Cannabis Conclave

Cannabis Conclave in Davos im Jahr 2020

Zum zweiten Mal in der Schweiz mit genauen Legalisierungsvorstellungen

2019 gab es eine Premiere auf dem Weltwirtschaftsforum in den Schweizer Gefilden um Davos. Menschen aus dem Cannabis-Business und Experten auf dem Gebiet luden zum geselligen Stelldichein ein und besprachen in exquisiter Atmosphäre die abgeschlossenen Entwicklungen und die Zukunft der Cannabis-Branche. Auch in diesem Jahr bot sich in Davos die Gelegenheit, mit den Geschäftemachern des speziellen Sektors und mit aufgeschlossenen Personen aus der Politik ins Gespräch zu kommen, um die Weichen für eine bessere Zukunft zu stellen. Dass es endlich an der Zeit für eine zeitgemäße Anpassung in der Drogen- und Gesundheitspolitik ist, bewies die Cannabis Conclave in Davos im Jahr 2020 erneut.

Auch im Jahr 2020 brachte die Cannabis Conclave verschiedene Führungskräfte der Cannabisindustrie, einige globale Investoren sowie politische Entscheidungsträger und internationale Medien zusammen, um die weltweite Legalisierungsdebatte – sowohl für Freizeit- als auch für medizinisches Cannabis – angemessen voranzutreiben und die wachsende Legitimität und Reife der legalen Cannabisindustrie hervorzuheben. Am 23. Januar fand das besondere Event statt, das unter anderem von dem North American Affairs Manager des Consumer Choice Center David Clement initiiert wurde. Im Gespräch mit dem Medical Cannabis Network gab Clement einige Details bekannt, die ihn zu seinem Engagement führten, welches er vor, während und nach den Tagen des Weltwirtschaftsforums benötigte und benötigen wird. „Sowohl auf internationaler als auch auf nationaler Ebene ist das Hauptproblem in der Thematik, dass die Gesetzgebung nicht auf Verbraucher oder Patienten ausgerichtet ist. Legalisierungsgesetze, ob im medizinischen Bereich oder bezüglich des Freizeitgebrauches, sollten immer den Zugang und die Erschwinglichkeit in den Vordergrund stellen. Leider ist dies in vielen Bereichen nicht der Fall. Es ist an der Zeit, dass internationale Gremien erkennen, dass der Krieg gegen Drogen ein Misserfolg ist, insbesondere wenn es um Cannabis geht. Ich denke, dass alle Länder in der Lage sein sollten, Cannabisvorschriften entsprechend ihren spezifischen Bedürfnissen zu erlassen. Trotzdem möchte ich alle Regierungen nachdrücklich ermutigen, den Krieg gegen Drogen aufzugeben und Cannabis zu legalisieren.“ Weiter führt David Clement an, dass es mehr Länder geben müsste, die sich dem Beispiel Kanadas annehmen und so zu einem internationalen Umschwung führen. „Die Legitimität der Branche kann dadurch gefestigt werden, dass weitere Länder die Legalisierung von Medizinalhanf und Freizeitgebrauch übernehmen. Kanada hat trotz seiner regulatorischen Fehler einen Kurs festgelegt, auf dem andere Länder diesem Beispiel folgen können. Wir sind zuversichtlich, dass in naher Zukunft ein Wendepunkt auf internationaler Ebene ansteht, wenn immer mehr Länder die Legalisierung übernehmen.“ Dass sich zumindest peu à peu etwas bewegt, ließ Clement dabei nicht unerwähnt. „Die großen Entwicklungen für Cannabis im Jahr 2020 werden neue Rechtsordnungen sein, die eine Legalisierung umfassen. Wir wissen, dass Luxemburg und Malta derzeit prüfen, wie ihr Legalisierungsprozess tatsächlich aussehen könnte. Ein großes Thema dieser beiden Länder ist die Frage, wie viel sie von Kanada lernen können. Wir hoffen beispielsweise, dass diese beiden Länder, obwohl sie die Legalisierung befürworten, eine Überregulierung von Cannabis vermeiden werden, wie sie in Kanada stattfand.“ Was er damit genau meint, führt der Affairs Manager des Consumer Choice Center auch an. „Nur durch patienten- und verbraucherfreundliche Vorschriften kann sichergestellt werden, dass die Legalisierung erfolgreich ist und der Schwarzmarkt verdrängt wird.“ Positiv wird David Clement auch dadurch gestimmt, dass die Welt nun mittlerweile ernsthaft zuhöre, wenn es um das Thema der Cannabislegalisierung geht – dies hätte ihm die Cannabis Conclave im Jahr 2020 in Davos bewiesen.

