USING YOUR EXPERIENCES TO BUILD NEW THINGS WITH OTHA SMITH III

Christina: Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of I Am Christina DiArcangelo.And with me today is one of my friends and colleagues that works in the cannabis space is here to talk to us about all the wonderful things that he's been up to and all the things that he's been doing in the past to help patients. Welcome, Otha.

Otha: Hey, great to see you, Christina. Happy to be here. Awesome.

Christina: Thank you so much for joining us. Would you like to tell everyone, our viewers and listeners about yourself, where you've been, what you've been doing because you came from mainstream kind of like I did and got into the space, but you've been in the space a little bit longer than me.

Otha: Yeah, 100%. So Otha Smith. I'm the CEO and founder of Tetragram. We're based out of Baltimore, Maryland. And just to give some history of myself so I've always been an entrepreneur. Started my first company when I was in high school. Was fortunate enough to have that company put me through college. It was aggressive detailing. It's always funny when I think about it, because when I was coming up for the name for the company, people were like, I was asking my friends in high school and early college like, what should I name this company? And they were like, name it after your personality. So that's where aggressive detailing came in. So I initially started off doing residential cars, detailing cars and then it grew to planes, small cessnas boats, anything that had an engine, we detailed. So I grew that company, and then 2008 happened so a lot of things went changed, as you can imagine. So I ended up closing down that business and went to work in the energy sector. So now we're talking about 2009. And at that time, renewable energy solar energy in particular, was really hot. So I jumped into that and worked for a company called AstroSolar, which was a subsidiary of constellation energy, probably the largest utility in the country. Did that for about ten years. And then, unfortunately, I was involved in a pretty tragic car accident where I suffered a traumatic brain injury. And so as a result, I was prescribed as we all know, a handful of opioids, right? So after using opioids prescription pills for about three years, tired of the nasty side effects, didn't want to use pills for the rest of my life I started to switch to cannabis, which is something I had always utilized throughout high school and college. So as years went on and then cannabis started to become legal at the state level. I'll never forget the first time I walked into a dispensary. I'll admit I was a little egotistical. Thought I knew everything there was to know about cannabis. So when I walked in and then I was faced with all these different consumption methods. Everything I've ever seen on the street has always been just like brownies or just flower, right? So when you go into a dispensary now, you're seeing topicals and you're seeing all these different forms of edibles and drinks and you're learning about yeah, exactly. RSO, which definitely be careful with folks. And then I started learning about terpenes which is what gives cannabis this unique smell and effects and different cannabinoids that give you different feelings throughout your body when you consume cannabis. And that's really when I had an oh boy moment because I realized that there was so much more to this plant that I never knew about. So that's what led me to create Tetragram, which is a HIPAA compliant mobile app that really my first focus was to just empower the consumer. And so what that means is as people are trying all these different products, going through trial and error in order to find what's going to work best for them, it's a daunting process. So I wanted to create a platform where they can essentially journal their experiences, share them with other people if they wish, but over time go back to these journal entries and start to really figure out what is going to work best for them, specifically to treat a medical condition. And that's why I'm here today.

Christina: That's awesome. I appreciate you sharing everybody your whole background and how you ended up in the cannabinoid space and building technology to help support patients. Because, you know, patients is what I worry about most of my day, pretty much all day.

Otha: I always think it's important to just share a little bit about my previous life outside of cannabis because I get asked all the time like what were you doing prior to cannabis? Or I want to get into cannabis, what skills do I need? And that's why I always highlight my background, because any skills that you have, you can apply to the cannabis industry. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Everything is transferable to an industry such as cannabis in particular because there's so much in its infancy and there's so much room for it to grow.

