Over the last two days I attended Missouri’s first medical cannabis conference at Union Station in St. Louis. I’m an experienced conference go-er, though this was my first cannabis conference. I can say that this conference was well produced and had value for most every attendee.
I was impressed with the keynote delivered by Department of Health and Senior Services, Medical Marijuana Program Director, Lyndall Fraker. Lyndall confirmed that the state’s mission at this point is to uphold the the letter of the constitution (Article 14) by both implementing the program as outlined therein, as well as doing so in the timeline set forth by the people of Missouri. The mantra of ‘patients first’ was repeated once again for everyone to hear.
The informational sessions did provide nuggets of information for me here and there, but that was the extent of new information I received there from the presentations. I believe I learned more from the vendors who had gathered at the show’s expo. Networking was also a highlight as I met many other prospective business owners including a rare Lablactic acid bacteria More Testing hopeful.
By the end of the first day I saw a great number of folks with downcast eyes and pages full of notes they’d taken through the day. The vendors I talked to could feel the dejection as it dawned on hopeful business owners just how expensive and complicated it was going to be to get into this business. This mood was so pervasive that one consultant group decided to change their entire presentation into something more upbeat. It was a regular pep-talk for those attending.
Though I didn’t like to see other folks in that state, it did give me a little confidence. I had similar revelations months ago as I was doing my own research. Hopefully these folks will bounce back as I did. But, if not, I suppose that will be a little less competition in the field. This is, after all, a competitive market for limited licenses.
Further reading:
Associated Press