The Leaf Online’s Jeremy Daw recently featured the International Cannabis Business Conference in a piece that included quotes by several of our scheduled speakers. A snippet of his very interesting article, “A Fork in the Road to Legalization“:
“Any industry I cover, if I’m to support it, must reflect Twenty-First Century sustainability awareness,” says Doug Fine, author of the eco-manifesto Farewell, My Subaru and, most recently, Hemp Bound, an investigation into the potential of industrial hemp to replace fossil fuels. “Economic and environmental considerations can, in fact must, be in sync as the cannabis industry emerges.” For Fine, biomass gasification – a technology which can power automobiles by burning sustainable plant sources like hemp – offers one of America’s best hopes to stop burning foreign fossil fuels and replace them with home-grown sustainable sources. Fine’s message of messianic sustainability is only one of the cannabis calls to action typifying Weedstock’s rival summer conference, the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Portland, Oregon, September 13th and 14th.
Fine is not the only speaker at the ICBC to appreciate the importance of putting the nascent industry’s best foot forward. “The cannabis industry is going to be the subject of a lot of scrutiny, not just by the government and media, but by the public, a majority of whom are now ready to see marijuana reform move forward,” says US Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR 3rd District), who has supported numerous bills to reform US cannabis policy. “A higher standard and responsible public image maintains that positive momentum with the public, and makes it harder for detractors to defend a broken status quo.”
Driven by such calls to standards higher than business as usual, the presenters of the ICBC aim to play a longer game. While devoid of any penny stock promotion, the conference’s program is rich with authoritative lessons on fundamentals and reports from emerging front lines. The message at the International CBC represents a sharp break from the get-rich-quick narrative of the Weedstocks of the world. Which vision ultimately prevails is up to the cannabis community to decide.
We strive to provide a conference experience like no other that will benefit attendees, vendors and sponsors. We are very pleased and proud of the lineup we have assembled for the first International Cannabis Business Conference this September in Portland and appreciate Mr. Daw’s kind commentary, please be sure to read his entire post.
