010: The Future of Cannabis Supply Chains with Rick Kimball

Even as both medical and adult use cannabis legalization has continued across the United States, growers and retailers have faced a number of challenges, like how to standardize and regulate a product that isn’t always easy to measure. In the CBD space in particular, it’s easy to end up with “hot” product where THC levels are too high to be legal. Rick Kimball is tackling this issue head-on. He’s the president of Rymedi - a tech company building a trusted, secure, and compliant track and trace platform designed to meet the specialized regulatory needs of the healthcare industry. Before founding Rymedi, he spent over 30 years as an investment banker and venture capitalist at firms including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Millennium Technology Partners. Today, Rick joins the podcast to talk us through the issues facing the CBD industry, how Rymedi works to help everyone along the supply chain, and the emerging innovations in this field that have a lot of people excited right now. KEY TAKEAWAYS The legal differences between hemp and CBD - and why the FDA does not view CBD as a supplement, but as an OTC pharmaceutical product. How Rymedi benefits everyone along CBD supply chains with technology designed to track processes and ensure compliant data capture. Why testing is so difficult, such a big industry, and a lucrative opportunity - and why blockchain and AI are crucial to Rymedi’s business model. The reason Rick is currently staying in the CBD space and partnering with companies in THC cannabis instead of working directly with the product – and who are on track to become the dominant players after legalization. How Rick’s technology has helped to eradicate Hepatitis C in Mongolia. Why Rick believes federal repeal is further away than we might think it is – and why full federal legalization right now could lead to chaos. SHOW NOTES For complete show notes, including transcripts, takeaways, and links to all the resources mentioned, visit SoHoExp.com/10 To learn more about the podcast and get access to all episodes, visit: SoHoExp.com/GreenRepeal

Om Podcasten

Today’s Cannabis marketers are facing the same challenges faced by the alcohol industry in 1933 when prohibition was reversed — how do you successfully market a product and navigate an industry that is on the verge of becoming legalized on a federal level? Join alcohol beverage marketing experts and founders of SoHo Experiential, Rick Kiley and Jeff Boedges, as they interview economists, historians, entrepreneurs, legal experts, and more! Listen in as they track the path to a “Green Repeal”, through the lens of alcohol beverage professionals familiar with the trials and tribulations of marketing a “sin-dustry.” Through the podcast, listeners will get an excellent understanding of the Cannabis industry, how it will be governed, and how to successfully navigate the challenges of marketing a successful product in a heavily restricted industry.