One of the best questions to ask an entrepreneur is, “What’s the last great book you read?”

Whether on audiobook, ereader or tablet, or even on the ancient medium of paper, books offer a path to escape one’s own worldview and learn through the words and experiences of the author, making them a standard item in any forward-thinking entrepreneur’s home or laptop bag.

Through talking with some of the cannabis industry’s top leaders, Cashinbis gets a lot of amazing book recommendations – some of them are cannabis-specific, and others are just great business books.

No matter your stage in the game, we hope you enjoy the following suggestions for a stellar holiday reading list.

Zero To One

by Peter Thiel

A startup-focused book by the PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor.

Recommended to us by Kyle Sherman of Flowhub

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

by Ben Horowitz

A brutally honest take on running a business, from a technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist.

Recommended to us by Kyle Sherman of Flowhub

Cannabis Manifesto

by Steve DeAngelo

The founder and CEO of the United States’ largest dispensary, has a wealth of knowledge about the cannabis movement as a whole.

Recommended by Steve Berg, CFO of O.PenVape

Big Weed

by Christian Hageseth

Follow the entrepreneurial journey behind Colorado’s upcoming “Weedery” and the Green Man Cannabis brand.

Recommended by Mike Julian of MPSI Security

Marijuana Millions

an eBook by Alexa Divett of Maya Media Collective

“The Foundation of Success” for anyone looking to start a cannabis brand, with insight into the world’s most diverse and devoted customer base.

Windowsill Weed

by Percy Grower

This author was so kind as to dedicate Windowsill Weed to the Cashinbis team for giving him the inspiration to complete his book, all about small-space cannabis cultivation. Now that’s a cannabis entrepreneur success story.

What book do you think every entrepreneur should read? Why? Join the conversation and comment below – perhaps we’ll pick up your favorite for our next reading list!

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California, particularly the San Francisco Bay Area, has become known in recent years for cultivating some of the world’s most innovative technology companies. And, with the “Uber-ization” of products and services comes valid questions for the future of the cannabis industry.

Three companies have really taken charge of the on-demand medical cannabis delivery market in California, and of course, the only way to find out what they’re all about is to try them.

As a longtime medical cannabis patient, I did the dirty work of trying out each service so you don’t have to. For controlled objectivity, I ordered ⅛ of flower from each app for delivery to the same address each time.

Eaze

How it works: In addition to getting medicine delivered quickly by Eaze, patients can also acquire a valid California physician’s recommendation via video conference with the EazeMD web app. “Telehealth” has been a standard in the recommendation scene here for some time, but never with the mobility and ease offered by EazeMD (pun intended, we’re sure). The delivery app itself partners with a nearby dispensary to provide local selections, but they don’t tell you which dispensary it’s coming from.

Honest review: Since it was the first one I tried, I gave Eaze several chances, but ultimately, I would not recommend this app to my friends or family. Several times, the delivery driver refused to come to my door, and called me asking me to come outside and find them in the rain, or worse, in the dark. On the last occasion, the driver became frustrated and drove away without delivering the order. It could just be that the organizers in my area are having trouble managing the process and training their drivers. When I contacted customer service to try and advise them of the major issues I had, they simply threw money at me in the form of $5 discount codes. No thanks, I’d rather have a quality delivery, and I think most patients would agree.

If you run a delivery service, remember – you never know who the patient is that you’re delivering to. He or she could be in a wheelchair or have other mobility problems that require you to bring the medicine directly to the door, and not the street or parking lot. Or, he or she could be a member of the cannabis media who is going to review your service.

Meadow

How it works: Like Eaze, Meadow partners with a local dispensary in each area, and they tell you who they’re working with in case you want to contact them directly. Orders through the Meadow website get dispatched to the appropriate local delivery service, who then brings the meds to your door. The company is also Bay-Area based.

Honest review: The delivery associate and the flower quality were both great, but I have to critique the technology a bit as there was a hiccup with my order. I used a Meadow promo code I’d gotten for referring a friend (a popular user acquisition tactic for these types of apps), but the promo code discount never actually made it from the Meadow app to the dispensary. Though he honored the donation discount shown on my phone screen, of course I still felt badly that the delivery guy was leaving with less money than he came there for. I never heard anything back from them about the order, but hopefully they’ve gotten this bug fixed. Other than that, I enjoyed the experience and would recommend Meadow to other patients.

When developing an app that works with several different affiliates, avoid customer confusion by ensuring that all necessary pieces of communication reach the affiliate from the app.