Der dort ebenfalls anwesende Stephen Murphy von Prohibition Partners sagte dazu in einem Interview mit Benzinga, dass es mit Cannabis erst jetzt vorangehe. Es fehlten derzeit noch die großen Marken auf dem Markt, sodass noch viel Platz für Teilnehmer übrig sei, die sich in dem vielversprechenden Geschäftsfeld versuchen wollen. Er betonte zudem, dass Cannabis zahlreiche Branchen abdeckt, darunter Getränke, Lebensmittel, Gesundheitswesen, Schönheitspflege, Wellness, Bauwesen, Textilien, Ingenieurwesen, Technologie, Tierpflege, Biokraftstoffe und sogar Bettwäsche. In den vergangenen drei Jahren, seitdem man seitens Prohibition Partners die Branche beobachte, habe dennoch bereits ein erstaunliches Wachstum stattgefunden, das nun weit über die damals fünf bis sechs existierenden Märkte reichen würde. Zudem gäbe es Hunderttausende von Menschen auf der ganzen Welt, die medizinisches Cannabis konsumierten, und man habe mittlerweile signifikante Beweise dafür, dass alleine diese Tatsache eine Umsetzung von neuen Gesetzen rechtfertige, sagte er. Man könne derzeit bestimmte Einstufungen benutzen, um den Zugang zu Cannabis in den unterschiedlichsten Ländern zu beschreiben. Es wäre daher eine sehr eingeschränkte und verzerrte Denkweise, wenn Menschen in Großbritannien verzweifelt an Cannabis zu medizinischen Zwecken gelangen wollten – dies aber nicht dürften, weil es von offizieller Stelle „nicht genug Daten“ gäbe – während in Israel und Kanada Personen damit schon lange behandelt werden. Immerhin habe man mittlerweile auch einen immer stärken Druck auf die unterschiedlichen Regulierungsbehörden feststellen können, welche allesamt eigene Gesetze, Richtlinien und Anträge zum Thema Cannabis besitzen. Es gäbe daher nun auch große Möglichkeiten für die Forschung und den allgemeinen Fortschritt, die die aktuell noch bestehenden großen Wissenslücken schrumpfen lassen könnten, welche global endlich unbedingt geschlossen werden müssten.

Legalize – worldwide!

Originally published here.

The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

THAT’S A WRAP. DAVOS 2020 IS IN THE BOOKS.

January 29, 2020
By Consumer Choice Center
In Cannabis, Cannabis Conclave, Recent Media
0 comments

This was my third time in Davos and I was excited to meet and listen to business leaders, heads of government, NGO’s and senior journalists from all over the world. Would I learn something new this time? Would there be justified criticism? Would environmental or anti-globalist activists dominate this year’s agenda?

Some analysts doubt whether Davos has the power to deliver the inclusive and sustainable solutions people and planet are craving for in the next decade. And that it is time for action. Not just words. The WEF’s traditional response to the criticism that it is just too easy to freeride at Davos, is that it needs to be a neutral platform, open to conflicting views, even to those who are resistant to its goals. As the WEF’s founder Klaus Schwab says in the recent new documentary “Das Forum”, “If you were a priest in a church, you would want to make the sinners come visit you on a Sunday.”

For this year’s annual meeting, the WEF tried to put their money where their mouth was. On the one hand, it invited a panel of teenage activists including 17-year old Greta Thunberg to open one of its main sessions on the current climate crisis. On the other hand, the WEF warmly welcomed US President Donald Trump as an opening speaker with an endless bombastic re-election pitch.

While it’s easy to poke fun at Davos as a talkfest of the corporate elite, there are many more platforms in Davos than those official gatherings highlighted by mainstream media. While there are only 3,000 official participants, 30,000 others participate in side events. Below you can find my personal top five experiences – for what it’s worth.

