Went to the FDA office in New York yesterday morning ??
What a memorable experience.
A few weeks ago, I received a surprise call from the President of The Central Atlantic States Association of Food & Drug Officials (CASA). She kindly invited me to speak about cannabis business, specifically focusing on cannabis edibles. ??
I’ll admit, I hadn’t heard of the organization before, but her passion for bringing cannabis into the conversation was infectious (seriously, I could hear her smile over the phone ??), and I couldn’t say no.
A whole 45 min (actually went 1hr w/ all the great questions) window.
It didn’t FULLY dawn on me until just a week before the event that I would be speaking in the actual FDA building! Wait, what?! ??
This was a moment that may be normal to others — but that I’ve dreamed about. ??
I've always believed in the importance of integrating federal standards into cannabis businesses now, so that we can avoid arduous retroactive changes later ??
I’ve worked hard to help clients implement these standards to the best of my ability (given that I am not a federal official or lawyer) — even when it’s felt like a stretch beyond what many cannabis regulations currently demand.
It was a day dream come true to interact with people who have deep experience in federal regulation, standardization & compliance and be able to share with them the opportunities for us (the cannabis industry) to collaborate with them and learn from them as we work towards being more legitimized. ???
I kept this opportunity to myself leading up to the event. Something about it was special to me, and I didn’t want too many questions or unsolicited opinions ????♀?
The positive response I received was incredible and totally unexpected. Everyone was kind, interesting & curious to learn more and see how they could help.
My heart sparkled when one woman said “you sparked my interest in the cannabis space.” ??
As I prepared my presentation ?????? I considered a MILLION different things to share and directions to go.
It wasn’t until I quieted my mind, finally sat still, and tapped in to my heart to ask what I authentically wanted to share that it started to come together.
?? I had to let go of trying to be perfect and say the perfect things.
?? It wasn’t about being the most dazzling public speaker of all time
?? My focus was on doing my best to add value to the conversation ????????
Based on the response, I think this was a good step forward in accomplishing that ?
It was rewarding to share insights and learn from everyone present and it’s a first step to being closer to a seat at this table ??
A heartfelt ?? thank you Christine Testa REHS RS, CPFS for believing in me and giving me this chance to lead the discussion with AFDO. I’m so grateful! And a big shoutout to Darrell Newell for being incredibly helpful and capturing some great moments! ??
#cannabisindustry #cannabisbusiness #cannabisconsulting Cann Strategy