James M. Cole, the former Deputy Attorney General who served from 2010-2015 during the Obama presidency, has been announced as the keynote speaker at the Cannabis Business Summit and Expo in San Jose on July 25-27.
As the author of the 2013 “Cole Memo”, James Cole fundamentally shifted the legal landscape for cannabis in America. Formally titled “Guidance regarding marijuana enforcement”, the memo moved the federal government away from the strict enforcement of its cannabis laws to a more hands-off approach for states that “legalized marijuana in some form and … implemented strong and effective regulatory and enforcement systems to control the cultivation, distribution, sale, and possession of marijuana”.
According to the expo hosts National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), “Mr. Cole will take Summit attendees behind the scenes of one of the most consequential developments in the history of the U.S. cannabis industry and give critical insight about what the future may hold under the current Justice Department.”
Mr. Cole will have a lot to talk about at the Cannabis Business Summit and it will be very interesting to hear what he has to say, considering that in January 2018, AG Jeff Sessions rescinded the Cole Memo which opened the door up for federal authorities to once again prosecute people in states with legal cannabis laws. Sessions’ move was met with immediate backlash from governors and senators from several states with legalized cannabis laws.
In addition to Mr. Cole’s keynote speech, there are many other reasons to check out the Cannabis Business Summit and Expo. It’s an amazing opportunity to network and rub shoulders with cannabis industry insiders, improve your cannabusiness, find innovative business solutions, and so much more.
The expo is focused on helping you achieve new levels of success around 5 educational tracks:
- The fine print: Money, law and your business
- Policy and reform
- Cultivation and processing
- Running your cannabusiness
- Leading edge: emerging topics in the cannabis industry
Tickets to the Cannabis Business Summit are available here.
Featured image courtesy of MJ News Network.