The Dime

Bryan Fields
The Dime
Latest episode

303 episodes

  • The Dime

    Understand This Before You Use AI To Build Software ft. Chris Guthrie

    2026-07-09 | 50 mins.
    AI has made software easier than ever to build. That does not mean every internal tool should become the backbone of your business.

    In this episode, Bryan sits down with Chris Guthrie to break down the growing temptation inside cannabis companies to vibe code internal tools, dashboards, CRMs, ERPs, and operational systems in the name of saving money.

    The problem is not the first version. The problem is what happens two months later, when a field does not map, the workflow breaks, the person who built it is unavailable, and a production team is now relying on code nobody fully understands.

    Chris explains the difference between a useful AI-built prototype and an enterprise-grade system that can survive real operators, messy data, security needs, compliance, multiple departments, M&A diligence, and future FDA-style requirements.

    This conversation covers why descriptive data does not create predictive insight, why Google Sheets to vibe coding can become a path to failure, and why the real AI opportunity starts after the business has clean data, clean processes, and a system strong enough to trust.

    This episode covers:

    The weekend build that fails

    Descriptive data will not predict

    Clean books before M&A

    Chapters

     

    00:00 The Rise of AI in Software Development

    03:07 Challenges of Internal Software Development

    06:09 Understanding What 'Works' in Software

    09:10 The Risks of Vibe Coding

    12:05 The Importance of Established Infrastructure

    14:58 Cost Considerations in Software Development

    17:56 Predictive Insights and Data Utilization

    21:13 Defining Core Business Focus

    23:17 The Challenges of AI Implementation

    27:00 Understanding AI's Limitations

    28:58 The Importance of Data Governance

    31:11 Navigating Change Management in Cannabis

    35:51 Preparing for Industry Evolution

    40:09 The ROI of ERP Systems

    Our Links:

    Bryan Fields on Twitter

    The Dime on Twitter

    Extraction Teams: Want to cut costs and get more out of every run? Unlock hidden revenue by extracting more from the same input—with Newton Insights.

    At Eighth Revolution (8th Rev), we provide services from capital to cannabinoid and everything in between in the cannabinoid industry.

    The Dime is a top 5% most shared  global podcast

    The Dime is a top 10 Cannabis Podcast 

    The Dime has a New Website. Shhhh its not finished.

    🎥 YouTube:  The Dime

    📸 Instagram:  The Dime

    https://www.newton-insights.com/

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • The Dime

    Hirsh Jain: Rescheduling Is Already Picking Winners

    2026-06-25 | 1h 11 mins.
    Cannabis rescheduling is not as simple as “Trump rescheduled cannabis.”

    States are interpreting rescheduling completely differently depending on their license structure. These tiny details are widening the gap between potential winners and losers.

    In this episode, we break down what actually changed, what is still unresolved, and why rescheduling may already be picking winners and losers.

    This week, we sit down with Hirsh Jain to discuss:

    • What the April order and June 29 hearing actually mean

    • How the DEA registration portal could impact operators

    • The three pathways for interstate commerce

    • Why state license structure may determine who is positioned for a national market

     

    Chapters

    00:00 Understanding Cannabis Rescheduling

    02:53 The Implications of Medical vs. Adult Use Cannabis

    05:48 Navigating Federal Legality for Medical Cannabis

    09:03 DEA Registration: A New Era for Cannabis Businesses

    11:53 The Complexities of DEA Registration

    15:02 Interstate Commerce: The Future of Cannabis Trade

    17:46 State Models and Their Impact on Cannabis Regulation

    21:02 Winners and Losers in the Cannabis Market

    24:04 The Role of Politics in Cannabis Regulation

    27:01 The Future of Interstate Commerce in Cannabis

    38:15 Understanding the Dormant Commerce Clause

    40:46 Interstate Commerce and Political Friction

    42:43 Legal Challenges to Cannabis Rescheduling

    44:37 The April Order and Its Implications

    51:05 Upcoming Hearings and Their Significance

    59:22 Emerging Markets in Red States

    01:05:34 Cultural Shifts and Legal Implications

    01:10:16 Looking Ahead: Signals for Progress

    Guest Links:

    https://www.anandastrategy.com/

    Our Links:

    Bryan Fields on Twitter

    The Dime on Twitter

    Extraction Teams: Want to cut costs and get more out of every run? Unlock hidden revenue by extracting more from the same input—with Newton Insights.

    At Eighth Revolution (8th Rev), we provide services from capital to cannabinoid and everything in between in the cannabinoid industry.

    The Dime is a top 5% most shared  global podcast

    The Dime is a top 10 Cannabis Podcast 

    The Dime has a New Website. Shhhh its not finished.

