A B.C. cannabis conference kicked off on Wednesday, sparking conversations centred around provincial cannabis issues.
The B.C. Cannabis Summit is being held by the Association for Canadian Cannabis Retailers and BC Craft Farmers Co-op at Kelowna’s Eldorado Resort.
“This event is about getting industry stakeholders together, including licensed producers, cultivators, processors, the Indigenous community, as well as retailers throughout B.C. and policy regulators,” said Cory Waldron, Association for Canadian Cannabis Retailers director.
“It gives us an opportunity to get together and talk about what regulations are working, what’s not working and how we can make things better.”
Organizers are calling it a major networking event, with a point of emphasis on connecting Indigenous community leaders with B.C. cannabis farmers and retailers to possibly bring more business opportunities to Indigenous communities.
“Some of our best growers are indigenous and live in our Indigenous communities. Now, if we can provide benefits to our communities through growing and farming (that would be great),” said Greg Hopf, Moccasin Trails Consulting’s owner.
“There’s just so many benefits that we can bring into our Indigenous communities, and, at the end of the day, cannabis is here and it’s not going away. If we, as Indigenous owners, growers, if we don’t take advantage of this, someone else will. Why not us?”
The conference is also focusing on small cannabis farms, giving them the ability to showcase their products, and make connections with possible retailers.
The B.C. Cannabis Summit will continue over the next two days. Tickets are sold out, but organizers say the community turnout is encouraging that they will be able to expand for next year’s conference.