Contributors

Mel Frank has nearly five decades of cannabis cultivation experience and is an internationally recognized book author, publisher and contributor to many cannabis-based magazines. In 1988, he founded Red Eye Press, publishing his “Marijuana Grower's Insider's Guide” as well as updated versions of the “Marijuana Grower's Guide Deluxe,” which he co-authored with Ed Rosenthal. His photographs have been made into posters, calendars and trading cards, and reproduced as art. They have appeared in books by Rob Clarke, Ken Morrow, Ed Rosenthal and Jorge Cervantes. He currently collaborates with a network of cannabis researchers, works as a consultant and is the senior advisor to several California-based marijuana companies.

Kerrie and Kurt Badertscher are co-owners of Otoké Horticulture, LLC and authors of “Cannabis for Capitalists.” They have worked with large-scale cannabis producers for more than five years. Kerrie has been involved with plants her entire lifetime and earned certification as a Professional Horticulturist by the 100-year-old American Society for Horticulture Sciences. Kurt brings his 34 years of corporate experience and operations management skills to bear on the business challenges of cannabis cultivation.

Crystal Oliver is co-owner/founder of Washington’s Finest Cannabis, an outdoor cannabis farm licensed by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board since August 2014. She also serves as executive assistant for Washington NORML and sits on the Cannabis Farmers Council Executive Board. She has been an advocate for small business and family farm-friendly regulations in Washington State, and has represented cannabis farmers' interest as a member of the Washington State Building Code Council’s Cannabis Issues Technical Advisory Group, Spokane Clean Air’s Marijuana Advisory Committee, and Spokane Conservation District’s Voluntary Stewardship Program.

Jillian Kramer is a New York City-based freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the online or print versions of Glamour, Food & Wine, SELF, The Wall Street Journal, and more.

Steven Nelson covers legal affairs and drug policy for U.S. News & World Report. He lives in Washington, D.C., where a green thumb would be useful.

Kenneth Morrow has been writing cannabis-related articles and books for more than 20 years. He owns Trichome Technologies, a cannabis R&D company. Morrow also is an award-winning grower and breeder. Has made contributions to many of today's extraction methodologies and holds multiple patents. He consults on all cannabis-related subjects. Find him on Facebook at: Trichome Technologies or Instagram: TrichomeTechnologies.

Mark June-Wells is laboratory director for Connecticut Pharmaceutical Solutions (CPS), one of four licensed medical cannabis producers in the state. Dr. June-Wells holds a Ph.D. in botany/plant ecology from Rutgers University, and has engineered CPS’ cannabinoid extraction efficiency and tracking programs, developed one of the largest production databases in the United States, and created efficient and repeatable production methods informed by rigorous data collection and statistical model building.

Jamie Schau attained a B.A. in International Studies and an M.A. in International Development from the University of California, San Diego. Since early 2015, she has been a market analyst with Brightfield Group, where she performs quantitative and qualitative analyses of various aspects of the U.S. marijuana market.

Sam Fiske (top) and Sean Froelich (bottom) are freelance reporters and producers in Chicago. Along with their colleague John Rosin, they team a production crew and create videos covering politics, tech, business and culture. They currently produce web shows and podcasts for Technori, a startup showcase, and are published on WGN radio. The team also creates dozens of videos for their original news network, Toughington Post.