Ian Rassman – Executive Director of Los Angeles NORMLTopic:Feb 3 - Room 1: 5PM - Activism at NORML , the medical cannabis donation program, and Insights into payments and banking in the Cannabis industryFeb 4 - Room 2: 10 AM - Activism at NORML , the medical cannabis donation program, and Insights into payments and banking in the Cannabis industryIan is a devoted cannabis advocate, currently serving as the Executive Director of Los Angeles NORML. His organization's unwavering commitment to facilitating compassionate cannabis donations under California's SB34 legislation has resulted in over $5 million worth of medical cannabis contributions to veterans and patients in need across California. With a remarkable 13-year background in the Banking and Payments sector, including a dedicated 8-year focus on cannabis payments, Ian brings a wealth of knowledge and financial expertise to assist operators in the cannabis industry. His profound grasp of the industry and extensive global network, highlighted by his popular Cannabis Business Event Calendar on his website, establish him as an invaluable asset to the cannabis community.
Aaron Zeeman – Founder of Big Island GeneticsFeb 3 – Room 2: 2PM – The future of the Legacy Growers in Hawaii: current local cannabis culture
"Professor Potgrower" a veteran guerilla grower, medical cannabis patient and infamous activist/defendant. Soon after his release from doing 12 months in federal custody he captured a trophy in Honolulu for a medical cannabis competition today known as the Aloha Cup. He won 1st place for the Big Island and second overall for the state of Hawaii with his entry of Puna Diesel. Experienced with over 20 years of growing, the Professor had dabbled with breeding with some notable success after creating a strain known as "Lucky" that moved around Puna growers for nearly 10 years before eventually disappearing like so many great local strains have done.
Big Island Genetics started by offering Puna Diesel hybrids and the Professor's hunt for the legendary Puna Budder and the other Hawaiian classics was made top priority. It would still take a couple more years before that jewel was located far from Hawaii along with Maui Wowee, Molokai Snow, Kauai Electric and Kona Gold to make a complete collection from different islands. All from one source who passed these one of a kind genetics to the Professor telling him "you think that you found these genetics but that's not what happened. They found you. I've been breeding these strains all these years waiting to find the right person to continue them, keeping them pure...and sharing them with the world."
Alexis Muller – BSBA, MS/owner of Hawaii Cannabis ExpertTopic:Feb 2 – Room 1: 5PM - The Potency of Knowledge: Elevating Cannabis Consumer ValueFeb 3 – Room 2: 3PM - The Potency of Knowledge: Elevating Cannabis Consumer ValueAlexis Muller is the owner of Hawaii Cannabis Expert and a highly accomplished cannabis consultant, her expertise lies in providing specialized medical cannabis education for individuals, budtenders, organizations, and clinicians. She has a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a major in management from Hawaii Pacific University and recently earned her master’s degree in medical cannabis science and therapeutics from the University of Maryland school of pharmacy in 2022. She has over 25 years in the cannabis space from the ground up, dabbling in home cultivation and cooking with cannabis where her recipes have been featured on Levooil.com.
Amy R. Nielsen – DCNc | HealthySelf Nutrition LLCTopic:Feb 2 – Room 1: 3PM - Cannabis and Crohn'sFeb 3 – Room 1: 11AM - CBD and diabetesFeb 4 – Room 1: 11AM -. Cannabis and metabolic syndromeAmy Nielsen is a classically trained Chef and Herbalist pursuing a Doctoral degree in clinical nutrition, studying the development of culturally appropriate paradigms for nutrition management of metabolic syndrome, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease/hypertension, and lipedema/lymphedema. Amy has been working with clients for over 20 years, developing personalized plans to manage complex health concerns using diet, herbs, and lifestyle modification to meet client-centered goals. An avid researcher, Amy uses science-backed information and clinical experience to formulate theories and guiding principles for health management. They enjoy parsing complex medical information into actionable steps to initiate change and maintain sustainable solutions for diverse goals.
