On May 29, 2026, global cannabis technology company CannBro was invited to the Cannabis Expo in Johannesburg to share insights on emerging cannabis-related medical applications and supply chain strategies in the cannabis markets.
At the event, CannBro highlighted its partnership with the CHEEBA Cannabis Academy to promote industry education, compliance awareness and the development of regulatory standards in emerging cannabis markets. The company highlighted the importance of establishing strong regulatory and compliance frameworks for the sustainable growth of the industry.
As a company certified with ISO 13485 and GMP, CannBro actively explores medical cannabis applications and collaborates with health organizations to discuss potential clinical research and CBD product applications.
CannBro also introduced the “Factory Pricing + Local Stock” strategy, combining manufacturing capabilities in China with warehouses located overseas, enabling efficient delivery of local inventory. The company currently operates warehouses in the United States, Canada, Germany and South Africa and has helped more than 150 customers with local stock delivery solutions that reduce costs and improve inventory turnover.
In addition, CannBro visited local cannabis cultivation facilities to learn about the evolution of the South African market and explore potential partnerships for cultivation, medical applications and product development.
Andy Zhao, CEO of CannBro, said: “As the global cannabis market matures, fulfillment and medical applications will become key drivers of sustainable growth. CannBro remains committed to advancing the industry through education, medical research and supply chain innovation.”
Kentucky’s Democratic governor is calling a top GOP lawmaker a “total lack of humanity” after he suggested state law enforcement officials should prosecute people who act under a recent executive order to expand access to medical cannabis.
“Any organization, any licensee involved in this illegal expansion should be prosecuted,” Nemes said at a legislative committee hearing. “This is not the way forward.”
On Thursday, Beshear said signing the cannabis order “was the right thing to do, and it was necessary, because they write in the name of certain medical conditions in the law, but then they write in symptoms like pain and nausea, which are all clearly symptoms.”
After the Legislature declined to take up a proposal this session to expand the list of conditions, Beshear used his authority to also ensure that patients with 15 additional health disorders (Parkinson’s disease, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell anemia, fibromyalgia, arthritis and glaucoma) also have access to medical marijuana.
“A lot of people are helping, and I was really surprised to see an attack from a lawmaker who called on the attorney general to prosecute people who were dying of a terminal illness to ensure medical cannabis,” the governor said Thursday. “I mean, that’s a complete lack of humanity. It’s really low. I mean, you want to judge a person with ALS? That’s definitely not leadership, and even for that person, it’s a new record.”
“Sometimes we see people making those threats, and in today’s culture, I think they think it’s masculinity, but masculinity is not being the bully on the playground. It’s being the person who stands between the bully and the person who’s picking on them. That’s my job, to stand between those bullies and those people with these very serious conditions, to say, ‘something that makes me addicted,’ what makes me addicted. Opioids, and that can help.” That’s what I’m going to do as governor. These people are in real pain, they need help. they have and they need this safe alternative. Politics should never get in the way of doing what’s right for Kentucky.”
Kentucky’s medical marijuana program has progressed to the point where cannabis is now “readily available” to patients who need it, the governor said, so the amnesty order will expire on July 1.
“This should give people plenty of time, the rest of the month, if you’re traveling out of state, to contact an eligible doctor and apply for a medical cannabis card right here in Kentucky,” he said.
The latest executive order on the terms is a follow-up to Beshear’s 2023 bill to legalize medical cannabis.
At a press conference last week to announce the new medical marijuana order, the governor also said he believes “it’s time” for broader decriminalization of cannabis.
The governor, who has long championed cannabis reform, he anticipated a market launch that monthwhile claiming that medical marijuana will help thousands of patients find an alternative to opioids for pain management.
Beshear previously acknowledged that “it’s taken longer than we would have liked” to sustain the industry since he signed off on legalizing medical marijuana in 2023.
Considering this delayed implementation, he He signed an executive order to waive renewal fees for patients who get the cards so that they are not charged again before the stores open. And another order he signed to provide protections for qualified patients who obtain medical marijuana outside of Kentucky “will remain in place.”
Beshear announced separately last year that the state had launched a new online directory that allows people to see where medicinal cannabis will open next to them
Meanwhile, the governors sent a letter to Kentucky’s congressional delegation last yearurging them to “take decisive action to protect the constitutional rights of our law-abiding medical cannabis patients” by repealing the federal ban on possession of firearms by marijuana users.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) warned Kentucky residents that in 2024, if they choose to participate in the state’s medical marijuana program, they will be prohibited from buying or possessing firearms under federal law.
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When most people picture cannabis, they picture the counter, the plump flower already sitting on the shelf. The amount of industry it puts into it is visible, in cultivation and manufacturing and distribution, and in the filling work that consumes most of the day. Orlando Padilla got into the traditional side of the plant long before it was legal, and he made time for it, and now runs NovaGrow Labs, a social equity operator that takes cannabis from seed to sale and sells it vertically in Los Angeles. In a video recently released by the LA Department of Cannabis Regulation. “Now you have this opportunity to become an authorized operator, but you have to put in the work.”
