Report from Wine & Weed Central Coast

There will always be more questions than answers surrounding the cannabis industry so long as marijuana remains illegal under federal law. But the Wine & Weed Symposium – Central Coast provided at least flashes of clarity for the more than 200 attendees at San Luis Obispo’s Embassy Suites on Thursday, May 10.

What’s clear is that the rules are constantly changing and vary widely from town to town — but if you plan on mixing your wine business with weed, you’d better step very carefully, as that crossover territory remains either illegal or, at best, extremely murky.

The one-day event began with an overview of cannabis in California, featuring Hezekiah Allen of the California Growers Association and Aaron Smith of the National Cannabis Industry Association. After opining that marijuana should be considered an “agricultural medicine, not a pharmaceutical medicine,” Allen outlined his organization’s efforts: the establishment of marijuana-growing appellations, like what’s done in wine, will happen by 2021; the fight to allow growers to sell directly to consumers, rather than only through licensed retailers; and, in what became a common issue throughout the day, tax reform.