Are you running your cannabis business on gut instinct or hard numbers? In a volatile, state-by-state landscape where headlines rarely tell the whole story, relying on assumptions is a fast track to getting left behind.

In this episode of High Spirits, hosts Ben Larson & AnnaRae Grabstein are joined by Leah Spokojny, Chief Revenue Officer of BDSA, the industry’s leading market research and analytics firm. Together, they dive deep into the changing dynamics of mature versus emerging markets, the shifting consumer preferences of Gen Z versus Millennials, and how cutting-edge AI integrations like Claude’s Model Context Protocol (MCP) are transforming how operators interact with market intelligence.

What You’ll Learn

• The Inhalable Divide: Why Gen Z is flocking to vapes while Millennials still prefer rolling their own joints, and what this means for your product development.
• Deciphering the Hemp THC Boom: A realistic look at the retail future of hemp-derived THC beverages and whether they act as a gateway or a threat to traditional dispensaries.
• SaaS vs. Raw Data Quality: Why user interfaces are taking a backseat to clean, structured data as AI and conversational LLMs become the ultimate analytical assistants.
• State-by-State Realities: Under-the-hood insights into Michigan’s relentless price compression, California’s category shifts, and Virginia's trajectory toward 2030.

Meet the Guest

Leah Spokojny is the Chief Revenue Officer at BDSA, where she leads the charge in translating complex, fragmented cannabis market data into actionable retail and brand strategy. Bringing over a decade of foundational experience in mainstream CPG and healthcare market research, Leah joined the cannabis sector in 2019. Since then, she has focused on pioneering methodology and consumer insights to help brands, retailers, and investors successfully navigate the industry's messiest data challenges.

Why Tune In?

If you want to stop guessing your market position and start pricing, packaging, and scaling with precision, this episode provides the data-backed roadmap you need to gain a true competitive edge.

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

--
High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover?

Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows.

THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations.

Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.

The rules of the cannabis economy are being rewritten right now in a small, secure federal courtroom in Northern Virginia. While July usually signals a summer slowdown for the industry, the exact opposite is happening.

In this week's live episode breakdown, AnnaRae Grabstein (Co-Host of High Spirits) steps into the arena alongside Jay Rosenthal (Cultivated) and legal analyst Marc Hauser (Cannabis Musings). Together, they pull back the curtain on the opaque DEA administrative hearings regarding the federal rescheduling of adult-use marijuana.

From the bizarre bifurcation of medical versus adult-use policy to Virginia’s impending local market launch, this conversation cuts through the legal jargon to deliver the raw, unvarnished market realities that mainstream headlines completely miss.

💡 What You’ll Learn:

• The Schedule III Mystery: Why the federal government took pains to fit medical cannabis into a specific DEA buy/sell framework, yet left adult-use trapped in administrative purgatory.
• The Litigation Chess Match: Why the seemingly dry, "bibliography-style" DEA hearings are actually a methodical setup for the massive federal court battles ahead.
• The Interstate Commerce Catch-22: How shifting to Schedule III without explicit DEA registration might keep state-line walls up—and why top law firms won't bless exchange up-listing just yet.
• Virginia for Virginians?: A realistic look at the Commonwealth’s upcoming 2027 market, skyrocketing license values, and whether states can truly box out major Multi-State Operators (MSOs).
• The Capital Gap: Why state-level, SBA-style funding—not just local protectionism—is the only real way independent craft operators can survive against heavily funded players.

🚀 Why Tune In?

If you are a cannabis or hemp operator, entrepreneur, or executive trying to forecast where your capital and supply chains should go over the next 24 months, you cannot afford to guess. This episode offers an expert-level breakdown of the legal mechanics and regulatory hurdles shaping the future of retail, investment, and interstate trade. Tune in to get the strategic insights you need to navigate an increasingly complex, fragmented marketplace.

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

--
High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover?

Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows.

THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations.

Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.

While most multi-state operators are racing to build massive houses of brands, one independent Ohio operator made the exact opposite bet—and won.

