Christov shares ideas for new cannabis entrepreneurs
The cannabis stock sector is booming, with legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in the United States and abroad rapidly expanding. Investors want to know more about the cannabis investment opportunities from industry-leading experts.
Today, we chatted with Serge Chistov, Chief Financial Partner with Honest Marijuana Company. Honest Marijuana Company is an eco-conscious cannabis growery. Serge has shared his expert insight on cannabis-related topics from financing to trends and product development, political environment and more with many high profile publications. He also has a background as a stockbroker and in wealth management services.
Schaeffer's: What opportunities does Honest Marijuana Company see for the cannabis industry as a whole?
Serge Chistov: In the United States, federal legalization of marijuana will be a game changer, but still a limited one. The regulations on growing, packaging, transporting, marketing, and selling will vary from state to state, which will make expanding cannabis based businesses an ongoing challenge. This doesn’t even address exporting, which is not possible at this time. The cannabis industry is also fairly saturated with a lot of players, some seasoned and many less so, but which ultimately leaves even less room for expansion opportunities.
Schaeffer's: How can new entrants to the cannabis market get around these obstacles for entry?
Serge Chistov: There are two ways around that for the savvy cannabis entrepreneur. The first is technological innovation and the second is expansion in other countries.
Let's start with technological innovation. The days of buying pot from your local dealer are over in many parts of the United States. Cannabis has gone mainstream and people are embracing the relaxation and stress reducing qualities of a good batch of bud in new and interesting ways, often without ever smoking a joint. Along with an interest in not inhaling smoke is the fact that many cannabis consumers are becoming ever more discerning about what they put into their bodies and what impact that consumption has on the environment. High quality, organic weed is not ‘boutique’ anymore: it’s what the average cannabis consumer is looking for.
Vaping, oils and tinctures, topical creams and edibles are all part of the next generation of available consumption methods but new innovations take them to the next level. For example, traditional edibles typically take upwards of an hour to produce any psychoactive effects, and even then, they can be diminished by the digestive process. Honest Marijuana Company has developed technology that reduces cannabinoids like THC to a nano level and coats them—thanks to Nanobidiol™ technology—so that they are more readily absorbed into the body, effectively bypassing the effects of the digestive system. Result? Edibles that produce a high as effectively and quickly as smoking a joint, without ever having to inhale.
Now let's talk about expansion beyond the U.S. borders. The second area of growth is for cannabis companies to effectively become multinationals and look for opportunities to grow and market cannabis products elsewhere. Africa is a perfect example. Currently in Uganda, there is a government sponsored program for growing and delivering medical grade cannabis to Germany. Other African countries, like Tanzania, are watching these existing ventures and seeing the opportunities both in terms of economic development and industry growth.
Honest Marijuana Company is partnering with Tanzania’s first chain of medical clinics—“Your Local Clinic”—to enable medical practitioners and pharmacists to prescribe medical marijuana grown locally, with a future view to also enabling exports to Europe. Since growing marijuana can happen year round in that climate, in soil that is all but pesticide free, all that is needed to make the venture viable is experience, knowledge, and a little technology.
Leveraging clean growing practices as a baseline, as well as technology for irrigation and cultivation, there is an opportunity to develop the industry in many countries, to their economic benefit, as well as that of the end consumer, here and abroad.
*This article is published for purely informative purposes. Honest Marijuana Company's opinions are not necessarily a reflection in any way of those of Schaeffer's Investment Research. We publish information about companies in which we believe our readers may be interested. The information that we provide or that is derived from our website is not intended to be, and should not be construed in any manner whatsoever as, personalized advice. Also, our website and the information provided by us should not be construed by any subscriber or prospective subscriber as SIR's solicitation to effect, or attempt to effect, any transaction in a security. Investments in the securities markets, and especially in options and futures, are speculative and involve substantial risk. The information that we provide or that is derived from our website should not be a substitute for advice from an investment professional. We encourage you to obtain personal advice from your professional investment advisor and to make independent investigations before acting on the information that you obtain from SIR or derive from our website.*