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These are truly exciting times for all things cannabis. Cannabis policy reform is sweeping the globe, the cannabis industry is growing at an epic rate, and major cannabis culture news is occurring at an increasing pace.

It can be very difficult to stay up-to-date on everything that is happening in the cannabis world with so much going on at all hours of the day. Cannabis has gone mainstream, and the rise in the level of acceptance of cannabis in society has been paralleled by an increase of news coverage that touches on topics and situations that are not necessarily that important in the grand scheme of things.

For many cannabis consumers, entrepreneurs, and policymakers it can be exhausting to try to sort out the less important stories from the truly important ones due to so much cannabis media white noise. However, at the same time, it is vital for people in the cannabis community at all levels to stay on top of things. It’s a very frustrating catch-22.

To help address the problem the International Cannabis Business Conference launched a new e-mail newsletter, the International Cannabis Chronicle, which covers the most important cannabis news and developments from around the globe.

International Cannabis Chronicle is delivered straight to subscribers’ e-mail inboxes once a week. It’s an extremely convenient way to stay up to-to-date on the most important cannabis information.

If staying up to speed on the biggest cannabis stories is important to you, make sure to sign up to receive the International Cannabis Chronicle newsletter today. You will be glad that you did!

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Psychedelics For Healing: The Spirit Plant Medicine Conference FTR Dennis McKenna, Jamie Wheal, Wade Davis And More…

As an attendee and supporter of the International Cannabis Business Conference, our friends at the Conscious Living Network and Spirit Plant Medicine Conference wanted to share a special offer with you.

As many of you know, we’re in a remarkable historical time period. The tide is turning and after decades of ignorance and repression of sacred plants, there is a vigorous psychedelic renaissance underway. People are discovering, rediscovering, and developing multiple uses of sacramental entheogenic medicines such as ayahuasca, psilocybe mushrooms, iboga, peyote, cannabis, 5-MeO-DMT, LSD, MDMA, and many others. Our friends at the Spirit Plant Medicine Conference (SPMC) recognize, and are deeply inspired by, the great potential of these medicines when they’re understood and used skillfully.

The Spirit Plant Medicine Conference is now in its 9th year. The mission of the SPMC is to help guide this work forward by bringing a world-class international group of leading visionary voices to Vancouver, British Columbia. Along with the brilliant information and inspiration shared by the presenters, the conference has also proven to be a powerful community-strengthening event and a great environment to connect with others of similar interests and aspirations and to plant and nurture seeds that can and do lead to remarkable manifestations.

For full details and to reserve your spot visit: https://spiritplantmedicine.com/

The use of visionary/healing/ awakening plants such as ayahuasca, psilocybe mushrooms, iboga, peyote, cannabis, huachuma (San Pedro), and semi-synthetic substances like LSD and MDMA is spreading rapidly during this period of intensified change. These allies may be the most direct and effective teachers many of us have now when we meet them in the best of conditions (set and setting) and are able to integrate the insights and openings into our daily lives.

Spirit Plant Medicine Conference speakers include: Jamie Wheal, Dennis Mckenna, Wade Davis, Bill Richards, Dank Duchess, Zoe Helene, Rachael Caravale and more…

You are warmly invited to share in this vision and to join us for a great weekend of insight, inspiration, compassion, and yes, humour.

How Worried Should Cannabis Consumers Be About Vape Cartridges?

The United States has been in the middle of a cannabis vape pen hysteria of sorts for the last week or two. Mainstream media and cannabis opponents seem to be obsessed with the story, insinuating that full blame for the unfortunate deaths that have occurred should be placed completely on cannabis vape pen cartridges.

Every one of the deaths is sad and unfortunate, which is why it has been frustrating for the cannabis community to see many mainstream media outlets and cannabis opponents using the deaths of these individuals to help spread misleading anti-cannabis propaganda.

In recent weeks hundreds of illnesses and half a dozen deaths have been reported across the country, with e-cigarette device usage being pointed to as the likely cause. Some cases involve consumers that have reported using cannabis vape pen cartridges and some involve consumers that reported having only used nicotine-based vaping products.

