Top Highlights from NCIA’s April Quarterly Cannabis Caucus Events

So far, this year has been pivotal for cannabis federal policy. From the rescinding of the Cole Memo, to the inclusion of medical cannabis protections through September and most recently, Sen. Cory Gardner’s (R-CO) commendable work defending states’ rights. Between the quantity of information about cannabis policy changes and managing your day-to-day business operations, staying up to date with accurate news on both the national and local level can be challenging. That’s why NCIA’s Quarterly Cannabis Caucuses are so important for our industry to convene, connect, and stay current on issues impacting the industry.

Thanks to our Government Relations team based in Washington, D.C., participating in our Cannabis Caucus events means that you can get accurate insights into cannabis policy straight from the Hill, as well as local guest speakers offering regional updates from the ground. You can also take advantage of a meaningful networking experience with cannabis executives in your region in a relaxed, professional setting. Cannabis Caucuses are your best chance to get even more engaged with NCIA’s policy work and industry leaders nationwide.

This April, the Quarterly Cannabis Caucus events were held in eight regions nationwide and 1000+ cannabis industry professionals participated!

Highlights from Northern California, the Northeast, and Southern California

In San Jose, Josh Drayton, the deputy director of CCIA, provided an update on CCIA’s state-wide activities representing the industry.

In Boston, we were joined by guest speaker Shanel Lindsay from the Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board to share the latest on the social equity program as well as state legislative updates.

In Los Angeles, we saw a huge turnout of more than 350 attendees at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt, and welcomed special guest speaker, Jennifer Hawkins, a business tax specialist at the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Jennifer offered an overview on California cannabis excise tax for cultivation and was joined by Alexis d’Angelo, the Southern California Membership and Outreach Liaison for CCIA.

Highlights from the Midwest, Florida, and the Pacific Northwest

Returning to Ann Arbor, Michigan, we were thrilled to welcome Robin Schneider and Jeff Irwin from the Michigan Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, where we raised over $5,000 for the campaign!

In Tampa, guest speaker Sally Kent Peebles from Vicente Sederberg LLC gave an update on the Florida medical marijuana program, detailing the licensing process.

In Seattle, we heard from guest speaker Chris Thompson, who serves as director of legislative relations at the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Highlights from the Southwest and Colorado

At our first event in 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona, we welcomed nearly 100 attendees to network with their regional colleagues and learn about the recent rescission of the Cole Memo. Attendees also heard from Arizona State Rep. Mark Cardenas (D-Phoenix), who introduced legislation this year that would put a adult-use measure on Arizona’s November ballot.

In Boulder, Colorado, Sen. Tim Neville (R-16th District) joined us to share a motivational talk about the future of the industry to attendees, and an update on what’s happening in the Colorado Legislature.


Upcoming July Cannabis Caucus Events

Get your tickets now!
Early bird tickets are 50% off additional member tickets and non-member tickets now through June 11!

We’re excited to announce that registration for our July Cannabis Caucus Events is now open! Join us in new regions and cities for meaningful networking opportunities with industry professionals, policymakers and government officials.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – San Francisco, CA – Tuesday, July 10
NORTHEAST – New York, NY – Tuesday, July 10
PACIFIC NORTHWEST – Portland, OR – Thursday, July 12
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA – San Diego, CA – Thursday, July 12
FLORIDA – Miami, FL – Tuesday, July 17
MIDWEST – Cleveland, OH – Tuesday, July 17
SOUTHWEST – 
Las Vegas, NV – Thursday, July 19
COLORADO – Denver, CO – Thursday, July 19


Thank you to our sponsors:

Annual Sponsors
Bernstein IP
Cannabrand
Husch Blackwell
Simplifya

Silver Sponsors
COVA
Vicente Sederberg LLC

Bronze Sponsors
McAllister Garfield, P.C.
MarijuanaDoctors.com
Apeks Supercritical

VIDEO: Spotlight on California Cannabis Industry Association

In this month’s NCIA video newsletter, we headed to Sacramento to attend the California Cannabis Industry Association‘s 2nd Annual Policy Conference. CCIA is NCIA’s state affiliate in California. Hear from CCIA members and California state legislators about the critical work CCIA does to represent the state’s industry, and how the NCIA/CCIA affiliation means members have a comprehensive and powerful voice at the state and federal levels. If your California cannabis business isn’t yet a member of CCIA, join today!