    🎥 YouTube:  The Dime

    📸 Instagram:  The Dime

    https://www.newton-insights.com/

     

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • The Dime

    Germany Is the Engine: What BAT Knows That Cannabis Doesn't ft. James Yamanaka

    2026-06-22 | 41 mins.
    Predictable cash flow is the whole game. In cannabis, predictable is the one thing almost nobody has.

    Organigram CEO James Yamanaka came up over 20 years at British American Tobacco, where that discipline is the entire model. He thinks the opportunity starts there: trim the portfolio, stop chasing every trend, tighten the supply chain, lean on the science, and align operations. Germany's market could nearly double in the next two years, but capturing it will take more than expansion.

    This week we sit down with James Yamanaka, CEO of Organigram:

    A BAT perspective on cannabis

    Why chasing every trend loses money

    How the Sanity deal unlocks Germany

    Chapters:

    00:00 Introduction to Organigram and BAT's Involvement

    05:24 Shifting Perspectives: From BAT to Organigram

    09:08 Understanding the Complexity of the Cannabis Market

    13:12 Balancing Listening and Leadership

    17:24 Data-Driven Decision Making in Cannabis

    21:18 Strategic SKU Management and Market Forecasting

    24:17 Leveraging BAT's Expertise in Cannabis

    30:04 The Strategic Importance of the Sanity Deal

    39:57 Navigating Regulatory Challenges in the Cannabis Industry

    Guest Links:

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-yamanaka-aaa32a/

    https://www.organigram.ca/

    Our Links:

    Bryan Fields on Twitter

    The Dime on Twitter

    Extraction Teams: Want to cut costs and get more out of every run? Unlock hidden revenue by extracting more from the same input—with Newton Insights.

    At Eighth Revolution (8th Rev), we provide services from capital to cannabinoid and everything in between in the cannabinoid industry.

    The Dime is a top 5% most shared  global podcast

    The Dime is a top 10 Cannabis Podcast 

    The Dime has a New Website. Shhhh its not finished.

    🎥 YouTube:  The Dime

    📸 Instagram:  The Dime

    https://www.newton-insights.com/

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • The Dime

    Why Ohio Cannabis Is Built Different: Inside the Regulator-Operator Alignment That's Actually Working ft. Caroline Henry

    2026-06-11 | 47 mins.
    When a regulator asks what the downside is of adding one more testing requirement, what is the downside? Just a little more safe. Just in case. Especially when adding one more item to an already exhaustive testing panel.

    That logic is how licensed cannabis markets end up buried under compliance layers copied from other states, calibrated to someone else's problems.

    It is also exactly how two adjacent markets with nearly identical consumer bases, Ohio and Michigan, ended up with completely different market structures.

     What they do not share is regulatory philosophy. When one state watches another add a rule and asks itself whether it should do the same, the answer it lands on shapes the entire cost structure of every licensed operator inside its borders. Ohio learned to ask the follow-up question. Most states never do.

    Ohio closed the intoxicating hemp loophole on March 20th, ahead of the federal government, and those shops are starting to close. The next unlock may already be here: THC beverages reaching the customers who will never walk into a dispensary, sold at the restaurant down the street.

    This week we sit down with Caroline Henry, VP of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Buckeye Relief.

    The regulator FOMO problem

    Ohio vs. Michigan: two markets, one lesson

    THC beverages as the dispensary gateway

     

     

    Chapters

    00:00 The Disconnect in Cannabis Perception

    03:12 Navigating Stigma and Misconceptions

    05:48 Regulatory Challenges and Industry Standards

    08:55 Building Relationships with Regulators

    11:54 Small Wins in Regulatory Negotiations

    15:02 The Impact of Over-Regulation

    17:48 Child-Resistant Packaging and Its Irony

    25:38 Navigating Regulatory Challenges in the Cannabis Industry

    26:00 The Role of Beverages in Reducing Stigma

    30:37 Learning from Michigan: Ohio's Cannabis Strategy

    39:31 Focusing on Ohio: The Case for Local Expertise

    44:00 The Realities of Working in the Cannabis Industry

     

    Guest Links

    www.buckeyerelief.com

    www.amplifydispensary.com

    Our Links:

    Bryan Fields on Twitter

    The Dime on Twitter

    Extraction Teams: Want to cut costs and get more out of every run? Unlock hidden revenue by extracting more from the same input—with Newton Insights.

    At Eighth Revolution (8th Rev), we provide services from capital to cannabinoid and everything in between in the cannabinoid industry.

    The Dime is a top 5% most shared  global podcast

    The Dime is a top 10 Cannabis Podcast 

    The Dime has a New Website. Shhhh its not finished.