1.“We have shown that we can stop election interference and ensure privacy” (Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook)

It was great listening to both Sheryl Sandberg and Nick Clegg, the former UK deputy Prime Minister who is now responsible for Facebook’s Global Affairs and its chief lobbyist. Sheryl Sandberg and Nick Clegg spoke at a private event in Davos and revealed that Facebook is rolling out a new “privacy checkup” to 2 billion people to see how their data is being used.

Despite stories about hacking, lack of diversity and other issues in the industry, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg is optimistic about the potential of technology to improve people’s lives. She told attendees at a private event in Davos that the world is “in a clearly new and much more complicated age.” She said that while Davos historically focuses on economic security, she wanted to talk about how Facebook was chipping away at the problem.

“We are democratising access for small businesses,” Sandberg said, citing an economic report that said 25 million small businesses led used Facebook apps, like Marketplace. The report also said Facebook created 3 million jobs in European economies.

While he acknowledged that Facebook did not know enough about removing bad content or preventing election interference in 2016, Clegg said. “We have shown in the elections since that we can stop election interference and ensure privacy.” Clegg was also clear in calls for greater government oversight. “We think there needs to be more constraints on companies like ours and more standards that we can all adhere to so we can decide together what is political speech, what is content that should be reviewed, what is privacy that individuals should have.” he said.

Despite what Sandberg called “major challenges” that Facebook is facing, she told attendees, “We think we are making progress because we are coming together and we continued willing to try our best to do more,” said Sandberg. “But when you give a voice to 2,8 billion people, some bad things will always happen.”

**2. “The cybersecurity workforce is still too male and pale” (Jim Alkove, Chief Trust Officer Salesforce)**

At the Invest in Flanders dinner, we had an interesting conversation with Jim Alkove, the Chief Trust Officer at Salesforce. Responsible for broad information management, privacy, fraud, abuse and reliability, he is the ambassador for the number one value at Salesforce, which is trust.

Jim Alkove explained how cybercrime is now a 5.2 trillion dollar threat to the world economy over the next 5 years. That’s the size of the economies of France, Italy and Spain combined. The good news is that a lot of this impact can be mitigated by an uptake in simple security hygiene like patching systems, software updates and implementing multi-factor authentication for users. The latter is often perceived as a pain for affluent users. But when we all first started using safety belts in cars, there were also a lot of people finding it inconvenient. Ultimately, we all know it is for the better.

Currently we are facing a cybersecurity skills shortage, equivalent to 3,5 million workers shortage worldwide by 2021. It is still a male and pale workforce. Salesforce is looking into how they can democratize the skillset and bring in a more innovative and diverse workforce into cybersecurity. They want to address the largest talent pool as they can, not just by traditional educational vehicles. That’s why Salesforce has built a cybersecurity Academy on their on-line learning platform. This allows everyone to come in and gain the skills they need to upskill and reskill into new jobs in cybersecurity.

3. **“Let there be light” (David Cohen, CEO Fluence)**

For the 2nd year in a row, I joined the Cannabis Conclave, organised by the Consumer Choice Centre. They organised their summit again high up in the mountains, so I took the cable car to listen to the insights by some of the leading cannabis executives. The growing cannabis industry – both for recreational as well as medicinal use- is clearly one of the sectors to watch in the coming years. Participants were not only from the cannabis industry, but also included global investors, business journalists and policymakers. The Consumer Choice Centre wants to use this event to fuel the legalisation debate globally and show the legitimacy and maturity of this growing legal industry.

It was encouraging to see that investors, thought leaders, researchers and public policy makers from all around the world (from Canada to Luxemburg to even China) are contributing to the growth of the cannabis industry. They ultimately serve consumers who are loudly demanding change to legal systems, health care and global sentiment. A better understanding of cannabis’ benefits has only helped as data and preliminary research continue to change the minds of even the most skeptical of skeptics.

One of the keynote speakers was David Cohen, CEO of Fluence by Osram (the German lighting company). In his illuminating keynote, he stressed the benefits of using LED lighting for cannabis growers. In the US -where it is legal to grow cannabis in an increasing number of states- 75 % of cannabis growers are now hinging lighting purchases based on energy efficiency and light intensity. His insights about the use of LED lighting confirm that the cannabis industry is taking a long-term approach for a stable, sustainable and profitable industry.