Grassp

How it works: It’s the same concept as the other apps, with an added layer of security. Though Grassp is the relative newcomer to the on-demand cannabis scene, the Southern California-based company has gone the extra mile to ensure compliant cannabis delivery. Prior to launching the app, the company made themselves known to all relevant local government agencies, and even got the San Diego Sheriffs’ Department to approve and fingerprint all of their delivery drivers, so you know they’re legit and well-trained.

Honest review: For those who understand the environment here in San Diego, you know that medical cannabis gets complicated. Restrictive municipal codes and zoning requirements mean that most dispensaries have been forced to close and reopen in a different location, often overnight, and often a few times per year to avoid closure and/or prosecution. The fact that Grassp works with one of the only licensed dispensaries in the county, Outco Labs, is comforting because you know they will always be there. And, their law enforcement-approved driver was smart, friendly, timely, professional, and trustworthy to boot.

Though the prices are high to provide you a quality delivery, the flower quality is there, and I would definitely recommend Grassp to any of my patient friends and family once they start expanding their operations statewide.

What’s important in a delivery service? Timeliness, professionalism, consistency, and quality. More and more on-demand medical cannabis services are sprouting up in legal states, and as long as they keep these qualities in mind, they’ll see huge success as more consumers come around to trying cannabis for the medical benefits.

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Starting in November of 2015, we asked the cannabis community to nominate and vote for their favorite individuals, products, and organizations in the field for the inaugural Laurel Awards.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we quickly took stock of the major players in the industry as more than 1,100 initial nominations and well over 7,500 official votes were submitted. The top winner by people’s choice in each of the ten categories will hold the honor for one year.

One thing that certainly was unprecedented was the major sweep that occured, with one up-and-coming technology company taking the Laurels in five different categories, including the top-level awards. This company had a small team of employees to vote, but hundreds of supporters, customers and fans throughout the cannabis community.

CONGRATULATIONS TO

Flowhub

Winner of the 2015 Laurels for:

Most Disruptive Technology

Best Enterprise Technology

Cannabis Product of the Year

Cannabis Company of the Year

AND

Kyle Sherman

CEO & Co-Founder of Flowhub

Winner of the Laurel Award for Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year

Sweeping both the Disruptive and Enterprise technology categories, as well as ALL THREE of the top-level 2015 Laurel Awards, Denver-based Flowhub was the software that made the biggest splash during 2015, and a great example of growth and success as a cannabis company.

Essential Technology

Flowhub is a seed-to-sale software solution, meaning it helps growers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers accurately track the complete life cycle of a cannabis plant, from the day its seed is planted to the day it is plucked off the shelf and sold to a patient or recreational customer.

The entire solution runs on a system of bar codes, which can then be scanned by Flowhub’s signature NUG device. It snaps onto a smartphone for easy scanning and uploading into the corresponding mobile app, creating a giant database of cannabis plants that can be updated in real time.

Using the personalized bar code, a plant’s growth and flowering progress can be easily tracked via mobile app – every time the barcode is scanned, it updates that plant’s profile. Then, once it’s harvested, its bar code will follow it through transportation, manufacturing, and retail process, making it easy for all parties to stay compliant and track inventory much better than with paper and pen.

Fully integrated and compliant wherever medical or recreational cannabis is legal, Flowhub is the community favorite for streamlined, high-tech seed to sale tracking. It’s loved by cultivators and retailers alike and has saved countless hours of needless work.

Good People = Good Times

Started just under two years ago, Flowhub is a young company that has already made a huge imprint on the history of cannabis.

Its CEO and co-founder, Kyle Sherman, was inspired to create Flowhub after experiencing life on a grow, and struggling with the capabilities of existing technologies.

A tech-savvy problem solver, Kyle searched everywhere for a software that could handle the demands of a large grow operation. When he didn’t find it, he set out to create it himself – the ultimate startup entrepreneur move.

Together with co-founder Chase Wiseman, Kyle built Flowhub up from the ground, and they now boast a downtown Denver office and a stellar team of 18 employees.

When it comes to a great company, the culture and employees are huge factors. Flowhub’s entire team worked diligently to nominate, vote, and tell their friends to support their company over the course of these awards.

Flowhub was also recently covered in CNN Money’s fun feature on companies that allow toke breaks during the workday.

His words: “Our philosophy at Flowhub is to get s*** done. If it helps our employees get work done, then we don’t care if they consume at work.”

