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Sunday, April 06, 2014 10:20:52 AM
2013 & 2012 - National Marijuana Business Conferences
Angel Stanz, in Denver
Marijuana Business
2013 & 2012
National Marijuana Business Conferences
Seattle Nov 7-8th for two completely packed days of business, legal, and financial advice, plus networking for cannabis professionals from all over the USA. Held every year just two days after the November elections, this Conference is always 100% dedicated to BUSINESS.
Keynotes
State of the Industry & Latest Consumer Research Find out where the medical marijuana industry currently stands and what trends will play out in the coming months. Featuring all-new market research data from our annual “What Medical Marijuana Customers Really Want” study, which contains information that will help boost revenues and get loyal customers. Presented by Chris Walsh of Medical Marijuana Business Daily. Election 2012: How National, State Results Affect Your Business How did national and state-by-state elections on Tuesday, Nov. 6, work out for the medical marijuana industry? Get the latest analysis from a DC-insider who’ll translate what the voting results mean for your bottom line. Presented by Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project.
2013 Legislation: How to Impact the Future – Your Next Steps What’s in store from a regulatory and legislative standpoint for 2013? And how can you get involved to help influence the direction of MMJ? You’ll find out how to take an active role in creating a sustainable, stable industry. Presented by Aaron Smith of the National Cannabis Industry Association.
Threading the Needle: Reaching Success Through Volatile Times
Medical marijuana businesses have been under assault on many fronts over the past two years. Find out from one of the most successful dispensary owners in the country how you can overcome these challenges to survive – and even thrive – in a difficult business environment. Presented by Steve DeAngelo, Director, Harborside Health CenterWorkshop, Case Study & Panel Sessions10+ hours of sessions created specifically for medical marijuana industry professionals include:
Best Practices & How-to Workshops — Discover how to run a more profitable dispensary or how to expand your cannabis-related product business, and how to create partnerships that work. Includes sessions on the law, financing and banking, marketing, and business operations.
Case Studies & ‘Lessons Learned’ — Presented by real-life medical marijuana business leaders. Learn from professionals in the trenches.
Q&A Panels — Your chance to get tough business, legal and financial questions answered by experts in the field. Our panelists are ready to field your questions.Tons of NetworkingYour breakfasts and lunches are served up at the show (included in your ticket) so you can spend your meals networking with your fellow attendees and our expert speakers. It’s a great chance to rub shoulders with nearly 500 of the top cannabis-related professionals from across America.Plus, be sure to tour our Expo Floor featuring booths from the top cannabis-related products and professional services. See what’s new ranging from infused products to dispensary management software!Lastly, enjoy cocktails and appetizers at the VIP Gala Supporting the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) on Thursday night. (Note: Your Gala ticket is extra and helps underwrite the NCIA’s fine work in Washington DC.)
The 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference In Denver
Attending the 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference in Denver was encouraged. The 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference November 8-9 at the Sherman Street Event Center in Denver, Colorado.
Last years speakers
Rob Kampia
Rob Kampia is co-founder and executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit organization that works to reform cannabis laws. He co-authored most of the medical marijuana laws currently on the books in 16 states and the District of Columbia, with MPP taking a leading role in passing the laws in Hawaii (2000), Montana (2004), Vermont (2004), Rhode Island (2006), Michigan (2008), Maine (2009), Arizona (2010), and Delaware (2011). Rob has been quoted in almost every newspaper in the U.S. and has appeared on national TV dozens of times, including on the “Today Show,” “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” “Anderson Cooper 360? and the special “Marijuana: A Chronic History.”
Brian Vicente
Brian Vicente is a founding member of Vicente Sederberg, LLC, a law firm providing legal solutions for the medical marijuana community. He also serves as executive director of Sensible Colorado – a non-profit focusing on medical marijuana patients and providers – is the chair of the Denver Mayor’s Marijuana Policy Review Panel and is on the Colorado Department of Revenue Medical Marijuana Oversight Panel. Brian is regularly quoted in local, state and national press and is a featured blogger for the Huffington Post.
Troy Dayton
Troy Dayton is chief executive officer of the ArcView Group, which works to connect investors with entrepreneurs in the medical marijuana space. He co-founded Students for Sensible Drug Policy – an organization that is now active on over 200 college campuses – and helped start both Renewable Choice Energy and the Interfaith Drug Policy. From 2007-2010, he was the top fundraiser for the Marijuana Policy Project and served as the organization’s lead liaison to the legal cannabis industry. CNN profiled Troy as part of a special on the science of happiness, in which he discussed how his responsible drug use supports his ongoing mental well-being. Most recently, Troy became a founding board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association.
Jim Marty
Jim Marty has worked in the accounting and auditing profession for three decades. He now runs his own firm, Jim Marty and Associates LLC, which works with numerous dispensaries and medical marijuana businesses on tax issues. Jim earned his master’s of science in taxation at the University of Colorado and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Amy Poinsett
Amy Poinsett is co-founder and chief executive officer of MJ Freeway Software Solutions, which provides point of sale, inventory, sales and patient validation products. She has trained and led technology development teams in software, application design and research analysis across various business sectors within financial services, luxury tourism and medical technology.
Henry Wykowski
Henry Wykowski is a San Francisco-based attorney widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading authorities on tax issues affecting medical marijuana businesses. He has represented numerous dispensaries on tax and litigation matters and is currently involved in several dozen tax audits of dispensaries. Wykowski serves on the board of directors of the National Cannabis Industry Association and is a founding member of both the NCIA Accounting and Tax Issues Committee and the 280E Reform Committee.
Steve DeAngelo
Steve DeAngelo is executive director of Oakland-based Harborside Health Center, the largest medical marijuana dispensary in the country. A cannabis leader, visionary and well-known industry advocate, Steve has created a model business for the medical marijuana industry. Harborside has been extensively covered in national and international news media and was the subject of the Discovery Channel mini-series “Weed Wars.”
Genifer Murray
Genifer Murray is founder and president of CannLabs, a company that is fully licensed by the State of Colorado to perform third-party testing of medical grade cannabis products. Genifer has helped bring testing education and advocacy to Colorado and the medical marijuana industry overall. She also currently sits on the board of the Women’s CannaBusiness Network. Prior to her time in the MMJ industry, Genifer held sales and marketing position at telecommunications, fitness and real estate companies. She graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology.
Tripp Keber
Tripp Keber wears many hats, serving as president and CEO of Red Dice Holdings, president of Medical Marijuana Inc.’s manufacturing division, and managing director of Dixie Elixirs & Edibles, an infused-products company he founded. He also serves as an advisory board member for the Colorado Medical Marijuana Industry Group and is a founding member of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Prior to his time in the MMJ industry, Tripp held number executive positions in real estate and telecommunications.
Kris Krane
Kris Krane is a principal and managing partner at 4Front Advisors, a medical cannabis dispensary consulting firm in Arizona. Prior to forming 4Front, Kris served as director of client services for CannBe, where he helped develop many of the best practices that have become the backbone of 4Front Advisors’ operations. Kris served as associate director of NORML from 2000-2005 and executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy from 2006-2009.
Hilary Bricken
Hilary Bricken is a medical marijuana attorney with Canna Law Group, which represents MMJ businesses in Washington State. She focuses on helping dispensaries navigate local medical cannabis laws and advises clients on everything from corporate structures and intellectual property protection to licensing, branding and identity protection. Hilary also has been involved with 280e tax reform and participates in community education panels.
Steele Smith
Steele Smith is founder of C3 Patients Association, which makes and distributes a cannabinoid pill called Idrasil. He also founded the first dispensary in Orange County, Calif. as well as ASA National, and he is currently the director of the Greater Orange County Collectives Alliance.
Shawn Coleman
Shawn Coleman is currently the executive director of the Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA), a non-profit trade organization for medical cannabis professionals and ancillary businesses. CBA focuses on best practices, business development and state and local policy. Shawn previously served as the industry liaison for Colorado Springs State Bank and began his work in marijuana policy while serving as a legislative Assistant for U.S. Rep Jared Polis.
Ryan Hurley
Ryan Hurley is a partner at Arizona-based Rose Law Group and heads up the firm’s Medical Marijuana Practice Group. He assists clients with all aspects of Arizona’s MMJ law, with a primary focus on the business side of the equation and helping clients apply for and secure dispensary licenses. He is a frequent presenter at MMJ seminars and conferences and has been interviewed numerous times on TV and radio stations.
Robert J. Corry, Jr.
Robert J. Corry, Jr. is a Denver-based attorney specializing in medical marijuana cases. He currently represents more than 100 dispensaries and growers in Colorado and has been involved in several high-profile cases across the United States.