4. **“In essence, we are fueling a generation of change-agents” – (Noella Coursaris-Musunka, CEO and founder Malaika)**

One of the most impressive sessions I attended, was a panel discussion full of strong women. Organised by the Global Citizen Forum and the Global Fund, this event wanted to explore the transformative power of education and healthcare and lay the groundwork of even greater impact. I was particularly impressed by Noella Coursaris-Musunka, the founder and CEO of Malaika. Founded in 2007, Malaika is impacting thousands of lives in the DRC through enhanced access to education, healthcare and clean water. establishing a community-driven model that can be replicated on the global stage.

Malaika’s mission is to empower Congolese girls and their communities through education and health programs. This grassroots non-profit operates in the village of Kalebuka, in the Southeastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Lubumbashi, DRC) and has changed an entire community.

An educated girl will increase her future earnings by approximately 10-20% for each additional year of schooling and will reinvest most of it back into her family and community. These are key factors in a nation’s socio-economic development, and yet girls still face immense obstacles in obtaining an education in the DRC. Malaika mobilizes resources so that these girls can receive the best schooling possible, providing them with greater choices, opportunities, and the capacity to make informed decisions.

Malaika’s goal is to build the leadership capacity of each individual student so that she gives back to her community and has a positive, long-term impact on the future of the DRC. “In essence, we are fueling a generation of change-agents” said Noella Coursaris-Musunka. At the same time, Malaika impacts the surrounding community through recreational and life skills programming for adults and children, as well as essential infrastructure development. With the exception of the locally hired Congolese teachers and support staff, Malaika is operated by pro bono experts and volunteers from the public and private sector.

5. **“Never eat alone” (inspired by Keith Ferrazzi)**

For the third year in a row, we hosted a small dinner discussion in Davos, right after the traditional Belgian power reception with the Belgian PM Sophie Wilmes and King Philippe.

We enjoyed a warm evening reconnecting with old and new Belgian friends and 2 fellow Dutchmen. At the same time this allowed us to escape the speed dating madness of the Davos mountain. Itwas an informal evening with policymakers, business executives and opinion makers where networking took a backseat to fellowship and joy and a welcome opportunity to disengage from the hectic fervor of Davos.

What does it take to transform Flanders, Belgium or Europe in a more dynamic region? How do we create more wealth? How can we provide an answer to the challenges of the 21st century? In order to tackle these matters, we brought together a selected group of business leaders, policy makers and opinion leaders during a convivial Swiss dinner for an open discussion.

Concluding: nearly every conversation in Davos concerned either climate action or sustainability. That was made easier because going green is now profitable a lot of the time. The drivers for companies to become more sustainable are coming from everywhere – the science, initiatives from governments and regulators, increased consumer pressure and demands from investors. The best-prepared businesses see opportunities as well as risks and are preparing accordingly.

Never underestimate the power of talk, something at which Davos Woman and Davos Man excel. Davos can be more than empty words and gestures, if it helps to create a consensus about the need for collective action to tackle global challenges such as climate change. That’s what Davos is all about. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s called influence.

Originally published here.

Cannabis Conclave 2020 Dubbed The ‘Rebels Of Davos’

January 29, 2020
By David Clement
In Cannabis, Cannabis Conclave, Cannabis Legalization, Recent Media
0 comments

Last week, the Cannabis Conclave took place in Davos, Switzerland. The event was dubbed by some as the “rebellious side” of Davos.

The Conclave was hosted by the Consumer Choice Center and Prohibition Partners.

“The event featured industry leaders, investors and policy makers from over 25 different countries. The purpose of the event is to continue to fuel the legalization debate internationally,” David Clement, North American Affairs Manager at Consumer Choice Center, told Benzinga.

Legalizing Cannabis

“Fueling the legalization debate, and the advancement of legalization, requires three things,” Clement said. “First, we need policy makers who are open to the idea, and who realize that the war on drugs is failing. Second, we need entrepreneurs who want to enter the legal space and meet the demand of consumers and patients.”