Vertical integration First came the factory, then the business. “I was in love with the plant at a very young age, and coming from the traditional side of things, it was exciting to be able to do things legally and correctly,” says Orlando. “So creating a real cannabis-based business was almost a dream come true for me.” Vertical integration is the way that dream holds its shape, each license in hand, the flower leads all the way. “We are able to cultivate, grow our own flower, package it under our own brand or package it for others, distribute it and ultimately sell it at our doorstep,” says Orlando. “The cultivation never stops. As an indoor crop, we’re basically growing 24/7. You have to have reliable people.”
It’s that hour-by-hour schedule that keeps Reg Escobar growing. “There are schedules to meet, there are many critical points,” says Reg. The room comes down to its inputs, the systems that maintain the temperature against the nutrient program, the watering cycles, the light cycles. Genetics carries the heaviest burden of proof. “We do a lot of fen hunting for different breeds,” says Reg. “Finding the right product that we believe is usable and will represent our brand.” None of them run on a person. “I couldn’t do it by myself, that’s why I need all these, we’ll call them lieutenants, running the business,” says Reg. “We rely on our employees because they have the final say. They are the ones in charge of the product, and communicating with them helps us ensure that what we get from distribution and cultivation is what we expect every time.”
That same trust carries over to the counter, where it becomes product knowledge. “Many of our employees are very knowledgeable about all the products in the store,” says Jewels, an employee of The Chronic. “So we make sure we pick the product that’s exactly what you need.”
Cultivation was NovaGrow’s first license, and every operator must clear the way to the filling machinery. “Metrc’s integration was very difficult to successfully cultivate and work through the industry on any type of license,” says Reg. “You have to understand our compliance systems, the tracking and tracing system, the SOPs that are issued by DCC, maybe DCR, any of our local regulators, with the proper training to overcome that.” SOPs have come together over time, written specifically for each license, the thing that moves the operation on its day. The day begins before the doors open. “The retail store opens at 6:00, so we have the staff coming in at 5:45,” says Orlando.
Part of the community For people who work on the floor, shifts involve more than just your classic work schedule. “It’s a blessing to be a part of it, to see where we started and where we are and talk about our future,” says Moses, an attorney with The Chronic. The brand NovaGrow is launching comes with a name that carries its history. “If you know the history of running the brand, The Chronic, there’s a lot of responsibility with that brand name,” says Orlando. “I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to work with that name. So when I deliver the product I have to make sure it’s of the highest quality and people respect it. It’s a respectable name in this industry.”
The base of the whole thing is the block it sits on. “Our culture is about community. We’re part of the community and we’re happy to be part of the community,” says Moises. “I grew up in this neighborhood, so it’s very special to me. Everyone has their local coffee shop, their local donut shop. We’re the local cannabis shop.”
The weight of regulation is the part that Orlando says new operators misread. “This is the most regulated industry in the world, and there are so many levels, so many hurdles,” says Orlando. Fulfillment is the majority of the work, not part of it. “Cannabis fills almost 75%,” says Reg. “A lot of new operators and owners think it’s something they’ll be able to handle themselves, but a successful operation definitely needs a compliance manager, a familiar person who can provide training and guaranteed SOPs to make sure we’re staying within regulation, compliance and the 10 different tax levels that are going on.”
Los Angeles puts its own layer on top. “Now with the city of L.A., construction and safety and the fire department, it’s very difficult to operate here,” Orlando says. The scrutiny is heavier on someone who came from the illegal market. “I understand this came from an illegal underground place, but now that it’s legal, it’s a challenge because we’re constantly being watched,” Orlando says. “Getting a license is hard enough, and once we get these licenses, we need that extra support to be able to operate.” The tools exist, in his reading, and taking it is the gap. “I think the tools are there. DCR, you’re doing a good job of making the platform available, but I still think people need that push to get on there and actually use what you have available,” says Orlando.
Too many operators leave those resources on the table, as Reg sees it. “I feel like there are a lot of operators out there that aren’t making the most of their resources,” says Reg. “That’s what we’ve really tried to do here at Nova, especially starting in Orlando, being part of the social equity program.”
For Orlando, his stake is personal, and they cross everything that existed before the license. “I’m very passionate about this. I made time for this thing,” Orlando says. “For me, this is vindication and validation. Coming from the streets, let’s keep it real, seeing the evolution of cannabis and now being a business owner in the city of LA, speaking with Dr. B is a special day for me.” What Reg lets other operators do is stop trying to do it alone. “Get involved with your cannabis community, use whatever resources you have,” says Reg. “It’s the only way we can all stay together as a community and thrive and succeed.”