Christina: I think one of the things though is that people need to understand our complexities from a regulatory standpoint. Right? Working in cannabis is very hard. Yeah. That's putting it lightly. Yeah. There's times where you wonder, why am I doing this? Why did I choose to get into this space? And especially as of lately with the bill they're trying to pass. And there's a lot of people talking about that. And people are, you know, championing for this but not understanding that that means we still have handcuffs on, right? We still can't move the product from state to state without an EA license. So it's kind of like, okay, so you rescheduled, but what does it really do to help us from a patient standpoint? I was on a Zoom call today with a group that we're going to be investing in, and we're going to be doing clinical studies for them as well. And they'll be using Spectral for the tech stuff and we were talking to them about their cannabinoid profile and their formulation, right? Because I get brought in a lot for the due diligence side from the biotech background that I have and all the other things. And so the person brought up what they're going to do with the bill, and I was like, yeah, but that's worthless to us. Do you have a DEA license? And I knew the answer was no. So they're like, no. And I go, okay, well, you better get one. And the other thing is, not only are we going to have to procure a DEA license, but we have to be visionary as to where we want to move the product for clinical studies in advance to doing feasibility for proper clinical trial sites, right? Because you've got to follow the traditional flow when you run clinical studies, regardless of what the compound is, right? You can't just go, oh, I'd like to work with this guy in Jersey. You know? Yeah, yeah. Exactly. You know? And we both know that not a lot of doctors still understand cannabinoids, right? Some of them shy away from it. Some people embrace it. They think they know what they know, but they don't know a whole hell of a lot. And so then you've got to find core people to work with. That's what I mean, folks. It's not an easy well, let me just switch my hat to the side since Otha has one on today. And I can enter in. You better have good mentors.

Otha: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I had no idea that this industry was so regulated until you stepped foot into it. People think like the gambling industry is the most regulated industry in the world but cannabis is number one. Luckily for me, by being on the ancillary side and being a tech company, I don't have to worry about the banking issues that exist in cannabis. A lot of people don't know. A lot of this money that is being collected by these dispensaries and cultivators, brands. It's all in cash for a lot of parts. You can't have a traditional banking account. You can't get a SBA loan and things of that sort. Insurance. god forbid, if your company goes under, you can't even claim bankruptcy. There's a lot of hurdles. I mean, that's why I tell people if they want to get into this industry, one, you got to have thick skin and tenacity but you got to be in it for the right reasons. Because people who get into this industry thinking they're just going to make a quick buck, they quickly realize that's not the case, and then they see all the headwinds you have to face and they start heading for the doors.

Christina: Yeah, because I remember when I first got into the space, I was primarily working with pharma companies in cannabinoids, and those companies were not located here in the United States. I was working in Israel. I was working all over the place internationally, doing things working with those companies to help them with their platforms to move forward with their clinical trials safely. But for us, we took a big pay cut right, than what we could charge for the traditional side, right? And a lot of things we did for free for a while because we transferred into here. We made an active choice. Well, I made an active choice. It's not we. I have a whole bunch of people that work on my team, but I made the choice as a CEO that I'm getting into the space because I had seen the data coming in more regularly in clinical trial land, and I was like, okay, well, let's go, because I've already worked in nutraceuticals in my career. In my opinion, cannabinoids, as long as they're not synthetic, are nutraceutical, and that's the pathway we should follow.

Otha: Yeah, I mean, you hit it right on the head. We've done two research projects to date. One was with the college of New Jersey and one was with Dr. Marion McNabb with the Cannabis Center of Excellence. But, you said one key word, we did it for free. And the reason being is because, again, since it's federally legal, you can't go through clinical trials and no one has the money like the federal government or state agencies can provide for different clinical trials or just studies in general. So, again, that's where it all relates to. You really got to be in it for the right reasons and just know that what you're doing is going to have an impact right? Because with the data that we collect from consumers completely anonymously, the one key word that I always use is empowerment. And that's really what our data does, because as a consumer, you walk into a dispensary, you get a recommendation from what they call a bud tender. But that bud tender, even though they could be very knowledgeable and read up on cannabis, since cannabis affects everyone differently, chances are they're not going to make the proper recommendation for you. So you really need this large collection of anecdotal data, which is what we do in order to help educate those dispensary staff so they make more accurate product recommendations. And to your point, when it comes to medical professionals, they're trained to look at data when they go through med school so that they say, all right, if you have these symptoms, this is the product, this is the medicine we recommend to you. But that doesn't exist in cannabis. So we really provide and facilitate that insight for those medical professionals so they feel more comfortable recommending cannabis. Because at the end of the day, cannabis has been known as the therapeutic medicine for thousands of years. It's unfortunate that given the fabric of this country, it was made illegal due to racist motives. But now we're starting to shed that light and show this true impact of this beautiful plant.

