Cannabis Media Spotlight Series: Q&A with Garrett Rudolph, Editor in Chief, Marijuana Venture

Welcome to the Cannabis Media Spotlight Series! We created this Q&A series to celebrate the incredible work that reporters, editors, and podcast hosts do to shed light on the cannabis industry. Their insights and stories play a vital role in shaping how this space is understood and appreciated by the world.

Our goal is to highlight their journey, their expertise, and the meaningful impact of their work.

This week we're featuring Garrett Rudolph, Editor in Chief of Marijuana Venture. Garrett is the founding editor of three print magazines, including Marijuana Venture, which published its 118th issue in December 2023 and celebrated its 10-year anniversary in March 2024. He has won multiple newspaper industry awards for writing, reporting, photography and page design prior to helping launch Marijuana Venture.

Let's dive into the Q&A:

What inspired you to start covering the cannabis industry, and how has your perspective evolved since you began?

The career opportunity was what led me to start covering cannabis. We started publishing Marijuana Venture just as Washington started issuing licenses to adult-use cannabis businesses in 2014. The main thing that has changed about my perspective is how quickly everything has progressed.

When we started publishing the magazine, there were only 2 states that had legalized adult-use cannabis. I knew more states would come online, such as California and Oregon, but I thought most of the country would sit back and watch how things played out in Washington and Colorado for several years. In reality, it went from 2 rec states to 4 within 2 years, then another handful in 2016, then another handful in 2018. Now we're at something like 28 adult-use states, 37 states with full medical programs and intoxicating hemp products legal and available in basically every state. I never envisioned the speed with which things would move forward.

What does a typical day look like for you as a journalist/editor/podcast host in the cannabis space?

No such thing as a typical day, simply because I wear so many hats at Marijuana Venture. Some days I'm interviewing people and writing stories, other days I'm designing the magazine and selling ads or signing up people to participate in our Interchange event series. Every day is a little different.

What are some of the most compelling trends, stories, or issues in the cannabis industry right now that you think deserve more attention?

Definitely the intersection of the hemp and marijuana industries. I think we're at a weird inflection point where something needs to give, and I'm a believer that it should simultaneously be a loosening of the regulations/taxes on the marijuana side of the industry and an increase of regulations/taxes on the hemp side.

Also, I think the price compression and sort of the "death of the green rush" are not covered enough. It's something we see in states that have been operating for quite a while, including Washington, Oregon, Colorado and California. But I don't see enough people in newer states like New York, Minnesota or Kentucky heeding those lessons.

What advice would you give to cannabis businesses or PR professionals hoping to connect with you or pitch their stories effectively?

Understand that I get pitched dozens of stories on a daily basis. So be original, be patient, and be respectful of my time. And if I choose to do a story or an interview with one of your clients, be ready to make that happen and provide the necessary assets, such as photos. If you're telling me how great a brand is, but can't supply anything better than a flip-phone photo, you're losing credibility. And it could make me think twice when I see future pitches.

What’s been one of the most memorable stories or moments in your career covering cannabis so far?

One memorable moment was Marijuana Venture being named one of the hottest magazine launches of the year by a university professor known as Mr. Magazine. We were one of 30 publications honored in 2015, alongside magazines such as C/Net, National Geographic History, Smithsonian Journeys and Nickelodeon Magazine -- some major names in media. Pretty incredible to be celebrated among the best in the business (and, frankly, to still be in business while many of those great publications have ceased to exist).