About This Episode: In this episode of High Spirits, hosts Ben Larson & AnnaRae Grabstein sit down with Zach Weprin, President of Certified Cultivators, to unpack how his family-owned, vertically integrated company captured an impressive 7% market share in Ohio. Zach shares the raw, behind-the-scenes journey of transforming a former auto parts warehouse into a top-tier cultivation facility, navigating the shift from medical to adult-use, and why they choose to double down on a single brand name across flower, vapes, edibles, and beverages.

What You’ll Learn:

• The Single-Brand Strategy: Why Certified rejected the "house of brands" model and how putting all their equity into one name drove massive consumer trust.
• Wholesale vs. Retail Economics: Why Zach is prioritizing a robust wholesale engine over retail footprint saturation in a limited-license market.
• The Three Pillars of Cultivation Success: How balancing genetics, environmental control, and team culture creates "lightning in a bottle."
• Bootcamp for Cannabis: Why a background in the high-stakes hospitality and restaurant industry is the ultimate foundation for scaling a cannabis business.

Meet the Guest:

Zach Weprin is the co-founder and President of Certified Cultivators, one of the premier independently owned, vertically integrated cannabis companies in Ohio. Before entering the cannabis industry in 2017 alongside his father, Zach spent a decade building a highly successful fast-casual sushi chain. His deep hospitality background shapes Certified’s focus on culture, operational efficiency, and community-driven brand building, cementing their spot at the top of the rapidly growing Ohio market.

Why Tune In? If you are an operator, entrepreneur, or investor trying to navigate market compression and brand differentiation, this conversation provides a masterclass on capital efficiency, vertical integration tactics, and true brand discipline in a shifting regulatory landscape.

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

--
High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover?

Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows.

THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations.

Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.

What happens when a 115-year-old family farm bets its entire legacy on the future of cannabis? You get New York’s top-selling beverage and vape brand, bringing in over $75M in retail sales.

In this episode of High Spirits, host AnnaRae Grabstein holds down the fort while Ben Larson is away on paternity leave. She sits down with Eddie Brennan, CEO of ayrloom, to dissect their meteoric rise in the New York market and how they utilized centuries of agricultural and alcohol distribution expertise to dominate cannabis. Plus, the episode kicks off with an exclusive, boots-on-the-ground debrief from Laura Fogelman, Chief of Staff at PAX, who sharing her firsthand, unfiltered notes from inside day one of the historic DEA rescheduling hearings.

What You’ll Learn

• The DEA Hearing Inside Scoop: Why the recent DEA hearings had tighter security than a fortress, who was actually in the room, and how the DEA is vigorously defending Schedule III.
• The Blueprint for $75M in Retail Sales: How ayrloom scaled to millions of units in New York by prioritizing true vertical integration and agricultural consistency.
• Borrowing from Big Alcohol: Why hiring from CPG giants like Anheuser-Busch and Proctor & Gamble beats relying solely on cannabis industry transplants.
• Navigating the Looming Hemp Cliff: Eddie’s candid, changing outlook on the future of the hemp-derived THC beverage market ahead of upcoming November regulations.

Meet the Guests

Eddie Brennan is the President of Beak & Skiff and the CEO of ayrloom. As a fifth-generation leader of a 1,000-acre New York apple orchard, Eddie successfully pivoted the legacy farm into a top 10 national hard cider brand (1911 Established) before betting the farm on regulated cannabis and hemp-derived beverages.

Laura Fogelman is the Chief of Staff and Head of Strategic Communications at PAX. With a deep background in public affairs and brand strategy, Laura sits at the intersection of product innovation and federal cannabis policy reform.

Why Tune In?

Whether you are trying to navigate shifting state regulations or scale a beverage brand across state lines, this conversation delivers an essential masterclass in applying institutional CPG discipline to the chaotic realities of modern cannabis.

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

--
High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover?

Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows.

THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations.

Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.

The cannabis industry is sprinting toward major U.S. stock exchanges, but a high-stakes showdown in Washington could completely rewrite the rules of the game.

