying or teaching about cannabis, we can sharpen your focus.

  • We’re not researchers by trade. But we do deeply understand cannabis policy and government approaches to legalization. We can help you:

    • Understand how your research intersects with government policy

    • Contextualize and translate your findings into policy recommendations

    • Explore where new information or research is needed

    • Support your grant application with policy expertise

  • Are you teaching the next generation of policy and business professionals? We wholeheartedly support that.

    We can lend our expertise to help you with course development or join your class as a guest lecturer.

For non-cannabis businesses

So you’re considering working with or providing services to the cannabis industry. Great! Cannabis businesses need services, use specialized equipment and engage in partnerships. It’s a fast-growing market sector with a unique customer base.

But there can often be barriers to engaging with cannabis businesses – especially within big corporations. Lack of knowledge. Presumptions. Poor understanding of the risks.

We can help you break down those barriers, so you can do your best work and sidestep major risk.

By working with cannabis businesses, you can expand your footprint and build your business, while helping someone else in the process.

  • Need to understand how the cannabis industry operates? We can teach you – and help you identify overlap with your work.

  • Engaging with a new market or a new partner carries risks, and we’re not going to lie: those risks are heightened in an industry with murky legality. But risk shouldn’t stop you from pursuing opportunity. We can help you understand government regulatory frameworks, real versus perceived risks, and how you can proceed with caution.

For individuals

Need a sounding board? It’s hard to find good sources of information about cannabis or policy experts who are free of bias (either for or against cannabis).

Whether you’re doing some planning, are mulling options, or are deep in the thick of hard work, we’re happy to offer an ear. We can give you the been-there-done-that (and don’t-do-that-again) perspective as your strategic thought partner.

We are a confidant to government and corporate leaders. We listen, give feedback, and help you understand your options.

Importantly, we don’t have financial involvement with cannabis businesses, and we’re not trying to sell cannabis products to consumers. So, you can trust what you’re hearing.

For the cannabis industry

We don’t offer any services directly to cannabis businesses. It’s part of how we maintain our impartiality.

There are plenty of others who do that kind of work, though. If you need help finding someone, reach out.