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Member Spotlight: THC Design

To kick off 2017, we’re highlighting NCIA Member THC Design, whom you may have met as a sponsor of some of our Quarterly Cannabis Caucus events in 2016. Seth Hilsabeck, the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Head of Research & Development, tells us a bit more about THC Design, a family-oriented cannabis cultivation company based in California, and what they’ve been up to as a company since launching publicly in 2014. thcdesignlogo

NCIA Member Member Since:
June 2016

Tell us about your background in cannabis and why you joined the team at THC Design?

Seth Hilsabeck, COO & Head of R&D<?center<
Seth Hilsabeck, COO & Head of R&D

President/Owner Ryan Jennemann and I both grew up in Oklahoma and have been close friends since grade school. Both of us have had a fondness and passion for cannabis and its many efficacies since being teenagers. Ryan was lucky enough to be taught to grow by his father in their backyard between their tomato plants. Ryan witnessed his father suffer from chronic migraines for as long as he can remember. With little to no access to safe cannabis, Ryan’s father was forced to continue managing his pain with opioid prescription drugs which ultimately lead to his death at the age of 47. Determined to prevent other families from suffering through similar tragedies, Ryan moved to California to spread his wings as an advocate and cultivator in the medicinal cannabis movement.

I was back home quietly using cannabis to alleviate the symptoms of my cerebral palsy. I soon began to take notice of the new legal movements in Colorado, quickly making new friends in the industry. Ryan and I were suddenly reunited back in Oklahoma in late 2013 at a funeral for a close friend of ours who had passed away. We quickly began comparing notes and talking of our passions for the future of cannabis. Soon after, I moved out to California to help with publicly launching THC Design with Ryan in Los Angeles.

What unique value does THC Design offer to the cannabis industry?

xj-13-thc-designWe aim to set the standard for advanced cultivation practices and techniques while taking steps to create a self-sustainable operation via renewable energy resources. By partnering with leading scientists in various fields, THC Design hopes to break new ground in the cannabis industry. We are committed to making scientific advances in identifying the roles of not only THC and CBD, but also the dozens of other compounds in cannabis that can potentially benefit patients. This will help us breed better plants that can acutely treat diseases and ailments, all while producing safer quality medicine year in and year out.

Cannabis companies have a unique responsibility to shape this growing industry to be socially responsible and advocate for it to be treated fairly. How does THC Design help work toward that goal for the greater good of the cannabis industry?

THC Design team, Beach Clean-Up with Surf Rider
THC Design team, Beach Clean-Up with Surf Rider

Building a community and contributing our voice to the cannabis industry is extremely important to our THC Design Family. We support national and local advocacy groups such as NCIA, CCIA, and Americans for Safe Access to address legalization, access, and research of cannabis. We work closely with lawmakers and policy writers to ensure fairness in the ongoing organization and regulation of cannabis in California. Reaching out to the community is a huge part of who we are. Last year we worked with Surf Rider Foundation for a beach clean-up, Midnight Mission to help with their lunch service, and afterwards we hit the streets and passed out over 1,500 fleece blankets to the homeless just in time for the winter chill. Many similar projects are in the pipeline for 2017.

Why did you join NCIA? What’s the best part about being a member?

Joining NCIA is very important to us so that we can remain at the forefront of one of the few national organizations for cannabis advocacy. The network of top companies and individuals involved is a vital part of our efforts to help the cannabis industry in the U.S. grow and to be respected across the globe.

Contact:

THC Design Website
THC Design Facebook
THC Design Twitter

State of the States: NCIA’s Affiliate Program

What is NCIA’s state affiliate program?

Over the last two years, members from particular states have approached us here at NCIA with the idea of forming state-focused affiliates. While NCIA’s mission is dedicated to federal policy change and the support of a national industry that is coordinated, sustainable, and responsible, we’ve begun a journey with a few of these dedicated members looking to do the same at the state level. Many of our members are already familiar with our state affiliates in California and Illinois.