Clement said the industry needs investors to help catapult it forward so it can expand, and ultimately stamp out the black market.

“That is why we bring those three groups together in Davos. One headline called us the ‘Rebels of Davos,’ explaining that the Cannabis Conclave is the sharper, more daring edge of what goes on during the World Economic Forum,” Clement said.

The team is committed to returning in 2021.

Listen to Yaël Ossowski and Clement on Consumer Choice Radio discuss the Cannabis Conclave further here: https://consumerchoicecenter.org/radio/ep3/

Originally published here.

Davos cannabis conclave advances cause for legalisation

January 29, 2020
By David Clement
In Cannabis, Cannabis Conclave, Cannabis Legalization, Recent Media
0 comments

The second annual, premier cannabis industry event – the Cannabis Conclave – returned to Davos this January to bring together industry leaders and policy makers.

This year the Cannabis Conclave brought together cannabis industry executives, global investors, policy makers and international media to fuel the legalisation debate globally, both for recreational and medical cannabis, and to highlight the growing legitimacy and maturity of the legal cannabis industry.

The Consumer Choice Center organised the event that took place in Davos, Switzerland on 23 January, 2020.

Medical Cannabis Network spoke to organiser, David Clement, to find out more.

Cannabis Conclave 2020

As the world’s most influential executives, activists, and change makers descend on Davos, the conclave aimed to bring cannabis to the front and centre of the global discussion.

Clement, North American Affairs Manager with the Consumer Choice Center, said: “Both internationally and domestically, the number one issue is that legislation is not consumer or patient focussed. Legalisation bills, whether medical or recreational, should always be putting access and affordability first. Unfortunately, in many instances this is not the case. It is time for international bodies to realise that the war on drugs is a failure, especially its focus on cannabis.

“I think that countries should be able to craft cannabis regulations to suit their specifics needs. That being said, I’d strongly encourage all governments to abandon the war on drugs and to legalise cannabis.”

The high-end networking that occurs at the conclave ensures the right amount of knowledge sharing for future collaborations, and for smarter consumer focussed policy.

Clements said: “The legitimacy of the industry can be cemented by having additional countries embrace medical and recreational legalisation. Canada, despite its regulatory mistakes, has charted a course for other countries to follow their lead. We are hopeful that as more countries adopt legalisation, that a tipping point internationally is in the near future.”

Cannabis in 2020

2020 has been earmarked as a big year for cannabis – with expectations that both recreational and medicinal cannabis will become much more ‘normalised’.

Clements said: “The big developments for cannabis in 2020 will be new jurisdictions embracing legalisation. We know that Luxembourg and Malta are now currently reviewing what their legalisation process could look like. One big theme from those two countries is the question of how much they will learn from Canada? For example, it is our hope that while embracing legalisation that those two countries avoid over-regulating cannabis like Canada did.

“Having patient friendly and consumer friendly regulations is the only way to ensure that legalisati on is a success, and that the black market is stamped out.”

He added: “One big takeaway from Cannabis Conclave 2020 is that the world is now listening when it comes to cannabis legalisation.”

Originally published here.

NOBL Completes Series A Funding Round At Davos, Altitude Investment Management Among Round Participants

Cannabis data and consulting company NOBL said Thursday it finalized its Series A fundraise at Davos and capital support of £1.25 million ($1.64 million).

Altitude Investment Management, Enexis AB and Artemis Growth Partners are some of the dominant cannabis investors who have supported the round.

“Closing our Series A with the caliber of investors we’ve brought in is indicative of our performance and reputation. We are proven to understand global markets, launch sector leading brands and operate tenacious companies that deliver month on month revenue growth” Co-Founder, Stephen Murphy, said in a statement at NOBL’s co-hosted Cannabis Conclave event in Davos.

NOBL offers a portfolio platform that contains some of the leading companies and brands in the industry, such as Atalis, European Cannabis Weeks, Prohibition Partners, NOBL Live and Cannabis Europa.

“We will continue to invest in talent and innovation while also enabling our operating companies to make smarter and more effective business decisions that will shape the future of the global cannabis industry in a meaningful and impactful way,” Murphy said.

