By We Are Jersey | On-site interviews by Adrianna Bauldock | Media partners with Beast Media
Atlantic City put New Jersey Cannabis in One Room
For two packed days, the Atlantic City Convention Center became a meeting ground for the people shaping cannabis in the Garden State. NECANN New Jersey 2026 brought operators, dispensary teams, cultivators, manufacturers, educators, advocates, investors, service providers, creators and curious attendees together on September 18 and 19 for a convention that moved easily between serious business and genuine community.
We Are Jersey attended as a media partner alongside Beast Media, with Adrianna Bauldock on the floor interviewing guests, speakers, brands and vendors throughout the weekend. The result was more than a trade-show walk-through. It was a close-up look at an industry asking bigger questions: Who gets to participate? What does sustainable growth look like? How do companies earn trust? And how can New Jersey build an ecosystem that reflects the communities that carried cannabis culture long before legalization?
The short answer: through education, collaboration and visibility. From policy discussions and operational strategy to women-led networking, academic research, brand building, wellness and the NECANN Cup, this year's program made room for nearly every part of the conversation.
What Made NECANN New Jersey 2026 Worth The Trip
NECANN describes its New Jersey convention as a business-to-business event focused entirely on the state's cannabis market. That focus could be felt across the floor. Exhibitors were not simply handing out promotional items; many were explaining products, comparing services, discussing regulations and building relationships that could turn into real business after the badges came off.
The convention ran from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Atlantic City Convention Center. The main exhibit hall held brand booths, vendor activations and open-access programming, while additional sessions took place in Rooms 318 and 319. The Beast Media Stage sat at the intersection of business, leadership, policy and culture, giving the show a strong New Jersey voice. A dedicated Blunt Brunch women's lounge added its own community-centered programming, and Saturday also included a free cannabis-conviction expungement clinic presented by Blaze Responsibly.
Outside the formal sessions, NECANN created multiple ways to keep conversations moving: a Thursday pre-show reception for eligible badge holders, Friday's day-one mixer at the Treehouse, the official after-party at Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall, and a free shuttle connecting the convention with High Rollers Dispensary. Those details mattered because some of the weekend's most valuable moments happened between panels, in booth aisles and during the follow-up conversation after an introduction.
Day One Combined Policy, Science, Leadership and Practical Growth
Friday opened with a schedule that showed how wide the cannabis industry has become. On the Beast Media Stage, From Cannabis to Campus: Building the Next Industry Pipeline connected cannabis and psychedelics research with higher education and workforce development through Tauhid Chappell, Bria-Necole Diggs, Dr. Ara Karakashian and Dr. Denise Vidot. The inaugural symposium kickoff extended that academic lens through a large group of researchers, educators and students, including Anthony Alfonso, Nyomi Barrick-Wommack, Mavis Berko, Ciné Brown, Jasmine Davis, Sunehera Hasib, Kayla Hearon, Benedictus Hlormenu, Rob Mejia, Tomiwa Oyedokun, Hayley Palmer and others from institutions including the University of Miami, Rutgers University and Stockton University.
The stage then shifted toward questions that are especially relevant in New Jersey. Joseph Artim, Adam Goldner, Sam Reichbart and Michael Wiehl addressed home cultivation and access during The Garden State Without a Garden. Danielle A. Drummond, Gretchen Gailey, Kate Miller and Kathleen Olivastro centered women advancing into executive leadership. Regional officials Ava Concepcion, John Kagia and Joshua Sanderlin discussed what federal rescheduling could mean across Northeast state lines.
In the seminar rooms, attendees could dig into the effect of federal rescheduling on New Jersey cannabis businesses, practical chemistry for producers and retailers, the path from licensure to successful operations, AI efficiency for cannabis retailers, economic inclusion after prohibition, patient-centered business strategy, marketing beyond the existing cannabis audience, and the realities of scaling vape production. Together, those sessions reflected the full pressure of operating in a young regulated market: compliance, education, margins, production, customer acquisition and long-term credibility all have to work at the same time.