For whatever reason, THC vape pen cartridges have largely become the focus of mainstream media coverage and accusations from opponents. The fact of the matter is that no one at this point is 100% positive what is causing the illnesses and deaths. Consumers and cannabis companies have to wait for more information to become known.

As previously mentioned, some of the cases involve THC cartridges and some do not. Some cases involve the dilutant additive vitamin E acetate and some do not. Vitamin E acetate and other additives are the most likely suspect, and if that proves to be true, then THC has nothing to do with the situation other than the cannabinoid was also present (in some of the cases).

Illegal, unregulated cannabis cartridges have been flooding the United States, especially in illegal jurisdictions. It’s easy to understand why vape pen cartridges are popular among consumers – they are very convenient, indiscrete, and easy to pack around and use. However, for some consumers, those illegal cartridges have come at a terrible cost to their personal health, and in certain cases, potentially their lives.

When someone purchases a cannabis vape pen cartridge from an unregulated source, there’s no telling what could be contained inside of the cartridge. It’s not the THC that is the issue, it’s whatever else may be in the cartridge. The list of ingredients may or may not even include THC.

Even from regulated sources, there are a lot of compounds that can be used that are not prohibited, including dilutants that are used to make the vape pen oil thinner and therefore easier for devices to turn into vapor.

Consumers should definitely be concerned about vape pen cartridges, and about what they inhale in general. However, that concern needs to be tempered. If you live in an illegal state, you should probably avoid vape pen cartridges altogether since there’s no real way to know what is inside of them.

People may claim to have acquired the cartridges from regulated sources, but that is not always the case, with the most obvious sign being that the packaging has cartoon characters on it. Packaging that could be appealing to children is not allowed in legal markets.

For consumers that purchase vape pen cartridges from legal, regulated dispensaries where they live the best approach is to know where the oil inside of the cartridge came from, what ingredients were used, and specifically if any additives have been put into the cartridge such as ‘natural terpenes’ or dilutants.

Terpenes can be sourced from something natural but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are safe. After all, you inhale it in vapor form if you are consuming it via a vape pen cartridge, and not eating it in its original form. That’s not to say that every additive is unsafe, but until more research is conducted and definitive scientific conclusions are reached it’s best to err on the side of caution.

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About the International Cannabis Business Conference

International Cannabis Business Conference events are the premier cannabis events for entrepreneurs across the globe. With events in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Spain, and Germany the International Cannabis Business Conference is where the world meets cannabis. Find out more at InternationalCBC.com and on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

The Cannabis Market In Europe – A Trade Game That Disadvantages Patients?

By Marguerite Arnold

About a month before international cannabis company Tilray announced that it was shipping from Portugal to Germany, Sativex (manufactured by the British-based GW Pharma) was approved for use by the Portuguese government. This means that the actual cost of the drug, deemed too expensive by the NHS in the UK, will be partially underwritten by the Portuguese government.

Portuguese patients with MS will now face expenses of about $350 per spray bottle. To put this into real patient (if not grey market) terms, that’s about the cost of an ounce in the U.S. and about half the cost of the same amount in the unregulated market across Europe.

Most patients use more than 1-2 spray bottles of Sativex per month.

With Tilray now exporting to Germany, this poses an interesting question. Why was the Portuguese government subsidizing a British company to import cannabinoid-based drugs right before a Canadian company with domestic production announces that its latest crop is slated for export? Especially as Tilray’s campus is capable of producing products at a high enough standard to be accepted by the German government?

Why didn’t the Portuguese government just buy the product locally?

Part of the answer lies in what was just approved. The Portuguese government, for all of its supposed freewheeling drug policy, is unwilling to admit that medical cannabis works on MS or any other condition, in any other form than a pharmaceutical spray. And furthermore, that non-pharmaceutical spray also works for MS patients, sometimes better than their own branded entry.

Tilray’s product, in other words, grown in Portugal, is not on the docket to be reimbursed by the government on the consumption side. So the company looked for a market where it would be. This is no different than what has happened in Holland since early 2017.

Part of this conundrum is also caused by the fact that cannabis companies are desperately trying to find justification for pharmacizing their products. This is inevitable in a world where “strains,” the great hope of breeders if not the larger companies everywhere, are bound for obscurity, especially in Europe.

