In this episode I speak with Paul Dunford who serves as the co-founder and VP of Knowledge at Green Check Verified about

• Banking & Risk in Cannabis
• Cannabis Transaction Monitoring
• Cannabis Datasets
• METRC & Data

Paul Dunford serves as the co-founder and VP of Knowledge at Green Check Verified, where he is recognized as a leading authority in the field of cannabis banking. He leverages his expertise to offer valuable insights and guidance, frequently contributing through various professional platforms and publications. As the creator of the Accredited Cannabis Banking Professional certification, Paul sets an educational benchmark in the industry. His stringent focus on compliance is evident in his strategic development of Green Check Verified’s pioneering compliance rules engine, which has revolutionized how financial institutions engage with the cannabis sector. This tool not only enhances transparency but also ensures that all operations adhere to the highest regulatory standards, underscoring Green Check Verified’s role as an industry leader.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-dunford/

Our Mission

Our mission is to support the legal cannabis industry by connecting every cannabis business with the financial and business services that they need to grow.

In a dynamically changing regulatory environment, Green Check remains undaunted in the face of the unknown, mapping the way forward, setting new standards and trends; staying focused on helping the legal cannabis industry do well while doing good.

Through this innovative spirit, Green Check at its core, is about connection.  We connect legal cannabis businesses with the financial and business services they need to grow.  We connect cannabis business performance in a transparent way, giving financial institutions the necessary visibility into cannabis business operations for them to confidently serve the community in compliance with each state law.

We do this through a vast source of data, enabling insights for the rapidly growing cannabis industry.  Our passion for this emerging industry drives our purpose.  We are relentless in our pursuit of expanding opportunities both for cannabis operators and the financial institutions that serve them.

Our History

Q3 2022

Announce the acquisition of PayQwick, offering banking services directly to the cannabis industry

Q1 2023

Green Check Connect marketplace launches to provide access to a broad set of services including banking, payments, lending, insurance, payroll services & more

Q2 2023

Announce the acquisition of Komplyd, offering greater connectivity and data-driven insights to the industry

Q3 2023

Serving over 140 Financial Institutions and more than 7,000 Cannabis Businesses

2017

Green Check Verified, Inc. founded by Kevin Hart, Paul Dunford & Mike Kennedy

2019

Begin onboarding Financial Institutions (Banks and Credit Unions) onto the Green Check Verified platform

2021

Over 2000 Cannabis Businesses utilize the platform working with their banking partner

2022

Serving over 80 Financial Institutions and more than 3000 Cannabis Businesses

Q3 2022

Announce the acquisition of PayQwick, offering banking services directly to the cannabis industry

Q1 2023

Green Check Connect marketplace launches to provide access to a broad set of services including banking, payments, lending, insurance, payroll services & more

Q2 2023

Announce the acquisition of Komplyd, offering greater connectivity and data-driven insights to the industry

Q3 2023

Serving over 140 Financial Institutions and more than 7,000 Cannabis Businesses

2017

Green Check Verified, Inc. founded by Kevin Hart, Paul Dunford & Mike Kennedy

2019

Begin onboarding Financial Institutions (Banks and Credit Unions) onto the Green Check Verified platform

2021

Over 2000 Cannabis Businesses utilize the platform working with their banking partner

2022

Serving over 80 Financial Institutions and more than 3000 Cannabis Businesses

Q3 2022

Announce the acquisition of PayQwick, offering banking services directly to the cannabis industry

Q1 2023

Green Check Connect marketplace launches to provide access to a broad set of services including banking, payments, lending, insurance, payroll services & more

Q2 2023

Announce the acquisition of Komplyd, offering greater connectivity and data-driven insights to the industry

Q3 2023

Serving over 140 Financial Institutions and more than 7,000 Cannabis Businesses

Welcome to the new short form formatted podcast that supplements my longer 30 minute one on one Karma Koala podcast conversations.

Koalas get tired quickly and need to snack so I have taken my lead from them and created this new 5 minute format where a current topic is covered quickly by a leading lawyer or professional in the cannabis industry.

In our 7th mini-bite I speak with Hemp & Cannabis Lawyer, Rod Kight (2nd in a series of 5 mini-bites)

Why do legislators hate hemp derived cannabinoids?

ROD KIGHT

I have been an advocate for cannabis reform all of my adult life and personally experienced its beneficial effects while undergoing chemotherapy treatments for testicular cancer. I have been in remission for years. You can read about my cannabis law journey by . I am fortunate to provide legal services to businesses in the cannabis industry, including hemp, CBD, THC, novel and emerging cannabinoids, and medical and adult use marijuana.

For almost 25 years I have represented thousands of businesses and individuals in legal matters. During that time I have provided legal guidance to clients covering a broad span of business issues, including entity formation, contract drafting and negotiation, shareholder disputes, joint ventures, mergers, tax matters, intellectual property protection, commercial litigation, appeals, asset sales, bankruptcy, and dissolution.

