Grow Up Conference Brings Industry Legends and Newbies Alike to Niagara Falls

The Canadian recreational cannabis market is getting ready to celebrate its first birthday in a big way. The Great White North will soon be adding edibles and concentrates to dispensary menus across the nation. Anticipation for what’s being referred to as “legalization 2.0” is at a fever pitch. Nowhere was this more evident than at the 3rd Annual Grow Up Conference and Expo, held earlier this month in Niagara Falls, Ontario. 

Attracting nearly 5,000 attendees from across North America and beyond, the three day event featured expert speakers, a massive exhibition hall spanning 80,000 square feet, a hip consumption garden outside, and the ultra exclusive Grow Up Awards Gala where “Guru of Ganja” Ed Rosenthal was inducted into the Growers Hall of Fame.

“I think the market is really maturing, or at least transforming, and that was very apparent at Grow Up,” says Russell Cole, Founder and CEO of OrganicGrow Solutions, who spoke on a panel entitled ‘High Tech or Why-Tech: The Real Value of Cannabis Innovation.’

“I was able to speak one-on-one with several of the industry’s great contributors and that, to me, it was impactful. I was able to learn very subtle things, but in a very short period of time that I think, you know, I’ll carry with me and will impact my business.”

Market maturation and what’s next for marijuana was a key theme throughout the three-day conference. Frenchy Cannoli, a master hash maker with 40 years of experience, implored the crowd to support the recognition and designation of cannabis cultivation “terroirs,” much like the wine industry has done, during his presentation on “Creating a Quality-Focused Market in the Post-Legalization World.”

Niagara Falls Light Up For Grow Up
At the VIP after-party overlooking the famous Falls (which at one point were lit orange in honor of Grow Up’s signature color), medical marijuana patient and advocate Nikki Lawley remarked on the differences between the Canadian cannabis market and that of her home, New York State.
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“I live right across the border from here in Buffalo, but I bet I spend more time in Canada every day than America due to New York’s draconian medical cannabis laws,” she explained, adding that the quality and variety of products available to her in her city do not meet her needs. “Hands down my favorite part of the Grow Up event was the Choom consumption garden. It needs to be a consistent place for these things – a place where we can medicate!”
Read the original article by Rachelle Goordon from CFN Media Group here