Cannabis convention held in Desert Hot Springs looks at future of industry in the valley

Jason Elsasser is the founder of the Coachella Valley Cannabis Alliance Network (CVCAN).

A group that started as an advisory board for Desert Hot Springs, and is now a valley-wide trade association.

He said it serves as the voice of the local cannabis industry.

“They have issues about taxes, they have issues about development, they have issues about their permit, and instead of having 50 different people approaching the city in different directions, it’s much better to be able to approach with a unified voice,” Elsasser said.

Friday and Saturday, Elsasser and others are hosting hundreds in Desert Hot Springs for their convention.

He and others like Dr. Robin Goins and Jocelyn Kane with CVCAN said it’s a chance to network with vendors.

“We have to come together in an organized fashion, so that we can represent to the world and to the community that this is not this sneaky, slimy business,” Goins said. “This is real business, real jobs, real economic development, real taxes. The real thing.”

Attendees can also hear from local and state leaders on topics such as licensing and state compliance.

“It’s really important,” Kane said. “There are a lot of elected officials today from desert cities, and folks that are running in the primary that’s coming up, who may have never been this close to any of this business before.”

Some of the vendors at the convention range from insurance, real estate, and security, to testing and packaging.

It’s an opportunity, Elsasser said, that will hopefully help those in the local industry.

“My plea to them is to get involved, to reach out (and) to do things the right way,” Elsasser said.

Elsasser also mentioned CVCAN supported the City of Desert Hot Springs’ decision to eliminate a manufacturing tax.