Episode 38: Jay Rosenthal

How does someone find their way from working in politics and policy into the cannabis field? Today’s guest is Jay Rosenthal, and his interesting work history has taken him from the political field to entrepreneurship and now into the cannabis industry. Listen in to hear Jay’s thoughts about what sparked him to go into entrepreneurship, what Canadian businesses can learn from American businesses, and what characteristics you need to succeed in the cannabis industry.

Topics Discussed in This Episode

• Jay’s origination story
• What was in Jay’s background that led him to his career path
• What brought out Jay’s entrepreneurial spark
• Jay’s thoughts on the mentality that an entrepreneur has to have
• What Canadians can learn from the way Americans do business
• How it took so long to legalize cannabis
• How the War on Drugs camouflaged racism
• Where to double down if you’re interested in becoming a cannabis entrepreneur
• The next domino after cannabis to fall
• What characteristics you need to succeed in the cannabis industry
• Why entrepreneurs should get involved in politics

Related Links

Jay Rosenthal

Business of Cannabis

Quotes From the Show

“The arc needs to be having it work. There’s going to be hiccups along the way, because not everything works especially when you’re building something new.”

“When I got into politics or working for elected officials, it didn’t seem like a stretch.” 

“The war on drugs in the US – and to a lesser extent here – it really only put black and brown people behind bars in the US.”

“I just don’t see where you would be able to go into a store and buy mushrooms.”