With this policy in place, they’ve seen top results. Clearly, it pays to have a little fun in this industry.

Congratulations to Kyle and the entire Flowhub team – an outstanding example of a cannabis company moving toward the future.

The post Laurel Awards: Flowhub is the Ultimate Cannabis Company Entering 2016 appeared first on .

Starting in November of 2015, we asked the cannabis community to nominate and vote for their favorite individuals, products, and organizations in the field for the inaugural Laurel Awards.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we quickly took stock of the major players in the industry as more than 1,100 initial nominations and well over 7,500 official votes were submitted. The top winner by people’s choice in each of the ten categories will hold the honor for one year.

CONGRATULATIONS TO

Leafly

Winner of the Laurel for Best Cannabis Consumer App

Anyone who has ever looked up information on a particular strain of cannabis has probably ended up on the Leafly website or mobile app.

Founded in 2010, Leafly has been around through the thick of the cannabis “boom.” It’s one of, if not THE largest cannabis websites in the world, and the most linked-back-to website in the space by far.

While it used to be touted in the media as the “Yelp for weed,” Leafly’s expertise has expanded to serve both cannabis consumers on the front end, and dispensaries on the back end. Searching for specific products by geographic area changes the way that patients and adult-use customers find their next dispensary to visit.

The site crowdsources user data on hundreds of cannabis strains, based on the overall feeling of each unique “high” and the specific ailments of symptoms that a particular strain can help relieve. A user interested in that strain can then easily locate it at a nearby dispensary, making Leafly a valuable business tool. There are also featured dispensary lists to ensure that users of the app get the very best in quality cannabis.

Leafly also runs a blog that is updated daily with new information for businesses about the cannabis industry, as well as great consumer and general interest content. Overall, the app is a trusted resource for people of all ages to find a variety of solid cannabis information.

To get in on all the cannabis data, visit Leafly.com or download it from the iOS App Store.

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Starting in November of 2015, we asked the cannabis community to nominate and vote for their favorite individuals, products, and organizations in the field for the inaugural Laurel Awards.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we quickly took stock of the major players in the industry as more than 1,100 initial nominations and well over 7,500 official votes were submitted. The top winner by people’s choice in each of the ten categories will hold the honor for one year.

WE HAVE A TIE!

CONGRATULATIONS TO

Dixie Brands

and

IVXX

Both Winners of the Laurel for Best Infused Product Brand

Dixie

Undisputedly, the fan favorite in the realm of cannabis-infused products is Dixie. The company made national headlines throughout 2015 as one to watch in the global cannabis space.

Then, CEO Tripp Keber announced that Dixie Brands would be expanding out of its home state of Colorado in order to serve medical cannabis dispensaries in California, then announced in November that its edibles line would be coming to Australia, New Zealand, Oregon and Arizona as well.

Due to the federal legal status of cannabis, interstate commerce is always a sensitive subject, and Dixie shows that out-of-state, or even international expansion is an attainable goal with hard work and compliance.

Dixie infuses cannabis into dozens of different confections and delivery methods, from medicated mints and chocolate bars in multiple craft flavors, to signature beverages, to disposable vape pens, tinctures, and topicals. Dixie’s two new CBD brands, announced over the holidays, include Aceso for humans and Therabis for pets.

To find out more, go to DixieElixirs.com.

IVXX

A subsidiary of Terra Tech Corp, one of the more well-known publicly traded companies in the cannabis space, the IVXX cannabis brand had a strong showing of support during both nominations and voting.

We’re not entirely sure that it counts as an “infused product,” but leaving out an actual cannabis brand didn’t feel right – especially in the case of a tie.

IVXX is famous for its signature line of organic cannabis, concentrates, and pre-rolled joints. All available in California, the products prove that spectacular branding is already underway, even in states where adult use is not yet legalized. The brand will be coming to Nevada and other states soon.

From IVXX’s website and social media profiles, it’s clear that their sugar waxes and shatters are some of the best that the industry has seen. Cannabis concentrates are an emerging trend and will be a profitable and exciting market for years to come.

For more information, visit IVXX.com.

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Starting in November of 2015, we asked the cannabis community to nominate and vote for their favorite individuals, products, and organizations in the field for the inaugural Laurel Awards.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we quickly took stock of the major players in the industry as more than 1,100 initial nominations and well over 7,500 official votes were submitted. The top winner by people’s choice in each of the ten categories will hold the honor for one year.

