
High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast
Hosts Ben Larson and AnnaRae Grabstein serve up unfiltered insights, reveal their insiders' perspectives, and illuminate transformative ideas about the cannabis industry for people who want to make sense of it all.
Episodes
84 episodes
#085 - 4/20 By The Numbers and Data-Driven Decision Making w/ Kris Walker, President & CCO @ Hoodie Analytics
Kris Walker from Hoodie Analytics joins us to decode cannabis market trends following 4/20, revealing how competing holidays, demographic shifts, and pricing strategies impacted this year's sales performance. Data shows 4/20 sales dipped 12% ye...
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Episode 85
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57:09

#084 - Less Hype, More Grit: Mitchell Osak on the Cannabis Industry
Mitchell Osak, veteran cannabis consultant and founder of Cannabis Management Review, joins us to share insights on navigating the complex cannabis business landscape and finding success through fundamental business principles.• Hemp an...
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Episode 84
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46:41

#083 - From Bongs to Beverages: Leading in Cannabis Through 20 Years of Change w/ Dave Daily, Founder of Grav
Dave Daly, founder of Grav Labs, shares his 20-year journey from creating the original Gravitron in his parents' garage to building an iconic cannabis accessories brand that's now expanding into THC beverages.• Building a differentiated...
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Episode 83
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58:00

#082 - How The Tariff War Will Reshape the Cannabis Industry w/ Ben & AnnaRae
The world of cannabis isn't isolated from global economic shifts—it's deeply embedded in them. When the Trump administration announced sweeping new tariffs against major trading partners, from China to Canada, few analysts considered how these ...
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Episode 82
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46:48

#081 - How Will Alcohol Regulations Impact the Future of THC Drinks? w/ Neil Willner, Counsel at Vicente.
🌿🎙️ Join us on High Spirits as Ben & AnnaRae dive into a hot topic that's reshaping the landscape of the cannabis beverage industr...
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Episode 81
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58:56

#080 - The Cannabis Industry is in a Knife Fight - Who Survives? w/ Jerry Derevyanny, Partner @ Bengal Capital
In today’s discussion, we explore the evolution of Bengal Capital from a hedge fund to a more hands-on private equity firm that doesn't just invest but actively participates in stee...
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Episode 80
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1:01:40

#079 - Launching a THC Beverage with Hippie Water ft. CEO, Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer, and CPO, Taylor Eileen Sewell
🌿🎙️ 𝟏𝟏 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝟕 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬?! 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 🌼🌈✌️Join hosts Ben & AnnaRae on High Spirits as they dive in...
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Episode 79
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57:23

#078 - Cannabis Business News Roundup: Tariff Impacts, Business Fundamentals, MSOs Hedge with Hemp Bev, and the Texas Hemp Ban
Note to our listeners: Apologies for the poor sound quality on this episode. We experienced a bit of a technical snafu in the recording. We will be back on track next week!🎙𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐩!🌿
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Episode 78
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51:42

#077 - Multi-State Brand Building with Miss Grass w/ CEO and Co-Founder, Kate Miller
Join Ben Larson & AnnaRae Grabstein on High Spirits as they explore the journey of transforming a hemp marketplace and media site ...
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Episode 77
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48:43

#076 - High Tech, High Returns: The Evolution of Cannabis Retail w/ Chris Violas, CEO of Blaze
Join Ben & AnnaRae on High Spirits as we delve into the world of cannabis retail with
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Episode 76
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59:01

#075 - Legacy of Cannabis Cultivation and Bringing Sungrown to Market w/ Scott Vasterling of Humboldt Family Farms
🌿 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐬 🌿Join us on this week's episode of High Spirits: The Cannabis Business Podcast, where we delve deep into the verdant fields of Humboldt County...
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Episode 75
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54:01

#074 - Understanding Receivership & Bankruptcy in Cannabis & Hemp w/ Ted Lanes
Tune in to our next episode of 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀 as we unravel the complexities of receivership and the intricacies of bankruptcy within the cannabis and hemp industries. We're joined by Ted Lanes,...
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Episode 74
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52:29

#073 - Reaching Peak Performance in 2025 w/ Melanie Curtis, Performance Coach and World Record-Holding Pro Skydiver
🌿 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬 🌿Dive into a thrilling new episode of 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀 as we explore the intersection of peak performance in high-stakes environments with Melanie Curtis, a prof...
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Episode 73
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55:24