Steve Fox
Steve Fox is co-founder and chief lobbyist for the National Cannabis Industry Association as well as the director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project. A long-time national leader in the marijuana policy field, he was the driving force behind the first-ever pro-medical marijuana bill in the U.S. Senate and the first-ever roll call vote on the floor of the U.S. House on pro-medical marijuana legislation. Steve also is co-founder, former executive director and current board member for SAFER.
Betty Aldworth
Betty Aldworth founded Evolution Consulting, which provides public, community and media relations services to the medical marijuana industry. She also leads the Women’s Marijuana Movement, volunteers at numerous organizations – including Sensible Colorado and the Women’s CannaBusiness -Network – and is advocacy director for The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Kayvan Khalatbari
Kayvan Khalatbari is co-founder and operations manager of Denver Relief, a medical marijuana dispensary in Denver that is actively involved in the community. He’s also volunteered for Sensible Colorado and SAFER – two marijuana advocacy organizations – and owns Sexy Pizza. Prior to his time in the medical marijuana industry, he worked as an electrical systems designer.
Jason Klein
Jason Klein is principal of the Law Office of Jason Klein, PLLC, which works with medical marijuana businesses in the Washington DC area. Jason works exclusively with businesses, patients and doctors to help them understand and comply with the new laws and regulations of the DC medical marijuana program. He organized the First Annual Washington DC Medical Marijuana Symposium in February 2012.
Christian Sederberg
Christian Sederberg is a founding member of Vicente Sederberg, LLC. In addition to providing general guidance to medical marijuana businesses, ancillary businesses and caregivers about local and state medical marijuana ordinances, regulations and laws, Sederberg has offered a wide range of transactional and regulatory assistance to the medical marijuana community.
Len Goodman
Len Goodman is executive director and chairman of New MexiCann Natural Medicine, which grows and distributes medical marijuana to registered patients in New Mexico. He was also a founding director of the National Cannabis Industry Association and serves on the New Mexico DPA Advisory Board and the AHPA Cultivation and Distribution Committees. Additionally, Len works with the 280e Reform group and is the founder of the NM Medical Cannabis Producers Guild.
Aaron Smith
Aaron Smith is the executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), which represents the cannabis industry on the national stage. Prior to launching NCIA, Aaron distinguished himself as a public advocate for marijuana policy reform — first under the auspices of a California-based medical cannabis advocacy group, Safe Access Now, and more recently as the California state policy director for the Marijuana Policy Project.
Lance Ott
Lance Ott is chief executive officer of Guardian Data Systems, which was created specifically to provide secure, reliable and transparent merchant services to the medical cannabis industry. Lance has helped form a network infrastructure of MMJ-friendly banks, institutions, processors and software/hardware developers to provide the industry with commerce solutions.
Doug Banfelder
Doug Banfelder is a commercial insurance specialist with Premier Southwest Insurance Group in Scottsdale, Arizona. In his current capacity, Doug provides insurance coverages to all aspects of the medical marijuana industry, from dispensaries and grow operations to ancillary businesses. He’s also a founder of the Arizona Wellness Chamber of Commerce and a proponent of the need for community and political advocacy in MMJ.
Greta Carter
Greta Carter is founder and executive director of the Coalition for Cannabis Standards and Ethics in Washington State, co-owner of The CARE Wellness Center, and director and chair of the 280E Tax Reform Committee. She played a lead role in creating Seattle’s first medical marijuana ordinance that paved the way for dispensaries. Greta previously operated a cannabis dispensary in Spokane until a raid forced its closure.
Chris Lindsey
Chris Lindsey is a medical marijuana attorney in Montana and serves as president of the Montana Cannabis Industry Association. He is also on the boards of the Montana Medical Grower’s Association and Patients and Families United. Chris has testified at the state legislature on numerous bills and amendments to medical marijuana regulations. Most recently, he was indicted by the federal government for his involvement in a Montana medical marijuana business, giving him first-hand knowledge of the risks involved in MMJ.
Ralph Morgan
Ralph Morgan is the founder of several medical marijuana companies, including the dispensary Evergreen Apothecary and Organa Labs, an infused products manufacturer based in Denver. Prior to the MMJ industry, Ralph was a medical marketing and sales executive who worked with companies such as Smith & Nephew, Stryker Orthopedics and Paragon Medical.
Richard Evans
Richard Evans is a lawyer in western Massachusetts, where he has represented a wide variety of businesses in transactional, regulatory and other matters. He is a long-time marijuana reform advocate and activist, a former member of the NORML board and the author of early marijuana regulation and taxation bills. Richard is poised to represent medical marijuana dispensary applicants and licensees if Massachusetts voters legalize MMJ in November.
Angel Stanz
Angel Stanz is the founder of BG Medical Technologies, an umbrella company for several ancillary MMJ businesses including the medical marijuana research lab and web portal BudGenius. He has more than two decades of experience in the startup dot-com world – including a stint as senior research and development engineer for CAIS Software Solutions. In the MMJ world, Stanz has focused on developing standards for patient safety and providing Internet marketing support.
Khurshid Khoja
Khurshid Khoja is principal and founder of Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, which provides a wide range of legal and corporate counseling services to the MMJ industry. He also currently serves as the outside general counsel to The Emerald Growers Association and the ArcView Group. Prior to founding Greenbridge, Khoja practiced corporate and transactional law, focusing on everything from corporate governance to mergers and acquisitions. He was named to the Northern California SuperLawyers Rising Stars list in 2010 and 2011.
James Slatic
James Slatic is CEO of PotBottles.com, which specializes in medical marijuana containers, bags, labels and related products. He’s also chief executive of MedWest Distribution, a company that provides CO2 extracted products. James has started 13 companies in the past 30 years, two of which have been sold to public firms. He also worked as an investment banker for several years.
Charles T. Houghton
Charles T. Houghton is the founder and owner of Charles T. Houghton, P.C., a law firm dedicated to providing business, compliance, licensing and regulatory advice to the medical marijuana industry. Charles sat on the Colorado Springs Medical Marijuana Task Force, which assisted the city in developing a regulatory framework. He represents a number of medical marijuana centers and infused products manufacturers throughout Colorado. Charles also is a frequent speaker and lecturer on the business and regulatory aspects of the medical marijuana industry.
Eapen Thampy
Eapen Thampy hails from Columbia, Missouri, where he founded Americans for Forfeiture Reform in 2010. The nonprofit organization works to educate the public, the media and policy makers about the failure of current asset forfeiture policies. Previously, Eapen studied economics and mathematics at the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked in the wine industry.
Micah Johnson
Micah Johnson is president and co-founder of Cannapages.com, Colorado’s original medical marijuana directory and tech agency. Micah is editor-in-chief of online content and oversees the group’s community involvement, through industry magazines, business groups, websites, outreach and partnerships. After years in dispensary management, his team now offers consultation in product quality, store presentation, niche branding and new media marketing.
Andrew Shotland
Andrew Shotland writes the Local SEO Guide blog and is a highly regarded local search consultant offering full-service SEO, search engine advertising, website strategy and local search consulting with a specialty in yellow pages and local directories. He has provided his services to numerous media outlets, ecommerce companies, franchises and start-ups including Bing.com, Amazon, DexKnows.com, Yellowbook.com and The Los Angeles Times. Andrew has over 15 years of experience in the Internet and is a frequent speaker on SEO, local search and web strategy.
Amanda Reiman
Amanda Reiman is currently the policy manager of California for the Drug Policy Alliance and a lecturer in the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned both a master’s in social work and a PhD, writing her dissertation on serving medical cannabis patients through dispensaries. Amanda served as the chairwoman of the first Medical Cannabis Commission for the City of Berkeley and has consulted with other cities and states on MMJ policy and dispensing.
KC Stark
KC Stark is a medical marijuana entrepreneur and MMJ advocate in Colorado Springs who works to bring local governments, dispensaries and patients together in a free market. He has worked with hundreds of marijuana centers and thousands of patients to insure safe, affordable and legal access to MMJ. KC served on the Mayor’s Medical Marijuana Task Force and is founder of Go Green Cross, the MMJ Exchange, the MMJ Business Academy, MMJ Centers for Sale and the MMJIQ. His knowledge and network has helped to insure a financially viable and patient focused industry. KC has been featured on Colorado news channels and radio stations.
Sytze Elzinga
Sytze Elzinga is director of quality control and assurance at The Werc Shop, an analytical laboratory focused on the quality control of medical marijuana. Previously, he served as manager of edible production at Herbal Solutions, laboratory manager at Echo Pharmaceuticals and a laboratory technician at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Sytze holds a master of science in natural products and a bachelor’s in biochemistry, both from Leiden University.
