Metro Philadelphia Cannabis Industry Power Players

Stephen E. Lankenau, PhD, is a professor and associate dean of research at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health where he directs the Medical Cannabis Research Center. Dr. Lankenau is leading a 10-year study focused on medical cannabis use among young adults in Los Angeles and an eight year study of medical cannabis patients in Pennsylvania. He has authored over a dozen peer-reviewed studies on the effects of medical cannabis on mental and physical health. 

Where do you see the cannabis industry in Pennsylvania in five years?
At a minimum, moving out of schedule 1 status if not full legalization nationally.

What attracted you to the cannabis industry?
My research on medical cannabis grew out of other studies focused on substance use among young adults.

Cannabis has clear value to people’s health, tell us your favorite way you stay healthy & fit.
When approached from a medical use perspective, cannabis offers numerous possibilities to positively impact health and well-being.

Senator Dan Laughlin was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 2016 to represent the 49th Senatorial District, which includes most of Erie County. He was reelected for a second term in November 2020.

Senator Laughlin serves as Chairman of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee and Vice Chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee. He serves as a member of four other Senate Committees: Appropriations; Community, Economic and Recreational Development; Law & Justice; and State Government. He also serves as the Senate representative on the Advisory Council of the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home in Erie, one of Pennsylvania’s six veterans’ homes.

Born in Erie and raised in the Erie Heights housing project, Senator Dan Laughlin is the son of a decorated World War II combat veteran who worked as a union carpenter and a mother who assembled fighter planes at the Curtis Wright Plant in Buffalo.

One of four children, Senator Laughlin contributed to the family income during his formative years by mowing lawns, delivering the Erie Daily Times, working at a strawberry farm, and being employed as a vertical lathe worker and homebuilder.

Senator Laughlin joined his brother’s construction firm and later bought into the company as a full partner. Today, Laughlin Builders is one of the region’s premier builders of quality homes. Twenty years later, the brothers formed Waste Away, a trash disposal company, which they later sold to Pro Waste Corp. Their portfolio of companies expanded to include Clear Water Foam, an insulating firm, as well as Laughlin Properties, a rental company.

As a small business owner, Senator Laughlin strongly supports policies and programs that create jobs, limit government spending and ease the tax and regulatory burden on job-creators. A strong advocate for government reform, he is committed to making state government accessible and accountable to the people he serves.

Where do you see the cannabis industry in Pennsylvania in five years?
I think there will continue to be changes made to our medical program. I intend to introduce a bill that will add edibles to our medical program. I have already introduced a home grow provision with Senator Street.

What attracted you to the cannabis industry?
I am a lawmaker, so I view this as merely part of being a responsible legislator. Full legalization is clearly coming both nationally and state by state. In my opinion, it would be irresponsible to ignore this issue.

Tell us one fun fact about cannabis.
I think most people would be surprised to know just how opposed to cannabis I used to be. My oldest nearly didn’t graduate from high school because of cannabis and I remain adamantly opposed to people under 21 using it.

Cannabis has clear value to people’s health, tell us your favorite way you stay healthy & fit.
I am an avid outdoorsman, so my favorite way to stay in shape is hiking the woods of Pennsylvania. I also enjoy cooking with fresh organic food right out of my garden.

Dr. Rachel Levine (photo credit: Reuters/Daniel Shanken) is Pennsylvania’s state secretary of health. Not only was she instrumental to the implementation of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program, but she has helped improve it. It is thanks to Dr. Levine that ailments such as tourettes and anxiety are now recognized as qualifying conditions for medical marijuana patients. Moreover, she added flower as one of the options to consume cannabis for medical purposes. 

George Mancheril is the CEO of Bespoke Financial, the first licensed commercial lender that has a focus on the cannabis industry. George, who has over 14 years of experience in the financial industry, has ensured that Bespoke Financial is aiding cannabis businesses all over the country, helping them flourish. Moreover, he is set on destigmatizing cannabis consumption. 

