Their conversation explored the unique regulatory environment facing cannabis businesses, including why certain consumer trends that succeed in other industries have been slower to emerge in cannabis. They also took a closer look at the cannabis beverage market, discussing the economic and logistical challenges that continue to limit growth and the legislation considered this year in Colorado to address those barriers.
The discussion highlights the ongoing effort to balance innovation, consumer demand, and responsible regulation as the cannabis industry continues to evolve.
Weed Wonks Podcast: Pulak Sharma and Dr. Sean Arora on the “Wild West of CBD” and the Need for Customizable Medical Cannabis
They also examine the growing challenges created by the federal government’s bifurcated approach to cannabis policy, which continues to separate hemp and marijuana despite both originating from the same plant. Sharma and Arora explain why anticipating the future direction of cannabis policy — particularly around medical cannabis and cannabinoid therapeutics — is becoming increasingly important for healthcare providers, regulators, and industry operators alike.
Strategies 64 partner featured on Karma Koala Podcast
Jordan had a great conversation discussing Strategy 64’s One-plant Solution white paper, which was published in January 2026 and offers a roadmap for ending federal cannabis prohibition and fixing the fractured regulatory system in the U.S.
Weed Wonks Podcast: Mike Hennesy of Wana Brands on the “One-plant Solution” and Bridging the Marijuana-hemp Policy Divide
In our latest episode, host Jordan Wellington sits down with Mike Hennesy, Vice President of Innovation at Wana Brands, one of the nation’s leading marijuana and hemp product manufacturers, to discuss those challenges and what can be done to resolve them.
They dive into Strategies 64’s recently published white paper, “The One-plant Solution,” which offers recommendations for advancing a unified national cannabis policy that regulates all cannabis—marijuana and hemp—as one plant. It also proposes a federal regulatory framework that respects state sovereignty and leverages existing federal regulatory structures to set national standards and guidelines that prioritize public safety and reflect the realities of today’s legal markets.
Jordan and Mike also look at Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and what it will take to develop a system that empowers responsible operators and weeds out bad actors.
Weed Wonks Podcast: Riana Durrett on the CPI Symposium, rating cannabis markets, and Nevada regulatory issues
The two discuss the future of federal cannabis policy reform and the “one-plant solution” proposed by Strategies 64 in a new white paper that was the talk of the event. They also revisit the fascinating panel discussions on tribal cannabis law, the difficulty in defining what is “attractive to children,” and the gaps that persist between cannabis policy and research.
Riana explains CPI’s ranking of state cannabis markets, as well as some of the unique regulatory issues facing Nevada, such as the separation of gaming and cannabis, which has prevented the cannabis industry from fully capitalizing on Las Vegas tourism.
Weed Wonks Podcast: Johns Hopkins researchers on “clearing up the guesswork” on medical cannabis
In the latest episode of Weed Wonks, Jordan Wellington of Strategies 64 is joined by Johns Hopkins University researchers Dr. Cerina Dubois, Dr. Johannes Thrul, and Dr. Ryan Vandrey for an in-depth look at the “absolute dearth of medical research” on cannabis and their efforts to correct it.
The trio discuss their project, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, that seeks to “clear up the guesswork” on medical cannabis through a landmark study of more than 10,000 patients. They explain why it’s important to better understand the plant from a medical and scientific standpoint, implications of their research on the issue of cannabis and driving, and why we must expand our understanding of how patients use medical cannabis.
They also highlight the impact of having different lists of qualifying medical conditions in each medical cannabis state, the importance of using data to understand which cannabis formulations best treat which conditions, and how this can help clinical decision-making for health care providers.
Weed Wonks Podcast: Attorneys Jen Benda, Rachel Gillette, and Nate Pollock on a U.S. Tax Court case with major implications for 280E
In August 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommended the DEA reclassify cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. That rescheduling recommendation is now at the center of New Mexico Top Organics, Inc. v. Commissioner, a critical U.S. Tax Court case regarding Internal Revenue Code Section 280E.
In the latest episode of Weed Wonks, host Jordan Wellington of Strategies 64 is joined by attorneys Jen Benda and Rachel Gillette of Holland and Hart, who are filing an amicus brief in the case on behalf of cannabis industry members, and Nate Pollack of SouthBank Legal, who is representing the taxpayers in the case. They discuss their brief and why the case could be a game-changer for U.S. cannabis companies.
They also explore the questions of whether the IRS can make 280E-related decisions on a case-by-case basis, whether such antiquated tax code language punishes compliance and rewards non-compliance, and why the cannabis industry needs its own self-regulatory agency.
Weed Wonks Podcast: Law professors Courtney Barnes and Scott Seder on the bottom-up movement to legalize psychedelics
The movement to reform psychedelics policy in the U.S. has picked up speed in recent years, and while it is still well behind the marijuana legalization movement, it is steadily gaining ground.
In the latest episode of Weed Wonks, host Jordan Wellington of Strategies 64 dives into the subject of psychedelics policy reform with attorneys Courtney Barnes and Scott Seder, who are adjunct professors teaching an elective course on psychedelics law at the University of Texas Law School.
The three discuss how the movement to legalize and regulate psilocybin and other psychedelics differs from cannabis legalization and why there is “less noise” around the cause, particularly when it comes to the subject of criminal justice reform.
They also highlight impacts being made at the local level and explore why psilocybin legalization may be more palatable than cannabis legalization for some people.
Weed Wonks Podcast: Marijuana Policy Project Leaders Adam Smith and Karen O’Keefe on Cannabis Legalization and Fending Off “Neo-prohibitionists”
The Marijuana Policy Project’s new executive director, Adam Smith, and longtime state policies director, Karen O’Keefe, have been fighting for cannabis policy reform for over two decades.
In the latest episode of Weed Wonks, Strategies 64’s Jordan Wellington sits down with the veteran legalization activists for an in-depth look at how the reform movement won hearts and minds and built pathways for ending marijuana prohibition.
Karen demonstrates why Adam considers her the “best legislative mind in cannabis” and discusses how the movement can shift the messaging away from the criminal justice angle to one that focuses on civil rights and social justice.
Adam explains why the future of legalization remains uncertain despite the progress that has been made, and he discusses why the cannabis industry must support efforts to fend off the “rearguard campaign” of “neo-prohibitionists” seeking to roll back reform.
