On December 16th, our team was on site at Jenny’s North Las Vegas location to show our appreciation for their dispensary team and their patients. We came armed with swag, information, and one goal: to educate consumers about Caviar Gold and their fantastic line of products that launched in November in Nevada.
The newly launched adult use market in Nevada has opened its doors for a variety of opportunities in the cannabis industry without ever touching the plant.
Social Media Unicorn’s CEO Krista Whitley is among the panelists slated to support the leading cannabis professionals operating in the emerging Nevada, California and national marketplace.
The Vegas Cannabis Summit presents leaders of this new frontier and welcomes this exciting entrepreneurial community for a 2-day, 2-night event, featuring panels and educational seminars from industry experts, a vendor trade show, VIP events and concerts.
This two day conference will cover topics ranging from regulation and compliance, to advertising and media and the continued transition of the legal cannabis market, its entrepreneurs, investors and creatives, to be taken safely and seriously into mainstream culture.
We welcome artists, executives, lifestyle brands, technology professionals, investors, college students (21+) entrepreneurs and visionaries to present, educate and share.
We provide the opportunity for individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage in an environment that’s conducive to sharing information & creative collaborations.
The conference organizers and creators have an established track record as a curator of talent and experience with another successful conference, Vegas Music Summit.
Panels include:
Phone number(702) 382-2227
Activists used to have to chant “legalize it!” but now it’s almost hard to keep up with all the reforms happening nationwide. It’s no longer all about Denver, Seattle and San Francisco. Every major market in the U.S. will have their time to shine eventually, each learning from their predecessors.
Learning how to adapt and sell cannabis in emerging markets is key for ambitious entrepreneurs. Keep your eyes on the prize by following these four hot markets over the next six to seven months:
Industry eyes are on California while businesses are scrambling to decode a new book of regulations, which have been largely missing from the state’s laws since 1996. California is the unofficial cannabis capital of the world, with the largest number of consumers, cultural events, dispensaries and individual product brands.
Unlike its neighbor to the west, Nevada’s recreational cannabis market is set to come online this summer, with dispensaries opening to the legal public in early July. We might be biased, but we think our home state has the most potential of all! With millions of fun loving, legal-aged tourists passing through Las Vegas each year, you can bet that many of them will be taking advantage of our world class cannabis by the end of this year.
The state of Ohio dodged a bullet a few years ago by rejecting an adult-use legalization initiative that would have created a monopoly among a handful of cultivators. Now, they’re ready for a more inclusive approach with their medical marijuana program, the rules of which are still being written. Once the regulations are neatly tied up, this market is expected to become one of the largest in the midwest region.
One of the states that will likely shape future cannabis reform, both in the South and on the East Coast is the Florida market. Though still somewhat restrictive when compared to the big markets out west, it’s more inclusive than the “CBD-only” policies in Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. Florida’s dispensaries will not be permitted to retail products with a high THC dosage, but there will be identification cards issued in the next 9 months.
Ready to make an impact in your local market? Or maybe you’re looking to expand. Having Social Media Unicorn on your team will supercharge the process. Give us a shout!
The legalization of cannabis, either as a medicine or for recreational consumption, isn’t just a hot topic in the US. Other countries are facing the same demands from their populations: to legitimize and decriminalize cannabis. What has been interesting is the different approaches countries have taken in tackling this issue. Here in the US, the marijuana movement has been predominantly at a State level, but is there a better way to do this? Let’s take a glance at what our friendly northern neighbors are up to with cannabis in Canada.
The biggest difference in how Canada is handling cannabis is that they chosen to start at the top and then work downwards. Canada tackled the issue of cannabis as a country first, working towards providing structure and guidance to each province to round out their marijuana programs to best fit their own populace and economic needs. While the first attempt at regulating marijuana came into being in 2001, there have been many changes since then in regards to fine tuning the program to keep making it better. The latest news is that Canada is on track to make cannabis legal across Canada for adult use by July of 2018, putting it on track to be the second country in the world opting for complete legalization.
Because legalization is working from the top down, federal agencies are involved from the very beginning. Health Canada (sort of like the US’s FDA) issues the licenses for growers and distributors. This doesn’t mean that they won’t need business licenses in their home provinces, but the fact that the rules are the same across the country puts every ganjapreneur on relatively even footing. Their agricultural department is involved, supporting and helping the government to put together beneficial guidelines to help improve the industry. Local law enforcement is receiving guidance from national agencies, uniting local agents and providing valuable input on how to regulate such a system.