CONGRATULATIONS TO

CannaBrand

Winner of the Laurel for Best Creative / Media Agency

When starting a cannabis business, hiring a marketing or creative agency is one of the most expensive and important decisions an entrepreneur can ever make.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, CannaBrand is one of the original cannabis marketing and branding agencies. The company was founded by Olivia Mannix and Jennifer DeFalco, and specializes in brand strategy, advertising, design, public relations, and analytics.

Prominent client case studies on the agency’s website include Mindful, MJ Wellness, and Neos.

The team comes with over 30 years of combined work experience in the cannabis space – a perfect example of skilled professionals who also have close personal histories with the plant. It’s obvious that the team is passionate about what they do, simply from browsing through the company’s website, which features blog posts with general marketing insight for cannabis entrepreneurs as well as client work examples.

Getting proper attention in the mainstream media can be difficult and competitive for cannabis businesses. With placements this year in popular mainstream publications such as The New York Times, NPR, The Denver Post and Bloomberg BusinessWeek, this agency is setting a positive example for the cannabis space and doing it with style and panache that the business world expects of a world-class marketing firm.

For more information, visit Cannabrand.co.

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Starting in November of 2015, we asked the cannabis community to nominate and vote for their favorite individuals, products, and organizations in the field for the inaugural Laurel Awards.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we quickly took stock of the major players in the industry as more than 1,100 initial nominations and well over 7,500 official votes were submitted. The top winner by people’s choice in each of the ten categories will hold the honor for one year.

CONGRATULATIONS TO

Marijuana Business Conference & Expo, Las Vegas

Winner of the Laurel for Best Cannabis Industry Trade Show

After hearing all the buzz about the event for weeks afterward, it’s clear: Marijuana Business Daily, one of the original B2B cannabis industry publications, certainly knows how to throw one heck of a party.

The largest and oldest cannabis trade show running, Marijuana Business Conference & Expo (or MJBiz for short) brought thousands of industry professionals and enthusiasts out to the off-strip Rio casino hotel in November, for a weekend of networking, conference sessions, investor pitches, and of course, exquisite branded product launch celebrations and swanky after-parties. Secret invite-only lists and rooftop VIP venues were standard as the cannabis community’s biggest players somehow managed to strike amazing new deals and partnerships over the course of the weekend.

Featuring thousands of attendees from across the country, an expo floor featuring over 200 exhibitors, and former presidential candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader as one of the keynote speakers, this trade show was highly anticipated, got tons of media attention, and rounded out one of the most event-filled calendar years the cannabis space has ever seen.

This year, MJBiz travels to the unlikely locale of Orlando, Florida where cannabis is still controversial, but close to making its official debut. Though the southeastern United States is far from a hotspot for the cannabis industry, this huge conference could really leave its mark and build some momentum for reform.

For more information on this year’s event, visit mjbizconference.com.

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Starting in November of 2015, we asked the cannabis community to nominate and vote for their favorite individuals, products, and organizations in the field for the inaugural Laurel Awards.

We weren’t sure what to expect, but we quickly took stock of the major players in the industry as more than 1,100 initial nominations and well over 7,500 official votes were submitted. The top winner by people’s choice in each of the ten categories will hold the honor for one year.

CONGRATULATIONS TO

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws

Winner of the Laurel for Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group

It’s no surprise that this organization still holds relevance with the cannabis community. NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, is the longest-running and largest cannabis advocacy group in the world. The group focuses specifically on working to change cannabis and hemp laws at the local, state, and federal level.

Last year, NORML was involved in or closely followed several landmark reforms and upsets that influenced the cannabis community, bringing much-needed information from the front lines of the courts and legislature to the masses.

Keith Stroup, an Illinois attorney, founded the organization in the 1970s after being inspired by Ralph Nader’s fundraising prowess. Stroup’s work laid the foundation for cannabis activists for years to come, and the organization has grown to include nearly 200 of chapters worldwide. He still does advocacy work and blogs for the organization.

NORML is now headed by Executive Director Allen St. Pierre, with headquarters and staff in the Washington, D.C. area.

The nonprofit consists of several subsidiaries, including NORML PAC, NORML Foundation and NORML Business Network, all working to fund and tackle cannabis reform in different ways. The organization’s advisory board consists of celebrities and public figures who support legalization and advance the message in the media.

Though local chapters of any national organization are bound to experience flux and tension over time, NORML has been a steadfast resource for the community for longer than many of us have been around, and in an industry that is constantly changing and evolving, there’s something to be said for that.