Michael Goldberg, Partner at Altitude Investment Management, stated, “We have been collaborating with the team at NOBL over the last two years and are pleased to invest in this financing round as NOBL continues to shape the future of global cannabis through knowledge and intelligence with its superior data, insights, and networking opportunities.”

Davos 2020 Cannabis Conclave: Uncovering The Future Of The European Market

Medical cannabis in Europe has slowly been gaining traction, but there are still a number of hurdles around regulation that has a lot of catching up to do.

Speaking at the Cannabis Conclave event in Davos, Switzerland last week, Stephen Murphy of Prohibition Partners discussed medical cannabis policy and the importance of knowledge sharing across the continent.

Murphy said big brands have yet to enter the cannabis market, so less competition exists compared to other industries. The market correction offers a window of opportunity for new brands, businesses and ideas to be generated. He stressed cannabis covers numerous industries such as beverages, food, healthcare, beauty, wellness, construction, textiles, engineering, technology, pet care, biofuel and bedding.

“When we first started monitoring and identifying what’s happening in the cannabis space, there were five to six legal markets over the three years we have seen that grow,” said Murphy, who noted the CDB market in particular is really taking off.

“There are hundreds of thousands of people using medical cannabis across the world and we have significant evidence already in place that it justifies the implementation of legislation,” he said.

“I think we can put phases in place in terms of access levels to cannabis. The implication of medical cannabis’ availability in Israel and Canada when there are patients in the UK desperately trying to get access and cannot because ‘there is not enough data’ is very skewed thinking.”

Murphy said we have started to see a lot of pressure on regulatory bodies all of which have bills, policies and motions around cannabis. There are also major opportunities in R&D and there is a huge knowledge gap that needs to be filled.

Originally published here.

Cannabis Industry Gathers In Davos: ‘No Silver Bullet Gets Rid Of An Illegal Product’

The World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, took place this week and alongside the main event there was a cluster of small cozy cannabis gatherings hosted in the Alps.

Switzerland is one of my favorite countries for a business trip and this week I experienced the ultimate luxury which involved sipping champagne and discussing pot – and the vibe was very much on point.

Business leaders, financial heavyweights and leading politicians from all over the world gathered to discuss key issues revolving around climate change and sustainable business. It’s estimated around 119 billionaires and 53 heads of state attended this year.

The Cannabis Conclave was a huge hit the previous year – an event hosted by David Clement from the Consumer Choice Center. The event was well attended by hedge fund managers and regulators, attracting crowds from Canada, Switzerland, Europe, Israel and China. Many discussions centered around the rapidly growing cannabis industry and how conservative countries are also adopting the recreational drug.

Canada was the second country, after Uruguay, to make cannabis federally legal and as a result took a cautious and in some times instances took a limited approach that has stifled both product availability as well as distribution chains.

What Can We Learn From Canada?

One Canadian government official at Davos who asked to remain anonymous explained: “Our federal government downloaded key aspects to provincial and municipal counterparts that created a disparate and disconnected set of frameworks creating confusion and a wide variety of structures across the country.”

He explained there has been clear winners such as Alberta that has a robust retail and production framework while Ontario has continually been lambasted for a slow and painful rollout that has reduced the success of legalization in the key market in the country.

“As a result we have clear winners and losers and there is much to learn from our experience. As the frameworks and mis-steps are remedied as like any new industry there will be meaningful lessons to be learned,” he explained.

He went on to add no country charting new ground has everything right and in some ways the black market has remained as vibrant as ever whose diminishment was the core cause.

“No silver bullet gets rid of an illegal product, but only meaningful policy that suits the customer and their wallet is effective and the correct approach, market forces should be listened to,” he said.

The Hurdles Of Cannabis

Over champagne, the official added a meaningful lesson for America is to ensure there are no disconnects between states and the federal government that currently persist that has limited proper regulation across the country and in particular created technical and practical problems for the legal industry that continues to give breath and vibrancy to the illicit market.

Stephen Murphy, co-founder of NOBL, highlighted the cannabis plant remains a great unknown with only 3% of the plant meaningfully studied. He stressed there is huge potential of the remaining 97% from a health, economic and social perspective.

Originally published here.

Pot Industry Heads to Davos as Stocks Rebound: Cannabis Weekly

Tough times in the cannabis industry aren’t stopping its leaders from going to Davos.