The Blunt Brunch space gave Friday a more intimate rhythm. Coffee and pastries led into Leading Out Loud, a conversation about visibility, influence, confidence and personal branding. Speed networking gave attendees a structured way to move beyond small talk, and the program closed with community connections and a women-in-cannabis group photo.
Friday Programming at a Glance
From Cannabis to Campus: Building the Next Industry Pipeline — Tauhid Chappell, Bria-Necole Diggs, Dr. Ara Karakashian and Dr. Denise Vidot
Blunt Brunch Coffee, Pastries and Community Welcome
Effect of Federal Rescheduling on New Jersey Cannabis Businesses and the Regulated Market — Alexzandra Fields, Todd Johnson, Evan Kolakowski and Mike McQueeny
Practical Chemistry for Producers and Retailers — Jeff Rawson
Inaugural Symposium Kickoff — Anthony Alfonso, Nyomi Barrick-Wommack, Mavis Berko, Ciné Brown, Jasmine Davis, Bria-Necole Diggs, Sunehera Hasib, Kayla Hearon, Benedictus Hlormenu, Kieran Kenig, Rob Mejia, Mark Moffatt, Josue Munguia, Tomiwa Oyedokun, Hayley Palmer, Jessica Phillips and Bright Tamakloe
The Garden State Without a Garden — Joseph Artim, Adam Goldner, Sam Reichbart and Michael Wiehl
The Path to Licensure and Operating: The Power of Collaborative Relationships — Will Bowden
Leading Out Loud: Building Visibility, Influence and Confidence in Business — JM Balbuena, Jennifer Makris and Katie Motta
AI Efficiency for Cannabis Retailers — Marcus Johnson-Smith
From Prohibition to Participation: Cannabis Reform, Economic Opportunity and Equity — Reina Garcia and Kyarah Holt
Navigating Cannabis Ascension as an Executive-Level Woman — Danielle A. Drummond, Gretchen Gailey, Kate Miller and Kathleen Olivastro
Speed Networking
Every Consumer Is a Patient: What Cannabis Businesses Are Missing — Dasheeda Dawson
Talking Outside Our Bubble: How to Win Customers Outside the Cannabis Community — Stella Morrison, Sarah Nodes and Lex Rivera
The Future of Northeast Cannabis Markets After Rescheduling — Ava Concepcion, John Kagia and Joshua Sanderlin
From Raw Flower to Retail Ready: Scaling Vape Production in Practice — Bernard Gruberg, Tim Marsh, Gustavo Reyes Jr. and Isaiah Winn
Community Connections, Group Photo and Closing Celebration
Day Two Brought Culture, Consumer Experience And The Future Into Focus
Saturday began with Cafe con Comunidad, a Hispanic Heritage Month gathering presented through Blunt Brunch and the Latino Cannabis Alliance. The morning conversation honored immigrant stories, leadership and connection before the larger schedule accelerated across the hall.
Programming examined how cannabis spaces can become more trust-based and healing through Jennifer DeWalt, how cultivators can protect profitability against high energy costs through Dominic Galanti, Jim Kordoban and Mikhail Sagal, and how Queenee Gonzalez, Sativa Papi, Audris B. Torres and Toast Vargas are using personal branding and digital media to build influence. Built for the Block brought John Brody, Dharsh Casinathen, Joshua Krane and Tenisha Victor together to ask what authentic New Jersey cannabis branding looks like when a company is building with the state rather than simply selling into it.
One of the day's most visible conversations, Drink the Plant, explored cannabis beverages through health, wellness, public policy and product innovation with Leo Bridgewater, Matthew Lovett, Wesley McWhite and Reggie ‘Redman’ Noble. On the Beast Media Stage, Brandi Hester-Harrell, Kyle Page, Droop Pop and Corey Webb connected legacy, entrepreneurship and culture during From Trap to Transformation. A fireside chat between Dr. Beast and hip-hop artist Charly ‘Max B’ Wingate brought another unmistakably cultural moment to the convention before the NECANN Cup closed the stage program.