Derek Lebahn
Derek Lebahn is district manager of the Colorado region for Cannaline, one of the top packaging companies in the medical marijuana industry. In his current capacity, Derek works with top dispensaries in the Denver area, helping them grow their businesses, network and find the ancillary products their patients seek. He has more than 10 years worth of experience as a manufacturer’s representative.
Erik Williams
Erik Williams the Executive Director of Connecticut NORML and owner of of CampaignsWon.com, a Democratic political consulting firm that works on races from the local level all the way up to the presidential elections. A veteran political operative and public and community relations professional, Erik led the fight to pass Connecticut’s medical marijuana law.
Chris Walsh
Chris Walsh is editor of Medical Marijuana Business Daily, an online publication covering legal, financial and industry news of interest to dispensaries, investors and cannabis professionals. In his current capacity, he also writes e-books and how-to guides for the industry on everything from finding funding to starting a customer loyalty program. Previously he covered business and technology for the Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado Springs Gazette and served as business editor at the JoongAng Daily in South Korea.
Content SOURCE :
The Weed Blog.com &
http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/conference/agenda/
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In Denver November 2012:
The 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference Was The Best Place To Learn How To Invest And Profit In The Booming Marijuana Industry
The second day of the 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference in Denver, Colorado was even better than the first, if that is even possible (To read my Day 1 recap, click this link). The morning started off with back-to-back keynote speakers. The first was Aaron Smith, Executive Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Mr. Smith’s presentation was title, ’2013 Legislation: How to Impact the Future – Your Next Steps.’ Aaron started his speech with summaries of the historic 2012 Election results, to which the crowd reacted in applause several times. I had to pinch myself to remind myself I was indeed awake and living in a country where marijuana prohibition has ended in two states.
Something that I found very interesting from Aaron Smith’s speech was that Denver tax revenues from the medical marijuana industry were enough to cover 98% of the municipal parks system, which is the largest in the United States. Imagine if each city took the same approach as Denver. How much money would be generated to help shrinking government budgets at the local level? That’s something I think every politician and agency head could get on board with! A theme that Aaron Smith hammered home to the people in attendance was the need to unite and keep fighting for reform. “One business is one business.” Aaron Smith said. “Working together, we have a high potential to change the game forever.”
The next keynote speaker was Steve DeAngelo, Executive Director of Harborside Health Center. If you don’t know who Steve DeAngelo is then chances are….seriously, does anyone not know who Steve DeAngelo is by now?! Everyone in the crowd certainly did, because the roof almost blew off the place when he was announced. Steve’s presentation was titled, ‘Threading the Needle: Reaching Success Through Volatile Times.’ If anyone knows what to say on that subject, it would absolutely be Mr. DeAngelo, who’s ongoing battle with the federal government has been highly publicized all over the media.
After giving some words of encouragement and talking about the new momentum for cannabis after the historic election, Steve DeAngelo began to discuss the fact that states with medical marijuana experience are going to be more likely to look at legalization positively. Steve told the crowd to “use this as a path to expanding the market.” Something that Mr. DeAngelo said that I really liked was, “The best way to survive business volatility is to know if you’re up for risks. Connect to the movement; not just the industry.” That’s something that I think a lot of business minded people in the movement don’t always understand – marijuana business and marijuana activism go hand in hand.
steve deangelo hhc national marijuana business conference 2012
Steve DeAngelo, Director of Harborside Health Center, presents at the 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference.
Steve DeAngelo offered up three tips to survive the often turbulent waters of the marijuana industry. The first was to develop end user products with multiple sales channels. That way if your dispensary gets shut down, you have a Plan B in place. The second tip is to focus on your public image. Community image is key – engage your local community. Help the community understand that this is about wellness, not intoxication. Steve’s third point builds off of the second point – A focus on wellness is not just smart politically, it’s also good for business. Steve DeAngelo stated that, “the wellness market is much larger than the intoxication market.”
After a brief break, a panel titled ‘When the Feds Come Knocking: Handling Raids, Civil Forfeitures And Other Attacks’ began, hosted by panelists Eapen Thampy (Americans for Forfeiture Reform), Robert J. Corry Jr. (Corry & Associates), and Henry Wykowski (Henry G. Wykowski & Associates). Asset forfeiture reform is something that I don’t think gets nearly enough attention from the movement. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about from a law enforcement standpoint. Marijuana businesses make a lot of money, and if the cops bust them, they get a huge, huge chunk of what they take. Eapen Thampy pointed out that ‘forfeiture has become a preferred method of federal prosecution for medical marijuana businesses.’
Rob Corry has been a hero of mine for a couple of years now, and I was disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to talk to him at the convention. Hopefully he is back next year! Mr. Corry pointed out that the forfeiture reform panel discussed and felt that the second Obama administration will not take action against Amendment 64. There has been some huffing and puffing in the media about it, but at the end of the day, I really hope the Obama Administration respects the democratic process in both Colorado and Washington State.
Rob went on to encourage the crowd to ‘push for state directives banning local law enforcement from cooperating with the DEA on marijuana raids, like ‘safe harbor’ policies for immigration. That is such a good idea, that I am going to start pushing for something like that in Oregon as soon as I can, even before we pass legalization. I saw Henry Wykowski speak on another panel during day 1 of the conference, so I was excited to see him talk again. He offered up this advice to help with the possible nightmare that is a raid on your marijuana business – keep your cool, train employees to not say ANYTHING, keep encrypted files backed up offsite, ask who’s in charge, to see a warrant, ask what agencies are involved, ask to video the raid, and to ALWAYS call your lawyer.
The next presentation was by Brian Vicente (Vicente Sederberg, LLC) and KC Stark (MMJ Business Academy), titled, ‘State Marijuana Legalization: How Could it Affect Your Business.’ This presentation was something I was really looking forward to, considering the fact that Brian Vicente was a Co-Director for the Amendment 64 campaign. He spoke from the political and industry side of things, which I’m not sure too many other people on the planet can say right now.
Brian knows the Amendment 64 law inside and out considering he co-wrote it, and he pointed out some things that are important to keep in mind. 1) Businesses in Colorado are relying on the Governor and legislature to implement Amendment 64 in an orderly fashion, but there are no exact timetables at the moment. 2) All medical marijuana laws in Colorado remain in full force and effect. Dispensaries cannot just sell to anyone. 3) The excise tax in the Colorado law will not apply to registered patients, only to the general public. 4) In Colorado, communities can decide to allow retail marijuana shops, much like wet/dry do with alcohol. 5) Home cultivation is allowed. Brian Vicente said something about point number five that I thought was clever – “People can grow at home, like people can brew beer. But how many people actually brew beer vs buying a 6-pk?”
After the lunch break, there were a total of 8 panels that I skipped back and forth between. There were as follows:
Tripp Keber dixie elixir Angel Stanz, BG Medical Technologies
Angel Stanz and Tripp Keber presenting at the 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference:
Whether it’s concentrates, flower, medibles, and beyond, the world of marijuana consumption is expanding rapidly. Long gone are the days when you had to choose between using an apple or a rolling paper. If there was one thing that I took from this presentation, it was that non-intoxicating cannabis wellness products will be huge mainstream offerings. As science continues to unlock the healing powers of cannabis, more and more products will be sold to people that don’t want to necessarily get high – they just want relief. Although I’m not one of those people myself, I know a lot of people that would consume cannabis products if it didn’t impair them.
East Coast Opportunities: How to Capitalize in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic – Richard Evans (EvensCutler Attorneys), Jason Klein (Law Office of Jason Klein, PLLC), and Erik Williams (Executive Director, Connecticut NORML)
The East Coast is a starkly different business landscape than it is out West. Medical marijuana programs are more restrictive, and with that, the number of business opportunities. Erik Williams pointed out that Connecticut will have a minimum of 3 growers and max of 10 growers for the whole state. His guess is 6, but even if it was 10, that doesn’t leave much room for many people to get in from a business standpoint. He recommended looking at a multi-state model if someone is considering investing in the Northeast. Erik Williams went on to say that if Massachusetts issues rules on MMJ by May (unlikely), then licenses will be issued by summer and dispensaries will open by the end of the year. Dick Evans highlighted the fact that right to farm laws will impact the ability of Massachusetts’ local officials to zone and regulate medical marijuana garden areas of 2 acre minimum plots.