For the second year in a row, there will be a Cannabis House in Davos, Switzerland this week alongside the schmoozing and speeches of the World Economic Forum. The 2020 offering promises to be “a little more formal and more professional” than last year’s, according to Jason Paltrowitz, executive vice president of corporate services at OTC Markets Group, one of the sponsors of the Cannabis House.

Cannabis House will feature a two-day conference focused on the themes of Davos 2020, including sustainability, climate change, social equity and impact investing.

The rout in pot stocks hasn’t dampened interest in the event, which will also include “a professional capital markets discussion,” Paltrowitz said.

The agenda has an international flavor, with speakers from Israel, Switzerland and Asia.

The goal is to get delegates from the World Economic Forum to pop in and learn about the industry, said Richard Carleton, chief executive officer of the Canadian Securities Exchange, another sponsor.

“What was particularly interesting to me last year was how many European institutional investors, everybody from family office managers, hedge funds, right up to some of the largest pension funds in the world” stopped by Cannabis House, Carleton said. “They hadn’t invested yet but were there to learn.”

Stock Rebound

Investors seemed to be in the mood to celebrate successes rather than punish failures last week.

Pot stocks ended the week significantly higher, with the BI Global Cannabis Competitive Peers Index up 15% and the Canadian-focused Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index ETF adding 18%, its biggest weekly increase since August 2018. The gains came despite Aphria Inc.’s earnings miss and cut to its full-year guidance, which sent its shares down 8.6% on Tuesday.

Instead, investors focused on positive results from Aphria’s smaller competitor Organigram Holdings Inc. Organigram’s U.S.-traded shares surged 45% Wednesday after it reported positive adjusted Ebitda and revenue that beat the highest analyst estimate. That sent the entire sector rallying, and even Aphria’s shares ended the week higher.

Given how fast investors have been to punish missteps in recent months, could this be a sign that the sector has bottomed out?

There are positive signs in the capital markets too, according to data from Viridian Capital Advisors. In the first two weeks of 2020, seven capital raises worth a total of $250 million were completed. Although the number of deals was lower than the 15 done in the first two weeks of 2019, the average deal size was more than 2.5 times bigger than the same period of last year, Viridian said.

Events This Week

MONDAY 1/20

Cannabis House hosts “a global cannabis conversation” in Davos, Switzerland alongside the World Economic Forum, through Jan. 21
U.S. markets closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

WEDNESDAY 1/22

CannaWest addresses regulatory issues in the industry; the event runs in Los Angeles through Jan. 24

THURSDAY 1/23

A one-day Cannabis Conclave will be held in Davos, Switzerland

Originally published here.

Het rebelse kantje van Davos

Cannabis, blockchain, gaming: in het ‘officiële’ programma van het World Economic Forum kom je die zaken niet snel tegen. Maar Davos heeft ook een scherper, meer gedurfd randje.

Originally published here.

Cannabis Conclave Returning To Davos: Meet Benzinga At The Event

January 15, 2020
By David Clement
In Cannabis, Cannabis Conclave, Cannabis Legalization, Recent Media
0 comments

The Cannabis Conclave is returning to Davos on Jan. 23, alongside the World Economic Forum.

The Conclave, which is hosted by the Consumer Choice Center and Prohibition Partners, is an industry event that seeks to connect industry leaders, investors and policy makers. The purpose of the event is to advance the legalization discussion internationally, for both medical and recreational cannabis.

The event consists of a networking luncheon at the mountainside Restaurant Höhenweg, where guests will be treated to a full Swiss three course lunch, along with thought provoking presentations.

“We are excited to be back in Davos for our second annual Cannabis Conclave. This year we will have industry leaders from 24 countries in attendance. Our event will ensure that cannabis policy remains front and center as the world’s most influential people descend on Davos for the week,” David Clement, North American Affairs Manager at Consumer Choice Center, told Benzinga.

Originally published here.

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viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
wpEmojiSettingsSupports	session	WordPress sets this cookie when a user interacts with emojis on a WordPress site. It helps determine if the user's browser can display emojis properly.

