How Cannabis Company Caliva Survived a Business-Ending Regulation
In January, delivering cannabis in California became a lot more complicated. That’s when a series of state regulations passed, including a mandate that cannabis companies employ drivers and pay them at least minimum wage -- plus benefits. Unlike most other companies, such as pizza parlors or laundry services, contractors would no longer be allowed.
The quickly killedcouldn’t afford to pay drivers more. But at the California company Caliva, a different conversation happened. grows its own cannabis, makes its own products, wholesales them, and operates its own store -- but it defines its mission more simply: “ubiquitous access.” That is the brand’s North Star, says CEO and president Dennis O’Malley. Everything it does must be aimed at expanding access to cannabis.
