Midwest Cannabis Forum Agenda

A Note About the Agenda
The cannabis industry doesn't slow down, and neither will we. So much has changed since we first announced the Midwest Cannabis Forum — in policy, in markets, in finance — that we've packed this agenda accordingly.

Our goal is simple: deliver as much need-to-know information as possible, as efficiently as possible, to a room full of people who don't have time to waste. Expect a tight, high-energy day that moves fast and stays relevant from the first panel to the last. Buckle up.

Welcome & Setting the Stage | How the Midwest Stands Now
A high-energy overview of why 2026 is the most consequential year for cannabis in over a decade as Rescheduling momentum continues and the 280E tax reform and banking access that will follow, the federal ban on hemp on the horizon and what that means for the hemp and cannabis industries, and the emergence of a true consumer beverage category outside the dispensary channel.

  • Jay Rosenthal, Cultivated & Brad Spirrison, Grown In

Market Insights
A region-by-region tour of the Midwest cannabis landscape, examining where markets stand today and where they're headed. From states just launching programs to mature markets refining their approach, this session breaks down the opportunities, challenges, and regulatory dynamics shaping the Midwest's emergence as a cannabis and hemp industry powerhouse.

4 minutes (and 20 seconds) with Kirsten Velasco, VapeNprop
A quick-hit format designed to break up the day and keep energy high. Each segment puts a single voice at the mic to deliver one thing the room needs to hear — a stat, a shift, a reality check. Think of it as the palate cleanser between courses: fast, punchy, and designed to stick.

Hemp Beverages and the Consumer Market
A quiet revolution has been unfolding on liquor store shelves, in bars, and at corner stores across the country. Hemp-derived THC beverages opened up an entirely new distribution channel — one that exists entirely outside the traditional dispensary model — giving consumers access to THC products in places they'd never been available before. Consumers have responded clearly: they want this channel, they trust it, and they're spending real money in it. (Some) Regulators have other ideas.

4 minutes (and 20 seconds) with Mika Stambaugh, Acannability

Rescheduling: What We Know, What We Don't, and What's Coming
Federal cannabis rescheduling is upon us — and yet the industry is still waiting for answers. This panel cuts through the noise to take stock of where the process actually stands, what it definitively changes, what it doesn't, and what operators and investors should be watching for as the timeline continues to evolve. No speculation, no hype — just a clear-eyed look at what's real and what's next.

2026 Farm Bill: The Fight Over Hemp's Future
The 2026 Farm Bill may be the most consequential piece of legislation the hemp industry has ever faced. From bans on intoxicating hemp products to fundamental questions about how hemp is grown, sold, and regulated, what happens in Washington will ripple across every corner of the market — from the farmer in the field to the consumer at the shelf. This panel breaks down what's in the bill, what's still being fought over, and what the range of outcomes could mean for operators, cultivators, and the broader industry.

4 minutes (and 20 seconds) with Sandy Serna, High Roller Horticultural Services

The Cannabis Workforce: Jobs, Growth, and What's Changing
Cannabis has become a significant employer — but the workforce picture is uneven, evolving, and shaped by forces that go well beyond hiring. This panel brings together an economics researcher, a leading cannabis staffing firm, and an employment attorney to take stock of where the industry's labor market stands today in Illinois and across the Midwest, how it has matured since the early days of legalization, and what rescheduling, consolidation, and market pressures mean for the workers and employers driving the industry forward. 

Scaling Smarter: The Partnerships Behind Partner Growth
A conversation on how cannabis supply chains are evolving as operators weigh national scale versus local specialization, featuring perspectives on ingredients, formulation, and cross-market logistics.

Ensuring a Fair Market in Illinois
Illinois built social equity into the foundation of its cannabis legalization framework — an ambitious commitment to ensuring that communities most harmed by prohibition had a meaningful path into the legal industry. The reality of how that commitment has played out is more complicated. This panel takes an honest look at the state of social equity in Illinois cannabis: what the program was designed to do, where it has delivered, where it has fallen short, and what the road ahead looks like for equity licensees navigating a market that grows more competitive by the day. 

Finance & Banking in the Age of Rescheduling
Capital has always been the cannabis industry's most stubborn constraint — a market forced to operate in the shadows of traditional finance, paying a premium for everything from basic banking to growth capital. This panel brings together investors, a chief investment officer, and a lender to trace how the industry got here, what the current capital landscape actually looks like, and what rescheduling does — and doesn't — change. Will the banks show up? Will the cost of capital come down? And what should operators realistically expect from a financial system that has kept cannabis at arm's length for decades? The people moving money in this industry share what they're seeing, what they're betting on, and where the gaps remain.

Closing Remarks