Jorge Cervantes closed Innexo’s Acceleration Day with a review of genetics, a line of attendees waiting to sign copies of the Grower’s Bible, and a single sentence that puts everyone in the greenhouse within a bloodline. “We are descendants of this country, this room,” says Jorge. The forefathers he named were Nevil Schoenmakers and David Watson, the two breeders who took cannabis genetics beyond prohibition and built the foundation of every plant on the test bench. None of the seeds being scanned for spaceflight, none of the veggie-free trials, none of the triploids would exist without the work started by those two men, and the June 8 event is the clearest update of what got them off the ground.
The last Acceleration Day brought together more than 100 people and 60 companies in the greenhouse, coming from all over Europe and from Israel, Morocco, Turkey, Tasmania and Uruguay, the event started a few years ago with 20 people, in a free-for-all format.
Cannabis all day Dominique van Gruisen, CEO and founder of Innexo, had breakfast and coffee before opening the program for the day. “We’re here to be that sandbox where LPs and tech developers can come together around the factory. That was my mission a couple of years ago,” says Dominique. “We started with 20 people at a free-for-all event, and now we’re at 100 people with an exclusive event. It’s a big leap.” The event spanned 12 hours for the first time, from morning to evening, which eased the pace rather than tightening it.
After the presentation, Xavier Gaya of Avitas Global took to the stage to explain why Avitas is working with Innexo and why it’s crucial that someone other than the host implements with LPs, then recited a poem to set the tone. They all dressed in white and went to the greenhouse to what Dominique calls the boutique network with the plant. “I don’t think there was a single person who didn’t talk to an LP or a tech developer,” says Dominique. “You see them coming together around common issues. Fluence joined Atami, Grodan wants to join Faven, you have these synergies in place that combine experience to move the industry forward.” Rehearsals on the tables became the connective tissue between people who would otherwise have stayed in their corners.
Xabier came in after the greenhouse session had already started. “I saw 60 to 70 people dressed in white from head to toe, looking at the different tests on the table. It seemed to me like a school project, and the person doing the experiment was next to explain,” says Xabier. “Everything was green, everything was dressed in white, it was a bit surreal to see.” His reading of the research is that of an operator, not a scientist. “I don’t like scientists who don’t push the envelope. If you have to do science, you have to push the envelope, and science has to be operationally useful,” says Xavier. What Avitas said taking the stage is that deployments need to live with LPs, not be locked within the walls of the host.
For the crops in the room, the trials were the reason they were there. Mendocino Mike, from Northern California, came online as much as to touch the plants. “As a grower, I was interested in the tests I saw, the no veg technique, the different lighting strategies, as well as networking the people in the rooms. It’s not just about shiny shoes,” Mendocino Mike says. “It was a group that looked after plants like that, that was the main takeaway.” He draws a hard line between the European standard and what he knows at home. “It’s so different from California. It’s just EU MMJ, the way we grow and cultivate it, and the bottom line we’re looking for. Here you have to pass very strict microbial tests. In California they’re lower because of the rec frame,” says Mike.
Oussama Badad, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Growmics, Chief Scientific Officer of Trilogene Seeds and a Fulbright Fellow, has been following for two years now and uses the gap to measure the event against himself. “I came here last year, I came back this year, and I see the evolution. I have seen many new faces, and LPs which is very important for this event, to come to see these innovators on this platform, to support the cause,” says Oussama. “The quality of the talks this year, the technology, the sending of seeds into space, the testing of the Faven guys, you can see it with your own eyes.” What he values is the curator. “Dominique was a great host. It’s a very well-organized event where you’re not running around meeting people, it just happens organically, so it’s effortless,” says Oussama. “You come where the research is done. We visited the lab this morning to see all the equipment.” His current reading is correct. “It’s time to strengthen, so it’s about getting the cool kids together and seeing what we can do with high standards,” Oussama says. “We’ve seen advances in other crops, so why not use that technology in cannabis?”
F1, triploids and space travel The evening’s knowledge session went from borderline absurd to downright absurd, covering, as Dominique put it, spectral fingerprints, F1 hybrids, triploids and the project to send cannabis seeds into space. “It’s almost literally amazing that we can now send seeds into space, and mimic what the Chinese have successfully done with some crops,” says Dominique. “We have a global collective effort. Inexo does a spectral scan of the seeds before and after they are launched into space.” All participants went home with a 3D model of a cannabis plant attached to a QR code. “This technology alone will allow us to take cannabis from the 60s into the space age,” says Dominique.
Josh Goodman-Levy, who leads Dosatron’s hydroponic business outside of North America, attended his third Acceleration Day and weighed in on the conference circuit. “A lot of times you have consultants, sales professionals, it pays to play the whole thing, there’s more authenticity and culture at Innexo,” says Josh. “The improvement and quality of the event is evident every time I come. The speakers, the research, the networking, it’s really unique in the European market.”