The Cannabis Business Summit, Where Commerce Met a Revolution

By Brooke Gilbert, NCIA director of education & events

The National Cannabis Industry Association’s first annual Cannabis Business Summit took place on June 24th and 25th in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center, serving as a monument to the current success of the legal adult-use and medical cannabis industry. Bringing together more than 1,100 representatives from all aspects of the cannabis industry, the Cannabis Business Summit looked like any other business conference from the outside. With an array of keynote speeches and educational panels, in addition to an exposition hall showcasing advances in the industry, attendees came to share knowledge, to network, to find opportunities, and to contribute to the rapid growth of the cannabis industry.

The exposition hall featured over 50 member sponsors. Products and services, such as automated trimming machines, cannabis oil extraction machines, accounting solutions, insurance companies, software producers, consulting services, and cannabis-infused products showed the diverse community of businesses that currently make up the cannabis industry. This hands-on display of advances within the industry complimented the educational component nicely, not only showcasing cutting edge products and services, but also offering the opportunity to talk one-on-one with those behind each company. It was impossible to walk through the exposition hall without hearing new solutions to challenges as well as new business partnerships being forged.

In addition to the exposition hall, the Cannabis Business Summit featured nearly 100 speakers who shared their experience and expertise on a wide range of topics spread across five different educational tracks. The featured educational tracks included CannaBusiness 101, Advanced CannaBusiness, Ancillary Services and Products, Cannabis Policy and Reform, and Emerging Topics & Roundtable Discussions. General sessions and keynote speeches rounded out the educational side of the summit and featured leading thought-leaders and industry pioneers.

A powerful start to the two days, the opening keynote featured Troy Dayton of the ArcView Group. Dayton’s moving speech touched on how entrepreneurship and the push for social justice reform concerning cannabis prohibition have worked hand-in-hand to create the landscape for this now burgeoning industry. Following the opening keynote, the first general session, “Colorado & Washington: Successes and Challenges from the Frontier of Post-Prohibition America,” featured heavy-hitters in the movement, including Brian Vicente of Vicente Sederberg, John Davis of Northwest Patient Resource Center, Hon. Roger Goodman of Washington State Legislature, Andrew Freedman, Director of Marijuana Coordination Office of the Governor, and Elliott Klug of Pink House Blooms. The panel offered an honest discussion on the progress of the reform movement, what has been going right, the challenges the industry is facing now, and the future of the legal cannabis industry. The opening keynote speech and panel were filmed in their entirety by C-SPAN and can be viewed here.

Though the obvious subject of the conference revolved around the business aspect of the developing legal cannabis industry, two themes permeated throughout the two days. The first was the recognition of those who came before and helped pave the way politically to allow this industry to blossom. In attendance was NCIA’s special guest Charles Lynch, who in 2007 had his state-licensed medical marijuana dispensary raided in California and was subsequently sent to federal prison. A number of times throughout the Summit, speakers emphasized the incongruity of nearly 1,200 industry professionals coming together for cannabis business opportunities while many around the country sit in jail and continue to be persecuted under unjust prohibitionary policies. “We have to acknowledge those who came before us,” said Aaron Smith, executive director of NCIA, during his keynote speech. “Before we were an industry, we were a movement, and we are still a social movement. The growth of this new industry will drive the final nail in the coffin of marijuana prohibition, so that no one is put in a cage for using a beneficial, extremely therapeutic herbal product ever again.”

The second through-running theme was that, with two states opening up legal, adult-use markets, and more states poised in the coming years to also implement adult-use or medical programs, the cannabis industry must continue to put forward the best practices and image possible. In the keynote panel “Getting the Message: Effective and Responsible Marketing Strategies for Cannabis Businesses,” Taylor West, deputy director of NCIA stated, ”This is a cultural movement in the midst of an enormous wave, and we have the opportunity to define an idea on the rise, to be responsible, and to do the education around that,” West said.

