Last November 6, 2018 was a watershed moment for Missourians as Amendment 2 blossomed into a landslide victory for medical marijuana supporters, activists and patients.
If you were part of the movement that worked gathering signatures to make the November 6th ballot, the shock of actually winning on Tuesday night may have set you back on your heels for second or two.
The day after the win was even more unreal. Dedicated signature gatherers woke up in a soon-to-be-legal medical marijuana state without that nagging feeling of “shouldn’t we be getting more signatures,” or fighting for, “No on 3”, or something?
The constitutional changes to Missouri’s cannabis law set into motion Missouri’s own “Green Rush” which culminated in the largest cannabis industry event in the state at Union Station on March 11 & 12; MoCannBizCon+Expo.
Midwest Canna Expos’ Karin Spinks Chester produced MoCannBizCon+Expo for the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association. Her expo company had not existed more than six months prior to the event.
Missourians will see a lot more new companies sprout up as the Department of Health and Senior Services starts issuing dispensary, cultivation, and manufacturing licenses this year.
Legal Missouri cannabis will help birth new companies, new jobs, new technology, and new wealth for the Show-Me state. Our new cannabis industry has raised Missouri’s stature attracting notice from cannabis activist luminaries and cannabis industry influencers.
Keith Stroup, founder of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming Missouri Cannabis Industry Association Spring Business Conference, MCIA CannaConSTL. The event is to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at Lambert Airport April 12 – 13, 2019.
Stroup has fought long and hard since 1970 against cannabis prohibition. He will discuss the historic current state of federal legislation chipping away at cannabis prohibition.
Sarah and Zeta Ceti, founding partners of Green Rush Consulting, based in Oakland, CA are headed back to Missouri as speakers for MCIA’s CannaConSTL. Sarah and Zeta are huge supporters and members of California NORML.
“This industry is rooted in activism,” write the Cetis on their website. As long-term cannabis activists, they support organizations like Minorities for Medical Marijuana, Women Grow and the California Growers Association.
Another cannabis activist tagging along with the Cetis to Missouri is Dale Sky Jones, Executive Chancellor, Oaksterdam University, also based in Oakland, CA. She served as the Chairwoman of the Board for the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform for seven years, stemming from her experience as the spokeswoman and legislative liaison for the Prop 19 Campaign in California.
Dale has been on the front lines battling for cannabis users’ civil rights. She rebuilt Oaksterdam University after a crippling federal raid and her activism as a national speaker earned her the title of “one of the most influential women in the industry” by Marie Claire magazine.
She is a founding board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association, ReformCA and Californians to Regulate Medical Marijuana. Within her mission for safety through self-regulation, she helped establish the Medical Cannabis Safety Council in early 2008 with cannabis industry stakeholders, which spawned several safety programs.
Another activist, Canna-journalist, and one of the owners of The Weed Blog, Leah Maurer, from Portland, Oregon, will speak at CannaConSTL. She helped found New Approach Oregon, drafted, and campaigned for Measure 91 in Oregon.
Leah founded a group through grassroots efforts alone called Moms for YES on Measure 91. At her core, Leah is a social justice and cannabis activist. She hopes to see the prohibition of cannabis end on a federal level, and to see the cannabis conversation normalized across America.
Many other notable activists, cannabis influencers and industry professionals will descend on St. Louis for CannaConSTL. Check them out at www.mocia.org.
The recommendation from the Greater St. Louis NORML board, members, fellow activists and cannabis enthusiasts to all Missourians is to enjoy the ride. Bringing cannabis legalization to Missouri has been, and will continue to be, a blast!