Prince George will be rolling out the green carpet for the third annual BC Craft Cannabis Summit this spring.
The event was held in Kelowna in 2022 and 2023 and sold out both times – according to event organizers, last year saw more than 450 delegates, speakers, and exhibitors attend.
“The BC Cannabis Summit is a big gathering of everyone in the industry,” Tara Kirkpatrick, the President of the BC Craft Farmers Co-op, told My PG Now. “If you are a local cultivator, grower, processor, retail storefront, or even just a consumer.”
Kirkpatrick said the event will have activities ranging from lessons on the proper way to roll a joint to seminars on the inner workings of the industry with elected officials.
“This year our focus is on medical cannabis advocacy, reconciliation with our Indigenous partners, and economic development in cannabis tourism. We have a large platform of a variety of topics,” Mama Deen, a Director on the BC Craft Farmers’ Co-op Board, added.
“We have MLAs that support us and come to our event – we have a lot of fun stuff planned, but we do spend a chunk of time getting down to the advocacy and collaborations and bringing everyone together under our cannabis community – and by engaging with the public hopefully breaking some of the stigma that surrounds the plant,” Mama Deen said.
“Craft cannabis is your local little ma and pa’s,” Kirkpatrick explained. “These are not your big LPs, they are at the heart of every community in BC waiting to bring their craft to the market. We want the consumers to become connected to the farm, just like you would when you pick up your produce.”
“We are going to hook you right in with a wide variety of growers right within the northern area,” Kirkpatrick said with a laugh. “I think the south always forgets about us. We are half of the province, all the way up to the Yukon… it is just a matter of getting people connected.”
The BC Craft Farmer’s Co-op estimates the local economic impacts of the first two sold-out summits in Kelowna to be $200,00 and $300,000, and they expect Prince George to sell out as well, between 300 and 500 people.
The summit will be held at the Ramada in Prince George from April 19-21 over the 4/20 weekend.
On the day of 4/20, Mama Deen said the summit has partnered with Epik Cannabis to host a “big 420 street party with consumption space, vendors and food trucks.”
Tickets are on sale now, spots can be reserved by RSVP’ing to [email protected].
You can also see more about last year’s event here.