While this creates a better justification on corporate bottom lines, what it is also doing is driving local production out or setting a bar too high for most to participate, just as there is a local population to supply. It is also increasing the overall costs of cannabinoid medical access to European governments – both in the home and exporting countries.

Companies Are Seeking Higher Market Returns

Because of this, patients are still faced with the unappetizing process of applying for the drug through a regional health service and finding that it is still usually cheaper and more accessible to skip the pain and go back to the unregulated market.

In turn, this also has a political effect. With legislatures across the continent wrestling with greater medical access and cost issues as well as the option of just ditching the entire debate and pushing patients into a recreational space (see Holland), the concept of cannabis as a reimbursable drug becomes laden with an additional layer of socioeconomic angst attached to all discussions over healthcare in the room right now.

The bottom line? 2019 might well be the year in which the tide turns and European governments, recognizing that cannabinoids are not going away, will push for more domestic production and sovereign ownership. Especially now, with the recreational discussion on the table thanks to Luxembourg.

What that means for medical reimbursement, however, if not cost control beyond that is still unclear, and that will likely be the case for several years to come.

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About the International Cannabis Business Conference

International Cannabis Business Conference events are the premier cannabis events for entrepreneurs across the globe. With events in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Spain, and Germany the International Cannabis Business Conference is where the world meets cannabis. Find out more at InternationalCBC.com and on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

Canadian Attorney Is Preparing A Court Challenge Against Incoming Rules For Cannabis Edibles, Extracts, And Topicals

In June, Canadian cannabis industry regulators published their final rules regarding THC limits for cannabis edibles, extracts, and topicals. The rules, which are set to take effect in October, leave a lot to be desired. That is especially true for cannabis edibles, which have a limit of 10 mg of THC per package.

To put that number into perspective, the state of Oregon permits 50 mg of THC per edible package for adult-use cannabis products, and 100 mg of THC per edible package for medical cannabis products.

Prominent Canadian attorney John Conroy is reported to be preparing a court challenge to the new rules, as first reported by Georgia Straight:

In a phone interview with the Georgia Straight, John Conroy said the looming limits of 10 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) per package of edible cannabis, 10 milligrams of THC per unit of cannabis extracts, and one gram per package of cannabis extracts fall far short of what’s required by some medicinal users.

The prospective case involves an unnamed mother of a young child who requires high-end extracts to treat multiple seizures.

“You’ve got kids with significant medical issues whose parents have got them medically approved for high-end concentrate extracts—and they still won’t be able to get them legally,” Conroy said. “So the government is once again failing to prevent the violation of the constitutional rights of medically approved patients.”

From the very beginning of the legal cannabis industry launching in Canada, and many parts of the United States, cannabis opponents and regulators have made a huge push to limit the amount of THC that a consumer or patient can purchase.

A lower THC limit may be fine for new cannabis consumers that have a low tolerance, however, for even semi-regular cannabis users a 10 mg THC limit is unreasonably low, and as John Conroy points out in the linked-to article, it can be devastating for patients.

Incoming Canadian rules and going to be covered in depth at our upcoming International Cannabis Business Conference in Vancouver, B.C. September 15-16. John Conroy is a scheduled speaker and you will not want to miss out on hearing what he has to say.

Canada’s cannabis industry is at a critical juncture with a lot of moving parts and a shifting landscape. Join us in Vancouver later this month to learn about the vital, timely information that you need to know!

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About the International Cannabis Business Conference

International Cannabis Business Conference events are the premier cannabis events for entrepreneurs across the globe. With events in Canada, the United States, Switzerland, Spain, and Germany the International Cannabis Business Conference is where the world meets cannabis. Find out more at InternationalCBC.com and on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.

An Estimated 1,000 Global Cannabis Industry Senior Decision Makers To Take Part In CannX Tel Aviv 2019 Conference

The International Cannabis Business Conference would like to encourage international cannabis entrepreneurs and cannabis enthusiasts to check out the upcoming International Medical Cannabis Conference (CannX). Below is more information about the event:

The international medical cannabis conference focusing on business, technology and agriculture will take place for the fourth year in a row on September 9-10.