Founder of Balm of Gilead/A Lifelong Activist, Educator & LearnerTopic:Feb 3 – Room 1: 2 PM - Reparatory & Restorative Justice in Hawai’i’s Legal Cannabis IndustryFeb 4 -Room 2: 1 PM - Reparatory & Restorative Justice in Hawai’i’s Legal Cannabis IndustryEmpress Modupe Olufunmi-Jacobs is a Master Teacher and Certified Cannabis Health & Wellness Coach. She has a Master's degree in Education, from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, Riverdale, New York. A Bachelor's in History, one in Africana Studies, from Brook|yn College, City University of New York. Recently completed at Saint Louis University a Professional Certification Cannabis Science and Operations program. Serves her community as A Certified Cannabis Health and Wellness Coach and Educator.Empress has advocated for over 40 years to decriminalize and legalize Cannabis globally. As well as to reform criminal justice laws adversely impacting BIPOC peoples' entry in the legal "Cannabis Industry". She founded Balm of Gilead's mission in the RASTAFARI principles and spiritual traditions of her indigenous African Avisian AnkCestars.She is committed to serving BIPOC communities that have been adversely impacted by the "war on drugs" locally and abroad. Empress provides Cannabis literacy through activism, advocacy, education, health and wellness coaching. She has seen the power of transformation in her own life in caring for her mind, body, and spirit with diet, exercise, with Cannabis and plant medicine. She is passionate about helping others do the same.
HACR is comprised of nonprofits and community organizations that recognize prohibition has failed, and it’s time for a more sensible approach.
The Hawai‘i Alliance for Cannabis Reform is dedicated to ending cannabis prohibition in Hawai’i and replacing it with a system of legalization and regulation, with a focus on reparative justice and inclusion.
Hawai‘i residents support legalizing cannabis use for adults.
Cannabis prohibition entails direct enforcement costs.
Legalization makes it possible to regulate and control cannabis in order to promote public health and safety.
Why Legalize and Regulate?
Although Hawai‘i was the first state to adopt a medical marijuana program through the legislature in 2000, it continues to arrest thousands of people each year for cannabis offenses over 20 years later. In fact, under current law possession of over three grams is punishable with up to 30 days in jail despite the fact that legalization has widespread in Hawaii.
Jenny Dills – Kind Cannabis Consulting & Justice Served (501©3)Topic:Feb 2 – Room 2: 6PM - Surviving Corporate Cannabis Pt. 1. Good Money/Bad MoneyFeb 3 – Room 2: 11AM - Pt. 2. Preserving Culture in Cannabis Industry Jenny stands as the visionary behind Kind Cannabis Consulting & Justice Served (501©3), assumes the role of CFO at Pineapple Express a Los Angeles based retail store, Director of Operations at Game Over Distribution, and shares ownership of the Weed & Munchies Brand. Her journey into the realm of cannabis commenced at birth, and she formally entered the legal industry in 2012 within the new landscape of Colorado.Since that pivotal moment, Jenny has harnessed her profound understanding of both cannabis and business dynamics to orchestrate the development, licensing, and operation of cultivations, extraction facilities, distributions, and retail establishments. Her expertise revolves around meticulous regulatory compliance, strategic revenue enhancement, SOP innovation, licensing endeavors, and the overarching principle of "profitability through process."With an unwavering dedication spanning from seed to sale, Jenny nurtures an abiding fascination for genetics, propelling the plant's evolution and the industry's progression.Rooted in her values, she carries a fervent commitment to restorative justice and genuine equity within the cannabis industry.
Justin Lehmann – Owner / PSGx World Topic:Feb 3 – Room 1: 4 PM - Culture and the Bond of the Plant Pt.1Feb 4 – Room 2: 11 AM - Culture and the Bond of the Plant Pt. 2Justin Lehmann is a New Age independently successful 5th generation Midwest Farmer, Canna-preneur & controversial popular online personality/Gonzo Writer who will share personal cannabis business stories live on stage with crowd interaction. PSGX is a message and a movement inside of a highly volatile current cannabis industry with deep roots. Free PSGXWORLD seed packs will be given to the first 100 people who are in attendance.The plants grow us... we don't grow the plants"Songs Of Canna Redemption & Revolution: Coming to you as a humble Voice from inside the depths of a self-proclaimed yet mass agreed upon "Current Cannabis Cultural Awakening" is Justin Lehmann of PSGXWORLD.
Award winning and celebrated cultivator, breeder, and speaker
Grand Master Grower Ken Estes is something of a legend within the vastly growing cannabis industry. Creator of the world-famous strain Grand Daddy Purp (GDP) and winner of 14 High Times Cup titles, the accolades Estes has garnered throughout his long career provide undeniable proof of his grower expertise.
