A variety of industry events and associations exist where those new to the marijuana/cannabis industry can get up to speed and get exposed to new ideas and opportunities. Updated September 26, 2018.
My Involvement
April 2018 – I was invited to present at a conference on cannabis legalization hosted by Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
March 2018 – I was a panelist at the MBCA Opportunity Summit and also offered a pre-conference Business of Marijuana 101 workshop with over 40 paid attendees from across the United States.
September 2017 – I organized and led a half-day symposium on Marijuana Legalization at the Atlantic Schools of Business conference in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
April 2017 – I gave a presentation on the marijuana industry to the Center for Work Education and Employment (CWEE), Colorado’s first 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that assists low-income single families in gaining the skills and education necessary to transition off of public assistance and gain long-term employment.
Commerical Industry Events
- MJBizCon Vegas (Las Vegas, NV) – Largest cannabis show in world. Next session will take place Nov 14-16, 2018.
- MJBizConNext (New Orleans, LA) – Smaller show that took place May 9-11, 2018.
- MJBizCon Intl (Toronto, ON) – International event that took place Aug 14-16, 2018. (Program PDF)
- NCIA Cannabis Business Summit & Expo – Next session took place July 25-27, 2018 in San Jose, California.
- NCIA Seed to Sale Show – “Only national show focused solely on innovative best practices, science, and cutting edge technology surrounding the whole life cycle of the cannabis plant grown, processed, and sold in a regulated market.”
- O’Cannabiz Conference (Toronto, ON) – Most recent event June 8-9, 2018
- World Cannabis Congress (Saint John, NB) – First-time event took place June 10-12, 2018.
- NoCo Hemp Expo (Loveland, CO) – Trade-show format focused on hemp industry. 5th annual event took place April 6-7, 2018.
- MCBA Opportunity Summit (Denver, CO) – Organized by Minority Cannabis Business Association. 1st annual event took place March 22-24, 2018 at the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business.
- Cannacon – Multiple locations and dates across United States.
- Cannabis Cultivation Conference – Most recent session March 12-14, Oakland, CA
- Cannabis Science Conference – Most recent session Aug 27-29, 2018
- Emerald Conference – Most recent session Feb 15-16, 2018 in San Diego
Government Industry Events
- Marijuana Management Symposium 2018
- Marijuana Management Symposium 2017 (Hosted by City of Denver, videos and PDFs posted online)
- Colorado State Patrol – Training Conference for Law Enforcement (March 16-18, 2016, hosted by University of Denver)
Cannabis Industry Event Listings
- https://www.newcannabisventures.com/cannabis-industry-events/
- http://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/events/
- https://www.marijuanadoctors.com/blog/2018-cannabis-conferences/
Cannabis Industry Associations/Organizations
- American Trade Association for Cannabis & Hemp (ATACH) – 501(c)(6) trade organization registered in Washington, DC, founded to promote the expansion, protection, and preservation of businesses engaged in the legal trade of industrial, medical, and recreational cannabis and hemp based products.
- California Cannabis Industry Association
- California Growers Association
- Cannabis Business Alliance
- Cannabis Canada Council (founded in April 2018 by Cannabis Canada Association, Canadian Medical Cannabis Council and Canopy Growth)
- Cannabis Commerce Association of Canada (focused on craft operators)
- Cannabis Friendly Business Association (focused on small to medium sized businesses)
- Cannabis Growers of Canada (focused on small to medium-sized growers)
- Cannabis Marketing Association (currently has chapters in Colorado & California)
- Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce (Colorado, may be defunct)
- Cannabis Trade Federation
- Craft Cannabis Association of British Columbia
- Colorado Leads (pro-business alliance)
- Hemp Industries Association (founded in 1994)
- Marijuana Industry Group (Colorado trade association, founded in 2010)
- Marijuana Policy Project (national advocacy group) – June 2018 article
- Medicinal Marijuana Association (Toronto, Canada)
- Minority Cannabis Business Association (founded in 2015)
- National Association of Cannabis Business (self-regulatory organization, founded in 2017)
- National Cannabis Industry Association (Washington & Denver, trade association founded 2010)
- National Hemp Association
- National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML, founded 1970, focused on legalization)
- National Indian Cannabis Coalition (National, founded in 2015)
- Nevada Dispensary Association
- New Federalism Fund – Non-partisan 501(c)4. Its board members and contributors are those interested in state-first regulation of state-based commerce and creating a common sense regulatory system for those who are in or serve the state-based cannabis industry.
- Southern California Coalition
- Southern Colorado Cannabis Council (may be inactive, website not updated)
- Women Grow