Texas Cannabis Industry Launches at Fort Worth Event

Everything is bigger in Texas.  And that was pretty much the general perspective of those who attended last night’s inaugural dinner of the new Texas Cannabis Industry Association, at the Sheraton Fort Worth.  California may have more people, but those who gathered for the event here in Cowtown were pretty uniformly convinced that the Lone Star State is going to be the key to the long-term success of marijuana in the U.S.

This was the kickoff of a series of events that TCIA has planned for the months ahead, and it was fun and exciting to be there at the inception.  The initial group included entrepreneurs, investors, veteran business people looking at new markets, and longtime advocates.  For a business law guy like me, seeing the passion of nascent entrepreneurs was exciting, and hanging around investors who tended to be as enthusiastic about social change as they are were about making money was just as fun.  I’m one of those who sees free enterprise and reasonable regulation as the best ways to get rid of the harms caused by prohibition, and that’s pretty much the feel I got from the whole group.

It was especially gratifying to see this new industry group taking shape at the Sheraton, right across the street from Texas A&M Law School.  The incredible group of law student cannabis activists we’ve got at A&M – who banded together as the Cannabis Legal Network – played a significant role in helping the organization get going.  One of them, Kayla Brown, is the TCIA’s first Executive Director.

I definitely want to give the group a plug.  If you’re a business or group interested in legalization, and you can see the potential in the country’s powerhouse economy, think about joining up.