Expert Details
Cannabis Horticulture: Plant Science, Facility Design, Licensing, Compliance, Training, Optimization, and Profitability
ID: 739817
Louisiana, USA
In 2006, Expert helped build the Oaksterdam Nursery, which was the largest cannabis nursery in the state at that time. He managed the daily production of thousands of clones for the statewide medical market. During this time, he also worked in the Oakland-licensed medical cannabis dispensary, SR-71/Coffeeshop Blue Sky. In 2007, he helped develop and teach the first horticulture classes at Oaksterdam University and has been teaching there ever since. As the current Horticulture Department Chair and Lead Horticulture Instructor he has led the development of the entire Horticulture Curriculum and helped teach over 80,000 U.S. and international students about cannabis cultivation, science, regulations, and how to design, license, and operate a compliant cannabis business. During this time, Expert also founded Let It Grow Consulting, and has since worked with dozens of indoor, greenhouse and outdoor clients across the nation.
In 2014, Expert joined the Board of Directors at Sparc, San Francisco’s premiere medical cannabis dispensary. That year, his Nevada company was awarded four NV-state medical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing licenses for two commercial facilities currently operating in Las Vegas.
In 2015, he was a featured presenter at the Native Nations Cannabis Symposium and at the MJ Business Conference and Expo in Las Vegas, the world’s premiere cannabis conference, where he lectured on sustainable cannabis cultivation.
In 2017, Expert joined the Hood Incubator, an accelerator program for people of color trying to enter the cannabis industry. At this time, he also became Sparc’s Cultivation Director, helping to run a commercial indoor facility in San Francisco, and to design, license and launch a multi-acre, outdoor and greenhouse, adult- use, cannabis farm in Sonoma County, CA. Within two years, Expert was able to secure Demeter Biodynamic certification for this farm, the oldest and most prestigious international, sustainable farming certification on the planet. He is also lead consultant for a second, Demeter Biodynamic outdoor, cannabis farm in Sonoma County owned and operated by renowned biodynamic winemaker, Mike Benziger.
In 2018, Expert secured cultivation and manufacturing licenses for a currently operating, commercial cannabis company in Rhode Island. In 2019, Let It Grow Consulting helped their client secure four highly competitive cultivation and manufacturing licenses in Missouri. This company is currently operating in multiple facilities totaling over 100,000 sq. ft. And in 2021, another client successfully won cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail licenses for a 17,000 sq. ft, mixed-light, greenhouse facility in Contra Costa, CA. Expert most recently helped a client win cultivation, manufacturing, and retail licenses in New Jersey and design their 30,000 square foot facility in Atlantic City.
Expert is a contributing author and editor for Ed Rosenthal's Cannabis Grower's Handbook (2021). He has been featured on National Geographic, CNBC, NPR, the Atlantic, Washington Post, High Times, Press Democrat, SF Bay Guardian, and Leafly.
He has worked as an expert witness on several cases, where his work entailed:
- Authoring an expert report for an intellectual property lawsuit regarding claims about proprietary cannabis cultivars, facility design/equipment investments and improvements, operational and quality control procedures, programming, and training.
- Offering a range of expert witness services for a lawsuit regarding claims of cannabis crop loss due to alleged negligence of a security contractor at a commercial cannabis cultivation facility.
- Providing expert opinions and testimony during mediation leading to resolution via settlement.
- Providing a range of expert witness services for a lawsuit regarding claims of cannabis crop loss due to a fire alleged to be started by a dehumidifier at a commercial cannabis cultivation facility.
- Providing deposition testimony and written opinions helping the client win a pre-trial settlement.
- Providing a range of expert witness services for the plaintiff in a lawsuit regarding crop loss due to alleged, faulty construction methods and mechanical system malfunction (air conditioning, heating, and dehumidification systems).
Education
Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
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Year: 1999 | Degree: BS | Subject: Tropical Ecosystem Ecology | Institution: U.C. Berkeley |
Year: 1997 | Degree: N/A | Subject: Tropical Ecosystem Ecology | Institution: PUC - Rio de Janeiro (Education Abroad Program) |
Work History
Years | Employer | Title | Department |
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Years: 2007 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Horticulture Department Chair and Lead Instructor | Department: Horticulture Department |
Responsibilities:Oversee the Horticulture Department for America's first & premiere cannabis college. Responsibilities include curriculum development, instruction, and student mentoring re: cannabis horticultural science, facility design, technologies, licensing, compliance, optimization, and finance. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2007 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Founder and Lead Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:Professional consulting for individuals and organizations in legal cannabis states. Responsibilities include expert support for cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility licensing, design, technologies, construction supervision, staffing, training, compliance, optimization, and finance. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2021 to 2021 | Employer: Cannabis Grower's Handbook | Title: Contributing Author and Editor | Department: |
Responsibilities:Cannabis horticulture expert contributor for Ed Rosenthal’s new book. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2019 to 2021 | Employer: C4 Pharms | Title: Cultivation Director and Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:Licensed, designed, supervised construction, staffing, launch and compliance for a Missouri cannabis company with three 30,000sf cultivation licenses and one manufacturing license. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2019 to 2019 | Employer: Demeter USA | Title: Member | Department: Cannabis Standards Advisory Committee |
Responsibilities:Advisor for development of cannabis specific standards for Biodynamic certification in the US. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2017 to 2019 | Employer: SPARC / Terra Luna Farms | Title: Cultivation Director | Department: |
Responsibilities:Licensed, designed, supervised construction, staffing, training, launch and compliance for a multiple-license, biodynamic-certified, greenhouse and outdoor, cannabis farm for N. California's premiere dispensary chain. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2017 to 2017 | Employer: Hood Incubator | Title: Mentor | Department: |
Responsibilities:Free industry training for POC, LGBT, disabled and low income cannabis entrepreneurs. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2014 to 2018 | Employer: Green Therapeutics | Title: Owner and Chief Operations Officer | Department: |
Responsibilities:Consultant turned owner/director for four NV medical cannabis cultivation and manufacturing licenses located in Las Vegas, NV. Responsibilities included licensing, design, supervised construction, staffing, training, launch and compliance. |
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Years | Employer | Title | Department |
Years: 2009 to 2014 | Employer: SF Patient and Resource Center (SPARC) | Title: Board of Directors and Consultant | Department: |
Responsibilities:Board member and expert consultant for San Francisco's premier medical cannabis dispensary. |
International Experience
Years | Country / Region | Summary |
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Years: 1997 to 1997 | Country / Region: Brazil | Summary: PUC - Rio de Janeiro - Education Abroad Program - studied Tropical Ecosystem Ecology & Portuguese |
Career Accomplishments
Publications and Patents Summary |
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Contributing author and editor for Ed Rosenthal's Cannabis Grower's Handbook (2021). He has been featured on National Geographic, CNBC, NPR, the Atlantic, Washington Post, High Times, Press Democrat, SF Bay Guardian, and Leafly. |
Additional Experience
Expert Witness Experience |
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Expert has worked as an expert witness on 4 cases. |
Language Skills
Language | Proficiency |
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Portuguese (Brazilian) | Intermediate |
Spanish | Intermediate |
Fields of Expertise
cannabis, cannabis crop, cannabis cultivation, cannabis industry, damages calculation, facility design, manufacturing facility design, horticulture, plant (botanical), plant anatomy, plant physiology, plant disease, plant reproduction, plant tissue culture, construction design, HVAC, compliance, licensing, education, training, air odor control