EPISODE #154 The Rise of the US Craft Cannabis Industry with Max Simon, CEO & Co-Founder of Green Flower - Show Notes

This week, we welcome back Max Simon, CEO & Co-Founder of Green Flower - industry leading cannabis education platform empowering the next generation of cannabis professionals.

We investigate the nuances that define 'craft' cannabis, how it is distinct from mass market flower, and why top quality cannabis products can be so hard to find in legal mass markets.

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About Max Simon

Max Simon’s vision to change the world’s understanding of cannabis led him to create Green Flower, a first-of- its-kind education company, in 2014. Green Flower has since become the recognised industry leader in cannabis education and training, producing the world’s largest library of online cannabis courses; bolstering a network of more than 700 leading cannabis experts; powering the cannabis curriculums of multiple Universities across the US; successfully training cannabis workforces around the world; and creating the esteemed Ganjier Certification, known as the Cannabis Sommelier Certification.

Max’s mission to educate the world about cannabis echoes his earlier work in bringing mind-body wellness and meditation into the mainstream as the Director of Consumer Products for world-renowned self-help guru Deepak Chopra. Max rebranded that company, developed and launched 49 signature products, and helped millions of people improve the quality of their lives along the way.

Green Flower is also a deeply personal mission for Max, who has successfully used cannabis for more than two decades as an integral part of his wellness regime—and to aid in the treatment of his ADHD.

Episode Summary

• Max has worked in digital media and digital education his whole career, having spent time working for Deepak Chopra, building his digital product division, alongside digital marketing.
• He started Green Flower as a consumer-facing education platform after seeing the enormous potential of the cannabis industry.
• Max has been a medical cannabis patient for many decades, using cannabis daily to help control the symptoms of his ADHD.
• For him, it is the only medicine that has worked effectively, helping him to stay focused and sleep better.
• Founded in 2014, Green Flower is the industry leader in cannabis education, empowering thousands of consumers, regulators, and professionals with the knowledge they need to succeed in the emerging cannabis industry today.?
• Green Flower’s content and technology platform powers the cannabis programs of top universities and colleges across the country, provides customized learning and compliance solutions for cannabis businesses of all sizes and equips individuals with the skills and credentials necessary to make an impact in the modern cannabis industry.
• Green Flower now partners with leading US universities including Syracuse University, University of California, and Riverside University of Illinois to offer cannabis education programmes.
• Topics of education include cannabis business, agriculture, horticulture program, medical applications program, the medical efficacy of cannabis, and law and policy.
• One of Green Flower’s more notable programmes is their Ganjier Cannabis Sommelier Certification Program, which is a first-of-its-kind, rigorous, multi-tiered certification created and taught by the most respected names in the field with the intent of producing an entirely new class of cannabis professional—the Ganjier.
• Its three underpinning pillars are understanding quality, understanding how to assess the quality and understanding how that translates into service to consumers. It is offered as a? year-long, intensive training programme.
• The company has found that better-trained people stay within their job longer, contribute more deeply to their organization, and can operate with greater compliance.
• Max defines craft cannabis as the understanding of the nuances that go into making a cannabis product high quality.
• As part of the Ganjier programme, Green Flower developed a systematic assessment protocol that assesses cannabis flower and concentrates through 33 points/characteristics.
• The 33 points fit into four categories - flavour, aroma, appearance, and experience.
• Max suggests that there is little differentiation within the marketplace at the moment, that craft cannabis becomes ‘drowned out’.?
• With education, comes the acknowledgement of higher quality, or ‘craft cannabis’, which in turn will help to elevate standards within the market.
• Max suggests that many consumers are drawn to the illicit market because it provides nuanced, specialist cannabis products which cannot be found within the mass market.
• Max suggests that in 2022, more than 5 US states will legalise adult use

Quotables

‘I have an unwavering certainty that not only cannabis can be used medicinally, but for many different conditions’

‘If you want people to be successful, they need to have good education and training to play that role successfully’

Resources

Green Flower’s Website: https://www.green-flower.com/

Green Flower’s Ganjier Programme: https://www.green-flower.com/certificates#ganjier

Follow Green Flower on Linkedin: https://www.dhirubhai.net/school/greenflower/

Connect with Max on Linkedin: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/max-simon-b51161156/

About Me

I'm?Anuj Desai - a commercial advisor, lawyer and founder of Canverse - a strategic consultancy helping founders, entrepreneurs and businesses navigate the emerging cannabis industry.

Please follow?The Cannabis Conversation to keep up to date with news and insights from the industry, and get in touch at [email protected] to discuss how I can help your business move forward in the cannabis sector!

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