Christina: And I think it's also because there's more professionals that are doing the right things in the industry that are showing, hey, listen, this is how we can do it. Like, you developed a company that's collecting data that is key, in my opinion. But I'm a clinical researcher, so I'm a little biased. But I think that even with blood tests, right? I look into all those things, because how many cannabinoids can be measured technically, from a lab standpoint? Who's doing it? I know who's doing it. I know how many cannabinoids can be measured. But does anybody talk about that out there? All these people on LinkedIn, they bitch about everything about cannabis and this and that, and why can't we do. And these are scientists, you all, and physicians. They're not talking about that.

Otha: No, definitely not. It's unfortunate, but big pharma rules the government. And it rules the mind of a lot of doctors, too. So the whole "Say no to drugs". Their campaign, just war on drugs in general has just really resonated with people. And unfortunately, they won't open their eyes to see that there's another way. I'm not saying that all prescription pills or opioids are bad, but I just feel like, let's take a very natural approach to healing people before we start to introduce these type of synthetic medicines.

Christina: Yeah. And also, you hit the nail on the head when you said understanding things right? About the patient. Well, that goes to the underlying problem that they have. So they have pain. They also have anxiety. Okay, well, what had caused their anxiety before? They had the pain. Right? Because the anxiety is even worse now because they're in pain all the time. I'm just picking on that because most people understand anxiety and pain. Right? So instead of treating the underlying issue, we mask things and we give out, okay, well, you're having pain. This is what you're supposed to take. Right? But then if you have a mental health patient that's already on SSRIs for their mental health and then all of a sudden, now they're given something else for the pain, there's a problem because sometimes there's contraindication issues that occur. So now you have another problem because it's impacting your other drugs that you're supposed to take that have been prescribed by your doctor. And no one's paying attention to this because patients don't know what to say to doctors. Most people I mean, I know when we write clinical studies, we have to write things at an eigth grade level, education wise. Consents, the patient facing material. Everything has to be minimized. Right? From an educational standpoint, because we have to meet people wherever they are. Some people are super educated. There's some people that aren't. They don't understand. And it's been so stigmatized, cannabis. Right? Oh, totally. They're afraid to say anything. Like, I remember when Pennsylvania opened up and I went to one of the dispensaries that was local to my hometown. I was so excited that this little town called Phoenixville got a dispensary. Like, holy cow, there used to be a steel mill there, you know? My dad was president of the union for the steelworkers you know, this is the town. It's a steel town. And here now we have a dispensary. So I showed up to support them because we were working in clinical studies at the time already then, and I'm a cannabis user. I have a medical card through the program, so thankfully, I could go to the dispensary and support these guys, right? The right way. I could enter. But I remember there was an elderly woman there that was talking to one of the staff members about well, and she was in the lobby. If I sign up for a card, will my neighbor know that I'm taking cannabis? Will it come out in the mail somehow? Will anybody know? And I'm like, and the poor young kid was like, it's very hard. You know what I mean? It's hard. They're learning, right? And so I was like, do you mind if I interrupt? Because I'm a patient advocate also, so let me just if I could help, maybe I can help. And they were like, yeah. So I was like, ma'am, that's against the law to disclose that you're taking, because there's a thing called HIPAA. And I explained what HIPAA meant and all that stuff, right? Then I explained about how when you come in, unless they see you in the parking lot, and that's like a very slim chance that your neighbor is driving around over here looking in the dispensary parking lot, they're not going to know you're taking cannabis. And as a matter of fact, you could take the stuff out of the bag once you get to your home location and put it in your purse and walk in the house, and they're never going to know that you're taking cannabis, so don't worry about it. And here, this is an elderly lady. She's got rheumatoid arthritis. She just needs help for her pain, and she's so paranoid about the neighbors finding out, you know?

