Ka-Ching! The Big Business of Cannabis at CWCBExpo

Ka-Ching!  The Big Business of Cannabis at CWCBExpo

By Kat Thomas, Edible Skinny

The watchword is green, both in product (marijuana) and the end result (green green cash). 

Cannabis has become a mainstream big business!  In 2018, cannabis sales in the US are projected to be over $10 Billion!  By 2020, the United States market is estimated to top $35 billion annually.  So with a ganjapreneurial attitude, Edible Skinny was lucky enough to attend the 5th annual CWCBExpo at the Los Angeles Convention Center at the end of September. 

The CWCBExpo is one of the only business-to-business forum that focuses on educating and connecting professionals who recognize the unparalleled business opportunities within the U.S. Founded by the industry’s top thought leaders, the CWCBExpo was created with the sole purpose of providing a forum to educate and guide business leaders to succeed in this emerging market.

Below are some areas of this green revolution conference that peaked our interest!  So here’s to life being delicious, all your moments being postcard worthy, and $10 billion dollars in cannabis sales!  Ka-Ching!

PRØHBTD Media
PRØHBTD Media owns and operates the leading original content studio and largest multi-platform video network in the cannabis space.  PRØHBTD created one of the largest multi-platform video distribution network in the cannabis industry reaching an available audience of 100+ million people distributed through Roku, YouTube, and Amazon Prime.  Shows include a cannabis cooking show, a women focused The View-like show called The Nest, and High with Ty starring host Tyler Lemco.  Along with that, PRØHBTD is recognized as the exclusive global cannabis partner of Advertising Week and Entrepreneur Magazine.  They have worked on placing cannabis activation at music festivals such as Cannes, South By SouthWest, the Toronto Film Festival, and gifting suites at the Oscars.  The company is venture backed with $12 Million in funding and has offices in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto and Vancouver.

https://prohbtd.com/

Antpods
This was the coolest new vape distribution system we saw at CWCBExpo!  The Torrance based AntPods TOAST, enables vape juice makers and brands to deliver juices in ready-to-go smart devices, providing new opportunities in a crowded marketplace.  The device is small (fits in the palm of your hand) rectangular refillable dispensing device, that’s completely customizable for white labeling.   Antpods lasts about 200 puffs and has a cradle and lanyard system to hang the device around your neck for complete discretion.

https://antpods.com.cn/

Hemp Pavilion
This year Edible Skinny encountered the Hemp Pavilion at CWCBExpo.  There we talked to Hemp Historian Les Stark representing The National Hemp Association.  Right now hemp is only a niche crop in the US: there’s 25,000 acres of hemp in the US, but we will need 1 million acres to make it a viable business crop.  At the pavillion were multiple items made from hemp including skateboards, hempcrete (a renewable hemp based concrete), and a BMW i8 (the door panels were made out of hemp).  Fun fact: a large amount of European car makers use hemp in their cars, since the crop is grown more readily there. 

Stark documented the history of hemp in the state of Pennsylvania in his book Hempstone Heritage.  Hemp was grown throughout Pennsylvania for nearly 300 years, but in the past 80 years it's been illegal to grow it in the Keystone State.  Stark has been on a 20 year mission to bring industrial hemp back into production in the Pennsylvania. 

https://nationalhempassociation.org/

HempMeds
While at CWCBExpo we were able to chat it up with the gang over at Edibles List and Miss Liz Carmouche, HempMeds Spokesperson (you can see the video at The Green Light District’s YouTube page for their CULTIVATE YOUR MIND series).  Carmouche is the first openly-gay American UFC/MMA fighter who competed in the first-ever women's UFC fight.  She is also an active CBD advocate.  Carmouche believes that all veterans and active military should have access to the CBD products they need for pain, PTSD,and other issues.  Her brand sponsor in this issue is, HempMeds. 

HempMeds exist to nurture the world’s trust in CBD.  From online store to packaged product, their company believes integrity and adherence to high standards deliver the best quality hemp oil for their customers.  They distribute worldwide, providing industry-leading products to wholesalers, affiliates, and retail customers earning our reputation as Your Trusted Source for CBDs. 
https://hempmedspx.com/

Kat Thomas is the Editor in Chief of Edible Skinny, a site dedicated to making your life postcard worthy. She is also the CEO of the creative media company This Way Adventures. You can find more about both brands at http://www.thiswayadventures.com
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SM Observer Article: The Business of Getting High: Exploring the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition

Our Editor in Chief, Kat Thomas recently wrote an article of on the The Business of Getting High: Exploring the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition for the Santa Monica Observer.   Check it our below!

The Business of Getting High: Exploring the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition

The Cannabis Means Business expo housed the entire west wing of the Convention Center. 5 conference halls hosted speakers on specific aspects of the industry.

Thousands of suited up budtender businessman gathered Sept. 7-10 at the Los Angeles Convention Center for the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition, and there was nary your classic Shaggy stoner in sight. But what there was was a lot of talk of a lot of green, both of bud and money to come from bud. It is estimated that $50 billion a year is generated in cannabis sales within the United States, yet only $5.4 billion of that is legal sales.

But all that's about to change.

Prohibited across the United States less than five years ago, marijuana is now legal and regulated in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and the District of Columbia. This November, voters in Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada will also vote on AUMA (Adult Use of Marijuana Act) ballot initiatives that would repeal prohibition of the drug, with investors expecting a large uptick in the market after these states votes in November.

The Cannabis Means Business expo housed the entire west wing of the Convention Center. Five conference halls hosted speakers who spoke for 40 minutes about specific aspects of the industry. Up to 30 speakers lectured each day about topics ranging from growing, to Native American laws and cannabis, to policy reform and banking. One of the major topics was the relationship between prescription meds and cannabis. T.V. and radio personality Montel Williams spoke to room of nearly 70 people on Thursday afternoon about his addiction to opioids and how cannabis saved his life.

Avis Bulbulyan, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of SIVA Enterprises, was one such featured speaker for Opening Day, lecturing on "The Road to State Licensing." Originally established as Bulbulyan Consulting Group, SIVA Enterprises leverages more than a decade of experience in the cannabis industry to provide consulting services, turnkey management, venture opportunities, and brand acquisitions and licensing. "Jumping into the Marijuana industry is as simple as taking traditional business principles and applying to this industry, you just need to know the ins and outs," noted Bulbulyan.

Just this year, SIVA has helped develop and launch 4 new cannabis companies: ZASP (cannabis-infused drinks), Varavo (edibles and oils), the Herbal Pain Relief Center (a cannabis dispensary), and Verdant (a cannabis distribution company). "Because marijuana is still a Schedule 1 drug you need to brand well and then franchise in others states through the licensing of your product and IP."

Lectures wasn't the only option to partake at the Cannabis World Congress. Numerous vendors displayed their forays into the world of Mary Jane in the convention centers enormous auditorium. People had ample opportunity to mill around checking out new products and technology or just network.

The pretty cannabinoid faces of Medicated Barbies were representing Deviant Dabs, a company that focuses the farmers market buying crowd by crafting "artisanal concentrates made in small batches from top quality organic cannabis grown by multi-generational experts in the craft."... 


To read the full article check out: 
http://www.smobserved.com/story/2016/09/27/news/the-business-of-getting-high-exploring-the-cannabis-world-congress-and-business-exposition/2021.html