Robert Celt
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A speaker at the Cannabis Collaborative Conference said the fast-growing industry has an entrepreneurial model to emulate in the organic food movement.
"As big as natural food industry has grown, this new cannabis industry stands to make it small by comparison," said Tom Burns, who oversaw the success of Yogi Tea in Eugene, Ore., beginning in the 1970s.
But he cautioned that "sky is the limit" business projections must be tempered with social values and responsibility.
"All of us in this up-and-coming cannabis industry have a great opportunity to make a positive difference," Burns said. "This industry is not just about getting high and storing cash in some safe place.
"Capitalism in a caring form can improve all of our lives," he said. "We will need to be good on all levels, to be as safe, pure and certified as organic food. Don't settle for easy, assure all of our products are safe."
An estimated 1,200 people, plus about 90 vendors, are attending the two-day conference at the Portland Expo Center. Speakers are extolling the investment opportunities in cannabis as recreational and medical pot use becomes legal in more states. Vendors are pushing their equipment, security systems, professional services and more.
Conference speaker Steve Marks, executive director of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, said his agency and state legislators are pushing hard to make cannabis a safe and well-regulated industry.
"We are very, very focused on making sure this rolls out the best we can," Marks said.
The OLCC has received 438 applications from prospective pot producers, wholesalers and processors, but none yet from laboratories that would certify quality. He said that's troubling, because lab work is essential to assure a flow of product to retail outlets. "We have to have that capacity there," Marks said.
Master of ceremonies for the opening day was Noah Stokes, CEO of a pot security company called CannaGuard.
"This is a cannabis trade show, so we double-strengthed all the coffee," Stokes joked in his opening remarks.
He congratulated entrepreneurs for pushing ahead in the industry even though pot is still illegal at the federal level, despite state-by-state approval.
"It's no small feat to look the federal government in the eye and start a business doing that," he said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Entrepreneurs Flock To Oregon Cannabis Conference
Author: Eric Mortenson
Contact: Capitol Press
Photo Credit: YouTube
Website: Capital Press
"As big as natural food industry has grown, this new cannabis industry stands to make it small by comparison," said Tom Burns, who oversaw the success of Yogi Tea in Eugene, Ore., beginning in the 1970s.
But he cautioned that "sky is the limit" business projections must be tempered with social values and responsibility.
"All of us in this up-and-coming cannabis industry have a great opportunity to make a positive difference," Burns said. "This industry is not just about getting high and storing cash in some safe place.
"Capitalism in a caring form can improve all of our lives," he said. "We will need to be good on all levels, to be as safe, pure and certified as organic food. Don't settle for easy, assure all of our products are safe."
An estimated 1,200 people, plus about 90 vendors, are attending the two-day conference at the Portland Expo Center. Speakers are extolling the investment opportunities in cannabis as recreational and medical pot use becomes legal in more states. Vendors are pushing their equipment, security systems, professional services and more.
Conference speaker Steve Marks, executive director of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, said his agency and state legislators are pushing hard to make cannabis a safe and well-regulated industry.
"We are very, very focused on making sure this rolls out the best we can," Marks said.
The OLCC has received 438 applications from prospective pot producers, wholesalers and processors, but none yet from laboratories that would certify quality. He said that's troubling, because lab work is essential to assure a flow of product to retail outlets. "We have to have that capacity there," Marks said.
Master of ceremonies for the opening day was Noah Stokes, CEO of a pot security company called CannaGuard.
"This is a cannabis trade show, so we double-strengthed all the coffee," Stokes joked in his opening remarks.
He congratulated entrepreneurs for pushing ahead in the industry even though pot is still illegal at the federal level, despite state-by-state approval.
"It's no small feat to look the federal government in the eye and start a business doing that," he said.
News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Entrepreneurs Flock To Oregon Cannabis Conference
Author: Eric Mortenson
Contact: Capitol Press
Photo Credit: YouTube
Website: Capital Press
