The business conference and expo features several surprising keynotes.
CanEX returns to Jamaica for its fifth annual installment of lively conversation, presentations, and networking at the Montego Bay Convention Center from September 15 to 17.
As a Trinidadian and native New Yorker, CanEx CEO Douglas K. Gordon thinks it’s essential that Jamaicans get their fair share of Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) licenses to cultivate locally in Jamaica.
“Our goal is to see the Caribbean unlock the opportunity represented by a dynamic and thriving global cannabis industry. It is critical that there be a dynamic and fully-inclusive model that adequately reflects the community, for which there is a widespread benefit. First amongst those opportunities is Jamaica, which has, over time, come to represent the most powerful cultural association with the plant.”
This year’s CanEx will have a solid female presence with four keynote speakers.
Wanda L. James, founder and CEO of Simply Pure, along with her husband Scott Durrah, became the first African Americans legally licensed in the United States to own a dispensary, a cultivation facility, and an edibles company.
Toi Hutchinson, president & CEO of Marijuana Policy Project, is a former Illinois Senator, representing the 40th District from 2009 to 2019.
“During her time in the Senate, Hutchinson championed various causes, including protecting women and children from violence, modernizing the state’s tax structure, and legalizing cannabis. Hutchinson is an original co-sponsor of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (CRTA), the most equity-centric law in the nation to legalize adult-use cannabis,” according to her website.
Before leaving the Senate, she served as the 46th president of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Jamie L Pearson, former president and CEO of Bhang, currently works as a consultant in the cannabis industry for New Holland Group.
Dr. Annabelle Manalo-Morgan, founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Masaya Medical, a company that sells CBD that claims to be “99% THC-free.” Dr. Manalo-Morgan initially created the formula for her sick son. Flora Growth Life Sciences (NASDAQ: FLGC) acquired Masaya, and Dr. Manalo-Morgan sits on the Board.
On the legacy side of the cannabis equation, award-winning cannabis cultivator Wabba Clayton, founder and CEO of Wabba’s Weed Adventures and Tours, and Principal of Brighton, Jamaica-based resort Blue Hole Mineral Spring, will be on a panel to explain the significance of being a family heritage operator.
He hopes to directly address the CLA as to why his application has languished for over three years.
In addition to the expo, a slew of soirees will occur, including a golf tournament and an all-white-attired beach party at Rose Hall Beach Club.
Reggae artists Bushman, Gramps Morgan, and Yaadcore will also speak on panels at CanEx. Use code “SOMERCANEX” for a Cannabis & Tech Today ten percent discount on registration.
