Due to outside circumstances, the forum, originally scheduled for this weekend, has been rescheduled for September. Check DigBoston.com for updates.
Guru of Ganja Ed Rosenthal
Boston’s upcoming Cannabis Knowledge Forum will feature a panel of speakers, which includes former High Times Cultivation guru Ed Rosenthal; marijuana activist Mickey Martin; Steep Hill Labs founder Addison Demoura; and UNregular Radio’s Keith Saunders.
Event organizer Mickey Martin had this to say about the event.
Why are you doing this forum?
Because there is a great need for education and understanding in the medical cannabis industry. In November, 63 percent of Massachusetts residents spoke loud and clear at the ballot box. They want there to be personal choice access to cannabis medicines in the Commonwealth. In order to effectively achieve a program that is successful, it is necessary to educate people in the field and the norms of the industry, so they in turn can be successful. Whether opening a dispensary, or just wanting to work for one, knowing the regulations, industry best practices, basics of cannabis cultivation, quality assurance, and activism in the community is important to achieving common objectives.
Medical Marijuana 101 Author Mickey Martin
What makes this forum different or worth it compared to other expos that have recently come through Boston area related to the medical marijuana industry?
The group of speakers have nearly 100 years of real life experience in the cannabis movement and industry [combined].
Steep Hill Lab Founder Addison Demoura
Ed Rosenthal and myself have faced very public federal indictments and court cases for our role in providing cannabis. Addison Demoura was charged for operating a dispensary in a very conservative county in California. We have all looked down the barrel of overzealous enforcement, and not one of us did a day in prison.
So what makes us different is that we have a rare insight into not just the positives of the community but also the potential hazards and issues facing the community.
We do not just love cannabis as a business, we really love cannabis; and we want to bring our experiences to the people of Massachusetts so that they can learn from our victories, as well as our mistakes.
What do you think of the new MA Department of Public Health regulations that limit caregivers to one patient?
I think it is unnecessary and over-burdensome. Cannabis is hard to grow. If a person can do it well they should be allowed to provide for several patients, and they should be able to be reimbursed for their costs, including their time.
Boston Pot Report Host Keith Saunders
This is an attempt to limit how much cannabis can be grown at one location by one caregiver, or group of patients. They are hoping to force people to use the dispensary program, but the reality is that not a lot of people have a difficult time of finding cannabis in Massachusetts, so they are not really solving any problems.
What they are doing is making the entire program very cost prohibitive for the ordinary average patient.
Patients should not have to choose between more expensive options because regulators are scared of a boogeyman that just does not exist.
Let’s get organized, make some calls, write some letters and throw a big protest demanding that patient rights be put first. The public is on our side. Sixty-three percent is big—not a close election. Markey got 54 percent of the vote against a guy known as “whatshisname” to most of Massachusetts in the senate election. Nothing gets 63 percent of the vote in America anywhere ever for anything. The Department of Public Health and state legislators cannot ignore that. We just have to organize and make some real noise.