To get involved, visit NORML.org.

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The latest banking battle in the cannabis industry is over – seemingly before it even began.

On Wednesday, a federal judge in Denver threw out a lawsuit on behalf of The Fourth Corner Credit Union, the world’s first planned legal cannabis credit union, saying that an approval of the institution from the federal reserve “would facilitate criminal activity.”

Fourth Corner has been all but begging for federal banking approval since its inception in November 2014, but the struggle came to a head last July when the credit union unsuccessfully sued the federal government after being denied a master account.

This latest blow to the Fourth Corner case proves that the federal government is not yet ready or willing to talk seriously about the cannabis and hemp industries. Meanwhile, private companies are taking charge and forging some of the first relationships between cannabis-related companies and the big banks.

David Dinenberg, CEO of KIND Financial in Los Angeles, specializes in providing financial solutions through technology to cannabis-related companies. In addition, through a partnership with Link to Banking, KIND provides banking solutions to institutions interested in banking the cannabis industry. His company creates financial compliance software to ensure efficient and accurate transaction reporting – meaning that with a little technology and financial know-how, cannabis companies as well as banks, can conduct business just like any other industry.

“Judge Jackson’s comments over the past week showed that he sympathizes with the need for banking services for the growing cannabis industry,” Dinenberg said. “and yet, this is a perfect example of the ambiguity between state and federal laws and I do believe it was the only decision he could’ve come to. In fact, to put a federal judge in this position makes no sense.”

However, Dinenberg takes exception to Judge Jackson’s statements that this “would facilitate criminal activity.”

“Allowing Fourth Corner, or any other financial institution the ability to bank this industry, does NOT create criminal activity, it actually would do the exact opposite.”

As an example, Dinenberg pointed to KIND partner and solution Link to Banking.

“Through our partnership with Link to Banking, we are able to give banks the tools they need to comply with both the Cole memo and FinCEN memo and, in turn, banks can open accounts to compliant businesses in the cannabis industry. Public safety is one of the biggest concerns that states have to deal with, and without a way to get the cash out of the businesses (and into the safety of a financial institution), it remains a huge hurdle. As I meet with different state legislators across the country, this is one of the biggest obstacles in moving more states towards legalization. With the KIND platform of services, we are able to solve this big problem.”

With several more states looking at legalization policies for both medicinal and adult-use recreational cannabis next year, it’s clear that the political and social factors are changing rapidly – the banking issue is the largest hurdle yet to overcome for cannabis entrepreneurs and will likely shape policy in 2016 and beyond.

According to the company’s website, The Fourth Corner Credit Union is a compliance-focused financial institution organized by a team of well-respected financial, legal, governmental, and cannabis industry leaders. Given the professional manner in which the credit union is handling itself, it’s hard to believe that the federal government won’t even lend a single ear to this landmark case that would make a drastic difference in the health of the US economy, though it appears that some private sector solutions are already in play.

What do you think? Does the cannabis space need to push for its own credit union, or should the industry attempt to fall in line with the big banking players as they stand now?

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Today, Upscale Media released Upscale TV, a brand new weekly web series documenting news and issues in the legal cannabis and hemp industries.

The weekly 30-minute show is free for the public to access, and is hosted on the company’s website, Upscale.Media.

Something Different

Unlike many other TV and web series involving cannabis, this show will feature zero depictions of the herb itself – or anyone smoking it, for that matter. Upscale TV takes pride in covering the business niche of the cannabis movement in the most tasteful and professional manner possible.

Featuring exclusive industry panels, interviews with CEOs and top advocates, behind-the-scenes cannabis trade show footage, political commentary, technology, product features, and discussion of the real issues facing the cannabis and hemp communities, this series is the first of its kind in a movement rife with derogatory counter-cultural references and seeking legitimacy as policy shifts both in the U.S. and globally.

Taking Charge

With the launch of Upscale TV comes a few role changes at the company. Cashinbis Co-Founder Guillermo Bravo is taking the reins as Upscale Media’s CEO, bringing a technology background to the emerging cannabis media space with more than 10 years experience in web development, online marketing, and social media strategy.

Another new role was created for Tim Strombel, now the President of Upscale TV. Formerly, Tim worked in sports broadcasting for ESPN Radio prior to developing the Cashinbis brand as Head of Media. With a budding side career in stand-up comedy, Strombel proves an engaging and educated host of the new Upscale TV series.