“We are building an industry from scratch, and we have to take this opportunity to make this an industry that’s not like every other industry. Responsible branding is important. Don’t screw it up for everybody. We don’t have a rock-solid foundation, and we’re still very vulnerable from a public opinion and policy stand-point. Don’t market to children and don’t market like children,” she said. These points stressed the importance of needing to be both strategic and responsible in the promotion of cannabis businesses, as the industry works under tight scrutiny to continue moving forward.

The outstanding success of the first Cannabis Business Summit shows that as an industry we can move – and are moving – in a responsible, legitimate, and innovative direction. NCIA is honored to have brought together this community with such an incredible turnout of movers and shakers, all contributing to creating an industry we can be proud of. We invite you to join us at one of our many educational & networking events scheduled during the remainder of the year in California, Massachusetts, New York, Nevada, Illinois, Florida, and Colorado. We here at NCIA are proud of the direction this industry is moving, and we sincerely thank all of those who are doing their part to advance an industry based in responsible business practices. Thank you once again to the many generous sponsors and speakers who helped make this such a success, and we’ll see you at the next NCIA event!

Guest Post: Oregon to Vote on Adult-Use Legalization in November

By Anthony Johnson, OCIA executive director

It’s official! Oregon voters will have the opportunity to join Colorado and Washington in regulating, legalizing and taxing cannabis like beer and wine this November. Oregon has wasted too many law enforcement and judicial resources arresting and citing thousands of Oregonians every year. Nearly 100,000 times over the last decade law enforcement officers have taken time out of their day and the day of cannabis users to either write tickets or actually place someone under arrest. Those arrest and citations, in addition to the added judicial, jail and prison costs are a huge waste of Oregon’s limited resources.

The New Approach Oregon measure will also create a new regulated industry that will allow Oregon’s cannabis industry to follow in the footsteps of the state’s successful microbrewery and winery industries. Under the measure, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) will provide wholesale, retail, producer and processor licenses to qualified applicants for $1,250. This relatively low barrier to entry will allow for small businesses and Oregon mom-and-pop shops to enter the market and compete.

A reasonable one-time tax of $35 per ounce ($1.25 per gram) for flower, $10 per ounce of leaf and $5 for every plant sold will keep prices affordable, letting regulated businesses to compete, and eventually diminish the unregulated, illicit market. The OLCC will collect the tax after the first sale after production, keep enough funds for enforcement and then disperse 40% to education, 15% to state police, 10% to cities, 10% to counties, 5% to drug prevention and 20% to mental health and substance abuse treatment services.

Marijuana use must remain out of public view and cannot be delivered within 1,000 feet of schools. The measure doesn’t impact the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program and allows for limited home cultivation (similar to home brewing of beer). The proposal doesn’t change current driving under the influence laws, landlord tenant relations or workplace rules.

Polls show that the New Approach Oregon measure can win at the ballot box and an experienced campaign team has put together a plan for victory. However, prohibitionists like Kevin Sabet and vested interests such as Big Pharma are going to put up a fight. Please go to www.newapproachoregon.com to donate, volunteer and help spread the word about this important measure that will improve the lives of Oregonians and help set the stage for more states to legalize cannabis in 2016.

Anthony Johnson is executive director of the Oregon Cannabis Industry Association and the chief petitioner of the New Approach Oregon ballot measure.

NCIA Member Profile: CannLabs

NCIA Member Profile: CannLabs, Inc.

About: CannLabs, Inc., is a solutions provider with intellectual property, proprietary cloud-based analytics, and scientific methods to serve the cannabis industry. Through Carbon Bond Holdings Inc., CannLabs provides laboratories with the necessary business intelligence technology and other solutions required to serve the cannabis industry, and these include the first state-licensed laboratory in Denver, Colorado.

Cannabis Industry Sector: Analytical Testing

NCIA Member Since: 2011

Membership Status: Sustaining

Led by: Genifer Murray

How has CannLabs evolved since you founded the business?
CannLabs has made leaps and bounds since we founded the company in April 2010. I started in a lab space that was 150 square feet with one instrument. We recently moved into our new lab space that is 4000 square feet with 2500 square feet of office space. We currently have 20 employees and continue to rapidly grow. We just signed a lease in Connecticut and we’re excited about expanding our services there. Testing in Colorado is mandatory for adult-use only, and we were the first state-certified lab in the country. The industry is changing fast and I’m extremely happy at the way CannLabs is positioned to support it.

