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This week, Ngaio Bealum, comedian, musician, writer and cannabis advocate, joins the Cannabis Equipment News to talk about how the industry has changed since he became a part of it and how his role within it has evolved as well.
Ngaio Bealum, like many people in the cannabis industry, started out as a stoner. As his love for cannabis grew, so did his knowledge of the legal and social hurdles facing it, and that drove him to become a cannabis activist.
"I mean, I was always an activist, but that became my cause," he said.
Bealum has a lot of irons in the fire. He's a comedian, musician, writer, and cannabis advocate. He credits weed and coffee with his ability to handle such a large and varied workload. He initially resisted the label of cannabis comedian due to the bias it often elicited but eventually decided to just lean into it and embrace the community.
Bealum has been a part of the cannabis community for decades and has watched the industry evolve. He's frustrated with the pace of legalization but encouraged by some recent developments like Germany's recent decision to liberalize cannabis. Despite some similarities, he warned against regulating cannabis like the tobacco industry, stressing that consumers should be able to interact with and smell the cannabis they're buying. He said the cannabis buying process should be more "deli style."
He hopes the future of cannabis consumption looks more like a fancy wine shop that functions more like a cannabis club and social program.
Jump around:
- The built-up inertia around cannabis legalization. (4:04)
- Why he resisted the label of cannabis comedian. (7:05)
- The current state of the cannabis industry. (8:58)
- The problems with too much THC. (11:03)
- Cannabis shops functioning as community centers. (13:41)
- The next big thing in cannabis. (19:52)
- How the industry can improve on advocacy and operations. (26:59)
- The virtues of the stoner. (33:26)
- How "Cooking on High" on Netflix came to be. (37:05)
- The relationship between cannabis and social media. (44:49)
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