NCIA dedicates its policy work to issues at the federal level, which informs the playing field for all 50 states. However, individual state cannabis markets have their own unique needs and challenges. An NCIA state affiliate is tasked with pursuing the same priorities as NCIA’s federal mission – advocacy, education, and community – but with a zoomed-in focus on state legislation and regulations, city ordinances, and local networking and business development. The combination of NCIA and a state affiliate gives members a powerfully unified voice in influencing legislation that is fair towards our industry.

How does the state affiliate program work?

Each state affiliate is an independent entity from NCIA, which elects its own board of directors and has its own decision-making processes. The affiliates are non-profit organizations, and dues are collected from members to be used for state advocacy work.

Membership dues for the state affiliate are split between the state affiliate and NCIA, and members of the state affiliate are automatically added to the rosters of NCIA’s national membership, although many members still choose to maintain separate memberships with both the state affiliate and NCIA.

Our state affiliates currently exist in the two most populous states with active medical marijuana programs in place: California and Illinois. We checked in with the leadership of each affiliate to hear more about their progress and activities at the state level.

 

CCIA-LogoCCIA-Logo-300x294California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA)

CCIA’s Executive Director and co-founder is Nate Bradley, who works closely with their official lobbyist, Amy Jenkins, to influence fair legislation and policies for the ever-evolving cannabis industry. CCIA’s membership currently sits at 132 members and growing. 

“In 2015, CCIA hosted numerous well-attended membership networking and educational events throughout the state,” says Bradley. “We also added new staff to our ranks. In the fall we hired a Membership Coordinator. This in turn greatly increased our ability to reach out and provide services to our current members and build new membership at the same time.”

CCIA focuses on the state regulatory structure for California’s cannabis industry, working to influence regulations for the medical marijuana industry in the state legislature. CCIA has endorsed the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), a full legalization state ballot initiative being proposed for 2016. 

“More than any other legalization measures competing for the 2016 state ballot, AUMA represents the collective input of California’s lawful medical cannabis industry,” said CCIA President Sean Luse, who is also COO of the nation’s longest continually operating medical cannabis dispensary, Berkeley Patients Group.

So what are CCIA’s plans for the upcoming year?

“CCIA has a lot of big plans for 2016,” says Bradley. “Currently we are planning on bringing a new deputy director, increasing the amount of events we hold, developing our local government outreach program, and increasing the amount of membership committees we have.”

“We will also be heavily involved in any legislation clean-up, tracking the regulatory rule-writing process, and last but not least, making sure we are actively involved in influencing any cannabis ballot initiatives that may go before voters in November.”

CCIA’s 2015 victories are listed here, along with details of the requests that were successfully negotiated and included in the Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act.

 

IllinoisCIA_Logo_FNL_RGB_ForWebIllinois Cannabis Industry Association (ILCIA)

Kayvan Khalatbari, co-founder of Denver Relief, serves on the board of directors for ILCIA and offers insight into the progress of its formation over the last year. “With all the work the National Cannabis Industry Association is doing to progress policy, advocacy, and education on the federal level, it’s important to have that same influence on the state level,” says Khalatbari.

“We’re working hard to create a model that is in line with NCIA’s mission and tone, but also considerate of the cultural and political nuances present in Illinois. We’ve assembled a great group to form our initial board of directors, which includes cultivation and dispensary operators, attorneys, lobbyists and ancillary service providers… in a sense, most stakeholders in this new and exciting industry. We intend on bringing aboard a doctor and a patient representative as well in this new year to ensure all voices relevant to the success of this industry have a seat at the table.”

kayvan
Kayvan Khalatbari, co-founder of Denver Relief and board member of ILCIA

“With our current 25 members we have some room to grow, but have no doubt that will happen as we become more active and visible in 2016. Between assisting in the development and implementation of the NCIA local Cannabis Caucuses here in Chicago, assembling our own quarterly educational symposiums, networking events, and a lobby day in April, as well as collaborating with other groups to add qualifying conditions in the medical cannabis program, we’re poised to make a big push in having a positive and responsible influence as this industry gets off the ground here.”

“The bridge to our national partners at NCIA can only benefit that push forward and help ensure that cannabis businesses in Illinois are represented at all levels of government for years to come.”

 

Looking to get involved in one of our state affiliates? Visit their websites:

CCIA – www.cacannabisindustry.org

ILCIA – www.ilcia.org

 


Join us for our 6th Annual NCIA Member Lobby Days in Washington, D.C. on May 12 & 13, 2016.

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