Cannabis Industry Mover And Shaker Party? MJBA Ambassador At Large Is There

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By Jake Dimmock,MJBA Ambassador-At-Large

WASHINGTON: Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a special celebratory gathering of the movers and shakers of Washington’s Legal Cannabis Industry. Held at the Hard Rock Cafe, 
and hosted by Jared Mirsky, CEO and founder of cannabis digital agency Wick & Mortar, the “Movers and Shakers” celebration marked Wick & Mortar’s (originally Online Marijuana Design) fifth anniversary.  Jake the Professor made the scene in my capacity as Ambassador-At-Large for the Marijuana Business Association (MJBA).  Great work if you can get it.

Jake and HarleyThe party was a veritable Who’s Who of Industry VIPs, including the Pacific Northwest’s very own David Tran and his crew at Dope Magazine , who were celebrating their acquisition by High Times Magazine.  Other notables included JJ Walker, who runs and operates the new Cannabition Museum in Las Vegas —  home of the 24′  world’s largest functioning bong, Bongzilla, created by Jerome Baker Designs. If you are into weed go see the Cannabition Museum next time you visit Las Vegas.  

Wick & MortarThe very well known grower and author of Marijuana Growers Guide and co-founder of High Times Magazine, Ed Rosenthal was there!  Many of the old school cannabis growers used Ed’s grow guide to make decision about what new grow equipment we needed. We were assured by Ed, the next thing we needed to do for bigger buds was buy more grow equipment!

Also in attendance was the lovely Cheryl Shuman, aka the Martha Stuart of pot. Cheryl is an original cannabis branding pioneer who has inspired many of today’s cannabis influencers, and women of weed.

Tony Greenhand renowned professional joint roller (yeah, it’s a thing) dazzled the party with a turtle shaped masterfully-rolled jay.  Everything was going great until the fire alarm went off. Next thing you know, the Seattle Fire Department arrives just in time to make sure all the movers and shakers were safe.  Strange thing, nobody knows why the fire alarm malfunctioned. Weird right? Everything turned out fine of course, and like the old saying goes, “It ain’t a good party until the authorities arrive.”

NE’s Largest Cannabis Convention Returns To Boston March 24-25, 2018

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MASSACHUSETTS: The 4th Annual New England Cannabis Convention, hosted by the NECANN, will return to the Hynes Convention Center on Saturday, March 24 and Sunday, March 25.

With over 5,000 attendees, 200+ industry exhibitors, and 120+ local and national speakers, the New England Cannabis Convention will be the largest Cannabis and Hemp Industry event ever in the Northeast. Cannabis sales in Maine and Massachusetts are projected to exceed 1.5 billion dollars by 2020, and this expo focuses on helping New Englanders get involved in this amazing growth opportunity, as well as serving as a resource for medical marijuana patients and advocates.

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Programming for the event will feature four separate tracks covering all aspects of the industry:

  • Marijuana as medicine
  • Local Cannabis legal, businesses, and investment news
  • Live demos on growing, cloning, making salves and tinctures, and more.
  • Cannabis Career and entrepreneurial opportunities

The keynote speaker for the event will be Cheryl Shuman. Known as the “Martha Stewart of Marijuana,” Cheryl has been featured as “the cannabis queen of Beverly Hills” on the covers of Adweek, The Jerusalem Post, The New York Times Magazine, The London Times Magazine and was named one of the most powerful women in pot in Fortune Magazine, as well as features in Vogue, Elle, The View, ABC’s 20/20, and Good Morning America.

This year’s event will also feature the premiere of “The Doc and the Jocks”, a live panel discussion discussing the role of cannabis in treating sports-related injuries. Panelists will include former Chicago Bears Super Bowl champion QB Jim McMahon and local sports broadcast legend Bob Lobel. The panel with be moderated by Massachusetts based Dr. Uma Dhanabalan, an internationally renowned cannabis advocate who termed the saying “Cannabis is not an entrance drug, it is an exit drug from pharmaceuticals and narcotics”.

“Over the last 12 months, huge progress has been made toward the normalization of cannabis use in New England and throughout the country,” says Marc Shepard, co-founder of NECANN. “With legalization spreading throughout the region, hosting the essential networking hub for local businesses, investors, and entrepreneurs to meet and grow is very exciting. For anyone who is interested in seeing the true scope of this industry, including the opportunities and enormous potential, this is the place to be,” Shepard adds.

Attendees can network with the over 200 local and national Cannabis Industry businesses, talk with doctors and health care providers, explore investment & career opportunities, connect with advocacy groups, see the latest developments in lighting, soil, and growing equipment, and purchase a huge variety of the latest smoking, vaping, and storage accessories.

