Business Ventures on the Horizon ft. former NFL player, Turk Mcbride
February 22, 2021 | By Mieko Hester-Perez
Turk Mcbride recently sat down with Mieko Perez to discuss how he is pioneering change in the cannabis industry.
Turk Mcbride is a former NFL defensive end who started his football career playing at the University of Tennessee where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
During his seven year NFL career, Turk played for the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears before retiring in 2013. He later attended the University of Miami and received his MBA.
Upon retiring from the league, Turk made the permanent move to California where he became exposed to the medicinal cannabis industry and studied the medical benefits of the whole plant, including cannabidiol (CBD).
As Turk saw many of his NFL heroes diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), he correlated the benefits of cannabis, specifically, CBD in assisting those diagnosed. He not only began advocating for the use of CBD in retired players, but he sought opportunities to become part of the solution. Turk explored intricacies of the medicinal cannabis market in California. He partnered with experts and immersed himself in learning every aspect of the industry.
In 2016, Mcbride founded Global Research Ventures (GRV) with a mission to provide industry leading genetics, cultivation, formulation and research for the advancement of responsible and therapeutic cannabis use.
1. As a former professional athlete, what inspired you to enter the California cannabis business sector?
Lack of representation in the cannabis industry inspired me to enter this sector. I did one year of due diligence trying to find a mentor in the industry. It was extremely difficult to find any minorities and anyone under the age of 40. The opportunity of being a pioneer in a new emerging industry also propelled me to enter.
2. In the next 5 years, where do you see Global Research Ventures making an impact? And why?
In 5 years, GRV will be making a global impact by assisting minorities and disenfranchised people to gain an opportunity to get in the cannabis space. The resources and blessings from my previous career in the NFL enabled me to experience the opportunities in cannabis I have today. In the same manner, I will use any opportunity I have to facilitate any mentorship or job creation and pass along the blessings I’ve received.
3. If you were able to tour a cannabis analytics lab, what are some of your interest and why?
If I had the opportunity to tour a lab I would love to see the process of uncovering the terpenoid profiles. These molecules are the most important parts of the plant’s biology. They determine the taste, smell and high. As a cultivator, this feedback is crucial in helping us optimize the plant’s performance.
Website: GRV Global Research Ventures
Instagram: @turkmcbride @GRV (Global Research Ventures)
Bureau Of Cannabis Control Announces Public University Research Grant Funding Recipients
Author: Bureau of Cannabis Control
Published: Nov 13, 2020
Sacramento, California
SACRAMENTO – The Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) announced today that it has awarded $29,950,494 in public university research grant funding to universities across California.
“The research conducted through these public university grants will provide critical information for evaluating our legal cannabis system and its impacts,” Bureau of Cannabis Control Chief Lori Ajax said. “This research will be a valuable tool to inform future cannabis policy in California.”
Research proposals had to fall within one of the several specified categories, including public health, criminal justice and public safety, economic, environmental impacts, and the cannabis industry. A detailed description of the list of research subjects for grant funding can be found in Revenue and Taxation Code section 34019.