“I couldn’t be more excited and proud to be part of this project. Upscale TV provides a business-minded, professional look into one of the toughest industries to operate in that America has ever seen. Engaging interviews and informative weekly segments will provide cannabis industry entrepreneurs and hopefuls a blueprint to navigate this difficult landscape. We will even appeal to the mainstream, non-cannabis advocate on a business level. After all, if you can successfully operate in the legal cannabis industry, you can successfully navigate any industry.” -Tim Strombel, President of Upscale TV

What About Cashinbis?

Originally known for the Cashinbis digital publication, which will continue operating as a finance and investing information hub under the company umbrella, the new Upscale platform now hopes to draw a distinction between the complex and heavily regulated business environment where the industry takes place, and the positive, healthy and successful lifestyles that cannabis entrepreneurs and enthusiasts are currently living.

“Our original aim with Cashinbis was to showcase how lucrative cannabis is as a business, but what we learned is that a strong sense of success runs deep throughout this culture, be it in discussions of politics, business and finance, or of one’s personal health and the products they like to surround themselves with. Being a cannabis professional – being an educated professional in any field who uses and supports cannabis, and can say that proudly – this is the new cultural paradigm that Upscale TV represents.” -Roni Stetter, Director of Communications & Community Relations, Upscale Media

Look out for new episodes of the show every Wednesday on Upscale.Media, and individual show segments which will be released on the Upscale Media Facebook page.

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Over 200 members of the cannabis business community offered up their nominations for the first-ever Laurel Awards by Cashinbis. These organizations, people, and products represent the very best of 2015 in the world of cannabis – selected solely by industry insiders. 

Read on to learn about each nominated organization (in alphabetical order), and vote for your favorites here.

ArcView Group

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Best Enterprise Software

CannaScore is the cannabis industry’s first auditing and compliance software that provides real-time scoring and analysis for the overall health of any recreational or medical cannabis dispensary, grow facility, or manufacturer.

California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA)

Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group

CCIA was formed to unite the cannabis industry in California and to allow it to speak with one voice at the state and local levels. The group strives to educate and act as a resource to lawmakers regarding all areas of the cannabis industry, and is also dedicated to addressing issues related to driving under the influence, unlawful diversion to minors, and substance abuse.

CMW Media

Best Creative/Media Agency

CMW Media is a full-service public relations firm specializing in promoting innovative businesses from a broad spectrum of industries. Our clients range from publicly traded companies to those in emerging markets, with a special focus on the global cannabis industry.

Cannabis World Congress & Business Expo (CWCBExpo)

Best Cannabis Trade Show

The CWCBExpo is one of the definitive business events for the cannabis industry, held biannually in New York City and Los Angeles. Exhibitors and sponsors bring cutting-edge solutions to owners and managers of businesses in this fast-growing industry, and a wealth of opportunity and knowledge to those looking to enter the market with potential partners and investors. The expo floor features the latest technologies, solutions and resources for cannabis-related companies.

CannaBrand

Best Creative/Media Agency

Best Infused Product Brand

Located in Denver, Dixie Elixirs & Edibles has been producing award-winning THC-infused products since 2009. What began as a single flagship product, the Dixie Elixir (a THC-infused soda), has now expanded to over 30 different products, representing the industry’s finest edibles, mints, energy shots, tinctures, and topicals.

The Emerald Cup, Sonoma County

Best Cannabis Trade Show

The Emerald Cup is celebrating 12 years as California’s preeminent, outdoor, organic, medicinal cannabis competition. With one of the nation’s finest sampling areas, The Emerald Cup has become known as the premier destination and showplace for both cannabis tourists and Northern California organic and sustainable product brands, with many companies on-hand to discuss the latest in hemp and medical cannabis.

Flowhub

Most Disruptive Technology / Best Enterprise Software 

Cannabis Product of the Year / Cannabis Company of the Year

Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year: CEO Kyle Sherman 

Flowhub has developed the next generation of seed-to-sale software for the legal cannabis industry, enabling growers and dispensaries to streamline their operations and optimize their profit margins. Professional cultivators can use the NUG mobile scanning device to scan plant tags and carry out daily operations within the grow, then use the web or mobile application to confidently oversee every plant and every move that was made using the NUG.

Check out our feature on Kyle Sherman, the company’s Co-Founder and CEO, up for Entrepreneur of the Year.