Earlier in the day I had the wonderful opportunity of talking with Jason Klein and the situation in DC. We both pointed out the contradiction of the federal government raiding medical marijuana across the Western United States, even though medical marijuana will be sold very soon down the street from Congress and the White House. Mr. Klein pointed out in his section of the presentation that D.C.’s law will allow for up to 570 plants total in all the district, which is ‘minuscule compared to the population size.’ As Jason Klein told me before the presentation, and to the crowd during the presentation, ‘expanding the limited qualifying conditions list is the important near-term goal for DC’s medical marijuana program.’
MMJ Marketing and Advertising Strategies That Work – Micah Johnson (Cannapages.com), Andrew Shotland (Local SEO Guide Blog), and Derek Lebhan (Cannaline)
If there is any area that peaks my interest the most in the marijuana industry, it’s marijuana advertising. It’s such an inegma to me, as there doesn’t seem to be any ‘go to’ source on the subject. Almost all of the literature out there is based around marketing a dispensary, which was adequate when medical marijuana represented an overwhelming majority of the profitable cannabis industry. But all of that was turned on it’s head when Washington State and Colorado passed their legalization initiatives.
I think a speaker from another panel, Tripp Keber of Dixie Elixers, put it best when he stated “On Nov 6 there were 105,000 registered medical patients in Colorado. From Nov 7 we’re talking about an addressable market of one million plus customers. This is explosive, hockey stick growth, a watershed moment.” By Mr. Keber’s estimation, which I find to be pretty accurate, medical marijuana will only represent 10% of the overall market, at best. The marketing and advertising strategies for the cannabis industry need to reflect that fact.
Long gone are the days when inventors and entrepreneurs needed to focus all of their marketing energies on getting their product or service into as many dispensary locations as possible. Now they have to re-focus their marketing strategies towards brand marketing, the same as any other product or service in any other industry. Think about it – if ‘X’ soda company simply put their products on the shelves in as many stores as possible, yet did no marketing to make their product familiar with customers BEFORE they walked into the place they are going to buy products, how much product would they sell?
Humans want to purchase things they are familiar with; the marijuana industry is no different. Unlike a dispensary, where the budtenders have a relationship with their limited customer base and can tell them about new products as they see fit, the purchasing experience is going to change rapidly. Customers from outside of legalized states will be coming to Washington and Colorado to buy products that they have seen online or in some other way in their area. Businesses need to calculate for this.
Have a vaporizer or sometime of electronic pen that people can use to smoke concentrates out of? If so, you need to think about how a customer is supposed to choose your product out of the dozens if not hundreds of other products virtually exactly the same as yours. Will ‘having it on the shelf’ be enough? What if you have a cannabis infused product such as a beverage or edible? Are you going to do the marketing work it takes to become a name brand like Pepsi or Oreos or are you going to be one of those generic lame brands that people only buy if it’s on sale? If you can’t tell, I have a lot to say about this issue, so plan on several articles on this subject in the near future :)
Raising Arizona: How to Ramp up in the New Marketplace – Kris Krane (4Front Advisors) and Ryan Hurley (Rose Law Group)
It was very interesting to hear about the rollout of medical marijuana safe access points in Arizona from people working on the ground. Something that I have been pointing out to people that e-mail me from Arizona, and panelist Kris Krane touched on, is that there wasn’t a proper vetting process of eventual dispensary owners in Arizona. Anyone could enter the lottery, and since the winners were picked at random as opposed to a skill based selection process, there will no doubt be some dispensaries that are better than others. According to Ryan Hurley, “permits have been issued, 9 months are left for operators to build and open doors in Arizona.”
It was also interesting to hear about how people are jumping the gun on the dispensary rollout and are opening safe access points anyways. It reminds me of Oregon, where people are using layaway hydroponic equipment programs, opening private clubs, and my personal pet peeve, taking ‘donations.’ People that do things like that make it harder for people that are actually following the process, and often times, patients get caught in the crossfire as Kris Krane once explained to me.
Customer Retention: Grow Your Business by Tracking Data And Encouraging Loyalty – Amy Poinsett (MJ Freeway And Software Solutions)
Customer retention is extremely important for a dispensary to survive, and it will no doubt be even more important to non-medical marijuana outlets, as customers can bounce around more freely. I have heard so many horror stories about people going to dispensaries to get their much needed medicine, just to get subpar meds and/or get treated like a number instead of a customer. Amy Poinsett recommended using ‘customer’ instead of ‘patient’, and that dispensary staff should say hello and goodbye to customers in order to build relationships with the customer base. She also recommended something that I think everyone can agree with – customers like it when they get free gifts, and that gesture can go a long, long way!
California: How to Survive Amid Uncertainty – Amanda Reiman (Drug Policy Alliance), and James Slatic (MedWest)
If there was one thing that I took from this particular panel it is the different scenarios the Bay Area is experiencing compared to Southern California in regards to the ongoing battles with the feds. Amanda Reiman pointed out that the Bay Area proactively worked with the cities (S.F., Oakland, Berkley) to help set policies in place. Well run dispensaries in Southern California did not, and ‘chaos ensued,’ as Amanda stated. Reiman to dispensary owners: “It’s your responsibility to educate the community, not the patients or media’s responsibility” Amanda told the crowd.
Top 8 Mistakes Dispensaries Make and How to Avoid Them – Len Goodman (New MexiCann Natural Medicine), Kayvan Khalatbari (Denver Relief), and Betty Aldworth (Evolution Consulting)
In this panel Betty Aldworth talked about the need to ‘reframe perceptions about users from negative to normal.’ The number one mistake that dispensaries make – sexist advertising. When Betty Aldworth said “cannabis ads should respect women instead of objectifying them” the crowd cheered for a reason. No other area of wellness and medicine does that to women, and there is simply no place for it.
Capitalizing in Colorado: An Overview of New Opportunities – Robert J. Corry Jr. (Corry & Associates) and Christian Sederberg (Vicente Sederberg, LLC)
I found it fitting that this panel was one of the last to end the day. It was kind of a ‘main event’ of sorts. In case you didn’t hear – NEWS FLASH: COLORADO LEGALIZES MARIJUANA, THE LARGEST GREEN RUSH OF ALL TIME HAS BEGUN. This panel was extremely popular for obvious reasons. If you sell grow equipment, fertilizer, paraphernalia, want to open a cannabis club, some other area of cannatourism, you own a media company, clothing company, or some other company that relates to marijuana, etc. etc. Colorado is obviously the place you need to seriously consider moving to. Or at the least, get your product or idea to. Anything to get your thumb in the pie because the pie is enormous, and growing everyday.
Something that Rob Corry pointed out is the need to develop mechanisms to stop cannabis from crossing state lines. Christian Sederberg pointed out that industrial hemp is the ‘tiger in the room.’ Both panelists agreed that if a person is a medical marijuana patient in Colorado, they can grow their medical marijuana plants in addition to their ‘recreational’ marijuana plants. That’s 12 plants total, which sounds outstanding to this Oregonian…I thought we had it good, but the desire to move to Colorado is growing inside me by the hour…Amendment 64 re-opens the door in Colorado to wholesalers and retailers without the 70% grow rule. Last time there was no 70% rule people were bringing cannabis to the market as fast as they could, I can only imagine what will happen this time around!
Summary Of Johnny Green’s Visit To The 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference
This is BY FAR the greatest event I have ever attended, and I have been lucky enough to attend some great marijuana events. I have had a few days to reflect on the event while I was preparing this article, and I can’t help but think of the next conference already. I have never, ever heard or seen such a collection of marijuana minds from around the country. There were 42 speakers at the event, all of which bring more knowledge to the table than a person could ever imagine. I have been to events where there are 5 of these people at best. To be in the same building as all of them at one time, and to be able to pick their brains about what their experience has taught them, and see how their expertise in their specialized area has contributed to the industry is an honor to say the least.
I have been getting e-mails from people asking about how to get in on the ‘green rush’ and I think the best way is to follow the speakers from the event, and especially MMJ Business Daily, who made the event happen. Follow both their website and their Twitter feed. I would also follow their publisher Cassandra Farrington as well. They have the inside track on a constantly, rapidly evolving industry. Following them versus following someone else could be the difference between getting rich during the largest financial opportunity in our lifetime, or telling future generations in your family about how you missed out on the ‘green rush.’ I cannot wait until the next conference. I have dozens and dozens of article ideas that were inspired at this event, so look for those soon! Below is a video of mainstream media coverage of the event."
http://www.theweedblog.com/2012-national-marijuana-business-conference-day-2-recap/
Angel Stanz, in Denver
Marijuana Business
2013 & 2012
National Marijuana Business Conferences
Seattle Nov 7-8th for two completely packed days of business, legal, and financial advice, plus networking for cannabis professionals from all over the USA. Held every year just two days after the November elections, this Conference is always 100% dedicated to BUSINESS.
