Could cannabis be coming to a meeting near you?
The latest news in the cannabis world comes from Coca-Cola, which is considering the production of a drink enhanced with cannabidiol (aka CBD) due to its therapeutic potential. CBD is a chemical in marijuana leaves that doesn’t create a high but has been shown to help with therapeutic and medicinal applications. While the drink concept is in the early stages of development and will take awhile before becoming as common as the soda products available at meetings, the use of CBD is not.
In fact, CBD-infused products, such as CBD cocktails on restaurant menus, have become more widely accepted in mainstream culture—so much so that there are several medicinal cannabis conferences held each year to keep up with the growing trend. Take CannMed 2018, being held in Los Angeles, Oct. 22-24, for instance. The conference brings together industry leaders to share research, treatment and product development, with session topics including treating cancer and other ailments with cannabis. Similarly, the Cannabis Conference will host its third annual event next spring in an effort to educate businesses on how to cultivate and sell cannabis.
Since 2012 when recreational marijuana became legal in Colorado and Washington, seven other states have deemed it legal for recreational purposes, while a total of 31 consider it legal for medical purposes. And as the use of cannabis becomes more mainstream, it will only continue to show up at popular events as well.
Case in point: This past August, the Outside Lands 2018 music festival in San Francisco took advantage of the state’s recent legalization laws by designating an entire section of the event to cannabis connoisseurs. Cleverly dubbed “Grass Lands” (in line with the event’s Beer Lands and Wine Lands), the section included a cannabis farmers market, an army of budtenders and a chance to “engage” with cannabis. While attendees could not actually buy, smoke or use the product anywhere at the festival, the premise is quite innovative for the events market.
“Much the way that Wine Lands celebrates Napa and Sonoma as the leaders in U.S. wine production, Grass Lands will shine a light on the area’s importance as pioneers in the cannabis world,” says Rick Farman, co-founder of Superfly, co-producers of Outside Lands. “With recreational marijuana now legal in California, there is so much to discover. We are excited to be the first major festival in the country to offer attendees the chance to learn about the latest in cannabis development.”
So, yes, cannabis could be coming to an event near you sooner than you think.
