We recently connected with Darwin Millard and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Darwin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

The biggest risk I’ve taken was to dive head-first into the fledgling medical cannabis industry right out of college rather than take a more traditional mechanical engineering job designing and building slurry pumps for the fracking industry. 18 years later, I wouldn’t change anything for the world. Pursuing my passion has allowed me to realize that saying you always hear people say about: “when you do what you love, you never really work a day in your life.” Well, that’s certainly partially true. I work every day…but I love what I do and so it is not really work. Taking this risk has allowed me to travel the world and work for some of the largest multinational licensed cannabis operators, having designed and managed some of the largest phytocannabinoid processing facilities in the United States, India, and elsewhere.

Darwin, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am an active member of ASTM International’s Technical Committee D37 on Cannabis, an international group dedicated to the development of voluntary consensus standards for the global cannabis industries (marijuana and hemp). I am the Subcommittee Vicechair of D37.04 on Cannabis Processing and Handling, the Subcommittee Chair of D37.08 on Personnel-use Cannabis Devices and Appliances, and the former Co-chair of Subcommittee D37.07 on Industrial Hemp. I have been active in cannabis policy change and an advocate of the cannabis plant for over a decade. I am a mechanical engineer by training and specialize in mechanical and solvent-based extraction methodologies for isolating highly volatile terpenophenolic secondary metabolites from botanicals. For the past 16 years, I have focused my pursuits on the extraction and manufacture of nutraceutical products comprising phytocannabinoids and other bioactive constituents from the cannabis plant. I work with clients to design and implement cost-effective built-for-purpose phytocannabinoid processing and herbal product manufacturing solutions and currently serve as the Chief Science Officer for Final Bell, a multinational licensed cannabis co-manufacturer producing some of the largest brands in cannabis today including Cookies, Sherbinskis, Jungle Boys, Select, and others.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Pivoting is the name of the game when trying to operate a successful business in the legal cannabis industries (both marijuana and hemp). One day you are a licensed grower impacted by all of the regulatory changes happening in your market struggling to keep up with higher and higher costs of operations, and the next, you are consulting on how to design indoor grow facilities for other people. Only to find yourself writing licensing applications or some other gig you didn’t think you’d ever find yourself doing just to keep the lights on. As an independent contractor and consultant for the cannabis industry, I have to remain light and nimble and able to change with the winds, sort of speak. If my client wants to go a different route mid-project, I have to be ready to jump on board or get out of the way, because once these trains get moving, there’s no way to stop them. For me, COVID was another major moment for a pivot. At the time, I had a strong independent consultant business and a great reputation in the industry (still do), but the daily hustle to always take a lead and close a deal was taxing, and when an opportunity to come on board as the Chief Science Officer for a group I really respected came along, I took it. There really wasn’t a choice, it was more like the next chapter in my life’s story. And, just like when I started my career in cannabis by diving in head first, I wouldn’t change anything for the world now that I have found a home that lets me be me.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I like to tell people that working in the cannabis industry (both marijuana and hemp) is the easiest thing to do, but sticking with it is one of the hardest endeavors you’ll ever pursue. It’s taxing both literally and figuratively, and all-in-all not that glamorous. In fact, most of the time, scientists and other smart people in the room get shut down when business interests are some of the only things that matter. Especially when what you say costs money. But, these are challenges that you need to take head-on and push through the noise and resistance with solid science and data. It is hard to argue with dollar signs and sometimes that is the only way to communicate. One project that I recently completed was shepherding the latest standard to be published by ASTM International Technical Committee D37 on Cannabis through the development and balloting process. Three long years drafting and redrafting an 81-page document outlining critical consumer safety information that should be present on all consumer products containing cannabinoids. After it was drafted the real work began by getting all 1200 volunteer members of the D37 to review and approve the document. It took three attempts to get the document through ballot and culminated in an arbitration to address negative votes that were found not-persuasive. But finally, after all this time ASTM Standard D8449 Specification for Label Content and Style, Format, Location, and Prominence of Elements for Consumer Products Containing Cannabinoids is now available to the marketpalce.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thespockofcannabis.com, www.finalbell.com. www.14thrnd.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespockofcannabis/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darwinmillard/