Last verified: May 2026
The MJBizCon Origin
The cannabis industry’s flagship conference launched in Denver in 2011-2012 with roughly 400 attendees in a hotel conference room, organized by Marijuana Business Daily founder Cassandra Farrington. The Denver-launch context made sense: Colorado was the early-stage U.S. cannabis-market leader, with Amendment 64 still in the campaign-and-implementation phase, and Denver’s industry infrastructure was the most developed in the nation.
The Las Vegas Move
By 2017, MJBizCon moved to Las Vegas. The move reflected several factors:
- Las Vegas Convention Center capacity for the rapidly-growing event
- Nevada’s 2016 adult-use legalization opening a new major U.S. cannabis market
- Las Vegas’s convention-and-trade-show infrastructure
- Travel and accommodation logistics for international attendees
Today MJBizCon draws 30,000+ attendees and 1,400+ exhibitors at the Las Vegas Convention Center — among the largest cannabis-industry trade shows in the world.
The Denver Origin Story Significance
The Denver origin remains a point of regional pride within the Colorado cannabis-industry community. The original 400-attendee Denver hotel conference room represented the genesis of what became the cannabis industry’s flagship gathering. Denver-based industry veterans remember the original years and the city’s role in nurturing the conference’s early formation.
The departure of MJBizCon from Denver to Las Vegas in 2017 was, in retrospect, an early signal of the broader shift in cannabis-industry center-of-gravity from Denver to Los Angeles, New York, and Las Vegas as those markets matured.
Cannabis Media — The Denver Infrastructure
Westword
Westword — Denver’s alt-weekly — is the dominant cannabis media outlet in Colorado. Long-time cannabis editor (now News Editor) Thomas Mitchell; “Stoner” advice columnist Herbert Fuego. Westword cannabis coverage spans:
- Industry news (operator restructurings, regulatory developments)
- Dispensary reviews and the annual Best of Denver awards
- Lounge and consumption-venue coverage
- Cultivar reviews and product coverage
- Policy and political coverage
Westword is the go-to source for current Denver cannabis coverage and the most-cited Denver-cannabis-media outlet in industry discussions.
The Denver Post / Cannabist
The Denver Post founded the now-defunct Cannabist vertical in 2014 (sold and shut down in 2018); maintains general cannabis coverage through the Post’s standard news framework. The 2018 closure of Cannabist was a notable moment in cannabis-journalism history — the Denver Post had been one of the early major-newspaper investments in dedicated cannabis coverage.
Cannabis Trade Associations
Marijuana Industry Group (MIG)
Marijuana Industry Group (MIG) is the oldest and largest Colorado cannabis trade association. Executive Director Truman Bradley. Represents 500+ Colorado cannabis business licenses. Functions:
- State-legislative lobbying
- Regulatory engagement with MED and DLCP
- Industry-data publication
- Member services and networking
Colorado Leads
Colorado Leads is the alternative industry-association coalition; Chuck Smith (Dixie Brands / BellRock) leads. Provides a different industry-coalition voice in state-policy discussions.
The Marijuana Policy Project Colorado
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) continues advocacy presence in Colorado. Mason Tvert remains a Denver-based VS Strategies partner and the architect of Amendment 64’s 2012 messaging campaign. Tvert’s ongoing role connects the original 2012 ballot-campaign generation to current Colorado cannabis-policy discussions.
Legal Resources
Vicente LLP
Vicente LLP — founded by Brian Vicente, co-author of Amendment 64 — is the Denver-based national cannabis-law firm. The firm represents cannabis operators across multiple states, advises on regulatory and licensing matters, and has been a continuing presence in Colorado cannabis-policy discussions since the 2012 ballot campaign.
VS Strategies
VS Strategies is Mason Tvert’s policy-consulting firm. Jordan Wellington partner. The firm advises cannabis operators, advocacy organizations, and other clients on policy strategy, communications, and ballot-campaign matters.
McAllister Garfield, P.C.
McAllister Garfield, P.C. is a Denver cannabis-law practice with long history representing local licensees. The firm’s practice covers regulatory compliance, licensing, transactional, and litigation work.
Sam Kamin / DU Sturm College of Law
DU Sturm College of Law professor Sam Kamin is one of the country’s leading legal-cannabis-regulation academic scholars. His work spans federal-cannabis-policy reform, state-law-implementation analysis, and the legal-regulatory framework for the broader cannabis industry. DU and DFSCA detail.
Equity-Focused Organizations
Equity-focused organizations operating in Denver cannabis include:
- Black Cannabis Equity Initiative (BCEI) — Denver-based equity advocacy
- The Color of Cannabis — partner organization for Denver’s Cannabis Social Equity Technical Assistance Program
- Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) — National with strong Colorado chapter
The Conference and Event Calendar
Beyond MJBizCon (now Las Vegas), Denver hosts and contributes to:
- Multiple smaller industry awards — Grow-Off, Errl Cup, Cultivation Classic, often pegged to MJBizCon and 4/20 weekends
- Denver Investment Conference on cannabis-focused finance
- NoCo Hemp Expo — the major hemp-industry conference in nearby Loveland
- Mile High 420 Festival — the consumer-facing 4/20 event at Civic Center Park
- 4/20 Eve On The Rocks — Wiz Khalifa’s annual Red Rocks show
Companion Pages
For broader industry-contraction context, see our industry contraction page and tax revenue and housing page.
For in-depth cannabis education, dosing guides, safety information, and research summaries, visit our partner site TryCannabis.org