Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The local marijuana industry took over the Hynes Convention Center on Friday for the start of the New England Cannabis Convention.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the two-day event gathers more than 300 vendors to show off the latest products and technologies in the world of weed.
Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
Marc Shepard, president and founder of NECANN, told WBZ NewsRadio that conventions like these are important for helping local cannabis businesses grow.
"Our model from the beginning here was to build this show up locally, make it affordable for local businesses, local entrepreneurs and attendees to be here," Shepard said. "It’s an incredibly important time for all these smaller businesses to meet and network and realize they can do business with each other, which keeps all the tax revenue generated by this industry in Massachusetts and the communities here, so everyone benefits for them."
Among the vendors on the convention floor was Perfectionist Rolling Equipment, which showed off their APEHEX machine that can make 1,500 pre-rolls (a joint that has been pre-rolled before purchase) in an hour.
"So you put in your ground flower, you put in your cones, you set up your settings and then it will just start spitting out pre-rolls for you; perfectly packed, perfectly folded," said co-founder Tony Pagni.
Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
On the edible side, MariMed Inc. showcased Vibations, its cannabis-infused sports drink.
"It’s great for focus and energy for consumers who are looking for a little bit more when they’re working out, when they’re hiking, you know, living an active lifestyle, but in a discreet way," said Howard Schacter of MariMed.
Photo: Kyle Bray/WBZ NewsRadio
NECANN told WBZ they expect over 10,000 people to attend this year's convention, which runs until 4 p.m. Saturday.
WBZ's Kyle Bray (@KyleBrayWBZ) reports.
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