In total, the Bureau received more than 100 applications for grant funds up to $2 million for any specific proposal. After a thorough review process, the nearly $30 million was awarded to the following public universities:
| PublicUniversity | AwardedFunding | Research Proposal |
| UC San Francisco | $2,000,000.00 | Comprehensive Analysis of Developmental Cannabis Exposure on Brain, Immune, and Sensory Systems |
| UC Santa Barbara | $1,999,191.00 | Surface Water Emissions from Cannabis Cultivation Sites: Quantity, Quality, Toxicity, and Relationships to Farmers’ Practices |
| CSUDominguez Hills | $1,866,311.00 | Cannabis Industry in South Bay Los Angeles |
| UCBerkeley | $1,827,596.00 | Local Regulation of Cannabis in California |
| UC Los Angeles | $1,429,001.00 | Impact of Cannabis Potency on The Properties, Composition, and Toxicity of Inhaled and Second-Hand Smoke |
| UC San Francisco | $1,384,466.00 | Effects of Chronic Cannabis Use on Endothelial Function |
| UC Irvine | $1,351,556.00 | Exploring Cannabis Policies and Practices That Influence Adolescent Use: Evolution of Local Cannabis Law, Products, Sales, and Marketing |
| UC San Diego | $1,321,833.00 | The Public Health Impact of Cannabis Legalization in California: A Comprehensive Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis by Age, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Regions |
| UC Los Angeles | $1,082,815.00 | Assessing the Feasibility and Consequences of Implementing a Cannabis Potency Tax in California |
| UC San Francisco | $1,067,483.00 | The LEAF Study: Lung Effects and Function Associated with Cannabis Use |
| UC Los Angeles | $1,048,857.00 | Study of Employment Conditions and Equity in California’s Cannabis Industry |
| UC San Francisco | $1,038,782.00 | Public Health Impacts of State Policies Mandating Point-of- Sale Warning Signs Regarding Cannabis Use During Pregnancy |
| UC Davis | $1,034,730.00 | Understanding the Impact of Cannabis Use in Early Psychosis |
| UC San Diego | $987,738.00 | Evaluating the Impacts of Packaging and Labeling on Cannabis Edible Use among Youth |
| UC San Francisco | $952,540.00 | California Cannabis Poisonings Under Proposition 64 |
| UC Los Angeles | $896,794.00 | Assessing the Impact of Proposition 64 on Cannabis Use, Maladaptive Cannabis Use, Cannabis Use Disorder Treatment, and Public Health |
| UC San Diego | $887,101.00 | The Role of Cannabidiol in Anandamide-Related Improvement in Alexithymia and Health Outcomes |
| UC Los Angeles | $781,707.00 | A Demographic Analysis of the California Licensed Cannabis Industry and Consumer Market |
| UC Los Angeles | $758,517.00 | The Impact of Cannabis Marketing on California’s Youth: Neuro-Behavioral Studies for Informing Policy |
| UC Davis | $726,816.00 | Cannabis Industry: Assessment of the Location, Structure, Function, and Demographics of Licensed Cannabis, Focusing on Geographical Price Differences, and Differential Impacts of Local Prop-64 Related Regulations on the Competitiveness of Licensed Businesses |
| UCBerkeley | $658,306.00 | Transformation of Unregulated Cannabis Cultivation Under Proposition 64 |
| UC Davis | $655,564.00 | Economic Impacts: Market Prices for Licensed and Unlicensed Cannabis and the Effects of the Current and Alternate Cannabis Tax Structures and Tax Rates on the Private and Public Sectors in California, Including Government Administrative Costs and Revenues |
| UC Davis | $562,240.00 | Environmental Impacts of Cannabis Cultivation in California As Affected by the Farm Economics of Licensed and Unlicensed Cannabis Production, Including Effects of Testing Regulations and Compliance with the Criminal Prohibition of Unlicensed Cannabis |
| UCBerkeley | $489,762.00 | Assessing Environmental Impacts of Cannabis-Related Noise and Light Disturbance to Inform Management of California Wildlife |
| UCBerkeley | $465,902.00 | Examining Tribal Sovereignty Over Cannabis Permitting on Native Ancestral Lands |
| CSUHumboldt | $464,997.00 | Cannabis Business Entrepreneurs and Jobs |
| UC Los Angeles | $414,183.00 | Understanding the Impact of Cannabis Marketing on Cannabis Use Disparities Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth |
| UCBerkeley | $328,916.00 | Cultivation Bans, Local Control, and the Effects and Efficacy of Proposition 64 |
| UCBerkeley | $319,091.00 | Cannabis and Wildfire: Current Conditions, Future Threats, and Solutions for Farmers |
| UCBerkeley | $314,417.00 | Cannabis Water-Use Impacts to Streamflow and Temperature in Salmon-Bearing Streams |
| UCBerkeley | $270,269.00 | The Effect of Local Cannabis Regulation on Property Prices |
| UC San Diego | $235,039.00 | Evaluating Risks and Benefits of Cannabis Use by Older Adults: A Pilot Study |
| CSUHumboldt | $183,015.00 | The Economic Impact of Cannabis Legalization in Rural Northern California |
| UC Davis | $144,949.00 | California Cannabis Workers: Perceptions, Beliefs, and Knowledge of Occupational Health and Industry Hazards |