    🎥 YouTube:  The Dime

    📸 Instagram:  The Dime

    https://www.newton-insights.com/

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
  • The Dime

    Cannabis Was Medicine. Now the Proof Is Catching Up, ft. Joel Stanley and Dr. Marcel Bonn-Miller

    2026-05-21 | 50 mins.
    The cannabis industry convinced the world it had a medicine before the science caught up. Now the science is here, and almost no one is paying attention.

    CBD is not a panacea. When Charlotte's Web opened hearts and minds, the messaging of what it could do ran years ahead of what the data could actually support. That gap created a backlash the legitimate medical thesis didn't deserve. What's left on the other side of the green rush is a near-complete forgetting of the reason this industry started in the first place. The medicine. Now the infrastructure to prove it is finally in place. Standardized genetics. Reproducible extraction. Full compound characterization. An FDA botanical drug pathway that has existed since 2016 that most investors have never heard of. Organic medicine versus synthetic single-molecule will be a real choice at the pharmacy counter sooner than most people expect. The foundational work is already here.

    This week we sit down with Joel Stanley and Dr. Marcel Bonn-Miller:

    Botanical drugs vs. supplements

    6,000 compounds, one drug

    Novel compounds nobody has named yet

    Chapters

    00:00 Why Medical Validation Remains a Challenge for Cannabis

    00:12 The FDA Approval Process for Plant-Based Medicines

    01:03 Historical Market Dynamics and Their Impact on Cannabis Perception

    02:48 Removing the Veil: How Science Can Validate Cannabinoid Therapies

    03:15 The Complexity of Plant Molecules and Real-World Evidence

    06:20 Focus in Drug Development: The Case of Autism Spectrum Disorder

    07:10 The Impact of Charlotte's Web and Media Hype

    08:52 Balancing Hype and Reality in Cannabinoid Medicine

    10:01 Legitimization of Cannabis Research in Academia

    12:10 The Evolution of Cannabis Research and Acceptance

    13:54 The Future of Botanical Medicine and Academic Research

    16:15 The Long Road of Drug Development for Cannabis-Based Medicines

    20:50 Introducing AJA-001: A Botanical Drug for Autism

    22:44 Standardization and Characterization of Botanical Drugs

    24:01 Partnerships and Funding in Botanical Drug Development

    24:40 Challenges of Multi-Compound Botanical Drugs

    27:28 Reproducibility and Quality Control in Botanical Manufacturing

    29:06 FDA Pathways for Botanical Drugs and New Chemical Entities

    34:29 Identifying and Characterizing Thousands of Plant Compounds

    39:48 The Role of AI and Supercomputing in Drug Discovery

    41:11 Balancing Exploration and Focus in Botanical Research

    44:38 What the World Will Understand About Cannabinoids in 10 Years

    47:24 The Promise of Botanical Medicine Over Single Molecule Drugs

    Guest Links:

    AJNA Biosciences Website
    https://ajnabiosciences.com/

    AJNA Biosciences LinkedIn
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/ajna-biosciences/posts/?feedView=all

    AJNA Biosciences Instagram

    @ajnabiosciences

    Charlotte’s Web Website
    https://www.charlottesweb.com/

    Charlotte’s Web LinkedIn
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/charlottesweb/posts/?feedView=all

    Charlotte’s Web Instagram

    @charlotteswebcbd

    Joel Stanley LinkedIn
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-stanley-2885116b/

    Joel Stanley Instagram

    @joel.stanley

    Dr. Marcel Bonn-Miller LinkedIn
    https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-bonn-miller-897a581/

    Our Links:

    Bryan Fields on Twitter

    Kellan Finney on Twitter

    The Dime on Twitter

    Extraction Teams: Want to cut costs and get more out of every run? Unlock hidden revenue by extracting more from the same input—with Newton Insights.

    At Eighth Revolution (8th Rev), we provide services from capital to cannabinoid and everything in between in the cannabinoid industry.

    The Dime is a top 5% most shared  global podcast

    The Dime is a top 10 Cannabis Podcast 

    The Dime has a New Website. Shhhh its not finished.

    🎥 YouTube:  The Dime

    📸 Instagram:  The Dime

    https://www.newton-insights.com/

    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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About The Dime
Most cannabis companies won't survive the next three years. The ones that do will have better capital discipline, sharper regulatory reads, and operational frameworks built for compression, not growth. The Dime is where cannabis operators, executives, and investors hear directly from the CEOs and founders making those decisions right now: MSO strategy, state-by-state market dynamics, cultivation and extraction economics, brand positioning, and the financing structures keeping companies alive. Bryan Fields hosts weekly conversations built for operators, not observers.
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