Conference Program Archive

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Milestone Message - Celebrating 50 Years of Activism

Keith Stroup has devoted his career and life supporting legalization of cannabis, and will deliver remarks on the milestone of 50 years of activism that NORML has provided to the movement. He will highlight the 50-year journey of NORML and comment on the progress of cannabis legislation across the United States. He'll discuss ballot initiatives in several states post-election and highlight some of the most obvious road blocks to total Federal legalization and removal of cannabis from Schedule 1. As Founder of NORML, Stroup will give us his vision for NORML today as well as for the next few years of its advocacy work and mission. Finally, he will give encouraging words to supporters, activists, and hard-working business people in the industry who remain brave and continue to trailblaze forward under very challenging times.

Keynote Address:
In Conversation with Calvin Frye - A Cannabis Pioneer Speaks

Titan, icon and trailblazer, Calvin Frye has been pivotal in the progression of the cannabis movement throughout the United States from the beginning of legalized medical cannabis. As an activist, Mr. Frye travels all over the United States to help shape and pass current MMJ legislation. He has appeared in numerous documentaries and television shows and has been featured in many magazines as one of the premier voices in cannabis. He has helped build the cannabis industry from its beginnings alongside some of the founders of the MMJ industry (Dennis Peron and Richard Eastman) as well as many of the industry pioneering groups in Los Angeles such as Americans For Safe Access and NORML. Mr. Frye has one of the oldest Pre-Interim Control Ordinance businesses in Los Angeles and is one of the first dispensary owners in the entire country (Cloneville, Compassionate Caregivers, Studio City), and was recently awarded as part owner of one of the highly sought after West Hollywood edible consumption lounge licenses.

Memories, Observations and Prognostications

28% of the US population lives in an adult-use market and over 65% of Americans have access to medical cannabis. The modern cannabis era was born with the passage of Prop 215 in California in 1996 and has accelerated significantly since Colorado and Washington legalized it for adult-use in 2012. We have since seen a boom and bust in the Canadian equity markets, witnessed wide-spread Federal raids, experienced an industry-wide vaping issue, been deemed ‘essential’ and seen legal markets around the world emerge with government support. Four states are poised to legalize adult-use cannabis in the upcoming election, and federal legalization is now simply an inevitability. Pro-cannabis legislation sweeping across the country and across countries around the world has tremendous implications for investment and trade with enormous impact for alcohol, medicine, climate change, social justice, civil rights, cognitive liberty and collective consciousness.

A cannabis futurist, strategist and internationally recognized speaker, Sumit Mehta is the founder and CEO of San Francisco-based cannabis investment firm MAZAKALI as well as the author of the GreenPaper®, an authoritative industry voice read by over 50,000 subscribers across 65 countries. In 2017, Sumit predicted that we could see effective federal legalization in 2021, a forecast that may prove quite prescient given recent comments by Kamala Harris on the topic. In this session, Sumit will share his views on major trends to watch in the years and decades ahead. Prior to his cannabis career, Sumit spent twenty years on Wall St. at firms including Merrill Lynch, UBS and Raymond James; leaving JP Morgan in 2016 to launch MAZAKALI. Sumit is the former Director of Finance at the Arcview Group, serves on several cannabis company boards, and is the Vice-Chair of the Banking and Financial Services committee for the National Cannabis Industry Association.

The Legalization of Cannabis & Future Business Opportunities in New York, New Jersey & Connecticut

Cannabis laws in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are changing rapidly and will create a multitude of new business opportunities in the most ethnically and geographically diverse region in the nation. Our panel will provide insight into the state of medical cannabis, the emergence of adult-use cannabis businesses and how to begin the process of raising capital to help you reach your goals. Moderated by Kelley Crosson.