#072 - Flying High with Hemp Beverages in 2025 w/ Craig 'Lewie' Lewis, CEO of Flyers Cocktail Co.
𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦'𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘢𝘤𝘬! Join us for the first episode of the year on 𝙃𝙞𝙜𝙝 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙨, where we scope out the evolving world of cannabis beverages through the lens of Craig (Lewie) Lewis 🥃🏆, the CEO & Co-Founder of Flyers Cocktail Company....
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Episode 72
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52:27

#071 - End of Year Wrap-Up: Vireo's Bold Moves, Rise of Hemp Beverages, and 2025 Predictions
What if the latest moves by a major cannabis company could set off a chain reaction across the entire industry? Unravel the implications of Vireo's strategic transformation under the astute leadership of Tyson McDonald. We dive into the latest ...
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Episode 71
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52:52

#070 - MJBizCon Recap: Ben & AnnaRae catch-up on everything from Disneyland Magic to THC-Infused parties
🌿 𝐌𝐉𝐁𝐢𝐳𝐂𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 🌿Join us for a special episode of High Spirits, where your hosts Ben &
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Episode 70
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45:32

#069 - Cannabis Business News Roundup: MN fumbles social equity, GTI bets big on bev, Senate draft of Farm Bill drops, and more | November 21, 2024
🎙𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐔𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝-𝐮𝐩!🌿It's been another eventful week in the world of cannabis, and we're excited to talk about it. In this week's episode, we discuss...🚨 Minnesota's botc...
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Episode 69
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37:07

#068 - The Future of Cannabis Tech w/ Socrates Rosenfeld, CEO of Jane Technologies
Explore the cutting-edge world of cannabis technology with Socrates Rosenfeld, the CEO and co-founder of Jane Technologies. Prepare to be intrigued by the potential shifts in federal cannabis reform as we discuss the surprising nomination of Ma...
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Episode 68
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53:56

#067 - Election Recap w/ Returning Guest, Hirsh Jain of Ananda Strategy
Join Ben and AnnaRae on Thursday for a special post-election recording of High Spirits as we unpack Tuesday's election results, focusi...
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Episode 67
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58:12

#066 - At the Helm of North America's #1 Edibles Brand w/ Joe Hodas, President at Wana Brands
Join us for this week's recording of 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘀, where we're diving into the intricate world of Wana Brands, North America's leading edibles brand. We're sitting down with
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Episode 66
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53:24

#065 - Launching the Coalition of Adult Beverage Alternatives w/ Diana Eberlein
Curious about the exciting world of cannabis beverages and how it's reshaping consumer habits? We sit down with Diana Eberlein, a leading figure in the industry and current president of the Cannabis Beverage Association. Diana shares her journe...
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Episode 65
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57:01

#064 - The Watchful Eye of Seth Yakatan
Seth Yakatan, a key player and influencer in cannabis finance and M&A, joins us to unravel the financial intricacies of the cannabis industry. Gain invaluable insights as Seth shares his extraordinary journey from health and wellness to bec...
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Episode 64
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59:48

#063 - CEO Roundtable at Benzinga w/ Sunderstorm, Prelude, Speedwell, Wolf Meyer, & Vertosa
What if cannabis businesses could harness the power of AI to revolutionize their operations? Join us as we uncover this fascinating intersection and other topics in our first CEO roundtable following the close of Benzinga Chicago with industry ...
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Episode 63
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56:37

#062 - Blunt Banter with Ben & AnnaRae | Meadowlands, Hemp Beverages, Reinventing Yourself, Harborside, Port Workers Strike, Trulieve Defamation Suit
Let's be honest, it's been a solid run of shows this year for two busy CEO's self-producing and coordinating (and writing these descriptions). Travel schedule has definitely ramped back up and we somehow got to the beginning of this week and ha...
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Episode 62
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52:51

#061 - Cannabis Business News Roundup w/ Guest Co-Host, Jeremy Berke
Jeremy Berke, founder and editor-in-chief of Cultivated Media, joins us this week as our guest co-host. Despite juggling cannabis news coverage and MBA studies, Jeremy takes time out to share his experience and expertise in the space. Jeremy gi...
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Episode 61
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50:45
