Page 13 - Cannabis News Florida Jan 2020

P. 13

Cannabis Spotlight

Gene Jones I cannot imagine the loss Ron and Dana have endured. I tear
up every time I see that lovely boy's picture.
Can-Ed, Inc. Ron tells the story of how he came home to Dana one day after

Dylan’s passing and told her that he had a great idea. Since he was
What benefits do you see for patients throughout a lobbyist in the medical profession, he was going to quit his job
Florida within this space? and lobby for medical cannabis without the first client signed up.
Medical Cannabis and cannabinoid products provide a tremen- Dana response was … go for it! As many in the industry know,
dous opportunity to help people alleviate various ailments and Ron was instrumental in the passing of the state’s first medical
symptoms and provide a valuable attribute to general health. Far too cannabis bill.
many people suffer from chronic pain and medical cannabis is a fan- My background is in waste management and recycling. I run a
tastic alternative to prescription drugs, many of which are addictive non-profit called the Southern Waste Information eXchange
and have very negative side effects. (SWIX) whose mission is to assist industry and municipalities in
Gene Jones
Florida with waste issues. My wife, whose name is also Dana, runs
What motivates you to be a part of the Cannabis Industry? several conferences in the environmental sector (recycling, waste conversion,
This space is probably one of the most rewarding spaces to work in. When you remediation).
get to help people who have problems and need assistance that can be provided by One day back at the beginning of 2015, Ron and I were talking about medical
a natural plant, it brings a great feeling of accomplishment when you can help con- cannabis and I asked him if there were any conferences on the subject. Ron had
nect those in need with those who can help. indicated that at that time there were some national and other state events but
nothing for Florida specifically.
What field are you in within the Cannabis space? I responded that I know nothing about the industry but I know how to run a
We run Can-Ed, Inc. which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that operates cannabis conference. The seed was planted and I grabbed the name Florida Medical
related B2B conferences. The first being the Florida Medical Cannabis Conference Cannabis Conference & Exhibition via a DBA with the Florida Division of
& Exhibition (FMCCE) and the second being the Florida Industrial Hemp Corporations on January 25, 2015.
Conference & Exhibition (FIHCE). We held our first event in Saddlebrook in May of 2017 and then again in Sarasota
in June of 2018. Our 3rd conference was held in St. Pete in 2019 and our next one
How can people in Florida benefit from the company you repre- will be held in June of 2020 in Naples.
sent? We also run the Florida Industrial Hemp Conference & Exhibition which we
We provide education and networking in the cannabis space. We run B2B events held in November of 2019 and will hold again in 2020.
to foster the development of the medial cannabis and industrial hemp industries.
Our goal is to foster the development of the medical cannabis and industrial hemp Are you personally a MJ card holder?
industries here in Florida. No, not at this time.

How did you get started within the Cannabis industry? Do you see Florida moving forward with recreational
I got started in the cannabis industry because of a boy named Dylan who lost his Marijuana/Cannabis and how will that affect your business?
battle to Leukemia. Yes I do believe that one day we will have recreational cannabis in Florida. This
A good college buddy of mine by the name of Ron Watson and his wife Dana lost would have a positive impact for us as we will hold a recreational conference on
their son Dylan at age 7. the subject.

Florida’s Resource for CONSULTANT
Medical & Business Cannabis Developments Andrew Felix

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