November 19, 2015

The New West Summit, Dubbed The ‘TechCrunch Disrupt’ Of Marijuana, Starts Tomorrow

November 19, 2015
new west summit marijuana tech crunch

new west summit marijuana tech crunchIf you are a marijuana media, technology, or industry enthusiast, then you have likely heard that the New West Summit starts tomorrow in San Francisco. I’d imagine many who are reading this already have their tickets. There has never been an event like this one in the history of the marijuana industry. Sure, there have been a virtually endless list of industry events, some of which have maybe a panel or two dedicated towards marijuana media and technology. But there has never been an event solely dedicated to those sectors of the marijuana industry.

The event is being dubbed the ‘TechCruch Disrupt’ of the cannabis space by many people, and for good reason. Top marijuana tech and media companies will be there to do demonstrations and presentations. Unfortunately I will be locked in a cubicle tomorrow, so I can’t make it, but Kaliko will be there to represent The Weed Blog. I have issued a public challenge via an article to every company (and person for that matter) that will be attending the event. Below is a summary of the challenge, which I hope everyone will accept:

My challenge to companies attending the event is this – I challenge you to support reform more than you have in the past. Obviously we all compete for page views, and to some extent, advertising dollars. A lot of companies are now starting to compete for investment dollars. All of that is fine and dandy. However, it doesn’t mean much if companies don’t give back to the movement that made all of those opportunities possible in the first place.

Marijuana media and technology should be leading the way on supporting activism because after all, most of us are in the business of getting eyeballs to things. A lot of companies out there claim to support activism, but when you ask them for specific examples, they get all cryptic in their responses. The Weed Blog was created to help end marijuana prohibition, not to make money, and hopefully that shows in what we have done in the past, are doing currently, and will continue to do as long as I can log into WordPress and harness the platform that Jay Smoker has created.

The word ‘disrupt’ is thrown out a lot when referring to this event, and I think that’s great. But if companies really want to disrupt the marijuana industry’s tech and media sectors, they need to disrupt marijuana prohibition. ‘Changing the game’ in marijuana media and technology will only occur if we change the game for marijuana prohibition. Marijuana companies can have the greatest ideas under the sun, however, if what they are promoting is still illegal, they might as well shut down their tablets and delete their Google Analytics app from their phones.

We all have a responsibility, especially in marijuana media, to do our part and try to make this industry different than others that are out there. We have a once in a generation opportunity to create something that can help change the world for the better, while at the same time taking the business world by storm. We are at a crucial crossroads in the marijuana industry and movement. We can either use our momentum to create something that will last, and will help social justice. Or we can all just have the mentality of ‘I’m getting mine, so the hell with yours.’ Obviously, I’m hoping for the former.

I received many, many press releases from people that will be participating in the event. For efficiency purposes, I’ve included them all below. If you are attending the New West Summit, 1) you are lucky and I’m shamelessly jealous of you, 2) make sure to say hello to Kaliko and, 3) make sure to keep my public challenge in mind, and tell others about it. Tickets to the New West Summit will sell out prior to the event, so get them while you can. Find out more about the event on Facebook and Twitter #NWSSF. Below are some of the press releases I’ve received over the last day or two about the event:

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This Friday, nationally-renowned technologists, venture capitalists, media publishers, entertainment brands, and leaders in the multi-billion dollar marijuana industry will converge at the groundbreaking New West Summit.

Tommy Chong’s cannabis brand Chong’s Choice, the iconic San Francisco apparel brand Upper Playground, the award-winning SPARC dispensary, musician Christopher Willits, iconic activist Lynette Shaw, and California Assemblyman Rob Bonta are among the many highlights at New West Summit, this Friday and Saturday Nov. 20-21 at the Parc 55 Hotel San Francisco.

New West Summit’s complete program, curated by David Downs, editor of Smell the Truth on SFGate.com, includes 30 panels or keynotes, and approximately 80 panelists from across the spectrum of tech, finance, media and the $10 billion marijuana sector.

Summit co-organizers Dean Arbit and Jim McAlpine stated: “The event’s tight focus and expert programming has garnered us significant buzz, and we’re ecstatic at how well this first Summit has come together. There’s no better time or place in the world to be discussing the intersection of these industries.”

Summit Highlights:

Special guest and Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana founder Lynette Shaw will receive Lifetime Achievement Honors Friday.

Tommy Chong‘s brand of cannabis products, Chong’s Choice, will make a special announcement this weekend at the Summit.

Investment firm Casa Verde sends director Evan Eneman to deliver a Finance keynote Friday.

SPARC and Upper Playground will reveal a new collaboration. SPARC will also run dispensary tours from the Parc 55 to its flagship store on Mission St. Friday afternoon for attendees and media.

Rep. Rob Bonta will give remarks to open the Saturday afternoon panel on Marijuana Infused Products like edibles and tinctures.