Cookie	Duration	Description
__sharethis_cookie_test__	session	This cookie is set by ShareThis, to test whether the browser accepts cookies.
bcookie	2 years	This cookie is set by linkedIn. The purpose of the cookie is to enable LinkedIn functionalities on the page.
lang	session	This cookie is used to store the language preferences of a user to serve up content in that stored language the next time user visit the website.
lidc	1 day	This cookie is set by LinkedIn and used for routing.
pll_language	1 year	This cookie is set by Polylang plugin for WordPress powered websites. The cookie stores the language code of the last browsed page.

Cookie	Duration	Description
__gads	1 year 24 days	This cookie is set by Google and stored under the name dounleclick.com. This cookie is used to track how many times users see a particular advert which helps in measuring the success of the campaign and calculate the revenue generated by the campaign. These cookies can only be read from the domain that it is set on so it will not track any data while browsing through another sites.
_ga	2 years	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_ga_*	1 year 1 month 4 days	Google Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.
_gat_gtag_UA_111177680_1	1 minute	This cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users.
_gid	1 day	This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.
CONSENT	16 years 4 months 8 days 16 hours	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos. They register anonymous statistical data on for example how many times the video is displayed and what settings are used for playback.No sensitive data is collected unless you log in to your google account, in that case your choices are linked with your account, for example if you click “like” on a video.

Cookie	Duration	Description
_fbp	3 months	This cookie is set by Facebook to deliver advertisement when they are on Facebook or a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting this website.
_tt_enable_cookie	1 year 24 days	Tiktok set this cookie to collect data about behaviour and activities on the website and to measure the effectiveness of the advertising.
_ttp	1 year 24 days	TikTok set this cookie to track and improve the performance of advertising campaigns, as well as to personalise the user experience.
bscookie	2 years	This cookie is a browser ID cookie set by Linked share Buttons and ad tags.
fr	3 months	The cookie is set by Facebook to show relevant advertisments to the users and measure and improve the advertisements. The cookie also tracks the behavior of the user across the web on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE	1 year 24 days	Used by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
li_sugr	3 months	LinkedIn sets this cookie to collect user behaviour data to optimise the website and make advertisements on the website more relevant.
muc_ads	1 year 1 month 4 days	Twitter sets this cookie to collect user behaviour and interaction data to optimize the website.
personalization_id	2 years	This cookie is set by twitter.com. It is used integrate the sharing features of this social media. It also stores information about how the user uses the website for tracking and targeting.
test_cookie	15 minutes	This cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE	5 months 27 days	This cookie is set by Youtube. Used to track the information of the embedded YouTube videos on a website.
VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA	6 months	YouTube sets this cookie to store the user's cookie consent state for the current domain.
YSC	session	This cookies is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos.
yt-remote-connected-devices	never	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos.
yt-remote-device-id	never	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos.
yt.innertube::nextId	never	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos.
yt.innertube::requests	never	These cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos.

Cookie	Duration	Description
__gpi	1 year 24 days	No description
_gtm_session_start	1 hour	Description is currently not available.
_mailmunch_visitor_id	never	This cookie is set by MailMunch which is email collection and email marketing platform. We do not know the exact purpose of the cookie.
AnalyticsSyncHistory	1 month	No description
asp_transient_id	7 days	No description available.
GoogleAdServingTest	session	No description
li_gc	2 years	No description
mailmunch_second_pageview	never	This cookie is set by MailMunch which is email collection and email marketing platform. We do not know the exact purpose of the cookie.
raygun4js-userid	never	Description unavailable.
st_samesite	session	No description
UserMatchHistory	1 month	Linkedin - Used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences.

Cannabis Conclave in Davos im Jahr 2020

THAT’S A WRAP. DAVOS 2020 IS IN THE BOOKS.

1.“We have shown that we can stop election interference and ensure privacy” (Sheryl Sandberg, COO Facebook)

**2. “The cybersecurity workforce is still too male and pale” (Jim Alkove, Chief Trust Officer Salesforce)**

3. **“Let there be light” (David Cohen, CEO Fluence)**

4. **“In essence, we are fueling a generation of change-agents” – (Noella Coursaris-Musunka, CEO and founder Malaika)**

5. **“Never eat alone” (inspired by Keith Ferrazzi)**