Keynotes
State of the Industry & Latest Consumer Research Find out where the medical marijuana industry currently stands and what trends will play out in the coming months. Featuring all-new market research data from our annual “What Medical Marijuana Customers Really Want” study, which contains information that will help boost revenues and get loyal customers. Presented by Chris Walsh of Medical Marijuana Business Daily. Election 2012: How National, State Results Affect Your Business How did national and state-by-state elections on Tuesday, Nov. 6, work out for the medical marijuana industry? Get the latest analysis from a DC-insider who’ll translate what the voting results mean for your bottom line. Presented by Rob Kampia of the Marijuana Policy Project.
2013 Legislation: How to Impact the Future – Your Next Steps What’s in store from a regulatory and legislative standpoint for 2013? And how can you get involved to help influence the direction of MMJ? You’ll find out how to take an active role in creating a sustainable, stable industry. Presented by Aaron Smith of the National Cannabis Industry Association.
Threading the Needle: Reaching Success Through Volatile Times
Medical marijuana businesses have been under assault on many fronts over the past two years. Find out from one of the most successful dispensary owners in the country how you can overcome these challenges to survive – and even thrive – in a difficult business environment. Presented by Steve DeAngelo, Director, Harborside Health CenterWorkshop, Case Study & Panel Sessions10+ hours of sessions created specifically for medical marijuana industry professionals include:
Best Practices & How-to Workshops — Discover how to run a more profitable dispensary or how to expand your cannabis-related product business, and how to create partnerships that work. Includes sessions on the law, financing and banking, marketing, and business operations.
Case Studies & ‘Lessons Learned’ — Presented by real-life medical marijuana business leaders. Learn from professionals in the trenches.
Q&A Panels — Your chance to get tough business, legal and financial questions answered by experts in the field. Our panelists are ready to field your questions.Tons of NetworkingYour breakfasts and lunches are served up at the show (included in your ticket) so you can spend your meals networking with your fellow attendees and our expert speakers. It’s a great chance to rub shoulders with nearly 500 of the top cannabis-related professionals from across America.Plus, be sure to tour our Expo Floor featuring booths from the top cannabis-related products and professional services. See what’s new ranging from infused products to dispensary management software!Lastly, enjoy cocktails and appetizers at the VIP Gala Supporting the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) on Thursday night. (Note: Your Gala ticket is extra and helps underwrite the NCIA’s fine work in Washington DC.)
The 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference In Denver
Attending the 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference in Denver was encouraged. The 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference November 8-9 at the Sherman Street Event Center in Denver, Colorado.
Last years speakers
Rob Kampia
Rob Kampia is co-founder and executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a nonprofit organization that works to reform cannabis laws. He co-authored most of the medical marijuana laws currently on the books in 16 states and the District of Columbia, with MPP taking a leading role in passing the laws in Hawaii (2000), Montana (2004), Vermont (2004), Rhode Island (2006), Michigan (2008), Maine (2009), Arizona (2010), and Delaware (2011). Rob has been quoted in almost every newspaper in the U.S. and has appeared on national TV dozens of times, including on the “Today Show,” “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” “Anderson Cooper 360? and the special “Marijuana: A Chronic History.”
Brian Vicente
Brian Vicente is a founding member of Vicente Sederberg, LLC, a law firm providing legal solutions for the medical marijuana community. He also serves as executive director of Sensible Colorado – a non-profit focusing on medical marijuana patients and providers – is the chair of the Denver Mayor’s Marijuana Policy Review Panel and is on the Colorado Department of Revenue Medical Marijuana Oversight Panel. Brian is regularly quoted in local, state and national press and is a featured blogger for the Huffington Post.
Troy Dayton
Troy Dayton is chief executive officer of the ArcView Group, which works to connect investors with entrepreneurs in the medical marijuana space. He co-founded Students for Sensible Drug Policy – an organization that is now active on over 200 college campuses – and helped start both Renewable Choice Energy and the Interfaith Drug Policy. From 2007-2010, he was the top fundraiser for the Marijuana Policy Project and served as the organization’s lead liaison to the legal cannabis industry. CNN profiled Troy as part of a special on the science of happiness, in which he discussed how his responsible drug use supports his ongoing mental well-being. Most recently, Troy became a founding board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association.
Jim Marty
Jim Marty has worked in the accounting and auditing profession for three decades. He now runs his own firm, Jim Marty and Associates LLC, which works with numerous dispensaries and medical marijuana businesses on tax issues. Jim earned his master’s of science in taxation at the University of Colorado and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Amy Poinsett
Amy Poinsett is co-founder and chief executive officer of MJ Freeway Software Solutions, which provides point of sale, inventory, sales and patient validation products. She has trained and led technology development teams in software, application design and research analysis across various business sectors within financial services, luxury tourism and medical technology.
Henry Wykowski
Henry Wykowski is a San Francisco-based attorney widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading authorities on tax issues affecting medical marijuana businesses. He has represented numerous dispensaries on tax and litigation matters and is currently involved in several dozen tax audits of dispensaries. Wykowski serves on the board of directors of the National Cannabis Industry Association and is a founding member of both the NCIA Accounting and Tax Issues Committee and the 280E Reform Committee.
Steve DeAngelo
Steve DeAngelo is executive director of Oakland-based Harborside Health Center, the largest medical marijuana dispensary in the country. A cannabis leader, visionary and well-known industry advocate, Steve has created a model business for the medical marijuana industry. Harborside has been extensively covered in national and international news media and was the subject of the Discovery Channel mini-series “Weed Wars.”
Genifer Murray
Genifer Murray is founder and president of CannLabs, a company that is fully licensed by the State of Colorado to perform third-party testing of medical grade cannabis products. Genifer has helped bring testing education and advocacy to Colorado and the medical marijuana industry overall. She also currently sits on the board of the Women’s CannaBusiness Network. Prior to her time in the MMJ industry, Genifer held sales and marketing position at telecommunications, fitness and real estate companies. She graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelor’s degree in microbiology.
Tripp Keber
Tripp Keber wears many hats, serving as president and CEO of Red Dice Holdings, president of Medical Marijuana Inc.’s manufacturing division, and managing director of Dixie Elixirs & Edibles, an infused-products company he founded. He also serves as an advisory board member for the Colorado Medical Marijuana Industry Group and is a founding member of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Prior to his time in the MMJ industry, Tripp held number executive positions in real estate and telecommunications.
Kris Krane
Kris Krane is a principal and managing partner at 4Front Advisors, a medical cannabis dispensary consulting firm in Arizona. Prior to forming 4Front, Kris served as director of client services for CannBe, where he helped develop many of the best practices that have become the backbone of 4Front Advisors’ operations. Kris served as associate director of NORML from 2000-2005 and executive director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy from 2006-2009.
Hilary Bricken
Hilary Bricken is a medical marijuana attorney with Canna Law Group, which represents MMJ businesses in Washington State. She focuses on helping dispensaries navigate local medical cannabis laws and advises clients on everything from corporate structures and intellectual property protection to licensing, branding and identity protection. Hilary also has been involved with 280e tax reform and participates in community education panels.
Steele Smith
Steele Smith is founder of C3 Patients Association, which makes and distributes a cannabinoid pill called Idrasil. He also founded the first dispensary in Orange County, Calif. as well as ASA National, and he is currently the director of the Greater Orange County Collectives Alliance.
Shawn Coleman
Shawn Coleman is currently the executive director of the Cannabis Business Alliance (CBA), a non-profit trade organization for medical cannabis professionals and ancillary businesses. CBA focuses on best practices, business development and state and local policy. Shawn previously served as the industry liaison for Colorado Springs State Bank and began his work in marijuana policy while serving as a legislative Assistant for U.S. Rep Jared Polis.
Ryan Hurley
Ryan Hurley is a partner at Arizona-based Rose Law Group and heads up the firm’s Medical Marijuana Practice Group. He assists clients with all aspects of Arizona’s MMJ law, with a primary focus on the business side of the equation and helping clients apply for and secure dispensary licenses. He is a frequent presenter at MMJ seminars and conferences and has been interviewed numerous times on TV and radio stations.
Robert J. Corry, Jr.
Robert J. Corry, Jr. is a Denver-based attorney specializing in medical marijuana cases. He currently represents more than 100 dispensaries and growers in Colorado and has been involved in several high-profile cases across the United States.
