How’s it growing folks! its me your host Eddie Celaya, cannabis reporter at the Arizona Daily Star and TucsonMarijuanaGuide.com, reporting in with another great episode of Here Weed Go! The podcast that’s always looking into new cannabis markets across the globe.
Before we get, I’d be remiss not to remind you that you can follow both Here Weed Go! and myself on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. I’ve left links to each in this episodes description, but just search for @ReporterEddie and @Here.Weed.Go and you’ll find content ready and waiting for you to roll up and consume.
So, speaking of markets and consumption, for the last month, I’ve been thinking about Missouri. Ever since my conversation and episode with John Mueller of Greenlight Dispensary, I’ve been intrigued and wanting to find out more.
Luckily, I was reached out to by a PR team representing Hippos, a vertically integrated chain of dispensaries operating in Missouri, and run by a veteran of the alcohol industry, on the distribution side, Nick Rinella.  
Rinella, who was apart of the process of crafting the legislation voters ultimately passed in 2022 to make marijuana recreational, provides insight into the state’s lowest-in-the-nation sin tax for marijuana and the reasoning behind it, what differentiates Missouri in its approach towards equitable licensing for more retail and store front opportunities, and where Hippos (named for the Hippocratic Oath taken by healthcare professionals) fits into the newest and hottest cannabis market in the country.
Our conversation begins with Nick talking a little about his background with cannabis, and how his upbringing in distribution of alcohol, another highly regulated substance, helped shape and inform his approach to cannabis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.