HQ Articles

Inspections are stressful for everyone involved, but they’re somehow made worse when you’ve got nothing to hide and they’re totally unexpected. Not only is there a chance that the inspector woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but there’s always the off chance that you—or your co-workers—have done something incorrectly without even realizing it.
You’ve chosen to work in a gray area. You sell products that contain cannabis or cannabis-adjacent substances as well as accessories that can be used to consume it. And while that area has become less gray—you can see rays of sunlight peeking through—the skies are still cloudy. THC remains a Schedule 1 substance, even as medical marijuana has migrated to Schedule 3.
Common business advice tends to view the 80:20 rule simplistically. Focus on the 80% of your store that drives profit, it says. Ignore the rest. That’s fine for the average folks. But what about those who want to boost the other 20%?
Before you've said a word, your shop is selling. The customer hasn’t touched a single product, and your staff hasn't even said hello. Your decor and layout have already done the talking, either pulling people in or pushing them away.
Born Sara Benetowa in Warsaw, Poland, in 1903, Sula Benet may not be an immediately recognizable name in cannabis spaces today, but she should be. While she primarily studied Polish folk customs, Benet became known for her graduate thesis at the University of Warsaw, titled Hashish in Folk Customs and Beliefs. In the paper, she claims that the plant kaneh bosm—which is referenced throughout the Old Testament and Torah and often translated as “calamus”—actually refers to hemp. Benet’s theory remains both significant and highly controversial today, especially as various religious and evangelical groups continue to demonize the plant.
Aubrey Amatelli wants to help dispensaries and cannabis retailers navigate one of the toughest parts of the industry: money. When the company she worked for right out of grad school was acquired by JPMorgan, Aubrey entered the complex world of payments and has stayed there for her entire career.
Dr. Macias first fell in love with science while studying at Howard University, where she completed her undergraduate studies and later earned her PhD in cellular and molecular biology. While at Howard, she became especially interested in cancer research due to personal ties. Growing up in a Creole family and predominantly Black community in Louisiana, Dr. Macias watched many women around her battle breast cancer, so at Howard, she decided to focus her research on the BRCA1 gene.
With a last name like hers, it’s only fitting that Liz Grow ended up in the cannabis industry. Born and raised in Texas, Liz returned to her home state almost a decade ago to start Grow Haus Media with her husband, producer Patrick Pope. However, her personal journey with cannabis started back in 2011.
As VP of Operations at ATM Wholesaler and Elite Merchant Services, he’s picked up the baton from his father and CEO, Norman Koza, who passed it to him after founding this successful company over 25 years ago.
Blending traditional values with modernized, energetic branding, Not Ya Son’s Weed falls somewhere between the cannabis days of yore and today’s recreational cannabis boom. Not Ya Son’s Weed offers a variety of products—including pre-rolls, exotic flower, and gummies—that provide much-needed relief without being too overbearing.
There’s a paradox to business conferences. The best ones manage to swing from buttoned down to wildly unscripted—sometimes seconds apart. For attendees, it’s the combination of personal connections and professional development that makes regular trips to conferences worthwhile. And in an industry like this one, pulling that off is harder than it looks.
Kunda Wellness isn’t your average CBD brand. It was founded by two Doctors of Physical Therapy who have spent their careers treating pelvic floor dysfunction and helping people reconnect with a part of their body that’s often overlooked, dismissed, or wrapped in shame.
The 510 Cigar Vape Battery features a rich cherry wood pattern, a decorative gold band, a removable magnetic mouthpiece cover, and a digital control screen displaying voltage and battery life. Designed for standard 510-thread cartridges, it delivers a classic cigar-inspired look with modern cart-vaping convenience.
Keep it simple and smooth with the Classic Headway Glass Beaker. Crafted from durable 5mm glass, this 8-inch beaker features a 4.5-inch diffused downstem designed to help deliver a cleaner, smoother smoking experience, while the oversized bowl piece makes packing easy. Built for everyday use, this beaker combines straightforward function with dependable performance. Classic Headway Glass beaker
Joe Krzeminski remembers hanging around his aunt Kathy’s store as a small child, marveling at its macramé art, homemade clothing, and glass pipes in his hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. This was the 70s. Things were simpler. All a store needed to succeed was an owner with a big personality, well-priced goods, and some righteous advertising.
To understand why the independent dispensary Amnesia has succeeded in the most oversaturated market in the nation, head to its bathroom. Inside, there’s material that changes lives. Owner Julietta Neas stocks the stalls with information on where to find free meals and mental health treatment, numbers to call if you’re experiencing suicidal ideation, and places that can help those caught in violent domestic situations.
The moment that changed everything happened in a parking lot. “When we opened, we had a festival next to our building in the parking lot, where we had live glass blowing and vendors,” recalls Charlie Ronemus, owner of Stoked. “I saw such energy in that experience, I recognized we needed to incorporate live glass blowing into the experience.”
There are objects Americans buy because they need them, and objects Americans buy because they let them be a certain kind of person. A perfectly functional version exists, usually for a fraction of the price. But the other version comes with a name, a story, and a reason to pay extra.
Several weeks ago, the death of Jamie Garcia—a worker at a state-licensed cannabis cultivation site in Los Angeles—during an ICE raid sent shockwaves through the medical cannabis community.
The medical-industrial complex loves its FDA-approved gums and patches, yet real-world evidence shows vaping annihilates traditional nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in smoking cessation efficacy.
The rise of nicotine vaping as an alternative to traditional smoking has sparked never-ending complaints about its safety, with propylene glycol (PG), a common ingredient in e-liquids, often targeted as a health concern.
While a few may have held some hope for Cannabis into Trump's 2nd term, campaign talk doesn’t mean action. However Trump's focus is quite clearly elsewhere.