News

O’ Cannabiz rolls into Vancouver

Published on December 9, 2018 by David Wylie

Some of the biggest businesses involved in the cannabis industry will rub elbows in Vancouver this week, as the city hosts the biggest cannabis conference in the country since legalization.

The conference kicked off Sunday with a focus on health care. The main events at O’ Cannabiz Conference and Expo run Monday and Tuesday at Parq Casino and Resort.

Calling Vancouver “the birthplace of marijuana normalization,” O’Cannabiz President Neill Dixon said the city is a perfect backdrop.

But that doesn’t mean things are perfect.

“Ironically, the city and province that kickstarted legalization is ground zero for the new clash between above-ground and black market pot,” he said.

“Vancouverites were first-adopters for almost every kind of cannabis product. And a populace that has grown used to satisfied demand has been slow to embrace the government’s often sluggish efforts to bring mainstream pot to market.”

Keynote speakers at the event include former talk host Montel Williams, who will talk about how he became a cannabis advocate, and Viceland’s Krishna Andavolu, who created the series Weediquette.

Here’s the conference program– it’s an interesting snapshot of the hot topics.

The conference is coming to Toronto April 25-27, 2019.

Conference goers will hear about:

• The CBD craze
• Tourism opportunities
• Brand building
• Retail and delivery experience so far
• Ups and downs of cannabis stocks