Highlighting the fall tourist season and Sweetest Day this year, The Grand Traverse Resort and Spa will be hosting The Northern Cannabis Conference and Masquerade Ball on October 16th, 2021. Canna Industries selected this venue to hold the event so their guest could enjoy the exquisite surroundings, have an opportunity to meet Michigan’s cannabis businesses and enjoy the night at the Masquerade Ball, which falls on Sweetest Day.
It can be difficult for some teams to create both a professional and relaxed atmosphere during a largely attended presentation, but not for this organization.
The Boot Camp is the brainchild of M4MM Director, Roz McCarthy, Founder and CEO of Minorities For Medical Marijuana, who moderated one of the most informative and welcoming workshops we’ve encountered online. With Vanessa Jones as Admin, the days flowed smoothly with incredibly good questions from the attendees, with well structured answers that allowed the energy of the workshop to make it easy for others to build on the current subject.
Like all area Presidents, Cimone Casson, head of the M4MM Michigan Chapter took the lead on its premier 2 day event March 13 & 14, 2021 via Zoom. “Every state gets a chance to do it differently because every state has a different footprint, so it’s usually going to be a reflection of the chapter president’s vision as well as the areas landscape,” stated Casson.
“I just really wanted to create a fun, exciting platform where people would be eager to be educated. Making sure that people had a place for their questions to be answered by the top professionals in the industry while at the top of their game made it a great success with nothing but great feedback.”
Although the workshop was built with Michigan business in mind, people from all over the country were online to hear the presentations. Representing various special niches in the industry, like law, real estate, insurance, growing, and business development.
The Community Platinum partner was none other than the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency, (MRA). They actually kicked off the event to talk about what the State’s Equity Program actually entails as well as a presentation on how to apply for the adult use license.
“One of the biggest disconnects is understanding what it takes to be successful,” affirmed Casson. This can take on all sorts of forms, including location, security, investors, and knowing what type of fraudulent activity is possible, ( a great out of state link shared – https://mass-cannabis-control.com/wp-content/uploads/Considerations-for-SEP-and-EE-members.pdf). Other questions included, “Which license type is appropriate for an edibles manufacturer? Processor? Processor?” “Do Caregivers file taxes on money earned as personal or businesses income?”
“Can Caregiver licenses be paired with Microbiz licenses to boost plant quantity?” – By the way, No. Caregiver can only give distribution to their patients.
Among the sizable list of presenters, were professional stand -outs like Wanda James and Leo Bridgewater who were on hand to determine the winner of funds for the Pitch Deck portion of the Bootcamp, where attendees had the opportunity to gain favor with the investors in a ‘Shark Tank’ style presentation of their business.
Also on hand was local legend attorney, Barton Morris, whose criminal defense background had allowed him ample experience in Marijuana related offenses.
In 2008 when Michigan adopted the Michigan Medical Marijuana Act, he decided to specialize in marijuana law. I was passionate about ensuring medical marijuana participants were protected from the state, whose laws he felt were both oppressive and discriminatory. Morris was very involved with the legalization of marijuana in Michigan and created the Cannabis Legal Group to assist those interested in joining the industry.
Another well known face in the vast crowd was All Star Grower, Adam Scott Green, whose decades of experience in growing, cultivating, and the best practices therein were intertwined with Jorge Lerma’s, (Viritis Labs), technical knowledge for a well rounded discussion on how to choose well and assure success within the agricultural process.
Other topics covered were licensing and taxes, financial preparation and capital, location, security, transporting, product determination and control, insurance, hemp, and every question the attendees could ask.
Taking it a step further, Casson and McCarthy not only created an event with an intense amount of information, but in addition to that, formed a SLACK program application where individuals can continue reaching out to each other, share best practices and stay in contact with all of the speakers. This was an exceptional value given the incredible amount of information.
Find out more about the Minorities 4 Medical Marijuana Programs and Events by visiting https://www.m4mmunited.org
Written by Cathleen Francois, Executive Director and Chief Editor, GreeningDetroit.com