2024-11-01
What happens when a cannabis lawyer gets sick of the legal fees and decides to open his own dispensary? He goes to war. Blake Mensing, co-founder of Firebrand Cannabis, sits down with Jason to expose the ridiculous hurdles of launching a dispensary right across from Boston's South Station. From battling NIMBY "Karens" and fighting corrupt city inspectors to dodging $130,000 build-out scams and calling out the Cannabis Control Commission as a "slow-motion trainwreck," Blake holds absolutely nothing back. Chapters: 00:00 Why a Cannabis Attorney Quit to Open a Dispensary 02:51 The 51% Social Equity Trap & Building Firebrand 06:45 Battling NIMBYs and Boston's Wealthy "Karens" 10:52] How Boston City Inspectors Play Favorites with Permits 14:38 The Half-Mile Buffer Rule & Defending Chinatown 20:00 Selling Weed to 91,000 Daily Commuters at South Station 23:00 Going to War with the Cannabis Control Commission 32:00 $130k for Display Cases? Avoiding Dispensary Build-out Scams 39:55 Exposing the Extortion of Municipal Host Agreements 51:25 Why the CCC is a "Slow-Motion Train Wreck" 58:55 DEA Rescheduling: What Schedule 3 Actually Means 01:01:48 Why Cannabis Social Consumption Lounges Are Setup to Fail 🎧 Don’t miss Blake’s insights into creating a successful cannabis brand while breaking new ground in the industry. Full episodes: highfunctioning.show Subscribe: tr.ee/highfunctioningsubscribe Listen on Spotify: tr.ee/highfunctioningspotify Apple Podcasts: tr.ee/highfunctioningapple 21+ where legal. Nothing for sale.