Otha: Yeah, it's a real deal. I mean, when I left corporate America, and first thing I did was get a job at a dispensary because I wanted to understand the pain points from a customer's lens, understand the pain point through a dispensary, a retail lens. And I was really amazed because I did realize it was in this business complex and we had customers that would park on the opposite end of the business complex. And I actually asked one, I was like, why'd you park all the way over here where there's all these spaces up front? They're like, I don't want nobody to find out I'm shopping here. I'm like, really? So the stigma is real. Slowly, it's starting to go away. I think the last report I read said 63% of Americans approve cannabis to be legalized federally. But there's still I mean, 40% is a great number in terms of people who still feel like it's the devil's lettuce. My mother has a doctorate in education so say no to drugs. All that shit was really rapid in my house. When I told my mother I was leaving my six figure job to jump into cannabis, she was like so you're going to start selling dope Otha? She sees all the benefits through me, but she still won't ever touch it. But I just say all that to say that that's why the type of data that we're collecting is so important. There's a lot of companies that collect transactional data so you know how much is being sold, what is being sold which is great, but our data puts that into a bigger microscope of saying, okay, so we know what is being sold, but what's the intent behind these purchases? And then what are the positive attributes associated or potentially adverse effects? So that information goes a long way in terms of uplifting this industry and continue to beat that negative stigma of cannabis into the sand.

Christina: Yeah, I agree with you. That's more of an integrity factor, right?

Otha: Yeah. No doubt.

Christina: And it helps, right? Because if we can start talking about different terps, say, I'm not going to get into that whole strain thing because you know where I sit as a clinical researcher.

Otha: Yeah. That doesn't mean anything. Doesn't mean anything. I think at some point we'll get to a place where it was like, all right, I need a product as this much cannabinoid, this much terpene. We'll get there. If you think about it, what is it? Is it Rhode Island. No, Connecticut. They don't use strain names. So when you go in there to a dispensary, it's like product J5213, something like that. So it's all about terpenes and cannabinoids, which is refreshing.

Christina: Yeah, that's how I buy my stuff. I mean, those poor guys that work at well, first off, I don't ask them anything because I don't need help. And I'm not being cocky. It's just I understand the plant and a lot of the different things, especially since I now formulate I've been formulating for a couple of years, things. So I pretty much know what I want when I go in depending upon what's wrong with me at that given moment. I'll be glad when this crap goes away. And we just talk about cannabinoid properties and the terps and the profile. Right? And you know how people automatically think that the higher the THC is, the better they'll do. And it's like, no, sweetheart, don't do that. And I have a lot of these patients come to the nonprofit, right, for advocacy, and they ask us for advice and things that, oh, well, I have this wrong and that, and can you tell me this or that? And we're like yes, sure. And we always tell everybody, low and slow. You start low and slow, you don't come out like Hulk Hogan or whatever. And now you're hitting an 87% THC profile. No. Because you're going to be laid up.

Otha: Yeah, exactly.

Christina: And especially the RSO. Right? Like you said earlier, when people take RSO that stuff is, that's what I take at nighttime. So I know you.

Otha: Yeah. You got to be very conscious because they even tell you RSO. A rice grain is enough someone to feel affected. It's the most potent form of cannabis. Yes. I always tell. Cause it's pure. Yeah. And I tell people, like, stay away from concentrates, stay away from RSO unless you absolutely have to go there. Because once you get your tolerance to that level, then you're talking about you're at that top floor for a while and it's going to take a while before you're able to come back down.

