Mr. Cannabis...Really?
A story from the front lines of the cannabis revolution
Who is this guy who dares call himself the “Mister” of all of cannabis? Can anyone really claim that title?
As much as I was questioning this bold statement, I was curious. As I got to know Erai Beckmann deeper and how he was given the name, “Mr. Cannabis” my skepticism began to change and this is why.
After Erai and his family played an integral part in helping millions of people access legal CBD in Brazil, I knew I had to let go of my own ego and learn more about his work, which is why I wrote this article today.
A bit about me, I’m Victor and I’m part of the Inner Circle’s apprenticeship program for people who want to break into the cannabis industry while pursuing personal growth and conscious use of cannabis. I’ll share more of my story towards the end, but I’ll admit that I was struggling through a quarter-life crisis of my own. And being here now feels like a brightness that the previous me would have never imagined.
I’m here to help you understand what Inner Circle is and the best way to do that is to share what I learned about Erai, along with the two other founders of the Inner Circle, Matt Ritchey, and Kyle Dammann.
Erai Beckmann
Dubbed “Mr. Cannabis” by a Brazilian nurse, Erai has truly done something spectacular; accelerated the legalization of CBD hemp oil as medicine for millions of Brazilian lives.
He gave me early access to his unreleased book where he shares the difficult moments of his personal and entrepreneurial story.
I could tell that behind the great accomplishments and high performance, he truly cares about helping people. And it was that conviction that helped him navigate the corporate, political relationships in the industry.
After helping so many people through his CBD business, Erai was given the moniker, which he actually pushed back for years. And it was his badass wife, Kyleigha Beckmann who went ahead and bought the domain name to encourage him to brand it.
Ironically, like many of us, Erai grew up misinformed about cannabis and was skeptical of using the plant personally. But as he watched his wife use the whole plant (not just CBD) to heal from a rare illness during pregnancy, his passion for cannabis skyrocketed.
Since then, he’s deployed over $1.2 million into the cannabis industry, with his own projects generating over $10 million in gross sales.
Erai is now sharing what he’s learned with cannabis leaders and those looking to break into the cannabis space in his new project, Inner Circle, a private online member’s community focused on proven best practices (For anyone who doesn’t know, the current CBD & Canna industries are compliance mine-fields, so it really pays to know people who have been through it).
I’m honored to be able to surround myself with such impactful, compassionate people who all strive to bring this medicine to more humans!
Matt Ritchey
Matt is how I’m able to be a part of this program. He messaged me sharing how much he related to an Instagram video I had posted about my life struggle.
He was gracious enough to lend me an ear with no agenda other than to support and relate with me during my vulnerable time.
After briefly hearing his own struggle through a transitional time, as well as his mission to elevate cannabis leaders with the quadruple bottom line – profit, people, planet, and purpose – I had to bring him onto my podcast to dive deeper.
On the show, we went into male vulnerability, money anxiety through career transitions, intentional cannabis use for healing, self-love, and even spirituality.
He shared how cannabis brought awareness to the repressed memory of being sexually abused as a child, the memory loss common among trauma victims. Cannabis was the catalyst for his transformational healing with his identity around masculinity and self-worth.
And now he wants to bring the healing powers of this plant medicine not only to trauma victims but to the rest of humanity to expand our consciousness and connectedness.
Kyle Dammann
As if the vibing with Matt wasn’t enough, I was introduced to his friend from high school and business partner, Kyle, aka “The Brand Magician,” a few days later.
Kyle has built up successful brands in various industries like health and wellness, biotechnology, and automotive.
To date, he’s added over $26M in results to his client’s scorecards. He’s been a Shark Tank semi-finalist, but more than anything, he says “he loves helping develop intuitive leaders.”
So when he offered to coach me on my own business, I was both surprised and grateful to have him take a look at it! Here I was wanting to help, but receiving help instead. It showed me how caring he was, helping me develop more of what I want to do, rather than only assigning tasks that he or the team wants.
The values of any organization come from the collective values of the people behind it. Meeting the people here and seeing their passion to help others is what makes me believe in this community.
Vicror Ung
I mentioned before that I was going through a quarter-life crisis a few years ago. Feeling burnt out from the technology industry, I quit my job in 2018 to study life coaching and become an entrepreneur.
I follow the principle that we are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, and I realized I did not want to become my coworkers. So you can tell how excited I am to be surrounding myself with the soulful badasses of the Inner Circle.
There’s also something spiritual in the way cannabis brings people together. Many associate the plant with the feminine energy (hence “mary jane”) that fosters intuition, empathy, and connection.
Scientifically, the endocannabinoids in cannabis naturally bond with our body’s receptors to bring about homeostasis, which allows us to better regulate our emotions and decision-making.
Growing up with Asian immigrant parents as the oldest son and the first to graduate college, I absorbed a lot of pressure to succeed. Rarely did I have the space to show vulnerability or explore other versions of success. Imagine how my parents felt when they found out I smoke weed, let alone work within the industry!
I since started a blog and podcast documenting my transition that I’ve now reframed as a “quarter-life remodel.” You can learn more at http://victorung.com.
What I’ll say is that I didn’t get here by luck. All of the physical and inner work I’ve been doing all these years has prepared me to be here, at the intersection of technology, psychology, empowering content, connecting with people, and weed.
And if you also believe that you’re not reading this out of pure coincidence, we’d love to learn from you inside the Inner Circle!
Is Inner Circle Right For You?
Inner Circle is growing quickly and we want to connect with pro-cannabis entrepreneurs, leaders, and anyone looking to break into the industry.
After working with Erai, Matt, and Kyle the last few months, I am convinced the Inner Circle is the rare opportunity to get involved in making a conscious impact with the healing powers of this plant. This is the side of cannabis the world needs to see more of.
Are You Ready To Level Up?
Victor Sing Ung
Victor is an Emotional Fitness Coach & Cannabis Wellness Guide for self-identifying Asian diaspora. He's also a freelance writer and podcaster advocating for mental health, emotional intelligence, cannabis education, and social equity in the workplace.
