Assessing Cannabis’ $15 Billion Dollar a Year Industry at the World’s Largest Marijuana Conference MJBizCon - From Products to Parties Weed Is Now Mainstream

Erin Baltsar in The Green Light District
Photo by Cova Software

Assessing Cannabis’ $15 Billion Dollar a Year Industry at the World’s Largest Marijuana Conference MJBizCon - From Products to Parties Weed Is Now Mainstream 
By Kat Thomas

Photo by Cova Software

I know you’re supposed to tell kids not to do drugs, but, kids, do it!  Do Weed!  Don’t do the other stuff, but Weed is good!
--Kevin Smith

The world of drugs is much different than it was even a decade ago.  In 2012, Colorado legalized Recreational Marijuana.  Eight years later, Cannabis is now legal in 11 states for adults over the age of 21, and legal for medical use in 33 states (which means we’re over the 50% tipping point).  This makes the Cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing businesses in the history of our modern economy.  The end of this decade found Marijuana to have reached $15 Billion dollars a year in the United States alone.  It’s safe to say: the world of Green, has become mainstream.

Tonya Kay Making a Splash
Photo by Cova Software

So with all this in mind, last week Edible Skinny was lucky enough to experience the expansive growth of the Cannabis industry at MJBizCon, sponsored by Marijuana Business Daily.  Founded in early 2011, Marijuana Business Daily focuses solely on Cannabusiness and the investors who back them.  Because this industry infinitely expands every year, a natural extension is the expansion of the largest Cannabis conference out there.  When the conference began in 2012 there were 400 people in attendance; flash forward 7 years with 2019 seeing 35,000 Cannabis business leaders and investors from 75 plus countries represented.

While bouncing around MJBizCon this year, ES experienced some fun products such as Mary Natural’s Boost Bomb (which we reviewed in our Art Basel Product Review article) and the CBD brand October Biosciences.  October Biosciences’ patent-pending water-soluble formula absorbs more readily than most other CBD products in the market (their absorption rate is a whopping 80%!).  The result, is the end consumer gaining a whole lot more CBD in their system.  Which is AWESOME, because this means you can actually use less of October Biosciences to achieve your desired effect on muscular, nerve, or joint pain.  All Hail Marijuana Technology!

Faai Steuer and Guest
Photo By Cova Software

The majority of our MJBizCon conference experience was focused on Cova Software’s prohibition themed party where The Green Light District (of which yours truly is a Co-Creator) was the featured entertainment.  This Gatsby inspired party was hosted by the Cova Software team, along with event partners UNOapp, Headset, Point7, SevenPoint Interiors, springbig, merrco, and media partner mg Magazine.  Their prohibition party was planned and executed with Jay Gatsby perfection by Cova’s Vice President of Marketing Faai Steuer.

Absinthe Station
Photo by Cova Software

The Soiree featured The Green Light District Band, which performs your favorite Cannabis songs covered in 1920s vintage style (think if Snoop Dogg was sung by Ella Fitzgerald).  Fronted by Sultry Songstress Erin Baltsar and accompanied by musicians Kevin Stewart, Jay Yaskin, and Nate Yeasley, this cover band was accented by plucky tap dancer Becky Fullington in a fusion of percussive shoe rhythm and live music.  Other delights including a pair of alpacas, roulette and craps gaming tables, and two Absinthe stations, one via a hand sculpted butterfly ice luge.  The speakeasy effect of the night was crowned with a burlesque floor show featuring “the Most Dangerous Woman in Hollywood” Tonya Kay playful splashing around into a six-foot-tall martini glass.  It was a party fit for Daisy Buchanan, if she smoked the Flower!

So here’s to life being delicious, all your moments being postcard worthy, and doing drugs (legally).

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