The conference will include a politics session focusing on the issue of medical cannabis and the upcoming election campaign.

Conference speakers will include:

  • CannX Chairman Prof. Raphael Mechoulam, THC Cannabinoid Trailblazer and Israel Prize Recipient
  • Kevin Roland, Director, Canopy Growth Corporation, Canada
  • Philippe Lucas, VP, Global Patient Research & Access, Tilray, Canada
  • Jonathan Page, Chief Science Officer, Aurora Cannabis Inc., Canada
  • Steve Hawkins, President and CEO of Horizons ETFs,Canada
  • Ziva Eger, Chief Executive of Foreign Investments & Industrial Co-operation, Israel
  • Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel
  • Prof. Arnon Afek, Acting Chief Physician, Israeli Medical Cannabis Agency, Ministry of Health and former Director General of the Ministry of Health
  • Itai Malchior, Head of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Export of Medicinal Cannabis, Foreign Trade Administration, Ministry of Economy & Industry

The 4th International Medical Cannabis Conference (CannX) will take place on 9-10 September at the Expo Tel Aviv venue. The CannX experience has been refined to offer some of the most effective networking in the business and access to key opinion leaders. An estimated 1,000 senior decision makers from the entire global cannabis industry value chain are expected to participate in the international conference. Among them entrepreneurs, investors, growers, physicians, researchers, senior decision makers in medical cannabis companies, pharmacists and patients.

The conference will take place for the 4th consecutive year in partnership with Cann10, which manufactures and markets medical cannabis products and technologies and Kenes, a professional conference organizer.

CannX is the only medical cannabis conference which is accredited as a scientific conference by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME). This year, attendees at CannX will enjoy a more dynamic and interactive program – allowing them to participate directly in debates and discussions.

Within the main conference topics:

September 9 (Monday):

10:00 OPENING SESSION’ Uri Ariel, Minister of Agriculture

10:15 OPENING SESSION, Yossi Bornstein, Founder, Partner and Owner, Cann10, Founder, Shizim Group, Biomed holding group.

10:30 KEYNOTE LECTURE: THE CANNABINOID SYSTEM: WHERE DO WE STAND TODAY? Prof. Raphael Mechoulam, CannX Chairman, THC Cannabinoid Trailblazer and Israel Prize Recipient

11:30 SESSION: CANNABIS AND THE OPIOD EPIDEMIC, Chair: Elyad Davidson, Director, Pain Relief Unit at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Israel; David Casarett, Prof. Chief of Palliative Care, Duke University, USA; Philippe Lucas, VP of Patient Research and Access, Tilray, Canada

12:20 SESSION: THE ISRAEL MODEL: A SMALL COUNTRY, A LEADING INDUSTRY, Chair: Kobi Caspi, Co-founder and CFO, Cann10, Israel, Karina Rubinstein, Director of Business Development, Start Up Division at Israel Innovation Authority, Israel; Ziva Eger, Chief Executive of Foreign Investments & Industrial Cooperation; Amir Goldstein, Chief Operations
Officer, IMC, Israel; Tal Ben David, Head Pharmacist, GreenPharma, Israel; Liron Goldshtein, Head, Cannabis Pharmacy Dept., GreenPharma, Israel

12:20 SESSION: CANNABIS GENETICS – NEW DEVELOPMENTS, Chair: Shay Avraham Sarid, Co-Founder & CTO, Seach Medical Cannabis Group, Israel; Jonathan Page, Chief Scientist, Aurora Cannabis Inc., Canada; Arnon Heyman, CEO, Canonic Ltd., Israel

14:30 SESSION: THE IMPACT OF CANNABIS-BASED TREATMENT ON VARIOUS DISEASES – PRE-CLINICAL AND CLINICAL RESULTS, Chair: Reuven Or, Prof MD Cancer Immunotherapy & Immunobiology Research Center, Hadassah University Hospital, Israel; Yossi Tam (ENDOCANNABINOID SYSTEM IN HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY); Gurmit Singh (CBDA-ME AND PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHIC PAIN); Ruth Djaldetti (CANNABIS AND PARKINSON); Vered Hermush (DEMENTIA AND CANNABIS); Avi Priel (PAIN AND IONOTROPIC CANNABINOIDS RECEPTORS); Reuven Or and Osnat Almogi-Hazan (CANNABIS IN
CANCER)

