Yes We Cann: Cannabis Market & Symposium presented by the Chicago Reader

The Chicago Reader, MOCA cannabis dispensary, and Emporium Arcade Lounge have joined together to present Yes We Cann, a cannabis market and symposium, Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019.

This will be a day focused on educating and empowering Chicagoans about cannabis and hemp, while giving a platform to local businesses, educators, and professionals dedicated to the field. A marketplace will be held at Emporium Logan Square at 2363 N. Milwaukee Ave. while cannabis panel conversations take place next door at Chicago Distilling, 2359 N. Milwaukee Ave. 12-4 p.m. Emporium Logan Square and Chicago Distilling are 21+ venues. Both are wheelchair accessible spaces.

A separate two-credit CME/CEU (continuing education) course will be offered from 10 a.m.-noon; tickets are required for this session. It will dive into cannabis terminology, the molecular components of the plant, and how they interact with the human body (additional details below). Tickets are limited.

The marketplace and cannabis conversations are free, and the first 100 people to RSVP will receive ten game tokens for the Emporium arcade. Seating for the talks is on a first come, first served basis.

This event is supported by Grassroots, Hoban Law Group, Cresco and aeriz.

The marketplace at Emporium will feature vendors selling goods and sharing resources about the potential benefits of cannabis and CBD, including cultivators, wellness practitioners, educators, CBD and hemp body care makers, CBD edibles, and more. DJ All the Way Kay will provide music.

Exhibitors/vendors include Grassroots, aeriz, Green Care Medical, MOCA, Cresco Cannabis, GTI, Third Wave Coffee Roasters, Verano, Bliss CBD Shop, Club Canna, Cornbread Hemp, Equilibria, FUFLUNS Foods, Grass Fed Marketing, Hemp For Fitness, High Haven Education, IESO, Root 66 and Sacred.

The cannabis conversations at Chicago Distilling will feature a diverse array of professionals, leaders, and activists discussing the following topics: The medical benefits of cannabis, understanding the new laws that will be enacted in 2020, cooking with cannabis, and social justice and racial equity in the cannabis industry.

The Chicago Reader will present its inaugural Cannabest Awards at noon during the expo at Emporium. The four key legislators who lobbied for the change in cannabis law will each be honored for their work. They are: state senators Toi Hutchinson and Heather Steans, and State Representatives Jehan Gordon-Booth and Kelly Cassidy.

Illinois Women in Cannabis and Clergy for a New Drug Policy will be honored for their work on lobbying for change in Illinois. More awards will be announced soon, including winners of the Reader’s annual Best of Chicago awards, which for the first time includes cannabis categories.

10 a.m. CME/CEU course: The first hour is designed to help you gain knowledge and an understanding of the medical cannabis pilot program in Illinois. We will uncover basic cannabis facts and science, as well as take an in-depth look at the laws and the medical card application process. The second hour will provide an in-depth look at the cannabinoids and terpenes that are found in every strain of cannabis and explain how these synergistic elements create the “entourage effect.” These are the compounds responsible for the aroma of cannabis, as well as the unique effect various strains have on your body.

$75 for two CME credit hours; $40 for two CEU credit hours. CMEs are provided by the Continuing Education Institute of Illinois as an Illinois Licensed Continuing Medical Education Sponsor. This program meets the guidelines for AMA PRA Category 2™ credit. Continuing education hours are provided by the University of Illinois, College of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine in collaboration with the Continuing Education Institute of Illinois. Presented by Grassroots.

Please note that no THC products will be permitted or distributed on site, and that all attendees must present identification proving they are 21 or older. Emporium Logan and Chicago Distilling are wheelchair accessible.

For press inquiries or to learn more about becoming a vendor, please contact Kristen Kaza, Director of Public Engagement: kkaza@chicagoreader.com

The Chicago Reader is a media company creating and curating political and cultural coverage by and for Chicagoans, including highlighting underrepresented communities and stories. As a social enterprise, we reinvest all of our profits to achieve sustainability, grow our reach, and ensure the fulfillment of our mission. The Reader has been a fearless, innovative, and nationally respected media voice in Chicago for nearly 50 years. In print every week and daily online, we are tastemakers, incisive critics, and agenda-setters. More at chicagoreader.com