Steve Fox
Steve Fox is co-founder and chief lobbyist for the National Cannabis Industry Association as well as the director of government relations for the Marijuana Policy Project. A long-time national leader in the marijuana policy field, he was the driving force behind the first-ever pro-medical marijuana bill in the U.S. Senate and the first-ever roll call vote on the floor of the U.S. House on pro-medical marijuana legislation. Steve also is co-founder, former executive director and current board member for SAFER.
Betty Aldworth
Betty Aldworth founded Evolution Consulting, which provides public, community and media relations services to the medical marijuana industry. She also leads the Women’s Marijuana Movement, volunteers at numerous organizations – including Sensible Colorado and the Women’s CannaBusiness -Network – and is advocacy director for The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Kayvan Khalatbari
Kayvan Khalatbari is co-founder and operations manager of Denver Relief, a medical marijuana dispensary in Denver that is actively involved in the community. He’s also volunteered for Sensible Colorado and SAFER – two marijuana advocacy organizations – and owns Sexy Pizza. Prior to his time in the medical marijuana industry, he worked as an electrical systems designer.
Jason Klein
Jason Klein is principal of the Law Office of Jason Klein, PLLC, which works with medical marijuana businesses in the Washington DC area. Jason works exclusively with businesses, patients and doctors to help them understand and comply with the new laws and regulations of the DC medical marijuana program. He organized the First Annual Washington DC Medical Marijuana Symposium in February 2012.
Christian Sederberg
Christian Sederberg is a founding member of Vicente Sederberg, LLC. In addition to providing general guidance to medical marijuana businesses, ancillary businesses and caregivers about local and state medical marijuana ordinances, regulations and laws, Sederberg has offered a wide range of transactional and regulatory assistance to the medical marijuana community.
Len Goodman
Len Goodman is executive director and chairman of New MexiCann Natural Medicine, which grows and distributes medical marijuana to registered patients in New Mexico. He was also a founding director of the National Cannabis Industry Association and serves on the New Mexico DPA Advisory Board and the AHPA Cultivation and Distribution Committees. Additionally, Len works with the 280e Reform group and is the founder of the NM Medical Cannabis Producers Guild.
Aaron Smith
Aaron Smith is the executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), which represents the cannabis industry on the national stage. Prior to launching NCIA, Aaron distinguished himself as a public advocate for marijuana policy reform — first under the auspices of a California-based medical cannabis advocacy group, Safe Access Now, and more recently as the California state policy director for the Marijuana Policy Project.
Lance Ott
Lance Ott is chief executive officer of Guardian Data Systems, which was created specifically to provide secure, reliable and transparent merchant services to the medical cannabis industry. Lance has helped form a network infrastructure of MMJ-friendly banks, institutions, processors and software/hardware developers to provide the industry with commerce solutions.
Doug Banfelder
Doug Banfelder is a commercial insurance specialist with Premier Southwest Insurance Group in Scottsdale, Arizona. In his current capacity, Doug provides insurance coverages to all aspects of the medical marijuana industry, from dispensaries and grow operations to ancillary businesses. He’s also a founder of the Arizona Wellness Chamber of Commerce and a proponent of the need for community and political advocacy in MMJ.
Greta Carter
Greta Carter is founder and executive director of the Coalition for Cannabis Standards and Ethics in Washington State, co-owner of The CARE Wellness Center, and director and chair of the 280E Tax Reform Committee. She played a lead role in creating Seattle’s first medical marijuana ordinance that paved the way for dispensaries. Greta previously operated a cannabis dispensary in Spokane until a raid forced its closure.
Chris Lindsey
Chris Lindsey is a medical marijuana attorney in Montana and serves as president of the Montana Cannabis Industry Association. He is also on the boards of the Montana Medical Grower’s Association and Patients and Families United. Chris has testified at the state legislature on numerous bills and amendments to medical marijuana regulations. Most recently, he was indicted by the federal government for his involvement in a Montana medical marijuana business, giving him first-hand knowledge of the risks involved in MMJ.
Ralph Morgan
Ralph Morgan is the founder of several medical marijuana companies, including the dispensary Evergreen Apothecary and Organa Labs, an infused products manufacturer based in Denver. Prior to the MMJ industry, Ralph was a medical marketing and sales executive who worked with companies such as Smith & Nephew, Stryker Orthopedics and Paragon Medical.
Richard Evans
Richard Evans is a lawyer in western Massachusetts, where he has represented a wide variety of businesses in transactional, regulatory and other matters. He is a long-time marijuana reform advocate and activist, a former member of the NORML board and the author of early marijuana regulation and taxation bills. Richard is poised to represent medical marijuana dispensary applicants and licensees if Massachusetts voters legalize MMJ in November.
Angel Stanz
Angel Stanz is the founder of BG Medical Technologies, an umbrella company for several ancillary MMJ businesses including the medical marijuana research lab and web portal BudGenius. He has more than two decades of experience in the startup dot-com world – including a stint as senior research and development engineer for CAIS Software Solutions. In the MMJ world, Stanz has focused on developing standards for patient safety and providing Internet marketing support.
Khurshid Khoja
Khurshid Khoja is principal and founder of Greenbridge Corporate Counsel, which provides a wide range of legal and corporate counseling services to the MMJ industry. He also currently serves as the outside general counsel to The Emerald Growers Association and the ArcView Group. Prior to founding Greenbridge, Khoja practiced corporate and transactional law, focusing on everything from corporate governance to mergers and acquisitions. He was named to the Northern California SuperLawyers Rising Stars list in 2010 and 2011.
James Slatic
James Slatic is CEO of PotBottles.com, which specializes in medical marijuana containers, bags, labels and related products. He’s also chief executive of MedWest Distribution, a company that provides CO2 extracted products. James has started 13 companies in the past 30 years, two of which have been sold to public firms. He also worked as an investment banker for several years.
Charles T. Houghton
Charles T. Houghton is the founder and owner of Charles T. Houghton, P.C., a law firm dedicated to providing business, compliance, licensing and regulatory advice to the medical marijuana industry. Charles sat on the Colorado Springs Medical Marijuana Task Force, which assisted the city in developing a regulatory framework. He represents a number of medical marijuana centers and infused products manufacturers throughout Colorado. Charles also is a frequent speaker and lecturer on the business and regulatory aspects of the medical marijuana industry.
Eapen Thampy
Eapen Thampy hails from Columbia, Missouri, where he founded Americans for Forfeiture Reform in 2010. The nonprofit organization works to educate the public, the media and policy makers about the failure of current asset forfeiture policies. Previously, Eapen studied economics and mathematics at the University of Missouri-Columbia and worked in the wine industry.
Micah Johnson
Micah Johnson is president and co-founder of Cannapages.com, Colorado’s original medical marijuana directory and tech agency. Micah is editor-in-chief of online content and oversees the group’s community involvement, through industry magazines, business groups, websites, outreach and partnerships. After years in dispensary management, his team now offers consultation in product quality, store presentation, niche branding and new media marketing.
Andrew Shotland
Andrew Shotland writes the Local SEO Guide blog and is a highly regarded local search consultant offering full-service SEO, search engine advertising, website strategy and local search consulting with a specialty in yellow pages and local directories. He has provided his services to numerous media outlets, ecommerce companies, franchises and start-ups including Bing.com, Amazon, DexKnows.com, Yellowbook.com and The Los Angeles Times. Andrew has over 15 years of experience in the Internet and is a frequent speaker on SEO, local search and web strategy.
Amanda Reiman
Amanda Reiman is currently the policy manager of California for the Drug Policy Alliance and a lecturer in the School of Social Welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned both a master’s in social work and a PhD, writing her dissertation on serving medical cannabis patients through dispensaries. Amanda served as the chairwoman of the first Medical Cannabis Commission for the City of Berkeley and has consulted with other cities and states on MMJ policy and dispensing.
KC Stark
KC Stark is a medical marijuana entrepreneur and MMJ advocate in Colorado Springs who works to bring local governments, dispensaries and patients together in a free market. He has worked with hundreds of marijuana centers and thousands of patients to insure safe, affordable and legal access to MMJ. KC served on the Mayor’s Medical Marijuana Task Force and is founder of Go Green Cross, the MMJ Exchange, the MMJ Business Academy, MMJ Centers for Sale and the MMJIQ. His knowledge and network has helped to insure a financially viable and patient focused industry. KC has been featured on Colorado news channels and radio stations.
