MJBizCon returned to Las Vegas this December as the largest B2B cannabis industry event in the world, drawing entrepreneurs, retailers, investors, and cannabis professionals from across the globe to the Las Vegas Convention Center. For those looking to scale their business, make informed decisions, source products and services, or identify emerging market trends, MJBizCon remains the essential gathering where the global cannabis industry comes together. From the Expo Floor to intimate networking sessions throughout the city, this year’s conference delivered on its promise of connection, education, and opportunity.
Building Connections Through State Takeovers, Associations, and Sessions
At the heart of MJBizCon’s networking experience were The Hub and The Grow Hub, serving as central destinations for discovery and connection. State Takeovers brought regional focus to the Expo Floor through dynamic, hour-long sessions where different markets showcased their cannabis landscapes, legislation, and business opportunities. Todd Johnson hosted the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association’s Hemp Meetup, while Roz McCarthy led the Florida state takeover. The Texas state takeover brought its perspective through Grow House Media and Texas Growers Podcast, and Peter Su hosted the New York state takeover. Identity and community-focused meetups created space for crucial conversations, including the In the Black Meetup hosted by Cannabis Noire’s Sheena Roberson, the LGBTQ+ Meetup led by Lisa Snyder and Rich Magaña of Tokeativity and Queer in Cannabis, and the Latinas in Cannabis Meetup hosted by Susie Plascencia.
Associations Day elevated industry collaboration by bringing together cannabis associations, policy leaders, and mission-driven professionals to share progress and align efforts. Organizations including the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), NORML, This is Jane, and the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association gathered to discuss what comes next for cannabis policy and business development. Conference sessions throughout the event featured thought leaders like Adelia Fakhri, Asya Hill, Ernest Toney, Guy Rocourt, and Fatima Moore, who delivered presentations revealing the latest cannabis and technology trends while offering fresh insights that could reshape attendees’ approach to the industry.
Why MJBizCon Matters: Legitimizing a Global Industry
Events like MJBizCon serve a critical function beyond networking, they provide a platform for an industry that many still refuse to recognize as legitimate. The statistics tell a different story. In the United States, as of June 2025, medical marijuana was legal in 40 states and the District of Columbia, while 24 states and Washington, D.C., had legalized the possession and personal use of marijuana for recreational purposes, according to Ballotpedia. MJBizDaily reports that the medical use of cannabis has been legalized in 42 states and the District of Columbia, and the recreational or adult-use of cannabis has been approved in the District of Columbia and 24 states. According to Pew Research Center, around nine-in-ten U.S. adults say marijuana should be legal either for medical or recreational use, with just 12% saying the drug should not be legal at all.
The American market isn’t isolated, it’s part of a global shift. Newsweek reports that with almost 448.4 million people, the European Union has a potential cannabis market larger than the United States and Canada combined, and some form of medicinal cannabis is legal in 23 European countries, including Germany, the Netherlands and Italy.
The international focus at MJBizCon reflects the reality of market expansion. BDSA, a leading provider of market intelligence for the cannabis industry, forecasts global legal cannabis sales to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10% from 2023 to 2028, resulting in a $58 billion market by 2028. For entrepreneurs and businesses attending MJBizCon, these connections with international markets represent pathways to growth that domestic-only thinking would miss. The conference provides the rare opportunity to meet decision-makers, investors, and operators from these emerging markets face-to-face, building the relationships that will define the next decade of cannabis commerce.
Looking Forward: A Congressional Campaign and MJBizCon 2026
This year’s conference held special significance when one of the industry’s own made an announcement. Regent Wanda James, co-founder of Simply Pure and the first Black woman in the country to own a licensed cannabis dispensary, and the first Black woman elected to the Board of Regents in over 43 years, revealed her candidacy for Congress at MJBizCon. James is challenging Rep. Diana DeGette in next year’s Democratic primary to represent Colorado’s 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, pledging to push for a complete end to federal cannabis prohibition.
As attendees departed Las Vegas, the question on everyone’s mind was simple: what will MJBizCon 2026 bring and where will we be as an industry? If this year demonstrated anything, it’s that cannabis continues evolving from a controversial plant to a legitimate global industry. The connections made, deals sparked, and relationships built at MJBizCon 2025 will shape the industry’s trajectory. Next year, the global cannabis community will return to MJBIZCON to see how far we’ve come, and where we’re headed next.
The marathon continues.
Veronica Castillo is a writer known as the Traveling Cannabis Writer and author of Cannabis Legacy Chronicles: The Traveling Cannabis Writer’s Guide to America’s Hidden Gems – Six Years of Documenting Resilience, Challenges, and Inspiration. Over the past seven + years, she has journeyed across the United States and Caribbean, documenting cannabis communities, cultures, and the economic impact of cannabis tourism. With a background that bridges professional business insights and creative storytelling, she offers a unique perspective on how cannabis tourism drives local economic development. Her extensive travels have given her unparalleled access to the diverse voices and hidden gems that define cannabis culture from coast to coast. Through her work, she illuminates the deeper connections between place, people, and plant that continue to shape America’s relationship with cannabis.