14:30 SESSION: DIGITAL HEALTH AND CANNABIS – IS THE FUTURE HERE? BIG DATA, PREDICTION, AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, Chair: Gali Weinreb, Editor and Biomed correspondent, Globes, Israel; Itzhak Kurek, CEO and Co-Founder, Cannformatics Inc., USA; David Berg, President and CTO, Strainprint Technologies Ltd., Canada; Avihu Tamir, CEO, Kanabo Research, Israel

September 10 (Tuesday):

10:00 SESSION: ENTERING THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY – HOW TO MEET PHARMA STANDARDS IN CANNABIS BASED PRODUCTS, Arnon Afek, Associate Director General, Sheba Medical Center, Acting Chief Physician, Israeli Medical Cannabis Agency, Ministry of Health, Israel; Kevin Roland, Director, CMC (Chemical Manufacturing Controls), Canopy Health Innovation, Canopy Growth Corporation, Canada; Patrick Schmitt, Molecular biologist, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, Farmako, Germany; Ianiv Eisenscher, Chief Product Officer, Syqe Medical, Israel; Orna Dreazen, CEO and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Nextar Chempharma Solutions Ltd., Israel

12:00 DECISION-MAKERS PANEL – THE POLITICAL ANGLE OF THE MEDICAL CANNABIS FIELD; Moderator: Dafna Liel, Channel 12 Knesset Correspondent, Politician panelists participating will be disclosed later on.

14:00 SESSION: GLOBAL TRADE: OVERCOMING IMPORT-EXPORT BARRIERS IN A CONSTANTLY CHANGING REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT, Moderator: Lior Kenan, Chanel 13 Economics Correspondent, Israel; Itai Melchior, Senior Project Manager at Foreign Trade Administration – Ministry of Economy and Industry, Israel; Elizabeth Hatchuel, Adjunct Professor, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

16:00 SESSION: THE MEDICAL CANNABIS CAPITAL MARKET – AN ECONOMIC BUBBLE OR THE REAL THING? Moderator: Sophie Shulman, Capital Markets Editor, Calcalist, Israel, Steve Hawkins, President and CEO, Horizons ETFs, Canada; Shiry Eden, Founder and CEO, Nishot, Israel; Brenda Smith, CEO & Founder, CB Capital Concierge, Inc., USA; Ilan Gerzi, Adv., Senior Partner and Head of the Capital Markets Department, Pearl Cohen, Israel

 

Ori Alperovitz, Cann10 CEO: “In the past decade, medical cannabis has gone through a dramatic image shift, from a dangerous drug to a legitimate plant with unique medical qualities which have yet to be fully exposed. Every year, the CannX conference draws hundreds of senior decision makers from the entire global cannabis industry value chain, who are thirsty for sources of knowledge and new investment channels within this field, to Israel.

A young and constantly evolving field, the global cannabis industry is going through frequent changes due to changing regulatory policies and scientific breakthroughs created by the medical community. Our Cann10 accelerator is always on the lookout for smart, personalized cannabis technologies spearheading the innovative cannabis arena worldwide.

Cann10 Background:

Cann10 is an international company for development and marketing of medical cannabis products and innovative technological entrepreneurship within this field. Cann10 owns and distributes the “Cannareet” brand sold in Israeli pharmacies within the new medical cannabis regulations (30% market share). Among company activities in Israel and abroad: development and promotion of medical cannabis startups within the CannXL accelerator; management of a medical cannabis entrepreneurship course in collaboration with the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology); entrepreneurship and management of scientific, technological and business conferences within the medical cannabis field in Israel and other parts of the world; partnership in factory and breeding farm establishment in a number of countries.

