Last year I attended the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference, which was at that time called the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference. The name change is a reflection of the current times, as recreational cannabis is legal in Oregon, and limited sales have been occurring since late last year. By the end of the year full recreational sales should be occurring in Oregon. Last year’s event was awesome because it took place during the lead up to recreational rule making and there was a lot to discuss.
As a lifelong Oregonian myself, I can personally say that it’s an amazing time to live in this state. There is a lot going on, and it’s very exciting. But there’s also a lot of uncertainty. Yes, there have been other states that have gone ahead of Oregon, but Oregon is going to be different, as every state will be. As the recent extract debacle showed, things are in a fragile state for the Oregon cannabis industry in its young life. Navigating the landscape is not always easy, which is why this year’s Oregon Marijuana Business Conference is so important and timely, as was last years event.
This year the event is bringing Tommy Chong and Dr. Carl Hart to Eugene, and I can’t wait to attend myself and see what they have to say. To be clear, this isn’t a sponsored post in anyway. I genuinely loved the last event I attended, and have been looking forward to this year’s event for months. Below is more information about the event. You can get tickets at a significant discount if you purchase them by April 8th:
Below is the schedule for the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference:
11:00 AM OLCC Licensing & Compliance
The foundation of the Oregon cannabis industry has been growers cultivating for patients. Large grow sites have cultivated for multiple patients, but new medical rules have placed limits on how many plants can be on one grow site. Growers are now able to license with the OLCC and will soon cultivate canopy limits for recreational customers. New rules also allow growers to grow for the recreational system while continuing go grow for patients and the rules are still being worked out. Here from an experienced grower who will discuss how things are now and how growers must transition to the new system. A cannabis industry attorney will also be on hand to answer your questions about how to comply now and into the future.
More than 400 retailers are licensed to sell medical cannabis, showing both great possibility for the industry, but also a saturation on the market. Most dispensaries will likely move into the OLCC recreational market, but new rules will allow retailers to serve both patients and non-patients alike. This panel will include a dispensary owner surviving the current system and looking forward to thrive in the upcoming system, and as usual, we’ll have an industry attorney on hand to answer your questions.
3pm Processors
Oils, edibles and other products will be a huge market for Oregon, but new rules and regulations have thrown a wrench into the system. Currently retailers aren’t allowed to purchase new medical products extracts that aren’t already on the shelves since the Oregon Health Authority has licensed processors yet while we can’t expect OLCC stores open until October. Hear from experienced processors and lawyers as they discuss the muddled situation now and how the industry will move forward.
3:45pm Testing, Labeling and Branding
