The third Oregon Hemp Convention will introduce the curious and the entrepreneurial to budding opportunities in the Northwest’s legalized recreational cannabis industry. The event takes place October 10 and 11, at the Portland Expo Center, 2060 N. Marine Drive, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $10 and there is a suggested canned food donation to the Oregon Food Bank.
The convention, which attracted more than 4,000 attendees earlier this year, brings together speakers, growers and industry professionals to enlighten consumers and businesses about legalized marijuana. The headline sponsors are Chalice Farms and CBD Honey Stix.
“This conference is ideal for the folks who want to grow a couple of plants at their house, to those who want to build an operation on their land to accommodate the growing legal use market,” explained Jerry Norton, Oregon Hemp Convention’s founder. Starting October 1, medical dispensaries can sell small amounts of recreational marijuana.
While cannabis product won’t be available for sale at the conference itself, attendees can learn more out about:
- Culinary arts
- Cultivation
- Dispensaries
- Edibles
- Extraction
- Growers
- Medicinal applications
- Seed banks
- Testing
“There will be a lot of networking,” Norton said. “About 65 percent of our attendees are already in the business, looking to vertically integrate into other areas. Before, the emphasis was on medical marijuana, but now it has blossomed to include a rush of curious consumers.”
One of the convention’s highlights will be the Oregon Medical Marijuana Cup, a competition for local growers and producers of oils, edibles and concentrates.
The Convention’s lineup of entertaining presenters include:
Cyd Maurer, former news anchor for KEZI 9 News, who was fired last year for personal marijuana use. She is now a marijuana activist speaking out against outdated corporate policies.
Doug Fine is a solar-powered goat herder and bestselling author of Farewell, My Subaru, Too High to Fail, Hemp Bound and First Legal Harvest.
Chef Jennifer Tyler, runs a gourmet edibles company in Portland, and is a member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association. She is an advocate of the powerful healing properties of cannabis.
Russ Belville, is the executive director of 420RADIO.org, a 24-hour live stream source for cannabis news and entertainment broadcasts (https://420radio.org). “Radical Russ” is also the executive director of Portland NORML, the Portland Chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
