2026 Cannabis Retail Sales Legislation passage overview from the patron.

From Battlefield to Grow Room: The Science, Discipline, and Responsibility of Growing Better Cannabis
How genetics, living soil, terpene science, and modern cultivation create consistent craft-quality cannabis.
“Years later, after military service, injuries, surgeries, chronic pain, PTSD, and watching too many friends struggle…

I started asking a different question.

‘Why are so many people putting things into their bodies without ever questioning how they were produced?’

We scrutinize organic

Learn from the successes and missteps of operators in established cannabis markets. This presentation explores proven strategies for securing a cannabis license, building the right team and industry relationships, developing a scalable operating model, and navigating regulatory requirements. Attendees will gain practical insights on license applications, compliance, fundraising and operational execution to position their business for long-term profitability in an evolving market.

Ownership structures and cap table decisions can make or break a Virginia cannabis license application, but applicants often overlook these details until it’s too late. Vicente LLP partner Charles Alovisetti draws on lessons from licensing outcomes across multiple markets to break down what regulators look for in equity splits, investor terms and entity formation and how ownership decisions can quickly impact a company’s success in Virginia’s emerging cannabis market.

U.S. cultivators face falling wholesale prices, competition, labor challenges and rising consumer expectations. Many focus on genetics and expansion, but post-harvest handling holds untapped profit potential. Ed Wells explores how drying, curing and storage affect value, yield, shelf life and consistency, and how uncontrolled environments cause terpene loss, degradation and shrinkage. Attendees will learn strategies to standardize post-harvest processes and boost profitability.

I want to share the lessons we’ve learned from our experience paying claims for Cannabis operators. We’ve paid claims from Fires, Theft, Vandalism, poor packaging, Product delivery, negligent testing, Equipment failures/explosions, Lighting Arcs, bad ventilation, employee accidents and a host of other exposures. My goal is to advise what an operator/retailer can do BEFORE they open their doors for operations to eliminate or minimize these hazards.

Virginia’s cannabis lottery won’t be decided by luck — it will be decided before the draw, at the eligibility and completeness review where inconsistent ownership disclosures, unreconciled financials, and overlooked qualification requirements quietly eliminate applicants. Drawing on Cannaspire’s experience securing licenses in Minnesota’s vetted lottery and years of work in the New York market, this session maps the disqualification traps most likely to appear in Virginia’s February lottery.

In this talk learn about how to succeed during Rescheduling with GMP/GACP certification, which will become a necessity for many cultivators, processors, and manufacturers. Participants will learn key strategies to upgrade their facilities and training, and product and stability validations, while finding ways to capitalize on exporting internationally as cannabis laws become less stringent worldwide. For new operators in the Virginia market, starting with GMP in mind is the smartest approach.

Launching a cannabis dispensary in Virginia is an exciting opportunity—but the technology you choose can make or break your success. This session is designed for entrepreneurs preparing to open in Virginia who want to build a reliable, compliant, and scalable tech stack from day one.

Build It Right: Minnesota 2027 brings Xtractor Depot’s 10+ years of cannabis industry experience to Minnesota operators preparing to launch and scale. We’ll cover facility planning, extraction, processing, equipment selection, compliance, and the costly mistakes we’ve seen in mature markets—giving Minnesota businesses a proven roadmap to build smarter from day one.

The cannabis industry is evolving rapidly, with new regulations, tax challenges, and market dynamics reshaping how businesses operate. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the current regulatory updates, tax compliance challenges, and strategies to structure your company for scalability and future growth. Gain actionable insights to strengthen your financial foundation and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

To address cannabis odors, many jurisdictions defer to operators to identify and implement appropriate odor control technologies, yet few comparative evaluations exist. Drawing on six years of field testing, this session takes environmental conditions, maintenance requirements, cost-effectiveness, and public perception into consideration, offering a practical framework for decision makers to better match control technologies to specific operational scenarios.

To address cannabis odors, many jurisdictions defer to operators to identify and implement appropriate odor control technologies, yet few comparative evaluations exist. Drawing on six years of field testing, this session takes environmental conditions, maintenance requirements, cost-effectiveness, and public perception into consideration, offering a practical framework for decision makers to better match control technologies to specific operational scenarios.

Securing capital and licenses does not guarantee that a cultivation operation is prepared to perform. Many funded projects struggle not because the plan was wrong, but because it was never built to survive contact with daily operations. This session examines what true operational readiness looks like in cannabis cultivation and how leaders translate funding into a disciplined, high-performing grow from day one.

