February 2019 - 15

DUETS
Department of Public Safety. Canada is legal
nationwide recreationally and allows import and
export. Columbia is using cannabis and hemp
as a replacement crop for coca and is allowing
export of cannabis and CBD oil. Multiple countries
are working on implementing their own medical
cannabis programs as I type.
Peter: As more states legalize cannabis for
medical and recreational use while federal law
continues to prohibit it, can you as an industry
insider help greenhouse growers who may have
interest in the crop understand where we're
heading?
Mike: So, you can see how each country or
state, based simply on its governing body, would
have its own differing opinion on regulation
resulting in a lack of uniformity and consistency.
Not to mention the special interest groups
chiming in on regulations they want in place to
make sure their investments are secure. Raising
the barrier to entry through high licensing fees,
capital requirements, moratoriums and limited
licensing structures prevents many who'd like to
from entering the industry. This ultimately limits
access for medical cannabis users and inhibits
industry growth.
Example: Texas only has three licenses for one
condition that effects 0.5 percent of 28.4 million
residents. It requires a $488,520 licensing fee
and $318,512 for renewal. For comparison
it is around $20,500 for a medical retail and
cultivation license in Colorado and $7,500
for renewal. I'm curious Peter, do traditional
greenhouse operators face such fees?
Peter: The answer is short, NO. We don't
have nearly that level of politics hanging over
ornamental and food crop production. Let's shift
gears and discuss how cannabis industry leaders
like yourself are addressing the frenetic pace
of change as it relates to education, training
and business management. You and I first met
two years ago at AmericanHort's Cultivate
conference in Columbus, Ohio. What was it about
our traditional greenhouse conference that
attracted you?
Mike: As the seminar director for Indo Expo,
a B2B cannabis trade show, I attended about
10 cannabis conferences last year. I also try
and make time to attend one or more general
horticulture shows to keep up on the greenhouse
sector. There are now weekly cannabis events
including a large show about every two to
three weeks. Cannabis trade shows consist of
equipment, consulting, ancillary services and
consumables. It's a weird mix of agriculture,
pharma and a federally illegal plant.
Seminars range from how scientists are
mapping the cannabis genome to section 280E
of the tax code. Educating an industry that is
evolving, expanding, and in legal limbo requires
involving a community to share knowledge
and experience to stay current. We like to say
cannabis is judged in dog years because of the
speed at which things are changing.
Peter: One positive to the rapid change you
see, Mike, is job security. The need for continuing
education is so strong that you will have
seminar topics to update for years. Involving the
community in knowledge sharing is something
we have done in the greenhouse industry for
generations. Those of us who have contributed
to conference program planning believe, to a
person, that together we accomplish more. I
often say that it's not the growers who attend
conferences that I worry about; it's those who
don't make the effort to keep up.
Mike: Education is a sticky subject. Since
the industry is so new, best practices and
methods for commercial cannabis cultivation
are only now being established. The education
that exists is limited to proprietary growing
techniques, antiquated information, repurposed
college curriculums, equipment vendors, " the
guy at the grow store, " or case studies from
industry professionals.
What is missing is an independent educational
program to validate commercially viable growing,
extraction, breeding and harvesting methods.
Findings could then be published to help the
industry grow and make a safe, sustainable
product. Universities have a hard time putting
together a cannabis program due to the federal
state of legalization, but some are starting to
dip a toe in by taking existing programs and
including cannabis. Progress is being made.
Peter: The independent research and
publishing that you correctly cite as necessary to
advance an industry are precisely where we plant
scientists spend our careers. A low hanging fruit
for objective research in cannabis production is
the too-many-to-count fertilizer products in the
hydroponic supply chain. We have proven through
unbiased research on countless horticultural
crops that a fraction of those offerings is more
than enough to assure quality production.
It's wise of you to look at existing horticulture
shows; we've walked the path you are walking,
albeit with less regulation. The breadth of
knowledge categories is really quite similar to our
shows having education category tracts that span
production, marketing, business management,
pest control and so on.
Mike, many thanks for spending time with us
today. I enjoy finding leaders like you to interact
with, learn from, and share experience with. Your
dog years yard stick sets a perfect stage, let's get
together soon to continue updating growers on
cannabis industry advancement.
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February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2019
