2024 TRACKS & SESSIONS
Oral Presentations: Formal, individual presentations on various conservation topics will be scheduled in general sessions depending on the specific “Track” in which it was submitted and the thematic content. The abstract submission form requires the selection of a preferred presentation format (oral) and whether you are submitting your abstract as an individual or part of an organized panel. The Session Chair may suggest that you change your proposed format depending on the novelty, relationship to the theme, available time in the program, and whether or not the content has been previously presented.
All presenters must be registered conference participants.
Please, do not submit the same abstract in multiple formats.
Track:
Business and Economic Development
Sessions & Session Descriptions:
1st Billion Dollar Segment: Hemp Food
Food from the hempseed has been the most successful hemp industry segment in the last 25 years. Yet, few seem to realize the importance hemp food has played in society and industry; from national TV to popular magazines, food drove Cannabis (in all its forms) into the public's consciousness, unlike clothes or paper, due to the Proximity Effect. Today, the only 100% legal hemp segment has the potential to create new entrants the easiest, with the most upside potential, including export. The recent discoveries in hempseed in medicine, industry, and food are eye-opening and frequent. The Hemp Food Association, started by me in 1998, was re-booted in 2022 to address the growing industry, now with over 200 companies across the globe. With a 3 times greater impact on climate change than Hempcrete and 11 times more than EVs, hemp food deserves more attention. It also stands at the intersection of the currently popular plant-based food and hemp movements and shows no signs of retreating. Production of hemp grain for food generates ~4 times more weight in the stalk, allowing two income streams for the farmer and lowering the net cost of both. Creating branded CPGs with 5 to 10% hemp grain inclusion is a quick and easy path for any company or entrepreneur, even restaurants and boutique food shops. Distribution can be very easy, and there’s no FDA pre-market approval. GRAS to FDA, food is a massive and diffuse industry, how often do you eat versus build a house or buy jeans? The session aims to educate on this segment’s history, function, future, best practices, and entrance for the entrepreneur.
Applications of Industrial Hemp for Global Sustainable Development
The 193 member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, wherein 17 Sustainable Development Goals were proposed to address global hardships with strategies that “improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth” for all global citizens. Industrial hemp is poised to be a positive key influencer for many of these goals, with applications from the agricultural and health sectors as well as contributions towards sustainable living and the promotion of economic growth through potentiation of industry, innovation, and infrastructure development. This session will be composed of a broad array of speakers from industry, government and academic backgrounds which will highlight current efforts that are targeting industrial hemp as a sustainable material, with experience moving from principle to practice.
Exploring the Industrial Hemp Supply Chain from Seed to Shelf, Including Fiber, Grain, Inflorescence, and Everything in Between
This session will include a panel with farmers, processors, and regulatory professionals to discuss the current hemp supply chain from farming through processing to store shelves or shipping containers. This conversation will frame the current American hemp supply chain for farmers growing hemp even as the market remains depressed and how the current lack of standards for hemp ingredients in manufacturing impacts the global market and demand for hemp as a raw ingredient. The panel will also discuss the viability of dual and triple-purpose crops and how the hemp life cycle can be exploited to open new market opportunities for farmers. The presentation portion of this session will investigate how genetics, cultivation, farm site processing, and manufacturing can influence plant properties, end-use applications, and multi-purpose hemp crop production.
Rebuilding a Forgotten Supply Chain
This symposium brings together presentations and subject matter experts working to rebuild a forgotten and dismantled hemp supply chain. Since 2014, members of this group have been curating data sets through primary and secondary data sources, developing descriptive and causal analysis, being awarded over $12 million in extramural funding, and publishing a range of manuscripts that stakeholders and policymakers are utilizing to guide the continued development of this supply chain. This symposium will highlight some of the work being conducted by this group and provide insights for others to use when working with various data sets and stakeholders to develop a supply chain for an emerging industry. The US hemp program is underpinned by the 2018 Farm Bill, which allows states and tribal governments to develop their hemp regulations to meet or exceed federal regulations. This has created a patchwork of hemp regulations and an unlevel playing field. Individual state comparative advantages will shape how the industry and supply chain develops. This presentation will provide insights into how the industry and supply chains are developing and which states appear to have a relative advantage in the marketplace. This presentation is part of a USDA/ERS Cooperative Agreement. The presenters will leave time for question/answer and discussion after the presentations.
The Intersection of Cannabis and Gaming
Gambling and cannabis consumption are human behaviors that have occurred for thousands of years and are intrinsic to societies around the world. “Cannabis is by far the most widely cultivated, trafficked, and abused illicit drug,” and gambling appears to be an ancient human activity found in almost all cultures and most parts of the world.
The psychological and epidemiological effects of these behaviors have been examined extensively. Still, as cannabis legalization sweeps the United States, new paths for exploring economic, business, and policy connections between the two behaviors are opening. Further, as discussion of federal legalization looms, there is (the) potential for the two licensed markets and commercial activities to overlap and be sold to consumers simultaneously. While federal legalization of cannabis is still away, at the earliest, there are still many worthwhile questions and discussions relating to how the industries are related, how they differ, and possible intersections.
This session is proposed as a panel discussion on gaming and cannabis business, law, and policy. The panel will include Riana Durrett, Vice Chair of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board and Director of the Cannabis Policy Institute at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV); Dr. Marla Royne Stafford, UNLV Business Professor and Research Affiliate at the Cannabis Policy Institute & Faculty Scholar at the UNLV International Gaming Institute; and Alan Feldman, Distinguished Fellow at the UNLV International Gaming Institute and past gaming executive. (All panel members have committed to attending. We are also seeking at least one additional person for the panel.) The panel will discuss the potential for gaming and cannabis retail integration, Nevada’s laws relating to cannabis and gaming establishment ownership and location, the marketing of the two industries, and the future of cannabis and gaming hospitality in Nevada. Although the panel will discuss these issues within the context of Nevada, implications for other states around the U.S. will also be discussed as well as the role of federal regulations.