Freedom Enterprises (Hashman Infused)

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Best Infused Product Brand / Cannabis Product of the Year

IVXX is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Terra Tech Corp that produces medical cannabis extracted products for regulated medical cannabis dispensaries throughout California.

Keef Cola

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ancial

Best Enterprise Software / Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year: CEO David Dinenberg

Cannabis Product of the Year / Cannabis Company of the Year

KIND provides financial technology solutions for cultivators, dispensaries, and regulatory agencies in the cannabis industry to facilitate safe and secure transactions that are in compliance with the rules, regulations, laws and guidelines governing cannabis-related businesses.

KIND’s seed-to-sale cannabis tracking and compliance platform, Agrisoft, integrates seamlessly with Kind’s cash-management and order-taking kiosk as well as KIND Pay – KIND’s convenient and secure platform for cash-free mobile payments and customer loyalty programs. Together, the KIND platform provides an end-to-end solution to close the loop between cannabis-related businesses and financial institutions.

Check out our feature on David Dinenberg, the company’s Founder and CEO, up for Entrepreneur of the Year.

Kush Bottles

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Best Consumer App

Leafly is a leading online information and education resource for cannabis consumers. Through Leafly, millions of visitors per month research strains of cannabis that will best meet their needs, access user-generated reviews of more than 800 cannabis strains and thousands of dispensaries, and follow news and culture content intended for everyone from beginning medical cannabis patients to the sophisticated connoisseur.

Loud Cannabis

Best Consumer App

One of the Green Exchange, Inc.’s latest developments, Loud Cannabis, is the world’s first HIPAA-compliant mobile app that connects cannabis growers directly to patients in order to facilitate delivery of farm-to-table fresh medical cannabis. This newcomer takes the “Uber-ization of cannabis” to a new level by allowing cultivators to get in on the growing on-demand consumer market.

Mary’s Medicinals

Best Infused Product Brand

Mary’s Medicinals is a wellness company innovating at the intersection of engineering and horticulture. Best known as the developer and exclusive distributor of the award-winning Transdermal Cannabis Patch, Mary is transforming how people view and utilize cannabis, developing products that maximize the benefits of cannabinoids, terpenes and other plant nutrients for optimum patient care.

MassRoots

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Most Disruptive Technology / Best Enterprise Software

Best Consumer App / Cannabis Company of the Year

Meadow Care has created an on-demand delivery platform that allows California patients to shop online for medical cannabis from the comfort of home. Patients place an order via mobile device and receive a delivery from a top-tier, compliant dispensary within one hour.

MJ Business Conference & Expo

Best Cannabis Trade Show

Produced by Marijuana Business Daily, the Conference is both the oldest and largest national event for the now $3 billion cannabis industry. This year’s expo in Las Vegas marked its 4th year in operation.

MJ Freeway

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Cannabis Product of the Year: Real Scientific Hemp Oil (RSHO)

Real Scientific Hemp Oil is an award-winning, concentrated, natural hemp oil derived from non-GMO hemp plants grown on family farms, made by Medical Marijuana, Inc., the first publicly held company vested in the cannabis and industrial hemp space in America. The company was the first to develop a significant standardized manufacturing pipeline for CBD-containing products. It was also the first national and international distribution company fully focused on cannabis, and now ships to more than 45 countries through its subsidiary HempMeds.

National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA)

Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group / Best Cannabis Trade Show

NCIA is the only national trade association advancing the interests of the legitimate and responsible cannabis industry. Our industry supports tens of thousands of jobs, tens of millions in tax revenue, and billions in economic activity in the United States. NCIA is leading the unified and coordinated campaign to ensure this emerging sector is treated fairly under federal law.

New West Summit

Best Cannabis Trade Show

Dubbed the “TechCrunch Disrupt” of the cannabis industry, New West Summit’s expertly curated, two-day, 15-panel conference and exhibition included over 30 exhibitors, 50 speakers, and 1,000 attendees. The Summit forecasted legalization in 2016, funding trends, the next crop of mobile apps, the technologies disrupting cultivation, extraction and vaporization, intellectual property, media and marketing, and more.

National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)

Most Influential Cannabis Industry Advocacy Group

NORML’s mission is to move public opinion sufficiently to legalize the responsible use of marijuana by adults, and to serve as an advocate for consumers to assure they have access to high quality marijuana that is safe, convenient and affordable.