On this episode of This Week in Cannabis Live, host Jay Rosenthal and the Cultivated Media team (Jeremy Berke) are joined by regular panel experts AnnaRae Grabstein (High Spirits) and Marc Hauser (Cannabis Musings) to break down a massive transparency battle unfolding at the DEA.

As major operators find creative new legal pathways to land on the NYSE, the federal government is preparing to hold its historic Schedule III rescheduling hearings entirely behind closed doors. From "prohibitionist theater" in DC to trade association collapses in Canada, the panel cuts through the noise to show operators, entrepreneurs, and executives where the industry is actually heading.

What You’ll Learn:

• The "Medical-Until-Retail" Loophole: How Glass House Brands followed Trulieve's fast follow to the NYSE by deconsolidating its supply chain, and what it means for up-supply chain operators.
• The DEA’s Secret Hearings: Why the public and media are being locked out of the historic Schedule III rescheduling trial, and the grassroots legal effort to force a live stream.
• The Skepticism Behind Schedule III: Will the DEA actually defend cannabis reform in court, or are we witnessing performative prohibitionist theater?
• Why Trade Associations are Failing: What the sudden shutdown of the Cannabis Council of Canada teaches us about fractured supply chain desires and industry normalization.
• The Federal Lobbying Boom: Why Washington lawyers and lobbyists are the biggest financial winners of the current regulatory whiplash.

Meet the Panel:

• Jay Rosenthal & Jeremy Berke: Co-founders of Cultivated Media, the leading daily briefing for cannabis business and policy professionals.
• AnnaRae Grabstein: Regular panel guest, cannabis compliance expert, and co-host of High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast.
• Marc Hauser: Cannabis legal strategist and author of Cannabis Musings.

Why Tune In?

If you are an operator trying to project your 2026 tax burden, a hemp brand surviving daily regulatory whiplash, or an investor tracking macro capital inflows, this breakdown is essential. The Cultivated panel uncovers the hidden structural risks of asset deconsolidation and gives you a front-row seat to the most consequential federal drug policy battle in fifty years.

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

--
High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover?

Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows.

THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations.

Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.

Live from the media stage at IgniteIt Chicago, High Spirits co-host AnnaRae Grabstein conducts five lightning-round interviews with the industry’s sharpest minds. From the realities of major M&A integration and enterprise AI deployment to a wild on-stage metaphor involving a literal caterpillar, this special bonus episode captures the exact energy, momentum, and anxiety of the current market.

Featuring insights from Patrick Lane, Ed Keating, Sarah McLaughlin, Jordan Eisenstat, and Dr. Lucas McCann.

What You’ll Learn:

• Data-Driven AI: How Claude and custom AI tools are replacing manual analytics for conference organizers and content creators.
• Navigating Consolidation: The operational reality of merging with your top competitor and how to manage staff during a surprise buyout.
• Formulation & Hemp Risk: Why the upcoming November hemp regulations are forcing a strategic pivot for edible and beverage brands.
• The Global Opportunity: How Canadian export data shows a clear survival blueprint for lean American operators looking overseas.

Why Tune In?

Get a seat on the expo floor and hear exactly how top cannabis executives, PR strategists, and scientists are preparing their businesses for the next 12 months of federal policy changes.

Timestamps:

0:00 - Live Podcast Kickoff with Patrick Lane (IgniteIt)

5:30 - M&A Data & Vendor Shakeouts with Ed Keating (Emerald Intel)

14:25 - Why Gummies Dominate the Market with Sarah McLaughlin (Melt Make)

20:45 - AI Disrupting PR Workflows with Jordan Eisenstat (Marino PR)

29:20 - Bold Policy Forecasts & Global Markets with Dr. Lucas McCann (CannDelta)

36:30 - Final Wrap-Up

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

--
High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover?

Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows.

THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations.

Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.

The federal government has officially rewritten the history books by shifting medicinal cannabis to Schedule III—and Glass House Brands is making a massive, unprecedented chess move to capitalize on it.

