Send us a text

In this episode Herb speaks with Axel Bernabe, inaugural Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Director for the New York State Office of Cannabis Management. Axel, a partner at Manatt Health in NYC, was health counsel to former NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo. In that role, Axel helped negotiate the groundbreaking Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act with the NYS Legislature.

Our Licensee Highlight segment features Paul Yau, Co-Founder of The Travel Agency (formerly, the Union Square Travel Agency). In partnership with the nonprofit Doe Fund, this Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary is setting the standard for aesthetics, product availability, and delivery services. It is also pioneering a retail branding concept in NYS cannabis.

Further Reading:

• Manatt Expands National Cannabis Practice With New York State’s Top Regulator
• The Travel Agency Cannabis Dispensary Comes to Downtown Brooklyn
• The Travel Agency Arrives on Fifth Avenue

Joint Session: Diverse Voices in NYS Cannabis is produced by Herb Barbot, with additional production and engineering by Matt Patterson, with Rebecca Malpica producing our digital marketing/social media.

Please contact us at herb.jointsession@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments, including topics to cover.

Follow the show on Instagram at jointsession.pod, and on LinkedIn at Joint Session Podcast.

If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps new listeners find the show.

Send us a text

In this episode Herb speaks with Tavian Crosland, New York Director of the Social Equity Empowerment Network. Tavian is an impassioned and thoughtful advocate for ensuring that the path to cannabis legalization and commercialization does not leave behind those communities and individuals who were disproportionately impacted by criminal enforcement. Tavian, a former legacy operator, shares deeply personal insights concerning his own journey with cannabis.

Our Licensee Highlight segment features John Vavalo, CEO of Central Processors New York. John has long been involved in the legal cannabis market and is a leading advocate for processors and cultivators. In this episode we learn about what a processor does, how cannabis flower is turned into the assortment of products found in dispensaries – farm to retail.

Further Reading:

• NY's cannabis equity officer stepping down in wake of investigation (timesunion.com)
• Tavian Crosland | The Nation

Joint Session: Diverse Voices in NYS Cannabis is produced by Herb Barbot, with additional production and engineering by Matt Patterson, with Rebecca Malpica producing our digital marketing/social media.

Please contact us at herb.jointsession@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments, including topics to cover.

Follow the show on Instagram at jointsession.pod, and on LinkedIn at Joint Session Podcast.

If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps new listeners find the show.

Send us a text

In this episode Herb speaks with New York City Council Member Julie Menin. Council Member Menin represents New York City’s District 5 which covers the Upper East Side of Manhattan, as well as East Harlem, Lenox Hill-Roosevelt Island, Carnegie Hill, and Yorkville. Council Member Menin’s broad history serving NYC residents as the City’s Census Director, Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, as well as Commissioner of Media and Entertainment, provides Herb the opportunity to have a wide-ranging discussion on the NYC’s efforts adapting to post-prohibition cannabis.

Our Licensee Highlight segment features Sohan Bashar, owner of Silk Road NYC, an adult-use cannabis dispensary in Jamaica, Queens, NY. Sohan shares his deeply personal story as a Muslim, Bangladeshi, husband and father of two. Sohan discusses his path to receiving a New York State Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary license; “a dream come true”, giving rise to this episode’s title.

Further Reading:

• Julie Menin Claims Victory In Upper East Side City Council Race
• People to know in NY cannabis: Sohan Bashar
• NYCRA Spotlight: Sohan Bashar of Silk Road NYC Is Ready To Get To Work

Joint Session: Diverse Voices in NYS Cannabis is produced by Herb Barbot, with additional production and engineering by Matt Patterson, with Rebecca Malpica producing our digital marketing/social media.

Please contact us at herb.jointsession@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments, including topics to cover.

Follow the show on Instagram at jointsession.pod, and on LinkedIn at Joint Session Podcast.

If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps new listeners find the show.

Send us a text

In this special two-part series Herb speaks with former NYS Office of Cannabis Management colleagues – Aaron Ghitelman, Benjamin Sheridan, and Matthew Greenberg. The group holds nothing back in a wide-ranging discussion reviewing events from enactment of the NYS Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act on March 31, 2021, through the following three years. In a conversation sure to raise eyebrows, this group brings the listener into the Office of Cannabis Management from the start of the agency until Executive Director Christopher Alexander’s resignation in May of 2024.

Further Reading:

2021

• New York Legalizes Recreational Marijuana, Tying Move to Racial Equity
• New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (2021)
• Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassment allegations

2022

• Governor Hochul Announces The Office of Cannabis Management Seeding Opportunity Initiative
• New York Governor Announces ‘Seeding Opportunity Initiative’ to Promote Social Equity in State’s Adult-Use Cannabis Market
• OCM Releases Cannabis Delivery Guidance

2023

• Housing Works to Open 1st Legal Cannabis Dispensary in New York State December 29
• CAURD Social Equity Investment Fund Program FAQ
• NY Restarts Cannabis CAURD Program
• Cannabis Showcases are ‘a Lifeline’ for New York Farmers Grappling with Glut

2024

• How NY's Cannabis Grower’s Showcase Became An Unlikely Success
• May 2024 - OCM Assessment Final Report
• Cannabis Agency Head out Following Bombshell Report
• New York Cannabis Chief Resigns After Criticism from Ho

Please contact us at herb.jointsession@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments, including topics to cover.

Follow the show on Instagram at jointsession.pod, and on LinkedIn at Joint Session Podcast.

If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps new listeners find the show.

