Data Collection in the Cannabis Industry

Canada has declared Cannabis or Marijuana a legal medicine. United States is following suit, however here in the US, it is being done state by state, Colorado has done that for quite some time, many states are following, for the latest states please google as it is changing every time you read this article. So naturally there are a lot of Cannabis vendors that are going to set up shop and start selling them. One weird thing that I learnt was that let us say there is State1 that has declared Cannabis legal, then State5 has declared Cannabis legal, but State2 that is in between State1 and State5 has not declared Cannabis legal, if you are transporting Cannabis in a truck from State1 to State5, and if a cop happens to pull you over in State2, then you could be potentially arrested because as a trucker you are transporting an illegal substance, how interesting is that? I am sure there are Cannabis lobbyists working this through with the Federal and State Governments.

In my attempt to learn about this Cannabis or Marijuana, I am learning that Cannabis is similar to alcohol, however without the side effects of alcohol, when people consume alcohol, the first thing that happens is their judgement is impaired, that is why we are told do not drink and drive, because at the speed which we are going, if our brain does not make decisions fast, we would end up in an accident, which is what alcohol impairs us from doing, then some people turn bitter, then some people throw up, the people that turn bitter start becoming violent and show the violence towards the people around them, whereas Cannabis is not like that, it still slows down the brain, they take time to pick up things, if their brain effectiveness is 100% without Cannabis, then with Cannabis, their brain effectiveness is 90%, which without Cannabis they would pick up faster, other than that, it triggers a lot of hunger, and puts people to sleep. I have known people that said they ended up eating a lot of potato chips after taking in Cannabis to satiate that hunger. And then they sleep a lot, so essentially it is a lesser evil compared to taking in alcohol. Also previously Cannabis was categorized along the side of Heroin, but further research is suggesting that Cannabis should not have been categorized that way, it is not as harmful as Heroin, but it should really be categorized along with alcohol. More research is underway in order to complete such a study. Again I don’t know if I am allowed to drive after taking Cannabis, I wouldn’t be comfortable driving if I know my brain is functioning at a 10% less effectiveness, so be careful, do not drive after taking Cannabis.

Supply Chain Hungry for Legal Tool Innovation | Smart Gladiator

Technology changes quickly. Other fields, such as legal and finance, are comparatively slow to evolve. (A friend’s daughter recently told me she chose the finance discipline for that reason: to avoid having to constantly learn new technologies.) Changes do come though, especially as organizations move to keep up with financial reporting requirements.

At the same time, technologist know that if you miss one technology way, it’s possible to catch the next one successfully.  In 1999, I was convinced that I had missed the Internet revolution. I could see the potential of the Internet, but also the real possibility of a bumpy ride. I was also acutely aware of my lack of skills or industry knowledge to bring to the revolution. I went back to work, though, and continued learning—and when the next wave came (the mobile revolution) I was ready and started working toward mobile-enabling the supply chain. Now, we’re looking at the next wave, the Internet of Things (IoT) and we’re working toward mobile/IoT-enabled supply chains.

In the finance industry, meanwhile, Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) impacted the Enterprise, but also shifted the tax laws. Effective in 2006, SOX required all publicly-traded companies to implement and report internal accounting controls to the SEC for compliance. These shifts have also given rise to new business models. Let me offer one example. I was involved in a multi-year implementation project as part of a professional services firm. The revenue recognition was challenging, but there were a lot of gray areas and many examples of companies getting into trouble for not following the rules. At the same time, the core of finance remained the same: the balance sheets, the cash flow, and most other financial reports.

Legal is similar. There are changes to the law, but lawyers argue cases in much the same ways that they always have. At the same time, technological innovations change things in the world. Facebook, WhatsApp, and mobile tools impact our lives but doesn’t change the legal system itself. You still have to go to court—There’s no way to do it online.

I was surprised then, when RSG Consulting called me about an interesting project they were working on for the Financial Times, one of the largest newspapers in the United Kingdom. They were combing the Internet to find modern tools that change the way legal business is being done. They were trying to get beyond vapourware and tools piloted in a few facilities and abandoned to find real tools and processes being used in the real world. They had found our image-enabled supply chain software, called LoadProof, which had gotten wide adoption in a short time, and was a fit for their report. By taking pictures during shipments, our tool enables supply chain professionals to track when damage was done and reduce arguments about who caused that damage.

The resulting report discussed legal tools that are available for Third Party Logistics Service Providers. It was showcased at a San Francisco event with several partners. I was interested in getting their perspective. One woman from the UK had a lot of questions:

How did you come up with this product?

How is this being adopted?

How is this adding value?

Who are the parties that are typically involved?

How is this impacting the legalities of doing business?

3 Biggest Omnichannel Challenges for Retailers | Smart Gladiator

Delivering an omnichannel experience to customers has become newest Holy Grail for retailers. At the same time, trying to use old tools and processes to meet these new service level demands creates nothing but headaches.

Omnichannel refers to the standard of offering a seamless brand experience to the consumer across all channels: retail store, Internet, and mobile device. The new standard takes “the customer is always right” to the next level, saying that consumers should be able to order products the way they want, have it delivered or pick it up as they want, and return it easily through their chosen means whether by mail it to the distribution center or taking it to the store.

The current generation of customers shops on a mobile device, and wants to be able to see a desirable item, place an order, and pick it up at a close-by location an hour later. And, of course, that same buyer wants to be able to walk back into the store or slap on a return label to ship unwanted products back to the distribution center.

Newest Supply Chain Paradigm Shift Hits Retail 

In 1997, I had a half-day training with the leader of the multinational company I had just joined in Bangalore. He started with a story from Steven Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People about paradigm shift:

One morning on a subway in New York, people were sitting quietly – some reading newspapers, some lost in thought, some resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm, peaceful scene.

Then suddenly, a man and his children entered the subway. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed.

The man sat down next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation. The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things, even grabbing people’s papers. It was very disturbing. And yet, the man sitting next to me did nothing.

It was difficult not to feel irritated. I could not believe that he could be so insensitive as to let his children run wild like that and do nothing about it, taking no responsibility at all. It was easy to see that everyone else on the subway felt irritated, too. So finally, with what I felt was unusual patience and restraint, I turned to him and said, “Sir, your children are really disturbing a lot of people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?”

The man lifted his gaze as if to come to a consciousness of the situation for the first time and said softly, “Oh, you’re right. I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.”

Top 5 Supply Chain Headaches Created by Retail | Smart Gladiator