Bri Smith

Foy wasn't just a gentleman smuggler; he was the kingpin in operation Jackpot.

Driving into Denver by way of St. Louis on the long, flat stretch of I-70, the stories of values-driven brands I encountered in Minnesota and Missouri linger in my mind. These stories share a common thread: high barriers to entry, a maze of legal regulations, and steep costs to establish a brand. One challenge, in particular, stands out—the costly, complex, and often time-consuming process of sourcing packaging.

The last place you’d imagine finding Humboldt-quality cannabis is Cuba, Missouri. Yet, when I visited this small town of 3,000 people, I found cannabis that rivaled that of the Emerald Triangle. It didn’t come from an MSO. And it wasn’t endorsed by a rapper or celebrity. It was cultivated in a glass-top greenhouse by veteran growers who have dialed in on what it means to grow regeneratively.

When I stepped foot in St.Louis, it was the first time I had spent any time in the brick-house city. I was in search of local cannabis folks who were committed to serving the community. Although the state is embroiled in a hemp vs. cannabis battle and grapples with the need for a state-run laboratory to weed out bad actors, some brands are putting one foot in front of the other with their values leading the way.
I received a handful of tips leading me to community-minded folks. I did not rece...

In the year-plus, since adult-use cannabis was legalized in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, thousands of applications sitting in the Office of Cannabis Management, stalled in action. The only adult-use dispensaries legally allowed to sell cannabis products are located on reservations, with the nearest store an hour’s drive from the Twin Cities.

But that hasn’t stopped the green wave from swelling in the state...

It was 3:21 am when I shot upright out of a dead sleep, clutching my hatchet in preparation to defend myself and praying someone wasn’t going to make it into my camper. It had just violently shaken left to right as if someone had jumped onto it, and for the next few hours, as my adrenaline wore off, I couldn’t put together what had happened. It wasn’t until I spoke to folks in the daylight ho...

The Fight Against Corporate Interests Is A Fight For Cannabis Culture
Written By Bri Smith
We’re all sick of capitalism. On a global scale, we’re watching it cause massive imbalances of power, inequitable distribution of resources, environmental destruction, and greed that excuses violent genocide, wars, starvation, and modern-day slavery. On a national scale, we’re (Americans) watching the billionaire class explode from record profits after price-gouging Americans on the heels of a traumatiz...

It was 1968, and Pigasus, a nearly 150-lb pig, was being paraded into Chicago as the Youth International Party’s nominee for President of the United States. A few hundred people attended the charade in the park, many sparking up in protest of federal cannabis prohibition just outside the Democratic National Convention. As Pigasus was brought onstage, and his nomination acceptance speech read aloud by one of the Yippie founders (Jerry Rubin), they would be abruptly interrupted by police with seemingly no sense of humor.

Nearly one month ago, President Biden delivered the announcement that he would be pardoning those who had been charged with federal non-violent cannabis possession crimes. Although many praised the news at first, it soon became evident that not a single person would be freed from a prison sentence. At this realization, many professionals in the cannabis industry made public calls for action, to push politicians further in the direction of expungement, legislative change, and the re-scheduling...

It’s no secret that the legal cannabis industry is young and growing at an exponential rate; however, this maturation comes with growing pains and learning curves that can be difficult for both legacy operators and newcomers alike. Cannabis professionals face endless hurdles regarding compliance, regulatory standards, marketing, financing, accounting, inventory, transportation, and more. Yet, there's another, more psychological challenge that professionals in the cannabis industry must naviga...

OK, we admit it. We’re a little biased when it comes to our favorite web-building platforms and hosts — but for good reason. We’ve built hundreds of websites and had our fair share of tech snafus in our tenure. With each challenge and troubleshooting experience comes the fine-tuning of preferences for what works best, and we’ve come to the conclusion that WordPress is a great option for cannabis websites.
In 2024, brands can’t afford to settle for platforms that say one thing and do another —...

Cannabis and music go together like peanut butter and jelly. Bri Smith explores her love for the two, and how to balance her new role as a mother, at Riotfest 2022.

Pack your bags and bug spray; Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes (and nearly as many opportunities to try cannabinoid-infused beverages) are calling! This year, instead of planning the typical coastal vacation, might I suggest visiting the Twin Cities in the heart of the Midwest?
Located in the beautiful state of Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul - often referred to as the Twin Cities - is the birthplace of a fully-integrated cannabis culture with THC-infused beverages at the center.

Alas, our two favorite holidays have arrived – the last day of Snow Emergency parking in Minnesota and 4/20! As the snow-covered streets turn to flooded lakes, rivers, streets, and basements, Minnesotans are busy ‘shop-vac’ing their shag rugs and squinting at the light of the end of the tunnel that is sunny weather without the chance of flurries or flooding. While they wade… er… wait, it’s only natural to reach for a cold one to warm up from the inside out.

It’s a fire day for a cannabis business when new customers make a purchase, pay an invoice or sign a contract. After all that shimmying around red tape and jumping the unending hurdles to convert a lead to a customer, it’s easy to get distracted by the high and forget the effort doesn’t stop there. Now that you’ve earned a new customer, how do you plan to influence them to become loyal repeat buyers? Light up, sit back and learn five ways to retain cannabis customers and ignite consumer loyal...