Estes sees growing as an entrance to a better way of living because it has truly helped him live better. Shortly after he finished high school in the late ’70s, Estes was involved in a motorcycle accident that left him quadriplegic, wheelchair-bound for life. The pharmaceutical pain pills doctors prescribed him offered no relief and, in fact, made him feel worse, unable to sleep or eat.
The very first time he tried a more natural approach in 1979, it changed Estes’s life. The doctors were amazed, and he’s been obsessed with growing high-potency plants for natural medicine ever since.
Marcus Moates, the CEO and founde of Nature’s Lab Extracts.
Marcus Moates, founder of Nature's Lab Extracts, is a crucial figure in the cannabis industry. Originally from Arkansas, he entered the field in 2007 and founded Nature's Lab Extracts in 2008. The brand, recognized for its hydrocarbon extraction and diverse product range, earned global acclaim with numerous awards. Marcus's contributions extend to co-founding Kitty's Munchies, a white-label edibles provider.
His dynamic career includes roles as CEO of Nature's Lab Extracts, President of Extraction & Production in Las Vegas Cannabis, and Head of Extraction & Post Production at LoudPack. Marcus was crucial in setting up and training facilities, such as Loudpack and Cookies Retail. Beyond cannabis, he is involved in Love Lab, a CBD and Psilocybin Research company.
With a career spanning various facets of the cannabis industry and beyond, Marcus Moates is a driving force, contributing innovation and expertise to the evolving landscape of cannabis-related industries.
Companies: Natures Lab Extracts, Natures Lab Consulting, Natures Farms, & Love Laboratories 20202.
Martin Lee – Director of Project CBD/ Author Topic:Feb 2 – Room 2: 5PM - CBD, Intoxicating Hemp, and Counterfeit Cannabis, What the CIA Can Teach US About PsychedelicsFeb 3 – Room 2: 4 PM - CBD, Intoxicating Hemp, and Counterfeit Cannabis, What the CIA Can Teach US About PsychedelicsFeb 4 – Room 1: 2PM - CBD, Intoxicating Hemp, and Counterfeit Cannabis, What the CIA Can Teach US About PsychedelicsMartin A. Lee is the director of Project CBD and the author of several books, including Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD - the CIA, the Sixties and Beyond, and Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana - Medical, Recreational and Scientific.Martin A. Lee is the co-founder and director of Project CBD and the author of several books, including Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana–Medical, Recreational and Scientific, which received the American Botanical Council’s James A. Duke Award for Excellence in Botanical Literature. Named by High Times as one of the 100 most influential people in cannabis, he is the 2016 winner of the Emerald Cup’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Lee is also co-founder of the media watch group FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting) and the author of Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD–The CIA, the Sixties and Beyond.
Bo Le Grand – CEO / Publisher Edibles MagazineTM & EdiblesList.comTopic:Feb 3 – Room 1: 12NN - Cannabis for EndometriosisFeb 4 – Room 1: 1PM - Cannabis for PetsBorn and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, B. Le Grand is a self-made businesswoman who began running her own graphic and web design firm when she was 16 years old. She graduated high school early and went to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where she studied Advertising and Photography then left school to start her own design firm. She was Runway Magazine’s Creative Director & Editor-in-Chief for two years before her love of music moved her to Los Angeles in 2011, where she began budtending and learned everything she could about the cannabis industry. Before creating the Edibles platform she manufactured her own line of medical marijuana infused topicals and edibles.In 2010, she created the EdiblesList.com in order to find healthy, consistent, medicated edibles and then Launched Edibles Magazine™ in 2013, which is now distributed in nine different states. Her annual Best of Edibles List Awards was rated in the top 5 cannabis events by SFGate.com and is currently going into its 5th year. In 2016, Marijuana Venture Magazine named her one of Cannabis’s Top 40 under 40. She is the cannabis industry's go-to edibles expert and considered The Empress of Edibles. Le Grand launched Edible Distribution in 2016, carrying over 25 brands and servicing over 350 outlets. She also co-created The Edibles Show for Z420.TV, produced the first ever Veterans Cannabis Ball and spoke on the first cannabis panel ever featured at a major comic book convention at LA Comic Con. With her decade of experience in the cannabis industry, B. Le Grand is a highly sought-after cannabis and edibles consultant.