NEW JERSEY: Curiosity about the budding legal cannabis industry attracted over 800 last night at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark NJ for the premiere session of the New Jersey Cannabis Symposium.

The four hour event was faced paced and full of information for these cannabis explorers; kicked off with a networking cocktail party – open bar and  stations for a variety of delicious food from Japanese to Sliced Steak and lots in between – that had many in the crowd amazed not only the number of people there, but that this was happening at the NJPAC.  For non Jerseyans, think of The Metropolitan Opera or Carnegie Hall to get an idea.

Ellie Siegel, founder of Longview Strategic, welcomed the crowd and went on to moderate the first of three panels covering topics as analysis of Sessions rescinding of the Cole Memo and other legislative updates, Business and License assessments, application overview, real estate and zoning insights and facility considerations.  Her fellow panelists included event Host Committee Members Brian Staffa of The BSC Group, Joshua Bauchner, Esq, of Ansell, Grimm & Aaron PC, Scott Rudder of the NJ CannaBusiness Association, James Minninger of Viridis Security Group, Gary Rosen of Marcum LLP, Marc Perel or Arctrust Development and Saphira Galoob of the Liaison Group.

“As the news about New Jersey’s move towards approving adult use cannabis took on traction with the election of Governor Phil Murphy, we found there was also a lot of misinformation being circulated,” said Staffa of the BSC Group.  “We see this unique event as a way to draw a roadmap for the months and years ahead, noting unique attributes about NJ’s current program, and drawing comparisons to how other states’ programs have evolved.”

“We see this event as a way to detail the required/recommended resources for applicants, and at the same time help ancillary companies to understand the process and needs of applicants, and how they can position themselves to serve the market effectively,” said Joshua Bauchner of Ansell Grimm & Aaron, PC.

The symposium wrapped up with an interactive Q&A with the audience that showed the level of interest and knowledge the crowd had on all areas of cannabis.  The second edition of the NJ Cannabis Symposium is scheduled for March 29 and will focus on the financial area of the industry.