Christina: Yeah. Again. Now, if you're understanding the terp profiles and you understand what hybrids mean and things of that nature, then you can take it. So I try to be very careful. Even with oncology patients recommending RSO out the gates. They're naive. I'm like, oh, no, let's start here.

Otha: Yeah.

Christina: And build. Exactly.

Otha: I could be more in agreeance with you. Just take your time. Like me, I'm old school and a majority of people who consume cannabis, flower is still number one form of consumption, product type. But yeah, you just got to take your time and really figure out what works best for you. The same thing with edibles. Definitely do not feel the urge to feel like I don't feel anything. Let me take more because I've even been there where I've ate too much and it is not a pleasant experience. First thing I want to do is go to sleep. Exactly.

Christina: I was in Miami in June and one of my friends came down and was hanging out with us. And he thought because he consumes flower and he consumes regularly that he could hit the RSO and he'll be fine. And did the same thing. Where took some and then was like, oh, I don't feel anything. Took some more because for some reason he got RSO. I don't know how he got it. It wasn't my stuff. Because you can't share your stuff. So you know what I mean? Right. I don't know what the hell is going on. All I know is he took it and showed up at my hotel and told me what he did. And I was like, why did you do that? Why wouldn't you have texted me and said hey CD, I need to ask you about this. Because I normally don't do this. I'm here for you. I do advocacy for free. I don't charge people because I don't want people to what we were talking about stigmatized behaviors. Right? So then you have somebody who thankfully he's not one of those people, but that would be like oh, my god, I can't take this stuff. I can't function properly. Well, it's because you took too much. What were you thinking? And then you didn't know how to antidote it. So then you were all messed up and laid out. That was because you didn't ask.

Otha: Yeah, exactly right. It's wild. And there's like essentially 35, 36 markets because since all these markets have to operate independently, there is no interstate commerce, which you touched on earlier. So it makes it really challenging for companies that want to have a national reach because they essentially have to set up a cultivation or a processing facility in every state as opposed to just having one centralized location and then the product gets distributed throughout the country. So very capital intensive this industry by far.

Christina: Yeah, it is.

Otha: Sometimes I wake up and I'm like, what the hell am I doing? Why did I do this? But at the end of the day, it's a beautiful thing. Never in my life did I think I'd own a tech company. Never in my life did I think I own a tech company, let alone in cannabis. But that's the beauty of life is you never know where the road is going to take you. And at the end of the day, we're doing something. We've created a platform that is really empowering people's lives. So I sleep well at night.

Christina: That's for sure. Well, we could talk all day. Obviously people can sense that. No doubt. We've got to wrap up for today. But I just wanted to thank you so much for joining me and talking about what you're doing because it's important for people to understand there is data out there. There are ways for you to be able to understand things a little bit better and to be able to exercise your right to say what you think is happening with you by consuming your cannabis with your platform.

Otha: Yeah, I really appreciate your time today giving me the opportunity to shed light on Tetragram and anyone that's listening, please follow us on instagram @thetetragramapp and download the app as well @tetragramapp.com And take control of your personal journey with cannabis.

Christina: Thank you so much. And everybody, we're going to map everything as far as how you can get a hold of Otha. And again to download the app and to follow Instagram and what he's doing on LinkedIn. So that way you guys, because in my opinion, education is key and I think that you can bring a lot to the table to help these patients understand things. And it's nice, like we were talking about earlier, when you look for mentors, when you enter the space. It's nice to be able to access somebody in a group of because there's a bunch of people behind him. It's not like he's the only guy there. But you know what I'm saying. Your team and how you guys have made a positive impact in our industry. So, thank you.

Otha: Thank you again. Appreciate you immensely. Thank you again.

Christina: So as we always say, remember, we are the same. I Am Christina DiArcangelo.