German Pharmacists Support Medical Cannabis, See Market Growth

The German cannabis patient community has grown by leaps and bounds since the program was approved a few years ago and the International Cannabis Business Conference is so pleased to have witness the growth firsthand, holding our first annual conference in Berlin just after medical legislation was approved. Despite a lot of bureaucratic red tape (that has loosened over time), there are now about 50,000 cannabis patients and that number could easily increase to hundreds of thousands in the coming years as cannabis goes more mainstream and prices drop.

The robust growth of Germany’s medical cannabis program isn’t only evident by the increase in the number of patients, but in clear signs that the future growth of the program is very bright. First, the increase in exports has surged dramatically as the European Union powerhouse has imported nearly as much cannabis from Canada and the Netherlands in the first six months of 2019 as it did in all of 2018. Also, very tellingly, licensed German pharmacists, those actually dispensing the medicine, not only support medicinal cannabis, but three-fourths see the market growing, as reported by Marijuana Business Daily:

According to the paid report, the majority of pharmacists in Germany generally favor medical cannabis – as long as they’re the ones responsible for dispensing it.

Three-quarters believe the German medical cannabis market will continue to grow, and among that group, 15% said growth will be strong.

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About half the pharmacists believe they are well informed about medical cannabis, but fewer than 5% responded they are “very well” informed. The rest said they were poorly or very poorly informed.

With cultivation companies in Germany now getting licensed, with homegrown cannabis expected to be on pharmacy shelves in 2020, prices will come down, variety will increase, and local lobbying efforts will strengthen. With the industry growing, as German pharmacists and virtually everyone expects, advocates will become more influential with policy makers, and the bureaucratic hurdles slowing the medical program will start to be removed. Eventually, the lobbying effort and public support will garner enough votes to legalize cannabis for all adults. When they do, will German pharmacists still be the sole dispensers, or will the market open up to more retail outlets? Only time will tell.

The International Cannabis Business Conference is THE industry event to learn the latest and to network with top investors and entrepreneurs. Next up: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, this September 15-16. Purchase discounted early bird tickets by August 21st to save.  

Patients Are Powering the European Cannabis Industry

It is a truism in the room that the cannabis industry, globally, and in each region of the world it springs forth in, is driven first by the medical side of the business. No matter how much excitement about CBD first strategies, it is the places where fully leaded, THC included, and regulated whole plant medication are authorized that are able to drive real change, if not nascent markets forward.

This has been true of the United States and Canada and it’s the truth in Europe as well.

In Germany, despite the fact that patients gained access just as they lost the right to cultivate small amounts themselves (at least until recreational reform hits), so far, patients have only gained wider spread access by submitting themselves to the complicated approval process required by insurers. There are now about 50,000 patients in Germany and these patients are helping move cannabis more and more mainstream in their homeland and across europe, as the EU powerhouse’s influence ripples beyond its borders.

in the UK, the entire discussion is taking another twist. Namely, desperate parents of sick children began importing medicine from Holland and Canada and dared the authorities to shut them down.

That strategy worked, but only to a limited degree, unfortunately. Despite the fact that it was announced last fall that cannabis would be covered as a Schedule II prescription, covered under the NHS, so far there are, by best estimates fewer than 100 patients in the UK, but patients have not given up. In some cases, they have even partnered with large industry players from Canada and other countries to put pressure on the government to open the market.

The situation is so obviously dire in the U.K. right now, that it will have an effect, and probably far beyond the UK – globally. There is not a patient in the room of any nationality who has not had to deal with intransigent anti cannabis rules, unbending medical infrastructure and paperwork of all kinds.

In the UK, much like the conversation in every other legalizing market, the corner, at least, has been turned. The issue, not to mention those who are suffering, are visible.

Public opinion is shifting. Parliament is apologizing. And the market, no matter its shape post October 31, is clearly opening. And that progress is mostly due to the unrelenting pursuit of greater access by patients and their advocates. A sincere thanks to all sick and disabled patients, and their supporters, for moving our cause of freedom and compassion forward.

The International Cannabis Business Conference is THE industry event to learn the latest and to network with top investors, entrepreneurs, and advocates. Next up: Vancouver, Canada, this September 15-16. Discounted early bird tickets are on sale until August 21st.