Every single facet of the cannabis industry is represented, including: Accounting, Banking, Insurance, Botanicals, Dosing Equipment, Grow Lights, Hemp Industry, Hydroponics & Cultivation Products, Infused Products, Inventory Tracking, Legal Resources, Licensing Services, Marketing, Medical Experts & Resources, Packaging, Patient Advocacy & Education, Payment Processing, POS & Management Software, Private Equity & Investment Resources, Security Services & Equipment, Smoking and Accessories for Vaping & Dabbing, Storage, Training & Education, and Testing & Lab Services.

Since 2015, NECANN has hosted the largest, most comprehensive Cannabis Industry event series in the northeast. It’s 2018 schedule includes six conventions (Boston, Providence RI, Portland, ME, Northampton, MA, Burlington, VT, and Reno, NV), making it the largest series in the country as the legalization of recreational cannabis use in both Maine and Massachusetts bring ever greater national attention to New England.

Registration for the event can be purchased online at www.necann.com. A limited amount of tickets will also be sold on-site on the days of the shows. The full programming schedule is available at www.necann.com/programming.

Location
Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

Hours
Saturday, April 22, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, April 23, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
*- Box office closes one hour prior to Show closing each day.

Admission
Business, Investment, Career (BIC)
One Day Registration: $50 online, $60 onsite
Two Day Registration: $75 online, $85 onsite
Patients, Advocates, Caregivers (PAC)
One Day Registration: $20 online, $25 onsite
Two Day Registration: $30 online, $35 onsite

*Must be 18+ to attend NECANN. Children under 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult. ID is required.

 

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The Wink In Weed: Leap Day Cannabis Industry Report

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By David Rheins

Happy Leap Day.  The last two weeks of February have been such a whirlwind of hyperactivity for myself and Team MJBA that I need the extra day to tell you all about it.

On February 17th, MJBA Seattle presented, “Managing Your 502 Business,” a two-hour business boot camp designed to provide Washington’s licensed cannabis companies with “must have” information and best practices.  Sponsored by NWMJ Law, the professional education seminar featured presentations from top industry authorities, including Act Resources, Dani Espinda; Mosaic Insurance’s Norm Ives; business coach Debbie Whitlock and NWMJ Law’s Anne Van Leynseele.

The entire event was recorded, and can be viewed on MJChannelOne:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68iRB9vebNQ&w=420&h=315]

The very next day, Team MJBA packed up our tent and made our way down to Seattle’s Pier 91 for CannaCon.  The three-day event, February 18th, 19th and 20th, has become a keystone event for MJBA/MJBA Women’s Alliance, one where we participate as exhibitor, and media sponsor.  This year, both Morgan and I were featured speakers,  I had the honor to moderate 10 panels, and conduct a host of 1:1 taped interviews with CannaCon speakers, exhibitors and other industry leaders (special thank you to Darin Bruce and his AV team).

BDS CEO Roy Bingham delivered a keynote at CannaCon

BDS CEO Roy Bingham delivered a keynote at CannaCon

This was MJBA’s fourth CannaCon and I could not help but be struck by both how large and professional the industry and “the business of cannabis” show has become.   Everyone who is anyone in cannabis was present: Washington’s top cannabis regulators came out to participate as panelists, including WSLCB Director Rick Garza, WSDH’s Kristi Weeks, and the WSDA’s Steve Fuller.  This year’s panelists include a very diverse representation from the broad tent of our cannabis community, including long-time activists like Cat Jeter, Kristin Flor, Don E Wirtshafter and Vivian McPeak; legendary growers like Ed Rosenthal, Kyle Kushman and Farmer Tom Lauerman; media personalities like Katherine Grimm and Cheryl Shuman, and a host of power women in cannabis, including Eden Lab’s AC Braddock, Seattle Hempfest’s Sharon Whitson, Washington’s Finest Cannabis founder Crystal Oliver, Cannabis Basic’s Ah Warner, Kush Creams’ Megan Schwarting, and Washington Bud Company’s Shawn DeNae.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_ewkwNh5kc&w=420&h=315]

On Thursday, February 25th, MJBA Spokane held its February Meetup at a new venue, The Black Diamond.  Jon Legualt, Belladonna Growhouse, was our host and a featured presenter. He shared the stage with Washington’s Finest Crystal Oliver, who updated the group on what’s happening with Spokane’s Clean Air regulations and how they are impacting Eastern Washington producer/processors, and Kevin Oliver, executive director of Washington NORML, who gave the group a report from the legislative fronts in Olympia and Washington D.C.  Front Runner ceo Brian Yauger unveiled his latest offering, MJTicker.com, a real-time business intelligence portal designed especially for participants in the legal cannabis industry.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy5YgjDTntE&w=420&h=315]

And finally, to close out the month, MJBA New York is hosting a Leap Year Happy Hour at Manhattan’s swanky Gansevoort Hotel. Hosted by MJBA NY’s Stu Zakim and Paul Abramson, the evening of information, community and opportunity takes place at the ultra-hip hotel, located at 420 Park Avenue!