Christopher Mandracchia is an experienced trial attorney and founder of CDM LAW, a law firm handling civil litigation, business, and criminal defense with a focus on cannabis matters. He has a diverse legal background that has allowed him to successfully represent individuals and businesses who need assistance with cannabis legal matters. He chairs the Montgomery Bar Association Medical Marijuana and Hemp Law Committee and is a lifetime member of the NORML legal committee. 

Where do you see the cannabis industry in Pennsylvania in five years?
I hope that we have a medicinal and recreational market with home-grow, micro-grows, sun-grown flower, and most importantly people would stop going to jail and losing their jobs for non-violent cannabis possession. We need to free the people.

What attracted you to the cannabis industry?
I enjoy having the ability to create and shape law in a new industry. I enjoy navigating the complexities of a highly regulated system while protecting my clients.

Tell us one fun fact about cannabis.
George Washington grew marijuana. In his journal, he discussed separating the male plant form the female plant when referring to Indian Hemp.

Dozie Mbonu, CEO of Janerette’s Eco-Friendly Fungi, LLC, distinguishes himself by facilitating business planning. His ability to carefully analyze and evaluate situations makes him an extremely valuable company asset. His previous business ventures have added valuable brand development experience utilizing unique marketing and outside the box perspectives. Additionally, Dozie brings over two decades of experience in leadership, leadership development, team building, infrastructure development, and partnership facilitation. 

Where do you see the cannabis industry in Pennsylvania in five years?
In five years, I see a recreational and medical market which will provide legal access to all Pennsylvanians. I also see Pennsylvania becoming the #1 cannabis research state, backed by true science, in the United States.

What attracted you to the cannabis industry?
First, Dr. Janerette had an epiphany to trail Dr. J’s Fungi on the cannabis plant. On a personal note, I found numerous healing benefits from cannabis that aided in my rehabilitation and recovery following two unfortunate car accidents.

Tell us one fun fact about cannabis.
While there are too many fun facts to name only one, I love the way it easily brings laughter to the surface.

Cannabis has clear value to people’s health, tell us your favorite way you stay healthy & fit.
One of my favorite ways to stay healthy & fit involves consuming cannabis while taking daily walks. It makes the walks more invigorating; I can cover a greater distance and I find myself fully in tune with the natural environment.

Jason Mitchell is the co-founder of Soulful Cannabis, a Pennsylvania based non-profit organization. Jason has been in the medical cannabis industry for over 10 years, and was part of a winning license in Pennsylvania. He has also helped build two dispensaries in the Greater Philadelphia area. Today, he works in the non-profit area for social justice and community engagement.

Moriconi Flowers LTD handles multi-state organization clients as well as new start-ups all over the East Coast in states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Massachusetts, and New York. Mr. Moriconi and Mr. Flowers handle competitive permitting and legal compliance issues for up to 25 retail locations and multiple cultivation/manufacturing operations. Together, they opened the first dispensary in Philadelphia and obtained the first federal license to grow marijuana from the DEA since the University of Mississippi in 1972.

Where do you see the cannabis industry in Pennsylvania in five years?
At over $3 Billion in gross revenue for both medical and adult-use sales.

What attracted you to the cannabis industry?
It’s a new emerging market with a difficult path to success.

Cannabis has clear value to people’s health, tell us your favorite way you stay healthy & fit.
I enjoy resistance training, cardio (running), and sauna therapy – with cannabis.

Rebecca Myers is the founder and CEO of FARMACEUTICALRX, a licensed medical marijuana business with locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio. As a healthcare industry veteran, Rebecca has helped create a company with a viewpoint that is focused on healthcare and science, and leads a diverse team including physicians, pharmacists, attorneys, healthcare professionals, and so on. She believes in bringing clean medicine to the medical marijuana sector through the use of natural processes.

Brett Novey is the CEO of private multi-state cannabis operator PharmaCann, which has locations in New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, and over thirty dispensaries. He has been CEO since 2019, and has more than twenty years of experience in operations and finance.