Noted San Francisco electronic musician Christopher Willits will perform a DJ set during the VIP Party Saturday night, sponsored by Headset, Bloom Farms, and 7X7.com.

View Full Schedule

For more information, and speaker bios and updates, please go to www.NewWestSummit.com.

Tickets to New West Summit will sell out prior to the event. Sponsorships have sold out.

New West Summit Sponsors: Platinum Sponsors: Steep Hill Labs. Gold Sponsors: Mass Roots and Headset. Silver Sponsors: Smoke Reports, Adistry. VIP Party Sponsors: Headset, Bloom Farms, 7X7.com. Exhibitors: Green Rush, SensiChew, AbsoluteXtracts, Surna, MJ Freeway, California Cannabis Industry Association, MJIC,  Grey Zone, Elemntl, Green Flower Media, Adistry, Smoke Reports, Eaze, VapeXhale, HelloMD, Flow Kana, MyDx, The ArcView Group, Canopy SF/Canopy Boulder, Poseidon Asset Management, FlowHub, MedSpoon, Rad Labs, W Vape, Bhutan, Genius Extraction, FlowHub, and Meadow.

New West Summit Media Partners: CNET, 7X7.com, Marijuana Politics, International Cannabis Business Conference SF 2016, San Francisco Examiner, SF Weekly, SF Evergreen, Smell The Truth on SFGate.com, The Weed Blog, PROHBTD Media, DOPE Magazine, Cashinbis, MG Magazine, Smoke Reports, Adistry, Mantis, The Hash podcast, Marijuana Venture Magazine, Cannabis Now, Leafly.com, SF MusicTech, and SF NewTech.

Connect with us: Facebook + Twitter + Instagram  #NWSSF

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Steve DeAngelo joins the latest cannabis industry discussions November 21-22 in San Francisco at the New West Summit. Friday, November 20th at 930AM DeAngelo helps to kick off the conference as keynte speaker on the opening panel “Forecasting US Legalization 2016”. Dubbed the “TechCrunch Disrupt” of the cannabis industry, New West Summit’s expertly curated, two-day, 15-panel conference and exhibition will feature over 30 exhibitors, 50 speakers, and include 1,000 attendees. The Summit will forecast legalization in 2016, funding trends, the next crop of mobile apps, the technologies disrupting cultivation, extraction and vaporization, intellectual property, media and marketing, and more.

Renowned activist/entrepreneur Steve DeAngelo continues his successful and vital contributions to the cannabis industry. His recently released book, “The Cannabis Manifesto, has climbed the charts, reaching #1 in three Amazon categories. DeAngelo is a national thought leader, educator and co-founder of three of the most successful companies in the cannabis industry—Harborside Health Centers, Steep Hill Lab and The ArcView Group. DeAngelo has spent over 40 years as an activist and advocate for the plant, leading the way to legalization. The book is a toolkit for activists, a primer for the newly curious, and a roadmap for lawmakers and regulators. It mixes political polemics, history and the latest science about cannabis in an intelligent, well researched and highly informative read.


“There is not greater authority in the United States on marijuana and the laws surrounding it than Steve DeAngelo”
Morgan Spurlock Oscar Nominated Documentary Filmmaker and CNN’s ‘Inside Man’


“Steve DeAngelo is the kind of devoted activist who normally would get hospitals and schools named after him, if he had been advocating something
more mainstream. He is articulate, fiercely tenacious, and lives by his own principles, in life and in business.”
Peter Sagal, NPR, Host Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me


About  Steve DeAngelo & Harborside Health Centers:

“Harborside Health Center, a nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary with locations in Oakland and San Jose, California, is looked upon as a model of how others could operate.” - The New York Times

Founded in 2006 by Steve DeAngelo, Harborside Health Center is the most respected and largest medical cannabis dispensary in the United States. Harborside has 200,000 registered patients and was first in the nation to support education for seniors, veterans and families with severely ill children; first in the country to offer CBD-rich medicine; and the first to treat children with Dravet syndrome. Harborside continues to set an example of diversity and compliance, and is one of the prime advocates of diversity, sustainability and economic justice in the industry.

DeAngelo also co-founded the nation’s first cannabis-testing facility, Steep Hill Labs, and the country’s first cannabis investment and research firm, The ArcView Group. His debut book, “The Cannabis Manifesto: A New Paradigm for Wellness,” is available now; in the book’s foreword, Willie L. Brown, Jr., 41st mayor of San Francisco, calls DeAngelo, “the father of the legal cannabis industry.” DeAngelo was named one of the most influential people and “gatekeeper” of the marijuana industry in 2015 by the International Business Times, and one of the most influential people in the cannabis industry in 2014 by the Cannabis Business Executive.