Keynote: In Conversation with Industry Titan Bruce Linton

Industry Titan, Bruce Linton is one of the earliest trailblazers in the global marijuana industry. Under Linton’s leadership and as Founder and former Chairman of Canopy Growth Corporation (CGC), formerly Tweed Marijuana Incorporated, CGC was the first cannabis company to be listed on the TSX and the NYSE stock exchanges. Linton continues to build companies and success while pointing his efforts on the hemp industry and the hemp global supply chain. Recently, Linton co-founded Collective Growth Corporation a special purpose acquisition company or “SPAC” which raised over $150MM during the pandemic. Interviewed by Jeremy Berke.

Update on Landmark Petition Filed with SCOTUS to Declare the Federal Criminalization of Cannabis Unconstitutional

Hear from the legalization advocates who litigated America’s most consequential lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Controlled Substances Act and its mis-classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug. A case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, Washington v. Barr was brought on behalf of five plaintiffs, including 15-year-old legalization activist Alexis Bortell, Iraq War Veteran Jose Belen, and nine-year old Jagger Cotte — three plaintiffs whose treatment with cannabis keeps them alive. While SCOTUS ultimately decided not to hear the appeal, the case is expected to set the stage for the next phase of the legalization movement throughout the U.S. Moderated by Politico's Mona Zhang, the panel will discuss what the next steps are for legalization, as well as the future of the issues that the case highlighted. We will get first-hand remarks and answers from Lauren A. Rudick, Joseph A. Bondy, and Michael S. Hiller, the lawyers who handled the case “pro bono,” as well as speak with one of the plaintiffs, Leo Bridgewater of the Cannabis Cultural Association. Don’t miss it. Moderated by Mona Zhang.

The American Hemp Industry: A US States and Stakeholder Perspective

We will review the implementation of the 2018 Farm Bill, the current state of regulations and what it all means for the hemp industry on a federal and state level. In addition, a wide range of topics will be presented by industry experts including: THC testing/compliance considerations; selecting genetics, understanding certificates of analysis, best practices and new innovations in farm equipment. Moderated by Colby McCoy.

Pathway to FDA Approval for CBD

Since the passage of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill), the FDA has drawn lines in the sand regarding what can be asserted about CBD products and what can’t. It is the very passing of the 2018 Farm Bill that caused the preponderance of CBD products to appear on the market. What is the pathway to FDA approval of CBD products and how will they be allowed to be marketed if not as a drug, or a supplement, or treatment of some kind? When will we see a final guideline and decision? We discuss the issues with government experts and CBD business owners. Moderated by Colby McCoy.

International Cannabis Capital Rainmakers

Dedicated funds have poured billions of dollars into private cannabis equity over the past several years. While the public cannabis stock index decline has cast a shadow over capital raises this year, there is also a growing sense of optimism as we turn the corner on the election cycle and get encouraging results on the Covid vaccine situation. Hear three seasoned cannabis portfolio managers talk about their experiences, observations and expectations as we head toward a friendly political regime in the US and continued legislative growth in Europe. Global experience and exposure, hundreds of millions under management and three countries of domicile are represented in this panel, a must-watch for those looking to participate in the tremendous industry growth that lies ahead. Panelists include fund managers from Merida Capital, Greenfield Global and Oskare Capital. Moderated by Sumit Mehta.

Mexico & Cannabis: A Deep Look from Inside

Mexico has had and continues to have an extensive medical cannabis market; it is well developed and spans over 20 years. Cannabis research in Mexico over the years has positioned Mexico at the forefront of advances in medicinal marijuana. Since Mexico’s Supreme Court Ruling which mandates the legalization of cannabis, Mexico's legislators have been poised to implement Adult Use Legislation regulating Cannabis. The pending legislation has taken approximately 2 years to write and gain approval in the Senate. The current Covid-19 pandemic has slowed the legislative process further. The legislation covers both medical use and recreational use. In this panel, we will get a first-hand report as to the status of Adult Use Legalization. We will listen to the most pressing issues including: implementation, licensing, and management. We will speak with Mexican business industry leaders, and Mexico's governmental cannabis regulators.

Conference Program Archive

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