By NJ Cannabis Insider staff
nj.com
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Beth Stavola, chief strategy officer at “iAnthus” is one of the leading women in the burgeoning cannabis industry. Next week, she will deliver the keynote at the “NJ Cannabis Insider event.”
nj.com
As the medical marijuana program prepares to expand in the Garden State, some of the leading women in the cannabis industry will share their stories at the NJ Cannabis Insider event on Oct. 2.
Beth Stavola, the chief strategy officer of iAnthus, the former COO of MPX and co-founder of CBD For Life, will be among the many power players participating in our all-day, multi-track panel event at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison.
The event is focused on the expansion of the medical marijuana, hemp and CBD industries, as well as where the state stands now on adult-use cannabis.
Stavola will deliver a keynote speech about her rise in the burgeoning cannabis industry and the movement is heading.
iAnthus, which won one of the coveted six medical licenses in the program’s initial expansion as MPX, should have plants in the ground by early December and could open its Atlantic City area dispensary by the end of the first quarter of 2020, she told NJ Cannabis Insider.
But she says there’s still plenty of room for more players following the latest Request for Applications round.
“I personally agree that there is plenty of room for those licenses,” Stavola told NJ Cannabis Insider last week. “We believe that at iAnthus, New Jersey will be a very healthy market for these companies and consumers.”
Among other topics like the status of the CBD and hemp industries and navigating the business for newcomers, the day will feature a panel of women leaders in the business. Charlana McKeithen, executive director of Garden State NORML, Sarah Fajardo, marijuana policy director of ACLU-NJ, and Colleen Mahr, president of the N.J. League of Municipalities, will share their journeys and advice.
“There’s still a lot of challenges in the space,” McKeithen told NJ Cannabis Insider. “Building relationships with the right organizations helps.”
Many advocates and industry leaders have called for diversity as the state’s cannabis industry grows. A new round of medical licenses set aside 15 percent are for women, veterans and those with disabilities and another 15 percent for minorities.
“It’s a good start, but we have a lot more work to do,” McKeithen said. “We need resources to be able to have economic development, like loans for these smaller organizations, so that they can build and have a chance to succeed like the other alternative treatment centers that are up and running.”
The event packs in a full day of programming, panel discussions, networking opportunities and lunch. Space is limited and tickets won’t last. Regular price tickets are $180. NJ Cannabis Insider members get discounted entry.
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