Rod’s Professional Biography

Rod is a cannabis business law attorney. Based in North Carolina and Mexico, Rod represents legal cannabis businesses throughout the world and is editor and chief writer of the Kight On Cannabis law blog. Rod is the author of “Cannabis Business Law-What You Need to Know”, published by Aspatore Books. He has served on the advisory board for the American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine, for which he has also written a legal column. Rod also created the “Source Rule”, which is widely regarded as a primary legal foundation for the contemporary hemp market in cannabinoids and other cannabis materials.

Rod is frequently quoted on cannabis matters by trade publications and major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Time, Washington Post, Politico, and Business Insider. Salon.com published an op-ed piece Rod wrote about hemp. Additionally, Rod has been listed in MG Magazine’s list of “30 Powerful Litigators”, Hemp Connoisseur Magazine’s list of “100 People You Should Know”, and High Time’s “2020 Leaders in Cannabis Law.” He has been part of the legal teams in two high-profile cases against the DEA and the Texas Department of State Health Services regarding hemp extracts, has drafted and presented cannabis legislation to a foreign head of state, is a member of the board of directors of a publicly traded Canadian cannabis and psychedelics company, testified to the FDA about CBD and cannabis compounds, and is a partner in a Mexican import-export company focused on legal cross-border hemp transactions. Rod routinely advises in-house counsel and C-suite level executives on cannabis issues. He has discussed cannabis legal issues in numerous seminars to lawyers, business executives, and public officials and is regularly asked to be a guest speaker on US and international podcasts about cannabis and psychedelics.

Rod is a strong believer in cannabis for personal and medical use after using it successfully during chemotherapy treatments for cancer (he is in remission). He has been an attorney advocate for NORML and has also been a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association, the National Cannabis Industry Association, the Hemp Industries Association, and the Southeast Hemp Association.

https://cannabusiness.law/about/

Welcome to the new short form formatted podcast that supplements my longer 30 minute one on one Karma Koala podcast conversations.

Koalas get tired quickly and need to snack so I have taken my lead from them and created this new 5 minute format where a current topic is covered quickly by a leading lawyer or professional in the cannabis industry.

In our 6th mini-bite I speak with Hemp & Cannabis Lawyer, Rod Kight (first in a series of 5 mini-bites)

What does the Mary Miller amendment mean?

ROD KIGHT

I have been an advocate for cannabis reform all of my adult life and personally experienced its beneficial effects while undergoing chemotherapy treatments for testicular cancer. I have been in remission for years. You can read about my cannabis law journey by . I am fortunate to provide legal services to businesses in the cannabis industry, including hemp, CBD, THC, novel and emerging cannabinoids, and medical and adult use marijuana.

For almost 25 years I have represented thousands of businesses and individuals in legal matters. During that time I have provided legal guidance to clients covering a broad span of business issues, including entity formation, contract drafting and negotiation, shareholder disputes, joint ventures, mergers, tax matters, intellectual property protection, commercial litigation, appeals, asset sales, bankruptcy, and dissolution.

Rod’s Professional Biography

Rod is a cannabis business law attorney. Based in North Carolina and Mexico, Rod represents legal cannabis businesses throughout the world and is editor and chief writer of the Kight On Cannabis law blog. Rod is the author of “Cannabis Business Law-What You Need to Know”, published by Aspatore Books. He has served on the advisory board for the American Journal of Endocannabinoid Medicine, for which he has also written a legal column. Rod also created the “Source Rule”, which is widely regarded as a primary legal foundation for the contemporary hemp market in cannabinoids and other cannabis materials.

Rod is frequently quoted on cannabis matters by trade publications and major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Time, Washington Post, Politico, and Business Insider. Salon.com published an op-ed piece Rod wrote about hemp. Additionally, Rod has been listed in MG Magazine’s list of “30 Powerful Litigators”, Hemp Connoisseur Magazine’s list of “100 People You Should Know”, and High Time’s “2020 Leaders in Cannabis Law.” He has been part of the legal teams in two high-profile cases against the DEA and the Texas Department of State Health Services regarding hemp extracts, has drafted and presented cannabis legislation to a foreign head of state, is a member of the board of directors of a publicly traded Canadian cannabis and psychedelics company, testified to the FDA about CBD and cannabis compounds, and is a partner in a Mexican import-export company focused on legal cross-border hemp transactions. Rod routinely advises in-house counsel and C-suite level executives on cannabis issues. He has discussed cannabis legal issues in numerous seminars to lawyers, business executives, and public officials and is regularly asked to be a guest speaker on US and international podcasts about cannabis and psychedelics.

Rod is a strong believer in cannabis for personal and medical use after using it successfully during chemotherapy treatments for cancer (he is in remission). He has been an attorney advocate for NORML and has also been a member of the International Cannabis Bar Association, the National Cannabis Industry Association, the Hemp Industries Association, and the Southeast Hemp Association.

https://cannabusiness.law/about/