Every cannabis operator faces the automation question; usually pitched by a vendor at the worst possible time. Automate too early and you burn capital. Too late and margin compression eats you alive. Drawing on five plus years inside cannabis production, Andrew Wells walks operators through a practical framework: Is your process stable enough to automate? Is the labor math real? What breaks at 2x volume? Built for operators in emerging markets who want to skip mistakes others already paid for.

In the rapidly evolving cannabis market, the relationship between facility operators and fire code officials is often viewed as adversarial—a series of expensive hurdles and red tape. However, safety and profitability are not mutually exclusive. This session, led by a veteran Fire Chief with direct experience approving more than half a dozen cultivation and extraction facilities, shows collaboration with your (AHJ) can prevent costly retrofits and streamline the licensing process.

Virginia cannabis licensing is right around the corner. Like several other states that have recently legalized, VA is using a qualified lottery process to determine who will receive licenses. 100 microbusiness licenses will be issued, along with 350 retail licenses and just as many social equity impact licenses. Jennifer will explain, in simple terms, the key priorities for preparing an application and getting ready to operate.

Cannabis Expo Presentation Guide:
• Property: protect buildings, equipment, inventory
• Product Liability: claims from contaminated/defective products
• General Liability: slip-and-fall, third-party risks
• Beverage Liability: infused drink exposures
• Workers Comp: employee injuries, compliance
• Commercial Auto: delivery and transport risks
• Exclusions: key gaps, endorsements, risk strategies

Join Dr. Lucas McCann, CSO and Co Founder of CannDelta, for a strategic briefing on Virginia’s 2026 market. With applications opening Sept 1, navigating the licensing process requires regulatory precision. We’ll talk about the different license types, restrictions, and the critical 10-day deficiency rule. Learn what you can do today, and the most viable entry to secure licensure in Virginia.

What is cannabis odor? What are Terpenes? What are VOC’s? How does odor emanate from a grow facility- open field, greenhouse, and indoor facilities. Why cannabis odor is a flashpoint for the industry. Typical odor control approaches, their strengths and weaknesses. Why deleting odor is the only acceptable odor control measure. Why empirical odor monitoring matters.

Compliance in the cannabis industry can be make-or-break to maintaining the value of your license and avoiding regulatory fines and delays. The fractional compliance model allows operators to use a third party to audit their operations, update their SOPs and operations materials to the code and regulations, and ensure that compliance tasks are being performed without the cost of an additional compliance officer’s salary.

The cannabis industry is evolving rapidly, with new regulations, tax challenges, and market dynamics reshaping how businesses operate. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the current regulatory updates, tax compliance challenges, and strategies to structure your company for scalability and future growth. Gain actionable insights to strengthen your financial foundation and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

The cannabis industry is evolving rapidly, with new regulations, tax challenges, and market dynamics reshaping how businesses operate. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the current regulatory updates, tax compliance challenges, and strategies to structure your company for scalability and future growth. Gain actionable insights to strengthen your financial foundation and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

An overall crash-course in trademarks. In this presentation, the following items are covered: trademark basics, the importance of registration of trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, pathways to registration, cannabis-related trademarks, and questions regarding all aforementioned topics.

Take a deep dive into why stable & exotic genetics are so important!  What is tissue culture and how can I take advantage of it. This will educate & teach growers how to achieve frosty & flavorful buds time after time!  Understand what to look for when choosing the genetics that you will be cultivating under your BRAND.  This session is designed for growers, entrepreneurs, investors, and advocates looking to understand how advancements in genetics and cultivation techniques can shape the future of their brand in the cannabis industry.  Once it’s out there, you can’t take it back!  The cream always rises to the top! 

This session offers a strategic framework for cannabis operators who want to build their business on a solid financial & operational foundation. The presentation lays out the essential systems, controls, and KPIs that need to be in place before scaling, all from the lens of a CPA who understands the unique regulatory and tax environment cannabis businesses face. Attendees will leave with a practical checklist of what a “scalable-ready” business looks like, and how to avoid the disorganization,

Odor control is a critical challenge for cannabis cultivation, affecting both business viability and community relations. With local jurisdictions prioritizing odor abatement for permits, cannabis businesses face risks like lawsuits and license revocations. This presentation explores evolving regulations, key metrics, and practical odor control solutions. Attendees will gain insights to navigate regulatory demands, fostering fair standards that support industry growth and community welfare.

Learn the fundamentals and the pitfalls to avoid in developing a premium exotic flower grow facility and operation. Learn about facility development starting with selecting the correct property, the type of facility to build, how to precisely control the environment, and setting up a perpetual rotation and cultivation program.

The session will substantially help in avoiding costly mistakes and make sure growers are on the right path to developing a successful premium flower operation.