***

Dubbed the “TechCrunch Disrupt” of the cannabis industry, New West Summit’s expertly curated, two-day, 15-panel conference and exhibition will feature over 30 exhibitors, 50 speakers, and include 1,000 attendees. The Summit will forecast legalization in 2016, funding trends, the next crop of mobile apps, the technologies disrupting cultivation, extraction and vaporization, intellectual property, media and marketing, and more  www.newwestsummit.com. Joining the panel on Cannabis Editorial Trends, Gaynell Rogers brings years of insider experience and expertise. Her professional input will bring an eye-opening perspective to this important discussion about cannabis business in the media; offering information on better exposure and growing your brand.

WHEN: Friday Nov 20th 12PM Cannabis Editorial Trends / Cyril Magnin Room
Panelists: David Beinenstock-VICE/High Times, Gaynell Rogers-Bloom Cannabis Group, Drake Shutton-Shearer-PROHBTD Media, Max Simon-Green Flower Media

About Gaynell Rogers: 

A sought-after global media relations expert who has worked for both Lucasfilm and Pixar, to Phillips Dupont and so many more, Gaynell Rogers has worked in talent management, marketing and media relations since the late 70’s. Recognizing the unlimited potential of a world where cannabis is legal, Gaynell dove into this emerging industry as a two-time cancer survivor in 2009, and today there are few individuals who have the cover story history and connectivity with media and top cannabis brands – including funded start-ups – as Gaynell. For the past six years, she has served as the global media and strategic management consultant for visionary medical cannabis leader Steve DeAngelo, the Father of the modern legal cannabis industry, and founder of the national model, Harborside Health Center in Oakland, California, along with several other cannabis industry clients. She also developed The Discovery Channel’s Weed Wars television series and is responsible for placing multiple-issue cover stories in The New York Times and Fortune Magazine, and dozens of pieces in The Los Angeles Times,the San Francisco ChronicleHuffington PostWashington Post, and Morgan Spurlock’s documentary series, Inside Man on CNN. Gaynell also manages four branded and Grammy-winning recording artists and has an active .org history, always lending her skills to cause-oriented issues.

***

Steve DeAngelo joins the latest cannabis industry discussions November 21-22 in San Francisco at the New West Summit. Friday, November 20th at 930AM DeAngelo helps to kick off the conference as featured speaker on the opening panel “Forecasting US Legalization 2016”. Dubbed the “TechCrunch Disrupt” of the cannabis industry, New West Summit’s expertly curated, two-day, 15-panel conference and exhibition will feature over 30 exhibitors, 50 speakers, and include 1,000 attendees. The Summit will forecast legalization in 2016, funding trends, the next crop of mobile apps, the technologies disrupting cultivation, extraction and vaporization, intellectual property, media and marketing, and more.

Renowned activist/entrepreneur Steve DeAngelo continues his successful and vital contributions to the cannabis industry. His recently released book, “The Cannabis Manifesto, has climbed the charts, reaching #1 in three Amazon categories. DeAngelo is a national thought leader, educator and co-founder of three of the most successful companies in the cannabis industry—Harborside Health Centers, Steep Hill Lab and The ArcView Group. DeAngelo has spent over 40 years as an activist and advocate for the plant, leading the way to legalization. The book is a toolkit for activists, a primer for the newly curious, and a roadmap for lawmakers and regulators. It mixes political polemics, history and the latest science about cannabis in an intelligent, well researched and highly informative read.


“There is not greater authority in the United States on marijuana and the laws surrounding it than Steve DeAngelo”
Morgan Spurlock Oscar Nominated Documentary Filmmaker and CNN’s ‘Inside Man’


“Steve DeAngelo is the kind of devoted activist who normally would get hospitals and schools named after him, if he had been advocating something
more mainstream. He is articulate, fiercely tenacious, and lives by his own principles, in life and in business.”
Peter Sagal, NPR, Host Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me


About  Steve DeAngelo & Harborside Health Centers:

“Harborside Health Center, a nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary with locations in Oakland and San Jose, California, is looked upon as a model of how others could operate.” - The New York Times

Founded in 2006 by Steve DeAngelo, Harborside Health Center is the most respected and largest medical cannabis dispensary in the United States. Harborside has 200,000 registered patients and was first in the nation to support education for seniors, veterans and families with severely ill children; first in the country to offer CBD-rich medicine; and the first to treat children with Dravet syndrome. Harborside continues to set an example of diversity and compliance, and is one of the prime advocates of diversity, sustainability and economic justice in the industry.

DeAngelo also co-founded the nation’s first cannabis-testing facility, Steep Hill Labs, and the country’s first cannabis investment and research firm, The ArcView Group. His debut book, “The Cannabis Manifesto: A New Paradigm for Wellness,” is available now; in the book’s foreword, Willie L. Brown, Jr., 41st mayor of San Francisco, calls DeAngelo, “the father of the legal cannabis industry.” DeAngelo was named one of the most influential people and “gatekeeper” of the marijuana industry in 2015 by the International Business Times, and one of the most influential people in the cannabis industry in 2014 by the Cannabis Business Executive.

***

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