Elsewhere, Beyond the Booth looked at events as engines for community, sponsorship and revenue. Sessions on therapeutic gardening, cannabis banking and cash operations, consumer wellness experiences, and trust-based retail added practical depth. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Blaze Responsibly's free expungement clinic offered direct help for people with cannabis-related convictions—a reminder that progress in the legal market must also address the continuing impact of prohibition.
Saturday Programming at a Glance
Cafe con Comunidad: Honoring Hispanic Heritage Through Stories, Leadership and Connection
Expungement Clinic by Blaze Responsibly
From Survival to Service: Building Trust-Based Cannabis Spaces That Actually Heal — Jennifer DeWalt
The High Cost of Energy: Designing and Operating New Jersey Cultivation for Profitability — Dominic Galanti, Jim Kordoban and Mikhail Sagal
Young Leaders Leveraging Personal Branding and Digital Media — Queenee Gonzalez, Sativa Papi, Audris B. Torres and Toast Vargas
Built for the Block: Brand Identity in New Jersey's Cannabis Market — John Brody, Dharsh Casinathen, Joshua Krane and Tenisha Victor
Drink the Plant: Health, Wellness, Public Policy and Cannabis Beverages — Leo Bridgewater, Matthew Lovett, Wesley McWhite and Reggie ‘Redman’ Noble
From Trap to Transformation — Brandi Hester-Harrell, Kyle Page, Droop Pop and Corey Webb
Beyond the Booth: How Cannabis Events Build Community, Revenue and Growth — Beth Conway, Adelia Fakhri, Ali Fakhri and Ayanna Lawson
Therapeutic Gardening as Harm Reduction for the New Jersey Cannabis Patient — Michael Brennan
Fireside Chat with Max B — Dr. Beast and Charly ‘Max B’ Wingate
Building the Cannabis Back Office: Banking, Cash and Operational Strategy — Susan Crum, Jennifer Makris, Peter Su and Matt Wells
How Cannabis Consumers Are Redefining Community, Self-Care and Social Experiences — Alishea Kelly
NECANN Cup Awards
Adrianna Bauldock took WAJ inside the conversation
A convention this large can become a blur of banners and business cards. Adrianna Bauldock helped slow the weekend down by asking the people behind the booths, brands and programming to explain what they are building and why it matters. Her interviews gave speakers space to expand on their expertise, gave vendors a platform beyond a quick product shot, and gave guests a chance to describe NECANN from the attendee perspective.
That is where WAJ's role as a media partner mattered most. Our coverage was not limited to the biggest name or busiest booth. We looked for the people creating solutions, pushing the culture forward and making room for others in New Jersey's cannabis industry. Watch the embedded interviews throughout this recap and the full VLOG for conversations from the convention floor.
The bigger takeaway for New Jersey cannabis
NECANN New Jersey 2026 made one point clear: the industry is no longer having only one conversation. Regulation still matters, but so do energy costs, banking, workforce development, science, patient education, brand identity, social equity, content, events and customer trust. A company can have a license and still need the right story, the right systems and the right community relationships to last.
The weekend also showed why local media matters. New Jersey's cannabis story should be documented by outlets that understand the state's cities, culture, entrepreneurs and audiences. Through our partnership with Beast Media, We Are Jersey was able to capture not just what happened at NECANN, but how the convention felt: ambitious, candid, educational, relationship-driven and unmistakably Jersey.
If you missed this year's convention, the VLOG and interviews will take you onto the floor. If you attended, consider this your invitation to reconnect with the people you met, follow up on the ideas you heard and keep the conversation moving long after Atlantic City.
Watch and connect: Embed the full NECANN 2026 VLOG here, then link viewers to the We Are Jersey YouTube channel, @WAJMagazine and @WeAreJerseyEnt for additional interviews and New Jersey culture coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Does this apply across all of New Jersey? Most information applies statewide. Notes are included where local variation by municipality or region is significant.