Why did you choose to go into cannabis testing, and how does testing and analysis fit into the future of the cannabis industry?
It was literally started on a napkin in Arizona when I was visiting my Dad at the beginning of 2010. My first business partner had the idea and after returning to Colorado I did my due diligence and absolutely loved the idea. I have a B.S. in Microbiology and I love science. It seemed like a perfect fit for me as it allowed me to bring together my business brain and my natural desire to do something different.

CannLabs started as a lab offering a full range of testing services, but we have found that our expertise, experience, and quality of our service has allowed us to be heavily involved in other areas beyond testing.

For example, if a grower finds that the quality of the product is not good during testing, we can advise them on how best to deal with the issue. This allows for improved quality of the product all around which means a better and safer product for the consumer. We also have medicinal chemists who research deep into cannabis and look for ways to reformulate for better products. The science and technology behind cannabis is an area we excel in at CannLabs.

We also have a proprietary, cloud-based technology that feeds real-time data via our web portal. This allows clients to post their test results instantly on our ‘Product Finder’ or our other partner sites (MJ Freeway and WeedMaps) which allows consumers to find CannLabs-tested and -certified products fast and easy. This not only gives customers reassurance that the products they are finding are certified by CannLabs, but it also drives traffic to the dispensaries we test for as it is a fabulous location-finder. We also offer statistics so our clients can push one button and see trends. For example, the Colorado MED process requests a 3-month average for potency. Our clients do not need to take the time to do that. Instead they simply push a button and our system does it for them. Whatever our customers want to see, we can customize it.

What was the licensing process like?
Comprehensive. The CDPHE (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment) was at our lab for about nine hours going through methods, SOP’s (Standard Operating Procedures), testing our lab director and lab staff, and thoroughly going through the lab. Heather Despres, our lab director, was very prepared, so we were able to get our license without many changes. We were very happy to finally get certified, as I have been waiting for the opportunity for four years.

Why did you get involved with NCIA?
Why wouldn’t CannLabs? I remember in the very beginning of 2011 when it started, I wanted to join so badly but I was barely making enough to keep afloat. Once I could, I joined immediately; I believe at the end of 2011. It is very important to support the industry not only locally but nationally. NCIA is the ONLY one out there working for us. NCIA has been so wonderful to be a part of and you meet some amazing people leading the industry in this group. If only the entire industry felt this way, we might have banking issues solved by now.

NCIA Board Plans Future for Industry’s Trade Association

By Aaron Smith, NCIA executive director

The National Cannabis Industry Association’s newly-elected Board of Directors met last week in Seattle to receive presentations from staff and provide strategic direction for the organization’s core efforts.

One of the primary responsibilities of the board is to oversee NCIA’s financial affairs, which are very healthy as membership rolls have reached nearly 700 cannabis businesses midway through the year. NCIA’s revenues are 10% over the projections for Q1 and Q2 and spending is on target. The success of our national conference and growth in membership have allowed NCIA to hire an additional events coordinator who will assist the organization in building out a robust agenda of educational and networking events for members.

The board also received presentations from Deputy Director Taylor West and Director of Government Relations Michael Correia on NCIA’s communications and lobbying efforts, respectively. NCIA and the cannabis industry have garnered more media attention in 2014 than ever before, raising awareness of the positive contribution responsible cannabis businesses make to the national economy and growing public support for the federal and state policy reforms needed to advance the regulated industry across the country.

The addition of a full-time staff lobbyist at the end of last year has allowed us to provide more political representation in Washington, DC than ever before. NCIA’s director of government relations has already made contact with every congressional office and has personally met with over 200 House offices and 30 Senate offices to build support for amending the 280E provision of the tax code as well as reforms to banking regulations so that the cannabis providers will someday (hopefully soon) have access to basic financial services all other industry’s take for granted.

