LAS VEGAS – July 29, 2022 – Cannabis Conference, the industry’s leading educational and expo event for plant-touching cannabis businesses, taking place Aug. 23-25 at Paris Las Vegas, is pleased to announce the Day 1 Keynote: “What It Takes to Make a Movement: A Conversation with Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris.”
Chris Conrad and Mikki Norris are legendary human rights activists, whose tireless work since the late 1980s has been instrumental in educating people around the world about the benefits of cannabis and hemp legalization.
Conrad has testified more than 350 times as an expert witness on cannabis cases in state, military and federal criminal and civil courts while consulting on thousands of legal cannabis cases. He portrayed “Johnny Marijuanaseed” on PBS, edited Jack Herer’s landmark book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes” (1990) and was co-founder and first president of the Hemp Industries Association. Conrad authored “Hemp: Lifeline to the Future” (1993) detailing the economic, health and environmental processes of using cannabis hemp to “save the Earth,” as well as “Hemp for Health” (1997), which introduced readers to CBD, Ayurvedic ganja, hempseed nutrition and cannabinoid micro-dosing. He also published “Cannabis Yields and Dosage,” which used federal research to explain the fundamentals of marijuana cultivation, processing and use. His latest book is “The Newbie’s Guide to Cannabis and the Industry.”
As director of the Cannabis Consumers Campaign, Norris advocates for consumers to come out of the (cannabis) closet to end the stigma and stand up for their equal rights. From 1995 to 2002, she worked to put a human face on the injustice of the Drug War with her traveling photo exhibit project, Human Rights and the Drug War, and her compelling book, “Shattered Lives: Portraits from America’s Drug War.” (1998, 2000). In 2006, she was a consultant on the California Cities Campaign, working with the political consulting group Next Generation (backed by the Marijuana Policy Project), which ran victorious initiative campaigns in Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, and Santa Cruz, Calif., and passed city ordinances in West Hollywood and San Francisco to make adult marijuana offenses law enforcement’s lowest priority. Norris was also a delegate to Beyond 2008 NGO Forum in Vancouver, BC Canada, to provide input on the United Nations drug policy.
Conrad and Norris were volunteer coordinators for California’s 1996 Prop 215 voter initiative that legalized medical use. Conrad helped write that state’s SB-420 legislation that legalized patient sales, and the couple worked on the unsuccessful Proposition 19 and then the successful Proposition 64, which legalized adult-use cannabis in California in 2016. Curators of Amsterdam’s Hash-Marihuana-Hemp Museum and the Oaksterdam Cannabis Museum, they teach at Oaksterdam University and run theLeafOnline.com news site.
In a special Cannabis Conference Keynote Fireside Chat on Aug. 23 at 2:15 p.m. PT, Conrad and Norris will share the amazing stories and actionable strategies behind their 30-plus years of activism, which propelled lofty ideals and dreams into real-life solutions that have slowly eroded the mindsets and policies of unjust prohibition and incarceration for cannabis and hemp production and use. The pair will also share tips for how individuals and companies across the supply chain can work to expand the protections of their consumer base, as well as move toward a more sustainable industry for all.
“It is a true honor to host these trailblazing individuals at an event filled with people who have directly benefitted from their courageous activism,” Noelle Skodzinski, Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Conference Editorial Director said.
“We look forward to pulling back the curtain of Chris and Mikki’s storied history as one of America’s most important cannabis power couples, and gleaning their insights into how we can continue to advance legalization of cannabis and protect its invaluable benefits to humanity and our planet,” Cannabis Conference Programming Director Cassie Tomaselli said.
More information about Cannabis Conference, including sessions, speakers, exhibitors and FAQs, can be found at www.CannabisConference.com. Rates will increase July 29, 2022 at Midnight ET. Click here to review pricing and to register.
About Cannabis Conference
Cannabis Conference 2022, produced by the award-winning Cannabis Business Times media brand, is the leading educational provider for plant-touching businesses in the legal cannabis and hemp markets. The three-day event will take place at Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev., on Aug. 23-25, 2022. The Cannabis Conference will feature 40+ education sessions, 90+ expert speakers, as well as and expo hall with 180+ industry-leading technologies, solutions and services for the professional cannabis cultivators, retailers and processors. It is owned by GIE Media, Inc. in Valley View, Ohio. For more information, visit www.CannabisConference.com.
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