Sytze Elzinga
Sytze Elzinga is director of quality control and assurance at The Werc Shop, an analytical laboratory focused on the quality control of medical marijuana. Previously, he served as manager of edible production at Herbal Solutions, laboratory manager at Echo Pharmaceuticals and a laboratory technician at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Sytze holds a master of science in natural products and a bachelor’s in biochemistry, both from Leiden University.
Derek Lebahn
Derek Lebahn is district manager of the Colorado region for Cannaline, one of the top packaging companies in the medical marijuana industry. In his current capacity, Derek works with top dispensaries in the Denver area, helping them grow their businesses, network and find the ancillary products their patients seek. He has more than 10 years worth of experience as a manufacturer’s representative.
Erik Williams
Erik Williams the Executive Director of Connecticut NORML and owner of of CampaignsWon.com, a Democratic political consulting firm that works on races from the local level all the way up to the presidential elections. A veteran political operative and public and community relations professional, Erik led the fight to pass Connecticut’s medical marijuana law.
Chris Walsh
Chris Walsh is editor of Medical Marijuana Business Daily, an online publication covering legal, financial and industry news of interest to dispensaries, investors and cannabis professionals. In his current capacity, he also writes e-books and how-to guides for the industry on everything from finding funding to starting a customer loyalty program. Previously he covered business and technology for the Rocky Mountain News and the Colorado Springs Gazette and served as business editor at the JoongAng Daily in South Korea.
Content SOURCE :
The Weed Blog.com &
http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/conference/agenda/
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In Denver November 2012:
The 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference Was The Best Place To Learn How To Invest And Profit In The Booming Marijuana Industry
The second day of the 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference in Denver, Colorado was even better than the first, if that is even possible (To read my Day 1 recap, click this link). The morning started off with back-to-back keynote speakers. The first was Aaron Smith, Executive Director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. Mr. Smith’s presentation was title, ’2013 Legislation: How to Impact the Future – Your Next Steps.’ Aaron started his speech with summaries of the historic 2012 Election results, to which the crowd reacted in applause several times. I had to pinch myself to remind myself I was indeed awake and living in a country where marijuana prohibition has ended in two states.
Something that I found very interesting from Aaron Smith’s speech was that Denver tax revenues from the medical marijuana industry were enough to cover 98% of the municipal parks system, which is the largest in the United States. Imagine if each city took the same approach as Denver. How much money would be generated to help shrinking government budgets at the local level? That’s something I think every politician and agency head could get on board with! A theme that Aaron Smith hammered home to the people in attendance was the need to unite and keep fighting for reform. “One business is one business.” Aaron Smith said. “Working together, we have a high potential to change the game forever.”
The next keynote speaker was Steve DeAngelo, Executive Director of Harborside Health Center. If you don’t know who Steve DeAngelo is then chances are….seriously, does anyone not know who Steve DeAngelo is by now?! Everyone in the crowd certainly did, because the roof almost blew off the place when he was announced. Steve’s presentation was titled, ‘Threading the Needle: Reaching Success Through Volatile Times.’ If anyone knows what to say on that subject, it would absolutely be Mr. DeAngelo, who’s ongoing battle with the federal government has been highly publicized all over the media.
After giving some words of encouragement and talking about the new momentum for cannabis after the historic election, Steve DeAngelo began to discuss the fact that states with medical marijuana experience are going to be more likely to look at legalization positively. Steve told the crowd to “use this as a path to expanding the market.” Something that Mr. DeAngelo said that I really liked was, “The best way to survive business volatility is to know if you’re up for risks. Connect to the movement; not just the industry.” That’s something that I think a lot of business minded people in the movement don’t always understand – marijuana business and marijuana activism go hand in hand.
steve deangelo hhc national marijuana business conference 2012
Steve DeAngelo, Director of Harborside Health Center, presents at the 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference.
Steve DeAngelo offered up three tips to survive the often turbulent waters of the marijuana industry. The first was to develop end user products with multiple sales channels. That way if your dispensary gets shut down, you have a Plan B in place. The second tip is to focus on your public image. Community image is key – engage your local community. Help the community understand that this is about wellness, not intoxication. Steve’s third point builds off of the second point – A focus on wellness is not just smart politically, it’s also good for business. Steve DeAngelo stated that, “the wellness market is much larger than the intoxication market.”
After a brief break, a panel titled ‘When the Feds Come Knocking: Handling Raids, Civil Forfeitures And Other Attacks’ began, hosted by panelists Eapen Thampy (Americans for Forfeiture Reform), Robert J. Corry Jr. (Corry & Associates), and Henry Wykowski (Henry G. Wykowski & Associates). Asset forfeiture reform is something that I don’t think gets nearly enough attention from the movement. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about from a law enforcement standpoint. Marijuana businesses make a lot of money, and if the cops bust them, they get a huge, huge chunk of what they take. Eapen Thampy pointed out that ‘forfeiture has become a preferred method of federal prosecution for medical marijuana businesses.’
Rob Corry has been a hero of mine for a couple of years now, and I was disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to talk to him at the convention. Hopefully he is back next year! Mr. Corry pointed out that the forfeiture reform panel discussed and felt that the second Obama administration will not take action against Amendment 64. There has been some huffing and puffing in the media about it, but at the end of the day, I really hope the Obama Administration respects the democratic process in both Colorado and Washington State.
Rob went on to encourage the crowd to ‘push for state directives banning local law enforcement from cooperating with the DEA on marijuana raids, like ‘safe harbor’ policies for immigration. That is such a good idea, that I am going to start pushing for something like that in Oregon as soon as I can, even before we pass legalization. I saw Henry Wykowski speak on another panel during day 1 of the conference, so I was excited to see him talk again. He offered up this advice to help with the possible nightmare that is a raid on your marijuana business – keep your cool, train employees to not say ANYTHING, keep encrypted files backed up offsite, ask who’s in charge, to see a warrant, ask what agencies are involved, ask to video the raid, and to ALWAYS call your lawyer.
The next presentation was by Brian Vicente (Vicente Sederberg, LLC) and KC Stark (MMJ Business Academy), titled, ‘State Marijuana Legalization: How Could it Affect Your Business.’ This presentation was something I was really looking forward to, considering the fact that Brian Vicente was a Co-Director for the Amendment 64 campaign. He spoke from the political and industry side of things, which I’m not sure too many other people on the planet can say right now.
Brian knows the Amendment 64 law inside and out considering he co-wrote it, and he pointed out some things that are important to keep in mind. 1) Businesses in Colorado are relying on the Governor and legislature to implement Amendment 64 in an orderly fashion, but there are no exact timetables at the moment. 2) All medical marijuana laws in Colorado remain in full force and effect. Dispensaries cannot just sell to anyone. 3) The excise tax in the Colorado law will not apply to registered patients, only to the general public. 4) In Colorado, communities can decide to allow retail marijuana shops, much like wet/dry do with alcohol. 5) Home cultivation is allowed. Brian Vicente said something about point number five that I thought was clever – “People can grow at home, like people can brew beer. But how many people actually brew beer vs buying a 6-pk?”
After the lunch break, there were a total of 8 panels that I skipped back and forth between. There were as follows:
Tripp Keber dixie elixir Angel Stanz, BG Medical Technologies
Angel Stanz and Tripp Keber presenting at the 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference:
Whether it’s concentrates, flower, medibles, and beyond, the world of marijuana consumption is expanding rapidly. Long gone are the days when you had to choose between using an apple or a rolling paper. If there was one thing that I took from this presentation, it was that non-intoxicating cannabis wellness products will be huge mainstream offerings. As science continues to unlock the healing powers of cannabis, more and more products will be sold to people that don’t want to necessarily get high – they just want relief. Although I’m not one of those people myself, I know a lot of people that would consume cannabis products if it didn’t impair them.
East Coast Opportunities: How to Capitalize in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic – Richard Evans (EvensCutler Attorneys), Jason Klein (Law Office of Jason Klein, PLLC), and Erik Williams (Executive Director, Connecticut NORML)
The East Coast is a starkly different business landscape than it is out West. Medical marijuana programs are more restrictive, and with that, the number of business opportunities. Erik Williams pointed out that Connecticut will have a minimum of 3 growers and max of 10 growers for the whole state. His guess is 6, but even if it was 10, that doesn’t leave much room for many people to get in from a business standpoint. He recommended looking at a multi-state model if someone is considering investing in the Northeast. Erik Williams went on to say that if Massachusetts issues rules on MMJ by May (unlikely), then licenses will be issued by summer and dispensaries will open by the end of the year. Dick Evans highlighted the fact that right to farm laws will impact the ability of Massachusetts’ local officials to zone and regulate medical marijuana garden areas of 2 acre minimum plots.
