'Legacy To Legal:' The Cannabis Event Helping Illicit Market Operators Go Legal

A few days ago, the Cannabis Education Advocacy Symposium & Expo (CEASE) and the Cannabis Health Equity Movement (CHEM) hosted a Weedmaps-sponsored virtual conference designed to help legacy operators (previously operating in the illicit market) transition into the legal cannabis market.

New York State Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes headlined the event, providing an overview of both New York and New Jersey’s new adult-use laws and compared the two for patients, consumers and legacy operators. The event attracted over 300 participants and featured panels on legacy leadership and advocacy and getting a medical card. There were also workshops on seed-to-sale license preparation, cultivation, events and consumption spaces, as well as marketing and new product development.

The speaker lineup also included:

• Dasheeda Dawson, Portland Cannabis Program Supervisor, Chem co-founder & chief strategy officer, CEASE co-founder
• Shaleen Title, former commissioner of Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
• Dr. Rachel Knox, MD MBA, endocannabinologist, Chem co-founder and president

This inaugural conference was the first of many planned “Legacy To Legal” community education events.

“We created the ‘Legacy to Legal’ series to ensure that everyone in Black and Brown communities can tap into the economic promise of cannabis, particularly those who’ve helped create and sustain local demand at great personal risk,” Dasheeda Dawson told Benzinga. “The community response was overwhelmingly positive and exceeded our expectations. Attendees remained engaged throughout the conference, sharing comments and making connections. People are already reaching out about future sessions. I’m thrilled that we’re helping legacy operators become active members of upcoming regulated markets.”

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