Regulations and the Environment: Is Red Tape Biodegradable?

Panel Discussion

Regulatory compliance remains a major concern for marijuana producers and suppliers. Packaging designs that meet the requirements on font size, government-mandated information and disclaimers and packing real estate put pressure on efforts to reduce waste and efficiently maximize recycling. Those in the industry look with concern to pressures currently being experienced by users of single-use plastics and look to industry professionals for guidance on how best to deal with not only recycled but with organic wastes, wastewater and odour as well. This session will examine the regulatory landscape and discuss which regs may be well-intentioned but counter-productive. We will hear about technical issues and solutions, and consider how Federal and Provincial marijuana regulatory requirements can also be at odds with environmental initiatives.

Moderated By: Richard Butler

Hemp Heats Up: Understanding the Next ‘Green Revolution’

Panel Discussion

Amid the noise of legalization, the non-psychoactive “other weed” sat quietly, with a relative few appreciating its almost limitless profit potential. That’s changing in a hurry, with legalized hemp production in the U.S. coming to the rescue of a CBD industry that can’t cope with a craze. But CBD oil production is just the beginning. There may be trillions of dollars in revenue once you factor in everything hemp can produce – from biodiesel fuels, to paper, to cloth, to enviro-friendly bio-plastics, all at an accelerated growth rate compared to other agri-business products. Kick-starting all these ideas will require billions of dollars in start-up funding, and many heads will have to be turned and minds changed. This session will offer up a road-map to a hemp-fueled future.

Moderated By: Vin Maru

New Biz, New Rules: How Cannabis is Rewriting the Supply Chain Model

Panel Discussion

Starting from scratch has its upside. An industry whose supply chain didn’t legally exist a few years ago has had to go in with its eyes open. We’ve discovered that surprise demand can mean unexpected outlays of revenue; volatile consumer trends require every level of the industry – from raw plant harvest to finished product to retail – be thoroughly researched, intelligently produced and transparently distributed. Dealing with problems on the macro and micro level has been challenging and as we move into phase 2, we must ask, are our operations set up for future success or are we just handling growth as it comes? This panel will discuss the uncertainties of the transforming cannabis market as well as examine known problems, evolving practices and processes that can affect the entire supply chain from harvest to consumer.

Moderated by: Peter Guo

(PART 1) Disrupting Old Markets: Edibles/Infused Products and the Status Quo

Panel Discussion

With falling liquor sales, brewers are infusing cannabis into de-alcoholized beer. Pharma firms, hurting from cannabis’s toll on prescribed medicines for pain and sleep, are buying in. Tourism and service industries are re-structuring to accommodate exploding demand for cannabis-infused products. Consumer demand was always assumed to be a sleeping giant, but it is bigger behemoth than anyone expected. This session on the rising opportunity curve will look at new and growing demand for dried flowers, oils, edibles, concentrates and topicals, and how it’s shaking up the market landscape in all directions.

Moderated By: David Hyde