One of the biggest problems here in the US is that while some states are embracing cannabis, the country has not, despite a recent Gallup poll suggesting 60% of Americans support legalization. This means that because marijuana is still federally illegal, cannabis businesses are extremely limited. Federal banks cannot deal with them, large ad agencies don’t want to touch them, and most landowners won’t work with them. Marijuana as an industry has grown exponentially despite these serious limitations. What we are seeing in Canada is that because it is supported on a national level, these cannabis companies are able to play on the same business fields as other industries. They can work with national banks for loans and services and are also able to be publicly traded. Their potential for growth is much less inhibited than their US counterparts.
While the legalization of cannabis is not a new issue, it has been interesting to see how each country around the world has gone about tackling it. Countries such as Uruguay, where cannabis is legal, and soon-to-be legal Canada will be leaders in this global trend. Whether they intended to be or not, countries like Canada will be looked upon as an example of cannabis legalization.
Tell us what you think about cannabis legalization both here in America and around the world.
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In the past, documentaries were those things you may see broadcasted on PBS or in an obscure ‘artsy’ local theater. Even then, a cannabis documentary likely wouldn’t have made it very far. With the advent of platforms like Netflix, we now have access to media that we traditionally would not be exposed to. Netflix has done an excellent job of offering a selection of powerful documentaries on a variety of topics, but in our case we are going to explore some of the documentaries that hit on a fiery topic – cannabis.
This cannabis documentary is a sequel to the award winning “The Union: The Business Behind Getting High” which was released back in 2007. This newer documentary, released in 2014, has an updated take on the war on marijuana in the USA and what is has cost us. Following the war on marijuana begins on the frontline with the DEA, other enforcement agencies, and the prison system under scrutiny. Following up the chain of government, the true cost of marijuana prohibition and what is has cost us, both fiscally and socially, are examined. Several marijuana activists, including Snoop Dogg and Berner, speak candidly along with many prominent scientists, enforcement officers, and policy makers. A well done film, you will appreciate this take on the current culture of cannabis in our country. Watch the trailer here.
Our favorite comedian stoner, Doug Benson, takes us on a before and after adventure into the lifestyle of a frequent marijuana user akin to the documentary Super Size Me. Basically, Benson spends one month completely free of cannabis in preparation for his time as a frequent user. His next 30 days is spent consuming large amounts of cannabis and we are taken on a journey with him to various doctors appointments and tests to determine the effects that cannabis has on his body. As hilarious as this canabis documentary is, it addresses many stigmas about the effects of cannabis consumption on not only the human body but the human lifestyle. Watch the trailer here.
This documentary, released in 2011 by the folks at National Geographic, focuses on medical marijuana as a business and how this industry is finding legitimacy not only in the USA, but in other countries as well. With a focus on the medicinal benefits along with an examination of the economics of this industry, this cannabis documentary tackles how this industry has begun to take shape and gain ground amidst a number of political and cultural obstacles. Follow ganjapreneurs on their quest for an economically viable business while navigating the waters of legality, ethics, and social stigmas. No trailer for your viewing pleasure, but there are some tidbits located here.
While Netflix has a host of fictional cannabis stories to tell, it’s important that these documentaries also make it into your binge rotation. Productions like these help spread news and education to those seeking to understand the current climate of cannabis not only in America, but in the rest of the world as well. Check these titles out and be sure to write a review!
Want to get into the cannabis business but aren’t sure how? for all your cannabis business needs, we’re here to help!
Despite marijuana legalization sweeping the nation, it seems anti-cannabis marketing remains in full effect. While more than half the states in the U.S. now allow medical cannabis, and a growing number of states are adopting full legalization, many companies fearful of a federal government crackdown, are censoring what we can share online about cannabis.
It seems Twitter has started censoring searches for “marijuana” and “cannabis.” Searches for things like “opioids” are showing up just fine, the Joint Blog reports.
“Without warning, Twitter recently instituted a ‘sensitive content’ filter that is automatically turned on for all users, and the settings to disable it are hidden”, states a Change.org petition, started by Marijuana Majority. “As a result, queries for topics that Twitter has designated “sensitive” yield zero results on the search tab for latest tweets.”
“Censoring marijuana-related searches prevents serious people from communicating about one of the most prominent policy issues of our time,” the petition, which is addressed to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey stated. You can read more info on the petition by clicking here.
Coincidentally, here at Social Media Unicorn we also experienced an issue with censorship while attempting to send an email newsletter to some of our clients via MailChimp.
We sent the below query to the MailChimp staff after one of our messages was flagged for violation of the “acceptable use” policy.
Well we were very surprised to receive the below response, stating legal cannabis menus were somehow a violation.
A real world example of anti-cannabis marketing.
“I appreciate that you do not allow pharmaceutical sales or the sales of illegal substances, but we are a licensed cannabis extraction product sending our weekly menu to inventory control managers at licensed cannabis dispensaries in the state of Nevada. Since medical marijuana is currently legal in 32 states and the District of Columbia, we’d be pretty surprised if you consider medical marijuana products to be illegal.”