People Over Profits 2025
When: Saturday, October 25, 9:00am - 5:30pm
Where: Blender, 135 Madison Ave Floor 8, New York, NY 10016
9:00-12:00 Leadership Training (not open to the public, invite by application only)
12:00-1:00 Lunch Break
1:00-5:00 Crash Course (free and open to the public, but registration is required)
5:30-7:30 Afterparty (tickets required)
Crash Course Schedule:
WELCOME
1:00-1:15 Welcome by Parabola Center and Bronx Cannabis Hub
CANNABIS IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE
1:15-1:25 Federal Updates and Rescheduling, Cat Packer, Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition
1:25-1:35 Updates from the Hill, Maritza Perez, Drug Policy Alliance
1:35-1:45 Cannabis and Immigration, Laury Lucien, Parabola Center
1:45-1:55 NYC Legacy Cannabis History Lesson, Saki Fenderson
DIGGING INTO THE MARKETS
2:00-2:15 Predatory vs. Equitable Financing Models, Matthew Greenberg, Platform Cannabis Advisors
2:15-2:27 The Compression Effect: How Market Saturation Threatens the Promise of Equity, Hilary Yu and Devan James, Our Academy
2:27-2:39 Anti-Competitive Practices: How to Keep a Market Fair, Kaelen Castetter, Growv Compliance
2:39-2:51 Case Study: Building a Social Equity Incubator, Dr. Brandi Hester-Harrell
Break
PROTECTING THE PEOPLE
3:00-3:15 Public Defenders and Cannabis Equity, Eli Northrup, The Bronx Defenders
3:15-3:25 Tools to Identify and Fight Monopoly Behavior, Pat Garofalo, American Economic Liberties Project
3:25-3:35 Protecting Small and Craft Businesses, Mark Barnett, National Craft Cannabis Coalition
3:35-3:45 Inside the Regulator's Chair: Realities of Cannabis Market Design, Tabatha Robinson, Maryland Cannabis Administration
PANEL: ADDRESSING THE REALITIES OF CANNABIS MARKETS IN NYC, THE SOUTH AND BEYOND
3:50-4:50 Moderated by Kassandra Frederique, Drug Policy Alliance
Dasheeda Dawson, Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition
Chelsea Higgs Wise, Marijuana Justice
Tabatha Robinson, Maryland Cannabis Administration
CLOSING
4:50-5:00 Closing by Parabola Center and The Bronx Cannabis Hub