Andrew Glashow is the President, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of CLS Holdings.

Mr. Glashow has 25 years of experience in the capital markets and in all phases of business start-up and growth, including feasibility studies, business plans, equity and debt funding, private placements, reverse mergers and IPOs.

Mr. Glashow has served as CEO and President of multiple companies which he helped capitalize. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire’s Whitemore School of Business and Economics.

We got a chance to interview Andrew. Read on to learn more about him and his exciting company Cannabis Life Sciences.

What is your background and what made you decide to get into the cannabis industry?

Andrew Glashow: I spent the better part of my life as an entrepreneur, small cap investment banker, and advisor to young and growing public companies. I got excited about cannabis because of my background in consumer products and hospitality. I’ve also been a cannabis user from a recreational and medical standpoint for a while.

I believe we have a moral obligation to the next generation of people to do cannabis in the right way– a way that treats the plant in a responsible and respectful manner. I believe there is a lot of good that can come from utilizing the plant as a legitimate form of medicine and we are in the early stages. RELATED: Emma Chasen Interview: Educating People on the Science Behind Cannabis

Tell us a little bit about Cannabis Life Sciences. What is your main mission?

Andrew Glashow: CLS is a vertically-integrated cannabis company that started in the Nevada market and is now expanding into Massachusetts. We have Oasis Cannabis , a 24 hour retail dispensary located off the strip in Las Vegas, and City Trees , one of the fastest growing brands in the state of Nevada. We also have a proprietary extraction technique which allows us to get more THC out of the plant than all other forms of extraction.

Our promise is to provide outstanding medicine and service every day. We want our employees that are interacting with customers to be as knowledgeable as possible, so that we are able to answer any question that arises to the best of our ability. RELATED: Meet Robert Pettit, Founder of Leaf + Wood, Fabulous Grow Cabinet for the Modern Connoisseur

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What makes CLS stand out from your competitors? Why choose you?

Andrew Glashow: What makes us stand out is our balanced and thoughtful leadership team. Our founders have invested over $10 million of their own money and after 3 years, are still fully invested in the company. We’ve all put our money where our mouths are.

Our extensive due diligence in the market is great for our shareholder base. From an equity standpoint, we’re incredibly undervalued and undercovered. Compared to the rest of the industry stocks, we’re arguably more compelling than everyone else. RELATED: State of the Leaf Interview with Shanel Lindsay: Cannabis Culture in Boston and the Nova Decarboxylator

Since Oasis is located in Las Vegas, do you plan to work on getting a social consumption license? How do you expect this to impact business?

Andrew Glashow: Yes, we are one of only two places that have the ability to do this right now. We currently have a 3,500 sq. foot facility adjacent to our existing dispensary that is dedicated to our future consumption lounge.

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We think has the opportunity to dramatically impact business for the better in that it allows us to provide a viable venue for our customers to use cannabis in a friendly and fun environment. This is not only a substantial revenue opportunity, but also an opportunity to better engage with our customers. RELATED: Ganjly CEO Highlight: Jason Santos of BurnTV creates an entertainment platform for cannabis

What are some of the difficulties you’ve experienced in the industry?

Andrew Glashow: When you put up an ad for a general manager, budtender, accounting firm, or some other role for running a successful business, there’s not a lot of people to pick from since it’s such a new industry. Finding the right qualified people has proven difficult.

Another major difficulty is banking. We want to be able to act like a normal business and have banking relationships, rather than having to jump through a lot of hoops like the current environment requires. RELATED: Zane Witzel Interview: Designing High-End Storage for Cannabis

What’s the most rewarding experience you’ve had thus far?

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Andrew Glashow: The most rewarding experiences I’ve had are hearing about how we legitimately help somebody, especially some of our loyal medical patients, through cannabis. It’s wonderful to be able to provide a product that we’re confident in and that’s regulated and been tested.

The other thing is being able to bring cannabis into the mainstream out of the shadows and provide opportunities to people of color that have spent too many years behind bars for cannabis related infractions. RELATED: Danny Sloat Interview: Founder of AlpinStash Talks Hacks on Master Growing

How many employees do you have and what kind of traits do you look for when hiring new members?

Andrew Glashow: Currently we have 75 employees, but will grow to 250 in the next 12 months.

The traits we look for are knowledge of the product, but more importantly, people that are genuinely passionate and excited to be a part of a brand new industry. RELATED: Helen D. Demes Interview: Elite Growers and the Surprising State of the Leaf in Oregon

Do you have any advice for hopeful entrepreneurs looking to get into the industry?

Andrew Glashow: Be patient because this is not a get rich quick scheme. Try to get as much experience as you can doing everything in the business to learn about it. There are a lot of rules, regulations, and nuances and you’re not going to find out about them all until you get into it and experience it. RELATED: Brian Mertz: Cultivating High Quality Medical Cannabis in Denmark

Thank you Andrew for taking the time to do the interview.

Cannabis Life Sciences is the developer of a proprietary patent-pending extraction and conversion methodology that has potential to increase both yield and quality of cannabinoid oils extracted from cannabis plants.

CLS is currently operating in the Nevada market through Oasis Cannabis, one of the top dispensaries in the state, and has definitive agreements to enter two Massachusetts assets by the end of 2019. In the booming cannabis market, opportunities continue to arise, and team at CLS is well positioned to execute.

To learn more about Andrew and the company, go to CLSHoldingsinc.com.