Coming up next: MJBA Portland hosts a special Meetup: “Game On: The Business of Cannabis and Sports,” Wednesday, March 2nd at the On Deck Sports bar.  Sponsored by CannaGuard Security, the event will feature opening remarks by NBA All-Star turned cannabis entrepreneur Cliff Robinson, who’ll debut his new “Uncle Spliffy” brand.  Then an industry panel will discuss the many business opportunites that exist at the intersection of sports and cannabis.  VIP Panelists include Uncle Spliffy’s Linda Miller, Siverback Advisory Groups’ Marc Belsher, and Fore-Twenty Golf’s Matt Enos.

Reserve your spot for this historic discussion here:

 

CannaCon, Large Pot Expo, Draws Crowds In Seattle

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WASHINGTON: A marijuana-enhanced barbecue sauce is among the products on display at a large cannabis expo in Seattle.

CannaCon is a three-day event that runs through Saturday. The expo features seminars as well as exhibitors offering products for all aspects of the medical and recreational marijuana industry in Washington state.

Comedian Tommy Chong, famous as half of the 1970s duo “Cheech and Chong,” was among those promoting products at the event. Chong posed for photos with fans in between talking to potential business customers.

Next Gen To Reschedule The Seattle GreenRush Financial Conference

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CANADA : Next Gen Metals Inc. reports that due to numerous requests by both exhibitors and attendees to change the conference to a two day format, management has made a decision to postpone the Seattle GreenRush Financial Conference scheduled for September 23rd, 2014 to a later date.

The company is actively seeking a suitable venue/date to accommodate these format changes. Management will issue a news release announcing all new developments for the conference at such time as they become available. In the event that the company is unable to secure a suitable venue and/or date this fall for Seattle, it will continue to focus on scheduling a full slate of conferences for the 2015 conference season including Seattle.

Who Will Become the Starbucks of Pot?

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NEW YORK: During a typical Fourth of July weekend, 1500 Esperanza St., a whitewashed deco warehouse in the Boyle Heights district of East Los Angeles, is deserted. But this year, a line snakes down the broken sidewalk out front and wraps around the bend of Union Pacific Avenue, as 4,000 people suffer the searing heat for an event called the California Heritage Market.

While many cities boast farmers markets, this one is unique: It’s the first in California—and likely the entire country—devoted exclusively to pot.

Here, some 50 growers proudly peddle their homegrown weed, not only in the form of dried flowers and buds but also the myriad products that can be concocted from them—from cooking oils, tea and candy to ointments, sunscreen, even soft pretzels.

Cheryl Shuman surveys the crowd with satisfaction. Not only did she help organize the event, but her own brand of weed—Beverly Hills Cannabis Club, a favorite of celebrities with gated mansions up in the Hollywood Hills—is the most recognizable product there. Scratch that. “We were the only branded product there,” she boasts during a phone interview a few days later.

Women In Cannabis: Solidarity And High-Potency Sorbet

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WASHINGTON: A power luncheon for women in the marijuana business took place Friday in one of Seattle’s highest locations – the top of the Columbia Tower, where dozens of women in the cannabis business gathered to talk shop and exchange recipes.

A.C. Braddock is CEO of Eden Labs, which makes extraction equipment. These days 90 percent of her business is from clients making high-potency marijuana concentrates.

“Pretty much all of our clients are men,” Braddock said, “which is great, I love men, nothing wrong with men, but my interaction with women over the years has become smaller and smaller until this group.”

Braddock said the women entrepreneurs at this lunch really do bring a different vision for legal marijuana in Washington.

Advocates Push For Medicinal Marijuana In Ohio

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OHIO: John Pardee didn’t see many good options after his son was involved in a near-death car crash in January 2008. Pardee’s son survived, but doctors said he would have to manage the pain from his injuries for the rest of his life. Pardee said his son only had one option — to take opiates, like Oxycontin or Vicodin, for pain management. But with a high potential for abuse, Pardee wondered why there weren’t more options. [Read more…]