Blog post: Day One Cannabis Business Conference; Santiago, Chile

On Tue, Jun 25, 2019 at 9:29 PM Dede Osborn

Well, peeps, it is the end of a very long day and I’m truly pooped after working the room and the tables from 9-8 but I must admit it seems pretty easy and smooth until I get into my pjs and realize that I can hardly find my ibuprofen! I actually wore hose and flats all day!

We had a whole day of presentations and a different way of handling questions in small groups that I wish I’d thought of.  I had lots of one on one time with people from everywhere and can say that for the most part they are open, friendly, resourceful, struggling with regulations and focused on the medical use not for healing people and as one CEO put it, clinical trials are just another tool for marketing! Most all were different Latin countries with maybe 5 from the U.S. and 4 of those from Colorado.   [The world of regulation is big is critical in these countries and ‘compliance’ is becoming a huge challenge, especially internationally.  They can’t export to the U.S. unless the FDA regs are met.  Govt is everywhere more as an obstacle and one that is ever changing, however.]

Hemp is big for absorbing pollutants in the soil so you need to plant a hemp crop first, THEN plant marijuana.  The other interesting point, you need the best grower to start but not some guy who knows a lot about growing weed on small plots.  You get someone with experience with big grows of flowers or vegetables and teach them marijuana.  The little guy can’t handle the layers of management involved.  When plants are dying, look to the problem in the management/leadership system, probably communication.

After hearing the speakers today, my session tomorrow will be as much leadership as weed and actually selling leadership in the old days was a lot like selling weed is today 🙂

My favorite was a psychiatrist and first MD to proscribe marijuana in Chile.  He’s rather bedraggled, portly, huggy, grey straggly pony tail and keeps insisting that marijuana needs to be combined with exercise—smoke a joint and go for a run will cure anything.  And I think he might be right 🙂 I’m going to buy his book.

There are quite a few here from the press and I don’t know how it happened but I ended up in a lot of photos with the
‘In crowd’ of Santiago—primarily the ones focused on treating the poor.  All day I was getting lots of eye contact and nodding heads so for whatever reason I wasn’t disappearing in the group.  There are about 80 people here.

At one point there were about 7 guys competing for air time around the table (3 from the same family—another thing I like about business here.  NEPOTISM 👍). Only 2 women, me and a quiet technical person from Peru who had not said a word so when there was a break in the noise, I said, I’d like to hear what she has to say about the situation in Peru.  There was stunned silence while she gathered her thoughts but bless her, she stepped right in.  There are many ways I am able to contribute, I think. 

Everything has really been perfect so far; the organization, the food, the hospitable Chilenos, and the quality of information.  Glad I’m not going back tomorrow after the session.  I’ll need a sleep and maybe even watch the Democratic debates if they are on.

Much love to you all for your support and encouragement.  I am rather unique in this fish tank, for what it’s worth.

dd

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