Marijuana Business Magazine - January 2017

Bob Hoban Hoban Law Group, Managing Partner Age: 42 BACKSTORY: Hoban has carved out a unique niche in the cannabis industry.The Denver attorney has offices in every state where recreational marijuana is legal, plus a team of hemp specialists handling everything from securities-related work to private-equity placement. Hoban was slated to open four new offices in the Euro- pean Union in late 2017 and plans to open two more in Latin America in 2018. WHY TO WATCH: The Hemp Industries Association is spearheading a lawsuit in California targeting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration over its announce- ment in late 2016 that cannabidiol is a Schedule 1 con- trolled substance. Hoban is arguing this pivotal case for the hemp industry.The case – to be heard in February – could unleash the cannabidiol market and stop authori- ties in states like Indiana and Nebraska from banning CBD. But if Hoban loses, the CBD market will likely be limited to states where marijuana is legal. BIGGEST GOAL IN 2018: International expansion. “We have accepted the challenge of being global canna- bis industry leaders and experts … to move the industry forward across six countries,” Hoban wrote in an email. Jesce Horton Saints Cannabis, PV Ventures, Minority Cannabis Business Association CEO of Saints Cannabis and PV Ventures; Chairman of MCBA Age: 34 BACKSTORY: In 2007, Siemens recruited Horton from Florida State University, where he studied engineering. He spent seven years with the German industrial manu- facturing conglomerate, gaining valuable management and finance experience and learning about the importance of efficient business processes. In 2014, Horton founded Pana- cea Valley Gardens, a medical cannabis cultivation center in Portland, Oregon; and he founded a Portland dispensary, Panacea. Both are housed under PV Ventures. Horton is also co-founder and chairman of the Minority Cannabis Business Association. His newest project is Saints Canna- bis, a vertically integrated cannabis campus. It will include indoor and greenhouse cultivation, processing, a recreational retail outlet, plus research and development operations – all on one Portland property. WHY TO WATCH: With Saints Cannabis, Horton will have to manage many moving parts. But if Horton can tap his business know-how to make Saints a success, he could help pioneer a new cannabis industry model. As a leader with the Minority Cannabis Business Association, Horton will have highly visible roles that could prove important as the marijuana industry struggles to become more inclusive. BIGGEST GOAL IN 2018: “Gaining the funding and partnerships needed to remain competitive in the fast-grow- ing industry,” he wrote in an email. 60 • Marijuana Business Magazine • January 2018