Today we talk with Mandi from Utah CBD Collective!
Connect with us at UtahMarijuana.org and IAmSaltLake.com!
Who is Mandi Kerr? [00:26]
Mandi is the co-founder of Utah CBD collective. Mandi is passionate about the hemp and cannabis space. While spending the last four years at B2B networking and events for lead generation, she became aware of the pain points in the cannabis and CBD industry such as access to banking, payment processing solutions, and advertising options.
Mandi’s thoughts on the lack of cost protections in the cannabis industry [03:07]
Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) provides protection in the agricultural industry and acts as an insurance policy for farmers. For example, if you agree to buy 500 bales of hay at $300 a bale, but later come back to the farmer wanting to change the contract because the market price dropped to $90 a bale, the PACA act would protect the farmer from those losses.
Why CBD is classified as a drug by the FDA [06:54]
CBD is classified as a drug because CBD is used in Epidiolex, which is now FDA approved. This defaults all CBD in the U.S. to be classified as a drug.
Why Mandi is looking to transition to focus on hemp [08:20]
Currently, CBD has a strong national representation. However, where Mandi believes that industrial hemp representation is lacking, which is why she is transitioning from Utah CBD Collective to the Association of Hemp Associations.
Mandi sees an opportunity with hemp helping drive economic growth with sustainable uses of building materials, building homes, plastics, fibers, etc. Thus, a goal for the Association of Hemp Associations is to lobby for the hemp industry.
How hemp fiber is grown [12:04]
A hemp stock grows tall like bamboo. Thousands of plants can be grown on a single acre. Once grown, it is broken down, processed, and bailed like hay. Hemp can be further processed into fibers, plastics, oils, or construction materials like “HempCrete” or drywall.
Even though hemp is legal in the U.S., why isn’t there more widespread use? [14:12]
The issue is the lack of manufacturing facilities in the U.S. Farmers can easily grow hemp on their land, but because there is nowhere for them to sell their crops, it does not make sense for them to invest in hemp.
Another issue is the lack of access to banking and advertising. For example, Google and Facebook prohibit advertisers from promoting cannabis-based products on their platforms. Without the ability for companies to sell hemp products at scale, not enough demand can be generated to incentivize farmers to grow hemp.
Why Mandi started the Associations of Hemp Associations [21:41]
Mandi realized that cannabis and industrial/manufacturing industry associations and groups were divided by either product, region, or type of processing. An organization that brought together everyone involved with hemp was necessary
The potential for U.S. manufacturing of hemp to improve global child labor and human trafficking [28:43]
Much of the textile and fabric manufacturing is done out of the United States. The low manufacturing costs come with a trade-off of child labor and human trafficking in those countries.
Bringing our supply chains back to the U.S would improve our economy and improve global child labor and human trafficking.
How to ensure you’re purchasing quality CBD [33:53]
Products should have a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) and lab tests that show the quality of the product.
Mandi’s hemp education efforts [38:50]
Mandi has done daily shows on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram with Utah CBD Collective, interviewing over 100 people. She has begun making the shift to hemp education with the Association of Hemp Associations.
Mandi also posts events on Eventbrite and LinkedIn.
Tim’s thoughts on the demand in Utah for Medical Marijuana [46:00]
Tim believes that the state will not be able to keep up with the demand for Medical Marijuana. Specifically, he believes that it will take 2-5 years for the state to catch up. Potential solutions could be opening up control to the cities or federal decriminalization.
Time Stamps:
00:00- Intro
00:26- Who is Mandi Kerr?
03:07- Mandi’s thoughts on the lack of cost protections in the cannabis industry
06:54- Why CBD is classified as a drug by the FDA
08:20- Why Mandi is looking to transition to focus on hemp
12:04- How hemp fiber is grown
14:12- Even though hemp is legal in the U.S., why isn’t there more widespread use?
21:41- Why Mandi started the Associations of Hemp Associations
28:43- The potential for U.S. manufacturing of hemp to improve global child labor and human trafficking
33:53- How to ensure you’re purchasing quality CBD
38:50- Mandi’s hemp education efforts
46:00- Tim’s thoughts on the demand in Utah for Medical Marijuana
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