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Vee the Traveling Cannabis Writer Unveils First Book in Cannabis Legacy Series – Ganjapreneur

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Vee the Traveling Cannabis Writer Unveils First Book in Cannabis Legacy Series – Ganjapreneur

Renowned cannabis journalist and documentarian Veronica “Vee” Castillo has published the first part of her series. The Cannabis Travel Writer’s Guide to America’s Hidden Gems. Part 1 of the series, dubbed The view from 30,000 feetis an impressive collection of notes from the road that brings together more than six years of field reporting from across the United States and highlights voices, businesses and cultural movements often overlooked by mainstream media coverage.

Castillo has built a reputation as one of the most trusted storytellers in cannabis media. Through 200+ articles published in more than 20 publications, she has documented the cannabis movement not from behind a desk, but face-to-face with artisan growers, venture capitalists, reform advocates, and herbal medicine practitioners operating within the legacy of prohibition. From small farming towns to inner city collectives, Castillo’s work places community and lived experience at the center of the cannabis narrative.

About the Book

Part memoir, part documentary journalism and part social history, The view from 30,000 feet researches:

  • The origin of a journey — Castillo’s decision to leave her home in Ohio in 2018 and travel the country to learn about herbal medicine after cannabis helped her overcome debilitating migraines.
  • Women Shaping Cannabis Innovation — Sharp profiles of women—mostly Black, Brown and Latina entrepreneurs—building purpose-driven brands in a system that wasn’t built for them.
  • Culture and connection — A rare look at the cultural roots of cannabis across Puerto Rico, Florida, Chicago and beyond, where food, music, tradition and herbal medicine intersect.
  • Advocacy on tour — Behind-the-scenes documentation of educational, business, and policy tours that connected grassroots operators and advanced capital conversations around the country.
  • Survival economy — An honest examination of taxes, regulations and the true cost of building a fair cannabis industry under ongoing systemic pressure.

A record of the progress of cannabis, as shared by the people in it

With state-level drug policy reforms sweeping the country and consolidation reshaping the cannabis business landscape, Castillo believes it is urgent to preserve the legacy of the movement before it is distorted.

“Corporate cannabis did not build this industry,” Castillo writes. “Communities did. Healers did. Freedom fighters did. Farmers did. People damaged by the War on Drugs did. These are their stories and they deserve to stand.”

In contrast to most analyzes of the cannabis industry available in book form, Castillo’s work is lived, personal and remarkably human. She brings readers to farms, family kitchens, hemp palaces, trap-adjacent clinics, country tour vans and policy meetings. The view from 30,000 feet is a historical archive in motion and a call for equality-centered cannabis growth.

Availability

The view from 30,000 feet is now available on Kindle. For media inquiries, partnership opportunities and speaking engagements, please contact: Veetravelingvegcannawriter@gmail.com

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Announcements

WWE Hall of Famer and Professional Wrestler Rob Van Dam Launches CBD Product Line

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WWE Hall of Famer and Professional Wrestler Rob Van Dam Launches CBD Product Line

SANTA ANA, California – Rob Van Dam, WWE Hall of Famer and global sports entertainment icon, recently announced the official launch of his wellness products, a new generation of cannabis and hemp products that align directly with his long-standing cannabis advocacy and include a vertically integrated partnership as well as CBD product lines.

The soon-to-be-released launch of RVD420 is anchored by a strategic retail and distribution partnership with a leading multi-state cannabis operator, along with national DAM GOOD CBD E-commerce platform starting Summer 2026.

Key points:

  • Multi-state distribution of the RVD420 in seven (7) key US markets
  • Strategic retail partnership with a leading MSO
  • Hall of Famer backed brand with dedicated and integrated customer base
  • DAM GOOD CBD National e-commerce platform launched in June 2026

Rob Van Dam’s health products are designed to connect authentic cannabis culture with disciplined execution, offering premium products that reflect the positive culture and benefits of cannabis. The national CBD e-commerce platform is focused on recovery, relaxation and everyday beneficial use.

“Creating these products for other cannabis enthusiasts is very important to me – THC and CBD products have been part of my routine for decades and have been instrumental in my success,” said Rob Van Dam, co-founder. “Authenticity, quality and consistency are all things I stand for and will be part of the customer experience when you try the products.”

About Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam (RVD) is an American wrestler and actor best known for his time in ECW, WWE and TNA/Impact Wrestling. RVD rose to fame in ECW in the late 1990s, managed by Bill Alfonso, during which he feuded with Jerry Lynn and Sabu, and won two ECW Tag Team Championships. RVD held the ECW Television Championship for a record 700 days until injury forced him to vacate it in 2000. After ECW closed in 2001, RVD joined WWE and became a multiple-time champion in several divisions. He won the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania 22, then defeated John Cena to win his first world title at One Night Stand, also becoming the only man to simultaneously hold the WWE and ECW World Championships. RVD was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Media contact

Priya Dy

ARCHIVE FOR

Priya@ARKIVEPR.com

(720) 220-5339

Investor Contact and Business Development

Robert@RVDWellness.com

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Activism

Freedom Grow Expands Its Mission from Prisoner Support to Nationwide Community Activation

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Freedom Grow Expands Its Mission from Prisoner Support to Nationwide Community Activation

Freedom increasesan all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting cannabis inmates and their families, is entering a new phase of impact, bringing together advocacy, community and culture through strategic partnerships, national events and retail-led fundraising initiatives.

