Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is supporting the leading cannabis legalization initiative, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, and will keynote a national cannabis business conference planned for Oakland next week.
Newsom addresses the nation’s canna-business people Tuesday morning at the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Cannabis Business Summit & Expo. The trade association represents 1,000 member-business nationwide, and expects to draw 3,000 attendees to the three-day, business-to-business conference and trade show at the Marriott City Center at 1001 Broadway in Oakland June 20-22.
The legal cannabis industry is expected to generate $40 billion in economic activity by 2020. Oakland continues to lead the global cannabis industry, and is working to vastly expand the scope of regulated medi-pot activity — licensing farms, kitchens, and distributors, as well as green-lighting up to eight new dispensaries per year. The Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission met last night to begin phase one of the new licensing roll-out.
Monday, NCIA workshops on running canna-business and branding coincide with tours of major dispensaries and labs including Harborside Health Center, CW Analytical, and Dark Heart Nursery. The conference offers continuing legal education for lawyers, and classes on sustainability. Five panel tracks explore trending topics like intellectual property, hash extraction, the emerging world of product liability, as well as increasing diversity. Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf is scheduled to give closing remarks Wednesday.
Your Legalization Nation editor is scheduled to moderate a panel related to the Adult Use of Marijuana Act Wednesday, titled “Golden Opportunity: The Industry’s Role in California Legalization.” According to state campaign donor records, the industry has by and large not helped pay to put legalization measures on the ballot.
The panel follows another legalization-themed conversation — “Putting It To a Vote: A Hard Look at Ballot Measures and Post-Election Predictions” on Tuesday.
Tickets to the conference start at $150 to dispensary owners and other industry insiders, go to $350 for expo-only general admission, and reach $795 for non-member full pass. Inclusion Scholarships are available.