PAX 2 Vaporizer

Cannabis Product of the Year

Founded in 2007 by two Stanford Design Masters program graduates and headquartered in San Francisco, PAX Labs fuses applied design principles with technology, producing innovative premium vaporizers that provide a cleaner, modern alternative to smoking. PAX 2 is one of the most pocketable and premium loose-leaf vaporizers on the market, revolutionizing the vaping industry and offering consumers a simple smoking alternative.

Potbox

Cannabis Product of the Year

Founded in 2015, Potbox is a premium, subscription-based service that delivers the highest-quality, most ethically-grown cannabis to registered patients in the Bay Area and Los Angeles on a monthly basis, complete with suave, high-end packaging.

Sage Analytics Luminary Beacon

Most Disruptive Technology

The Luminary Beacon by Sage Analytics is a potency measurement system that enhances the current state of potency profiling of Total THC, THCA, Total CBD, CBDA and CBD content by providing rapid, accurate measurements, field portability, convenience and affordability to the entire cannabis ecosystem. This desktop device mitigates inconveniences of potency testing by delivering accurate, spectroscopy-based measurement for real-time, on-site use.

Stock Pot Images

Best Creative/Media Agency / Cannabis Company of the Year

Stock Pot Images is the first stock photo agency to specialize exclusively in cannabis-related imagery, featuring rights-managed and royalty-free photography and illustration. The company’s selection reaches far beyond the small number of stereotypical images currently offered by major stock agencies. Stock Pot Images targets healthcare, ad and branding agencies, as well as corporate and emerging industries that will soon need cannabis images to service a new market of users.

Terra Tech Corp

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Cannabis Entrepreneur of the Year: CEO Ethan Ruby / Cannabis Company of the Year

Theraplant is a Connecticut State-licensed medical cannabis producer, dedicated to helping the state’s qualifying patients live and feel better through the wholesale production of medical cannabis products of the highest quality.

In 2000, Theraplant’s CEO and founder, Ethan Ruby, was struck in a crosswalk by a car that ran a red light, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Despite numerous surgeries and intense rehabilitation, he continued to suffer pain and complications, and was prescribed numerous prescription drugs, leading to undesirable side effects and the risk of physical addiction. After thought and consultation with his father, a pediatrician, and his mother, a physical therapist, Ethan finally decided to try medical cannabis, with life-changing success. Ethan has made it his life’s work to help ensure that the unique benefits of medical cannabis are made accessible to other qualified patients like himself.

Jane

Most Disruptive Technology / Best Consumer App

Jane is a complete cash management solution for medical and recreational cannabis retailers. The company’s mission is to empower cannabis retailers with the financial services tools they need to grow their business, while fulfilling the desire of today’s consumers for greater control over their shopping experience. The Jane self-service kiosk was developed by a team with over 75 years of combined experience in payments, kiosks and cannabis to bring financial maturity to the marijuana industry.

Wana Brands

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Don’t forget to vote for your favorites here by December 31!

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High There!, the global social network for cannabis enthusiasts, announced Monday that it has parted ways with CEO Todd Mitchem, having installed a new leadership team to further its rapid growth.

With over 30 years of experience, this new leadership team brings expertise in finance, marketing, and technology and has a proven track record of building multi-faceted successful organizations. This new infrastructure will allow High There! to significantly increase user acquisition and brand awareness, and set a strategic plan for the next phases of growth.

“We are extremely gratified about our next phase of growth. Since our launch close to a year ago, we have seen significant engagement and enthusiasm around the platform. With this new team in place, we will be able to harness this enthusiasm, and build even better features and products, as well as reach more of the cannabis community in a meaningful way. We wish Todd the best of luck in his next endeavor and look forward to a very bright future with our new team in place.” -Darren Roberts, co-founder of High There!

This announcement also comes on the heels of High There! closing a significant round of capital in order to accelerate the further growth of the platform. These funds are being invested in building new technology as well as marketing and brand building initiatives.

“This latest round of funding will bring the most exciting features of High There! to date. By investing in technology, and building feature sets that our users have been asking for, we will continue to establish High There! as the leading technology brand in the cannabis industry.” -Darren Roberts, co-founder of High There!

Since its launch in January 2015, High There! has has become one of the most recognized technology platforms in the niche, connecting individuals to shared romantic or platonic experiences with cannabis as a common denominator, and hinging on the “swipe” motion to accept or deny new friendships.

From simple social interactions, to medical cannabis patients sharing their personal stories, to rallying the cannabis community around social and political issues, the High There! technology continues to grow and develop as a resource for the cannabis industry at large.

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