Welcome to The Outlaw Report’s new Q&A series, focused on the cannabis landscape of the Mid-Atlantic. Our series aims to shine a spotlight on the trailblazers and experts who are shaping the local cannabis industry. Through their first-hand experience and insights, we explore the successes, challenges, and stories of businesses and individuals at the forefront of cannabis policy, business and innovation in the region.
Our monthly interview features CannabizMD, a trailblazing company dedicated to transforming the cannabis industry through education, policy and business expertise.
Jacquie Cohen Roth, MS is the Founder and CEO of CannabizMD, The Tea Pad Foundation and an adjunct professor at The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in the Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program. She is also an advisor for the Council for Federal Cannabis Regulation (CFCR). Read the full interview below!
Who is CannabizMD, and what do you do?
CannabizMD is a female-founded and led MBE/SBE/DBE company focused on filling the void of cannabis science, policy, and business education via a multimedia platform and consulting services committed to equity in the cannabis industry. I founded CannabizMD in 2017. Our mission is to educate, build, and engage an ecosystem of cannabis industry stakeholders to deliver optimal patient and product outcomes.
What has been the most impactful part of CannabizMD expanding in the DMV?
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify our market. The” MD” is to underscore our primary focus on medical cannabis, I launched in December 2017 with the Maryland – also “MD” – cannabis industry opened its doors to medical cannabis patients, hence the double entendre in the original branding. I named my vision CannabizMD to grow beyond the DMV region. Very quickly, CannabizMD had a global footprint. I had pivoted from conventional healthcare, where I was an award-winning entrepreneur when I recognized a void, a need, and an opportunity to launch a platform focused on filling the void of education for an ecosystem including physicians, healthcare stakeholders, and cannabis business leadership.
What are you most excited to help your clients with?
I am most excited when I help our like-minded clients execute the CannabizMD mission, delivering optimal patient care outcomes, which in turn helps to remove the stigma associated with medical cannabis and racism inherent to U.S. drug policy. I have a stealth technology-focused project about to launch that I’m incredibly excited about. It is a project that I have not seen used in the cannabis industry and will be a game changer for CannabizMD clients.
What is the backbone or ethos of CannabizMD as a company?
The Hebrew principle of “tikkun olam,” which literally means the repair of the world, guides both CannabizMD and its ESG (environmental, social and governance) – The Tea Pad Foundation LTD. This principle drives our collective goals and objectives, guiding us as we fill the void of cannabis science and policy education for workforce development, cannabis consumers, patients, physicians, advanced practice healthcare providers, and industry senior leadership.
What makes your company so special?
CannabizMD is a bootstrapped, female-founded, and led company, and as is The Tea Pad. Our team is like none other in this sector of the cannabis industry. Almost every team member has at least an MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics and a shared commitment to CannabizMD company values. My organizations’ respective missions underscore a personal commitment as a business leader to resolving ethical issues.
How can cannabis businesses benefit from working with you?
From working with me, CannabizMD, and/or supporting nonprofit Tea Pad, cannabis businesses will benefit from working with a leader and team committed to ethical and value-driven practices. In turn, this leads to enhanced brand reputation and long-term sustainability. Collectively, we are creating a positive impact on the communities most harmed by the War on Drugs, sound public policy, and the environment. Who doesn’t want this?!
Can you tell us a client story where your services were really able to help them succeed?
This is not a single client story but two examples of how I and the education programs that CannabizMD deliver are positively impacting the cannabis industry workforce. The first: I am a partner of CannaWorkforce, Inc which is the first cannabis industry workforce development program funded by a state. CannaWorkforce is funded by a Maryland Department of Labor EARN grant. Our CannaWorkforce Maryland-based learners have a minimum of a GED and with our training, our successful learners develop new career paths in the regulated cannabis industry. (We’re always looking for strategic industry partners be part of the education programs in person!)
The second story is how an annual CannabizMD program, “The CannabizMD Cannabis Science + Policy Forum”, changed the professional focus of a board-certified physician working for one of the world’s most renowned health systems. They attended a CannabizMD Cananbis Science and Policy Forum. They shared with me that what they learned that day led them to create a physician-led consultation practice specializing in the use of cannabis therapeutics for chronic pain management. Since dedicating their practice to cannabis therapeutics, this same physician is helping to shape national and Maryland medical cannabis policy. That’s a big win for everyone.
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