Welcome to the Innovating Cannabis Podcast, where you will meet the people breaking barriers in the cannabis industry, both locally, nationally, and internationally, with a focus on business, entrepreneurship, cultivation, manufacturing, retail, brands, science, and policy.
Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com
209_ Inside Leef Brands Business Strategy with Micah Anderson
Today I'm joined by Micah Anderson, CEO of Leef Brands (https://leefbrands.com/), one of California's major cannabis concentrate producers.
Micah has spent more than 30 years in cannabis, starting as a cultivator in Mendocino County. Today, he runs a publicly traded company that invests heavily in outdoor cultivation to control its supply chain, cut production costs, and produce clean, high-quality concentrates.
We talk about why Leef built its own large-scale cultivation operation in a secluded Santa Barbara valley, the growing problem of pesticide contamination in California, and why the company recently pulled back from New York after spending more than a year operating there.
Micah also shares some interesting insights into the economics of cannabis extraction, his plans for the hemp market, and how he's preparing Leef for a future when cannabis products may move across state lines and into international markets.
The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer (https://linktr.ee/pamchmiel)and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal (https://cannabisindustryjournal.com/).
Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-chmiel/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/entrepreneurpam) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/maryjanesocietypodcast/)
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21 Sept 2026
208_ What Happened to Cannabis in Alabama?
Like many Southern states, Alabama developed a strong hemp market while access to legal marijuana remained extremely limited.
My guest, Jennifer Boozer Stewart, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sweethomecannabama/) opened CannaBama, the state’s first CBD shop, in 2018. She hosts a radio show focused on the plant and the endocannabinoid system and has spent years advocating at the State House.
But Alabama allowed the hemp market to grow largely unchecked before imposing restrictions that put responsible, self-regulating businesses like Jennifer’s out of business.
At the same time, the state’s medical program has barely gotten off the ground. There are only a handful of dispensaries, and women of childbearing age are required to undergo monthly pregnancy testing to maintain their certification.
Jennifer and I talk about what happened in Alabama, what the state got wrong, and where the industry goes from here.
The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer (https://linktr.ee/pamchmiel)and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal (https://cannabisindustryjournal.com/).
Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-chmiel/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/entrepreneurpam) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/maryjanesocietypodcast/)
Please like the show to help us reach more listeners🙏🏻
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
6 Sept 2026
207: How Drop is Connecting Dispensaries and Delivery Drivers
In this episode, Kat Savoy and Teri LeBlanc, co-founders of Drop, (https://getthedrop.co/) explain why legal cannabis delivery is so hard to pull off and how they’re building a tech platform to fix it.
While consumer demand is there, operators get crushed by seed-to-sale tracking, strict state licensing, and scattered orders. Drop acts as the middle-layer software—connecting dispensaries, social-equity transporters, and customers to handle handoffs and strip out the extra admin work.
What we cover:
Why small order volumes kill local delivery fleets.
Automating Metrc manifests and ID checks in the field.
How Drop links dispensaries with independent drivers.
Key takeaways from their initial Denver rollout.
https://getthedrop.co/
The Innovating Cannabis podcast is produced and hosted by Pam Chmiel, a freelance writer (https://linktr.ee/pamchmiel)and editor for the Cannabis Industry Journal (https://cannabisindustryjournal.com/).
Get in touch with pam@InnovatingCannabisPodcast.com.
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/pam-chmiel/) Twitter (https://twitter.com/entrepreneurpam) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/maryjanesocietypodcast/)
Please like the show to help us reach more listeners🙏🏻
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com (https://pcm.adswizz.com) for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Who has been a guest on The Mary Jane Society Podcast
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Alec Dixon
Kevin Jodrey
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Michael Sassano
Sita Schubert
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Podcast Authority Score: 71 / 100
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91
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0
YouTube
74
Engagement
51
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