Earlier in the day I had the wonderful opportunity of talking with Jason Klein and the situation in DC. We both pointed out the contradiction of the federal government raiding medical marijuana across the Western United States, even though medical marijuana will be sold very soon down the street from Congress and the White House. Mr. Klein pointed out in his section of the presentation that D.C.’s law will allow for up to 570 plants total in all the district, which is ‘minuscule compared to the population size.’ As Jason Klein told me before the presentation, and to the crowd during the presentation, ‘expanding the limited qualifying conditions list is the important near-term goal for DC’s medical marijuana program.’
MMJ Marketing and Advertising Strategies That Work – Micah Johnson (Cannapages.com), Andrew Shotland (Local SEO Guide Blog), and Derek Lebhan (Cannaline)
If there is any area that peaks my interest the most in the marijuana industry, it’s marijuana advertising. It’s such an inegma to me, as there doesn’t seem to be any ‘go to’ source on the subject. Almost all of the literature out there is based around marketing a dispensary, which was adequate when medical marijuana represented an overwhelming majority of the profitable cannabis industry. But all of that was turned on it’s head when Washington State and Colorado passed their legalization initiatives.
I think a speaker from another panel, Tripp Keber of Dixie Elixers, put it best when he stated “On Nov 6 there were 105,000 registered medical patients in Colorado. From Nov 7 we’re talking about an addressable market of one million plus customers. This is explosive, hockey stick growth, a watershed moment.” By Mr. Keber’s estimation, which I find to be pretty accurate, medical marijuana will only represent 10% of the overall market, at best. The marketing and advertising strategies for the cannabis industry need to reflect that fact.
Long gone are the days when inventors and entrepreneurs needed to focus all of their marketing energies on getting their product or service into as many dispensary locations as possible. Now they have to re-focus their marketing strategies towards brand marketing, the same as any other product or service in any other industry. Think about it – if ‘X’ soda company simply put their products on the shelves in as many stores as possible, yet did no marketing to make their product familiar with customers BEFORE they walked into the place they are going to buy products, how much product would they sell?
Humans want to purchase things they are familiar with; the marijuana industry is no different. Unlike a dispensary, where the budtenders have a relationship with their limited customer base and can tell them about new products as they see fit, the purchasing experience is going to change rapidly. Customers from outside of legalized states will be coming to Washington and Colorado to buy products that they have seen online or in some other way in their area. Businesses need to calculate for this.
Have a vaporizer or sometime of electronic pen that people can use to smoke concentrates out of? If so, you need to think about how a customer is supposed to choose your product out of the dozens if not hundreds of other products virtually exactly the same as yours. Will ‘having it on the shelf’ be enough? What if you have a cannabis infused product such as a beverage or edible? Are you going to do the marketing work it takes to become a name brand like Pepsi or Oreos or are you going to be one of those generic lame brands that people only buy if it’s on sale? If you can’t tell, I have a lot to say about this issue, so plan on several articles on this subject in the near future :)
Raising Arizona: How to Ramp up in the New Marketplace – Kris Krane (4Front Advisors) and Ryan Hurley (Rose Law Group)
It was very interesting to hear about the rollout of medical marijuana safe access points in Arizona from people working on the ground. Something that I have been pointing out to people that e-mail me from Arizona, and panelist Kris Krane touched on, is that there wasn’t a proper vetting process of eventual dispensary owners in Arizona. Anyone could enter the lottery, and since the winners were picked at random as opposed to a skill based selection process, there will no doubt be some dispensaries that are better than others. According to Ryan Hurley, “permits have been issued, 9 months are left for operators to build and open doors in Arizona.”
It was also interesting to hear about how people are jumping the gun on the dispensary rollout and are opening safe access points anyways. It reminds me of Oregon, where people are using layaway hydroponic equipment programs, opening private clubs, and my personal pet peeve, taking ‘donations.’ People that do things like that make it harder for people that are actually following the process, and often times, patients get caught in the crossfire as Kris Krane once explained to me.
Customer Retention: Grow Your Business by Tracking Data And Encouraging Loyalty – Amy Poinsett (MJ Freeway And Software Solutions)
Customer retention is extremely important for a dispensary to survive, and it will no doubt be even more important to non-medical marijuana outlets, as customers can bounce around more freely. I have heard so many horror stories about people going to dispensaries to get their much needed medicine, just to get subpar meds and/or get treated like a number instead of a customer. Amy Poinsett recommended using ‘customer’ instead of ‘patient’, and that dispensary staff should say hello and goodbye to customers in order to build relationships with the customer base. She also recommended something that I think everyone can agree with – customers like it when they get free gifts, and that gesture can go a long, long way!
California: How to Survive Amid Uncertainty – Amanda Reiman (Drug Policy Alliance), and James Slatic (MedWest)
If there was one thing that I took from this particular panel it is the different scenarios the Bay Area is experiencing compared to Southern California in regards to the ongoing battles with the feds. Amanda Reiman pointed out that the Bay Area proactively worked with the cities (S.F., Oakland, Berkley) to help set policies in place. Well run dispensaries in Southern California did not, and ‘chaos ensued,’ as Amanda stated. Reiman to dispensary owners: “It’s your responsibility to educate the community, not the patients or media’s responsibility” Amanda told the crowd.
Top 8 Mistakes Dispensaries Make and How to Avoid Them – Len Goodman (New MexiCann Natural Medicine), Kayvan Khalatbari (Denver Relief), and Betty Aldworth (Evolution Consulting)
In this panel Betty Aldworth talked about the need to ‘reframe perceptions about users from negative to normal.’ The number one mistake that dispensaries make – sexist advertising. When Betty Aldworth said “cannabis ads should respect women instead of objectifying them” the crowd cheered for a reason. No other area of wellness and medicine does that to women, and there is simply no place for it.
Capitalizing in Colorado: An Overview of New Opportunities – Robert J. Corry Jr. (Corry & Associates) and Christian Sederberg (Vicente Sederberg, LLC)
I found it fitting that this panel was one of the last to end the day. It was kind of a ‘main event’ of sorts. In case you didn’t hear – NEWS FLASH: COLORADO LEGALIZES MARIJUANA, THE LARGEST GREEN RUSH OF ALL TIME HAS BEGUN. This panel was extremely popular for obvious reasons. If you sell grow equipment, fertilizer, paraphernalia, want to open a cannabis club, some other area of cannatourism, you own a media company, clothing company, or some other company that relates to marijuana, etc. etc. Colorado is obviously the place you need to seriously consider moving to. Or at the least, get your product or idea to. Anything to get your thumb in the pie because the pie is enormous, and growing everyday.
Something that Rob Corry pointed out is the need to develop mechanisms to stop cannabis from crossing state lines. Christian Sederberg pointed out that industrial hemp is the ‘tiger in the room.’ Both panelists agreed that if a person is a medical marijuana patient in Colorado, they can grow their medical marijuana plants in addition to their ‘recreational’ marijuana plants. That’s 12 plants total, which sounds outstanding to this Oregonian…I thought we had it good, but the desire to move to Colorado is growing inside me by the hour…Amendment 64 re-opens the door in Colorado to wholesalers and retailers without the 70% grow rule. Last time there was no 70% rule people were bringing cannabis to the market as fast as they could, I can only imagine what will happen this time around!
Summary Of Johnny Green’s Visit To The 2012 National Marijuana Business Conference
This is BY FAR the greatest event I have ever attended, and I have been lucky enough to attend some great marijuana events. I have had a few days to reflect on the event while I was preparing this article, and I can’t help but think of the next conference already. I have never, ever heard or seen such a collection of marijuana minds from around the country. There were 42 speakers at the event, all of which bring more knowledge to the table than a person could ever imagine. I have been to events where there are 5 of these people at best. To be in the same building as all of them at one time, and to be able to pick their brains about what their experience has taught them, and see how their expertise in their specialized area has contributed to the industry is an honor to say the least.
I have been getting e-mails from people asking about how to get in on the ‘green rush’ and I think the best way is to follow the speakers from the event, and especially MMJ Business Daily, who made the event happen. Follow both their website and their Twitter feed. I would also follow their publisher Cassandra Farrington as well. They have the inside track on a constantly, rapidly evolving industry. Following them versus following someone else could be the difference between getting rich during the largest financial opportunity in our lifetime, or telling future generations in your family about how you missed out on the ‘green rush.’ I cannot wait until the next conference. I have dozens and dozens of article ideas that were inspired at this event, so look for those soon! Below is a video of mainstream media coverage of the event."
http://www.theweedblog.com/2012-national-marijuana-business-conference-day-2-recap/
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