This expansion comes under new leadership, with Bill and Jeff Levers, founders of Beard Bros. Pharms and Beard Bros. Mediastepping in as CEO and COO, bringing with him a clear and purposeful vision: to significantly increase awareness, visibility and industry participation in Freedom Grow’s mission.

Since its founding, Freedom Grow has been on the front lines of cannabis justice reform, working tirelessly to support individuals incarcerated for non-violent cannabis offences. Through its signature Wish program, the organization provides commissary funds, books, educational materials and family outreach, ensuring that those still behind bars are not forgotten.

What began as a lifeline for incarcerated individuals has evolved into a broader movement—one based on compassion, awareness, and real, measurable action.

A legacy built on advocacy and human impact

Freedom Grow has supported countless individuals and families navigating the harsh realities of cannabis incarceration, providing emotional and financial relief during and after incarceration. At the same time, the organization continues to raise awareness by amplifying the voices and stories of those still serving sentences for cannabis-related offences.

This work is ongoing, deeply personal, and far from finished.

Leadership that drives a new era of visibility

With decades of combined experience in cannabis, media and advocacy, Bill and Jeff Levers are using their platforms and network to elevate Freedom Grow to a new level of national visibility.

Their leadership marks a strategic shift that goes beyond traditional non-profit outreach and embedding Freedom Grow directly into the fabric of the legal cannabis industry through media, partnerships and hands-on experiences. Their goal is simple but urgent: make sure people who still pay the price of prohibition are impossible to ignore.

Scaling the mission through events, partnerships and retail activation

Freedom Grow is now expanding its reach by connecting with platforms that bring advocacy directly to the heart of the cannabis industry and culture.

Through its involvement with Seshn eventsFreedom Grow is helping to create immersive, community-driven experiences that combine education, networking and purpose by turning industry gatherings into opportunities for awareness and action.

In parallel, Freedom Grow continues to participate in high-impact initiatives such as Vlasic Classic Charity Golf Tournament series, which brings together cannabis leaders, brands and operators to raise funds and support reform efforts. These events have become a powerful tool for uniting the industry around a shared responsibility: ensuring that no one remains imprisoned for cannabis while the legal market thrives.

Retail Enablement: A Scalable Path to Impact

Looking forward, one of Freedom Grow’s most important areas of focus is activating dispensaries and retail brands as direct contributors to the mission.

The organization is actively working with distributors in legal markets to implement point-of-sale bundled donation programs, allowing consumers to contribute directly to Freedom Grow at the checkout. This initiative creates a simple yet powerful way for everyday cannabis purchases to drive meaningful change.

To support this effort, Freedom Grow has already been approved and verified Dutchione of the leading retail technology platforms in the cannabis industry. This integration enables seamless adoption of rolled-up campaigns across participating dispensaries, making it easier than ever for retailers to align with a cause that reflects the industry’s true roots.

Beyond retail, brands can also engage directly through Freedom Grow’s Lidh Commissariat Programan initiative designed to create meaningful and ongoing support for incarcerated individuals. Through Commissary Connects, brands have the opportunity to fund commissary accounts, sponsor care initiatives and align their business with tangible and human impact, turning brand participation into direct support for those still serving.

Together, these initiatives create a full-circle ecosystem – where retailers, brands and consumers can all play an active role in advancing cannabis justice.

More than events: A movement in motion

These efforts represent more than partnerships, they signal a shift in how advocacy is integrated into the modern cannabis ecosystem.

Encompassing its mission in events, retail environments and everyday transactions, Freedom Grow is:

  • Expanding awareness beyond traditional advocacy channels
  • Creating ongoing and scalable fundraising opportunities
  • Strengthening alignment between the legal industry and its responsibility to those affected by the ban

Looking Forward

As the cannabis industry continues to grow, Freedom Grow remains grounded in a simple but urgent truth: legalization without justice is incomplete.

Through its ongoing support programs, strategic partnerships, retail initiatives and community-driven events, Freedom Grow is committed to ensuring that those who have paid the price for prohibition are not left behind.

Because this isn’t just about cannabis, it’s about people, responsibility and making sure the industry remembers where it came from.

About Freedom Grow

Freedom Grow is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping cannabis inmates regain their freedom and supporting them and their families through financial assistance, outreach and public education. Learn more at freegrow.org.

