The Cannabis Conversation Podcast
The Cannabis Conversation is the leading English-speaking podcast exploring the legal cannabis industry from a European perspective.
Founded in 2019 by commercial lawyer Anuj Desai, the show has spent six years bringing together the people shaping this industry - operators, scientists, investors, clinicians, policymakers, and entrepreneurs, for honest, evidence-based conversations that go beyond the headlines.
With 194 episodes, The Cannabis Conversation has become a trusted resource for professionals navigating one of the world's fastest-moving sectors.
In late 2025, Anuj passed the reins to Nikita Cretu & Thomas Gray from Lumino - Europe's leading cannabis recruitment agency, who have taken stewardship of the podcast's next chapter. Powered by the belief that an industry is only as good as the people in it, the show continues its mission: to illuminate the industry by bringing the right voices into the seat.
Guests span the full spectrum, from founders and operators deep inside the cannabis world to leaders from other highley regulated markets like pharma, Tobacco, Alcohol, and beyond who are paying close attention.
The Cannabis Conversation Podcast
EPISODE #184: Understanding Cannabis Seeds with Jorge Cervantes, Dr. Gary Yates, & Stefan Meyer
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On the latest episode of The Cannabis Conversation, we’re joined by Jorge Cervantes, Dr. Gary Yates, & Stefan Meyer.
We explore some of the different ways to grow cannabis, focusing on seeds, as well as discussing some of their pros and cons, and we discuss the huge commercial trade in seeds.
The Cannabis Conversation is sponsored by Lumino - a boutique HR and Recruitment Agency specialising in building high performance teams for the European Cannabis Industry. They work in three main verticals: Commercial, Medical and Plant Facing.
Get in touch at www.luminorecruit.com/
About Jorge Cervantes
Jorge Cervantes’ public career spans 39 years. His books and DVDs (50 total) are published under his given name, George F. Van Patten and pseudonym, Jorge Cervantes, in Dutch, English, French, Italian, Japanese, German, Russian, and Spanish.
Self-publisher, Cervantes’ (Indoor) Marijuana Horticulture book was christened “the Grow Bible” in 2000 by indoor, greenhouse and outdoor growers. His knowledge and hands-on experience inspired millions of growers worldwide to apply simple, effective techniques to grow more and better cannabis.
About Dr. Gary Yates
Dr. Gary Yates is a well-rounded plant scientist with experience in nearly all aspects of plant life. Dr. Yates, as a world-class genetic problem solver, offers scientific know-how aspects that are normally lacking in cultivation advice. Dr. Yates also brings to the forefront knowledge of the most recent technology in infrastructure/equipment and scientific advances, as well as pathogen mitigation and pest management. He is an experienced micro-grower and plant health assessor known for his ability to maximize limited resources to produce outcomes that exceed expectations.
Having collected his first harvest over 20 years ago and before embarking on a career in science, Gary has had a keen eye on the progression of the medical use of Cannabis, including its biochemistry, genetic development, and cultivar suitability for many years.
About Stefan Meyer
Stefan Martin Meyer, MBA, was raised in the Italian side of Switzerland, near the city of Lugano. He then moved to Spain, where he co-founded Phytoplant Research SL, which was granted the first research license for medical cannabis in Spain in 2012. While there, he got various R&D grants from the European Union for projects related to cannabinoids and medicine and published results in high-impact scientific journals.
In 2019 Stefan joined Plena Global Holding Inc (Canada) as Chief Strategy Officer, where he has been leading a project licensed to grow medicinal cannabis in Colombia.
In 2020 Stefan founded Phytoflow GmbH, a Swiss-based company providing experience-driven strategic business advice to companies active in the medical cannabis sector.
Stefan has worked with Jorge for over two decades and, like him, is a huge cannabis aficionado.
Resources:
Connect with Jorge on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jorge-cervantes-cannabis-author
Connect with Gary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gary-yates-40176b92
Connect with Stefan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-meyer-cbd