About This Episode

In this episode of High Spirits, hosts Ben Larson & AnnaRae Grabstein sit down with Graham Farrar, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Cannabis Officer of Glass House Brands. Graham breaks down Glass House’s recent structural deconsolidation to position itself as a 100% medicinal company ready for a historic NYSE up-listing. The trio dives deep into why the DEA's recent actions aren't standard bureaucracy, how the Dormant Commerce Clause will eventually force a 50-state open market, and why the West Coast is uniquely positioned to dominate the global cannabis stage.

What You’ll Learn

• The Deconsolidation Strategy: Why Glass House split its retail operations from cultivation to align with federal Schedule III protections and target a major US stock exchange listing.
• Reading the DEA’s Playbook: Inside the unexpected speed, proactive drug code updates, and "pendency rules" that show the current administration’s true intention to move fast.
• The Dormant Commerce Clause & Interstate Trade: Why state-level protectionism will inevitably fall, and how shipping bulk, non-final form cannabis circumvents current regulatory gridlocks.
• The European Premium: Graham's key takeaways from Berlin on why international markets are willing to pay a premium for California culture and sun-grown genetics.

Meet the Guest

Graham Farrar is the President, Co-Founder, and Chief Cannabis Officer of Glass House Brands (NEO: GLAS.A.U) (OTCQX: GLASF), one of the largest vertically integrated cannabis companies in the United States. A serial entrepreneur and tech alumnus (including being part of the founding teams at Software.com and Sonos), Graham has spent the last decade building Glasshouse into a powerhouse that operates the largest legal greenhouse facility in the world in Carpinteria, California. Beyond cannabis, he is a dedicated music enthusiast who served on the board of the Santa Barbara Bowl for 18 years.

Why Tune In?

If you are an operator, investor, or executive waiting for "the other shoe to drop" on scheduling, this episode is a blueprint for proactive leadership. Learn how the biggest players are shifting from a defensive posture to an offensive, global scale strategy before the ink on federal reform is even dry.

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

--
High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover?

Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows.

THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations.

Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.

Cannabis Business News Roundup w/ Ben & AnnaRae

The landscape of cannabis and hemp policy is shifting beneath our feet faster than ever, forcing operators to constantly adapt to changing regulatory enforcement and market expansions. In this rapid-fire roundup, hosts Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein dial in from across the country to break down the massive institutional shifts happening this week in public markets, state enforcement, and national policy.

In this episode, Ben joins directly from a break at the invitation-only CANRA (Cannabis Regulators Association) meeting in Oklahoma City to share what regulators are saying behind closed doors about cannabinoid access. Together, they unpack the structural drag of Metric track-and-trace fees, the strategic pivot toward debt over equity capital, and the industry-altering milestone of Trulieve listing on the New York Stock Exchange. They also discuss California's clunky new voluntary AI packaging review tool, state-level updates from Louisiana and Idaho, and a hopeful push toward contiguous, multi-state laboratory testing standards.

What You’ll Learn:

• Behind the Scenes at CANRA: What state regulators really think about where hemp and cannabis cannabinoids should be sold.
• The Track-and-Trace Financial Drag: Why operators and regulators alike are pushing back against the operational costs of Metric data-point fees.
• Trulieve on the NYSE: What Trulieve’s historic New York Stock Exchange debut means for cannabis public equities and broader market liquidity.
• AI vs. Regulatory Reality: A critique of the California DCC's new voluntary AI image tool designed to flag youth-appealing packaging.

Why Tune In? This conversation delivers unfiltered, executive-level context on the financial and regulatory infrastructure changes that will dictate how your business secures capital, designs packaging, and moves product across state lines.

Have a question for us? Send us a text. We may answer it in the next show!

--
High Spirits is brought to you by Vertosa and Wolf Meyer.

Your hosts are Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein.

Follow High Spirits on LinkedIn.

We'd love to hear your thoughts. Who would you like to see on the show? What topics would you like to have us cover?

Visit our website www.highspiritspod.com and listen to all of our past shows.

THANK YOU to our audience. Your engagement encourages us to keep bringing you these thought-provoking conversations.

Remember to always stay curious, stay informed, and most importantly, keep your spirits high.