A former Republican Hill staffer himself, Michael Correia, has focused primarily on building relationships with conservative members of Congress and appealing to them on issues of states’ rights and limited government. This effort helped lead to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voting for the first time to block federal resources from to be used to undermine state medical marijuana laws or penalize financial institutions for doing business with state-legal cannabis providers.

The board also collectively donated over $8,000 to NCIA’s federal PAC during the meeting so that the industry can further support candidates that support our issues in the months ahead.

Before concluding the meeting, board members re-elected Ean Seeb of Denver Relief as the board chairman and elected John Davis of Northwest Patient Resource Center as vice-chair.

The future is bright for the cannabis industry and its trade association but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before our members are treated fairly under federal law. As NCIA grows, we will continue to dedicate resources to important government and public relations work as well as building a culture of responsibility and political engagement within the industry.

Members-Only Features Arrive at the NCIA Website!

We are excited to announce that the Member features of the NCIA website are now live!

In the first week of May, an email was sent to the primary contact email address that we have on file for your NCIA member business. That email – with the subject line “[National Cannabis Industry Association] Please activate your NCIA member account” – included instructions and a link to set up the user name and password for your member business. If you have not yet done so, please do. You will need your member account to access the Board of Directors voting form as well as the full stories included in this newsletter. If you did not get that email or are having trouble activating your account, please email communications@thecannabisindustry.org.

Your NCIA member account will also allow you to access more exclusive content, including the Members-Only Blog, where you can share and discuss industry issues with other NCIA members. By logging in to your member account, you will also be able to review and update your member information and add additional users from your member business.

(Please note that additional company users will have access to member content but will not be able to access the Board of Directors ballot or change information in the member account. Only the primary member account-holder has those capabilities.)

In order to make the Members-Only Blog a true forum for ideas and discussion, we are now accepting submissions for educational guest posts written by NCIA members or allied nonprofit organizations. Please review the guidelines below before submitting your post to communications@thecannabisindustry.org.

Guest posts are educational in nature and directed toward an audience of cannabis business professionals.
Guest posts are 200-800 words and may contain external links, images, video, and other forms of content.
While it is assumed that members writing guest posts will reference their member company and provide resources created by the company, the NCIA blog is not a forum for company advertisements. Pitches and advertisement-heavy posts will not be accepted for publication.
All posts are subject to editing by NCIA staff and become the property of NCIA upon publication.
Posts may be shared more widely by the author or NCIA through social media, email, or external media.

Step Right Up for the Cannabis Carnival!

NCIA and O.penVAPE are very proud to present Cannabis Carnival, an exciting fundraising event open to the public, taking place in conjunction with our Cannabis Business Summit. The Cannabis Carnival is sure to stimulate the senses with live entertainment and MANY special performances! We hope you’ll come celebrate with us and help raise money for your national industry trade association.

The Cannabis Carnival is taking place at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver on June 24th, following the first day of the Cannabis Business Summit. The bill features an incredible line-up of national and local musical acts – The Nadis Warriors, SunSquabi, Itchy-O, Erothyme, and Bear Antler. Covering the spectrum from electronica to funk to brass band to rock & roll, there’s something for everyone at the Cannabis Carnival!

General admission tickets are available to the public. NCIA is also offering special VIP passes, featuring an exclusive balcony, bar, and dance area, along with drink tickets, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and other special gifts. All proceeds from the Cannabis Carnival will support NCIA’s critical missions of advocacy and education on behalf of the responsible cannabis industry.

Get your tickets here or bundle them with your registration for the Cannabis Business Summit and we’ll see you under the big tent!

Cannabis Carnival, a fundraising spectacle for the National Cannabis Industry Association
Presented by NCIA and O.penVAPE
Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom – June 24
2637 Welton Street Denver, CO
Doors: 8PM
Show: 8:30PM – 2AM
Ages 18+

Huge thanks to our generous sponsors for making this all possible!
O.penVAPE
The Farm
Good Chemistry
Bridgewest CPA’s and Consultants LLC
The Clinic
Surna
Cannabis Trainers

Sponsorships for this lively fundraiser are still available for member-businesses looking to build brand awareness among industry professionals and cannabis consumers alike! Contact Brooke@thecannabisindustry.org for more information.