Send us a text

In this special two-part series Herb speaks with former NYS Office of Cannabis Management colleagues – Aaron Ghitelman, Benjamin Sheridan, and Matthew Greenberg. The group holds nothing back in a wide-ranging discussion reviewing events from enactment of the NYS Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act on March 31, 2021, through the following three years. In a conversation sure to raise eyebrows, this group brings the listener into the Office of Cannabis Management from the start of the agency until Executive Director Christopher Alexander’s resignation in May of 2024.

Further Reading:

2021

• New York Legalizes Recreational Marijuana, Tying Move to Racial Equity
• New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (2021)
• Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigns over sexual harassment allegations

2022

• Governor Hochul Announces The Office of Cannabis Management Seeding Opportunity Initiative
• New York Governor Announces ‘Seeding Opportunity Initiative’ to Promote Social Equity in State’s Adult-Use Cannabis Market
• OCM Releases Cannabis Delivery Guidance

2023

• Housing Works to Open 1st Legal Cannabis Dispensary in New York State December 29
• CAURD Social Equity Investment Fund Program FAQ
• NY Restarts Cannabis CAURD Program
• Cannabis Showcases are ‘a Lifeline’ for New York Farmers Grappling with Glut

2024

• How NY's Cannabis Grower’s Showcase Became An Unlikely Success
• May 2024 - OCM Assessment Final Report
• Cannabis Agency Head out Following Bombshell Report
• New York Cannabis Chief Resigns After Criticism from H

Please contact us at herb.jointsession@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments, including topics to cover.

Follow the show on Instagram at jointsession.pod, and on LinkedIn at Joint Session Podcast.

If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps new listeners find the show.

Send us a text

In this episode Herb speaks with cannabis real estate attorney Kristin Jordan about Kentucky’s medical marijuana applications, the impetus for creating the Asian Cannabis Roundtable, and the real estate challenges facing New York’s cannabis market. Our Licensee Highlight segment features Reggie Keith, founder Buffalo’s Canna-House, a premiere cannabis event club, lifestyle brand, and resource center. Reggie’s community centered approach has positioned Canna-House for success now that he has received one of New York State’s first microbusiness licenses.

Further Reading:

• Kentucky to Open Applications for the State's Medical Marijuana Business
• Canna House focuses on cannabis education and using it in safe spaces
• Canna-House expands reach of cannabis industry with mentorship program

Joint Session: Diverse Voices in NYS Cannabis is produced by Herb Barbot, with additional production and engineering by Matt Patterson, with Rebecca Malpica producing our digital marketing/social media.

In addition, thank you to Cannabis Wire for contributing our cannabis news. You can now get 30% off a subscription to Cannabis Wire by going to CannabisWire.com and using discount code: CWJOINTSESSION

Please contact us at herb.jointsession@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments, including topics to cover.

Follow the show on Instagram at jointsession.pod, and on LinkedIn at Joint Session Podcast.

If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps new listeners find the show.

Send us a text

The measure of injuries and fatalities on the country’s roadways following cannabis legalization has been haphazard and inconclusive. In this episode Herb speaks with Chuck DeWeese, former head of the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, former chair of the national Governors’ Highway Safety Association, and founder/CEO of Connecting Clients Consulting LLC. In addition to the results seen in longstanding legal jurisdictions, Herb and Chuck discuss new tools on the horizon to assist law enforcement in determining levels of impairment caused by cannabis consumption.

The Licensee Highlight segment focuses on licensed cultivator and microprocessor applicant, William Leibee of Back Home Farms NY. William describes his approach to sustainable farming under an organic management plan that practices crop rotation, cover cropping, without the use of synthetic chemicals. Herb and William are joined by Mike Hassell, co-founder of Elevated Strategies, a consultancy assisting Back Home Farm NY.

Further Reading:

• 2023 Patient and Provider Survey Report

Joint Session: Diverse Voices in NYS Cannabis is produced by Herb Barbot, with additional production and engineering by Matt Patterson, with Rebecca Malpica producing our digital marketing/social media.

In addition, thank you to Cannabis Wire for contributing our cannabis news. You can now get 30% off a subscription to Cannabis Wire by going to CannabisWire.com and using discount code: CWJOINTSESSION

Please contact us at herb.jointsession@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments, including topics to cover.

Follow the show on Instagram at jointsession.pod, and on LinkedIn at Joint Session Podcast.

If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps new listeners find the show.

Send us a text

New York State’s cannabis program has been a magnet for lawsuits that have stymied progress in issuing licenses and growing the industry. Is the problem the agency’s implementation of the governing law, or is it the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act itself that is the problem? In this episode Herb speaks with attorney Fatima Afia and covers the full range of lawsuits that have been filed against the NYS Office of Cannabis Management’s adult use program.

Further Reading:

• New York’s OCM distracted with over 20 lawsuits
• State's cannabis office facing over 20 lawsuits
• New York hit with another lawsuit challenging marijuana social equity

Joint Session: Diverse Voices in NYS Cannabis is produced by Herb Barbot, with additional production and engineering by Matt Patterson, with Rebecca Malpica producing our digital marketing/social media.

In addition, thank you to Cannabis Wire for contributing our cannabis news. You can now get 30% off a subscription to Cannabis Wire by going to CannabisWire.com and using discount code: CWJOINTSESSION

Please contact us at herb.jointsession@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments, including topics to cover.

Follow the show on Instagram at jointsession.pod, and on LinkedIn at Joint Session Podcast.

If you’re enjoying the show, leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. It helps new listeners find the show.