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Announcements

Springbig Launches AI Audience Builder, Giving Regulated Retailers a Smarter Way to Target, Engage, and Grow

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Springbig Launches AI Audience Builder, Giving Regulated Retailers a Smarter Way to Target, Engage, and Grow

BOCA RATON, FLBig spring (OTCQX: SBIG), the AI-powered marketing and customer engagement platform serving regulated retailers and brands, today announced the launch of AI Audience Builder, a breakthrough capability that enables retailers to create precisely targeted customer segments using simple, natural language powered by artificial intelligence. There are no filters. There is no manual logic. No data expertise required.

The launch positions Springbig at the forefront of AI-driven retail marketing, providing a tangible productivity and revenue advantage for dispensary operators competing in an increasingly data-intensive marketplace.

Instead of navigating complex segmentation workflows, marketers can now describe an audience in their own words and watch Springbig’s AI build it instantly, dramatically shortening the time from idea to campaign execution.

Transforming the way marketers work with data

Audience segmentation has long been one of the most powerful yet consistently underutilized levers in retail marketing. The barrier has never been data availability. It was accessibility.

Traditional segmentation requires marketing teams to build logic by hand, configure multiple filters, and maintain a working knowledge of underlying data structures. For operators running lean teams across multiple locations, this friction translates directly into lost revenue opportunities.

AI Audience Builder removes that barrier entirely. Key skills include:

  • Create natural language audiences based on intent, purchase behavior or campaign goals
  • Instant segmentation without manual filter configuration or technical training
  • Faster campaign execution that compresses setup time from hours to seconds
  • Higher targeting accuracy based on real-time customer data
  • Broader team access, empowering any marketer, not just data specialists, to run sophisticated campaigns

“For too long, the most powerful tools in retail marketing required technical expertise to unlock.” said Jaret Christopher, Chief Executive Officer of Springbig. “AI Audience Builder changes that equation. When a marketer can describe who they want to reach in plain English and have that audience built instantly, it’s not just a better workflow. It’s a direct revenue driver. We built this because speed and accuracy at the campaign level is where it’s earned, and we’re giving each of our clients that advantage.”

Speed ​​and accuracy where it matters most

In high-velocity retail environments, the window between consumer intent and purchase decision is narrow. AI Audience Builder allows operators to react in real time, building and launching hyper-relevant campaigns without the delays historically caused by manual segmentation.

This capability delivers tremendous impact during peak promotional periods, product launches, and high-traffic events, where message relevance directly determines conversion and revenue results.

Operators using AI Audience Builder can expect to:

  • Launch campaigns faster with dramatically reduced setup time
  • Reduce segmentation errors that dilute message relevance and waste overhead
  • Increase customer lifetime value through smarter, behavior-driven targeting
  • Unlock deeper intelligence from existing customer data without additional infrastructure
  • Scale marketing output without scaling headcount

The result is a more agile, more profitable marketing operation that keeps pace with consumer behavior and operational demands at the same time.

A platform built for AI-Native Marketing

AI Audience Builder is the latest addition to Springbig’s expanding suite of AI-powered capabilities, which include campaign automation, personalized messaging, loyalty optimization and performance analytics. Each capability is designed with the same goal in mind: to reduce friction for the marketer and increase return on every customer interaction.

For investors, AI Audience Builder represents a significant advancement in platform sustainability, operator efficiency and the revenue impact that Springbig delivers to its customer base. Features that measurably improve operator outcomes strengthen retention, expand usage and accelerate the platform’s competitive differentiation in the regulated retail technology sector.

“Springbig has made a deliberate and committed transition to being an AI-first company.” Christopher said. “We’re integrating artificial intelligence into the core of our MarTech platform and across our organization. The goal is straightforward: automate what’s manual, simplify what’s complex, and use AI to drive operational efficiencies both within Springbig and for every customer we serve. AI Audience Builder is an example of this commitment in action, but it reflects a much larger transformation of our business.”

“The opportunity in AI is not abstract,” Christopher added. “Every campaign that’s built faster, every audience that’s targeted more precisely, every message that comes at the right moment drives measurable revenue for our clients. That’s what we’re building towards: an AI layer that makes the entire marketing operation smarter, faster and more effective at every touchpoint.”

Availability

AI Audience Builder is available now to all Springbig platform subscribers at no additional cost.

To learn more or schedule a demo, visit Springbig.com.

About Springbig

Springbig (OTCQX: SBIG) is a leading provider of comprehensive AI-powered marketing, loyalty and communications solutions for retailers and brands operating in regulated industries. Through its advanced CRM and marketing automation platform, Springbig enables businesses to increase customer retention, drive revenue and deliver personalized experiences at scale. Springbig serves hundreds of retail locations across the United States and Canada and is dedicated to building the technology infrastructure that powers the next generation of regulated retail marketing.

Media contact:

Gabby Marazzi

info@springbig.com

Springbig.com

Investor relations:

investors@springbig.com

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