Cannabis Without Borders: Women Leaders Push For Global Market Expansion At Benzinga Cannabis Conference

“Going global might be a way to stay away from the heavily taxed American cannabis space.” This was the underlying theme of the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference panel, “Women Grow Presents: A 1 Step Guide To Beating 280e: Go Global,” where industry leaders from both local and international markets shared insights on international scaling.

Dr. Chanda Macias, CFO of Women Grow, a national cannabis network and business incubator for women, vowed to help every woman who wants to market their brand in the European Union. She specializes in a marketing form that “means it is a diversified product that you can have an increased opportunity for market share.”

Macias, who promotes and advocates for women entrepreneurs, inspired the audience by presenting a case for cannabis communitarianism. “Cannabis is community-based, so traditional market research is not what is important, but finding the differences in relation to the plant and the connection to the people… removing the corporate veil. Until you understand our community, you will continue to struggle,” she stated powerfully.

Cannabis Activism and Corporations

Luna Stower, chief impact officer at Ispire Vape Technology ISPR and former Cannabis Culture Advocate of the Year, emphasized the importance of overcoming American biases for international expansion. “It’s meant to be a long game,” she said, highlighting the need for tactful engagement in foreign cannabis markets.

Stower also discussed their listing on Nasdaq, making Ispire the first vape company to go public. “The dance of the roots and suits must be graceful,” she said, stressing the need to balance cannabis culture with the industry’s economic demands. “It is a commercial GPG good, even though we think it’s a magical plant, and you know ‘you can’t put a plant in a box’, but, people are going to put it in a box so better us than other folks.”

“We have work to do, and we are not going to do it by playing small and saying no to all of these opportunities… we are part of a bigger environment and we need to push to the top,” Stower added, underscoring the importance of embracing larger opportunities for the community.

Navigating International Regulations

“It’s really hard to raise money if you’re a woman in the cannabis industry… So for me to be able to work with companies and act as a bridge to capital is super exciting,” said Heather Molloy from Speedwell Partners, who has managed capital investment for various MSOs before joining Speedwell. She highlighted the importance of simplifying cannabis’s complexities for successful investments. “You have to have a war chest to navigate regulatory changes,” she noted.

Molloy’s advice for defining a strategy emphasized that while hemp is often artificially separated from cannabis and is less regulated, “companies that provide super high-quality terpenes for vapes and beverages can have leverage and provide international opportunities that are scalable.”

Photo by Quentin Dupree for Benzinga