First Annual Wisconsin Cannabis Expo Signals A Change in Thought

MILWAUKEE- The first annual Wisconsin Cannabis Expo hosted more than 3,000 people, establishing a new event that organizers say is a reflection of the State’s growing support for cannabis.

“Cannabis is misunderstood by a lot of people but it’s also something that is very exciting right now,” said event owner Louis Fortis. “Just the turn out here gives you an idea of how interested people are in this issue.”

Fortis has a Ph.D. in Economics, is a former Wisconsin State Assembly member and college professor, as well as the owner and editor of The Shepherd Express; a Milwaukee based newspaper whose cannabis advocacy led to the culmination of the expo.

Casually centered on The Shepherd Express homepage is a “Hemp” category. Within this category is a section called the “Cannabis Connection,” which features two new articles every week about any and all cannabis related news, especially in Wisconsin.

The alternative news outlet soon began receiving overwhelming amounts of positive feedback for this weekly section, with many people asking Fortis to take the paper’s cannabis interests to the next level.

“Listening to our readers, we put this together,” said Fortis.

The event, which was held at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, featured more than 100 exhibitors showcasing virtually every aspect of the cannabis industry (minus the THC). And while no illegal plants or products were featured at the expo, the inside of “Hall D ” still had that subtle aroma of your friend’s college dorm room.

The expo featured growers and processors, entrepreneurs and investors, operators and testers, chefs and bakers, artists and craftspeople, local businesses and dispensaries, as well as live panels and presentations from scientists, doctors, medical professionals, state representatives, professors, and more. One booth featured long time Wisconsin cannabis medical patient and activist Gary Storck.

“I first started smoking cannabis for glaucoma back in 1972, found it lowered my pressure and I’ve been an activist ever since,” said Storck.

Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes high amounts of pressure build-up in the eye, damaging the optic nerve and having high potential to cause blindness. Cannabis has long been used to treat glaucoma, as it can decrease the amount of pressure in the eye, slowing down any potential damage to the optic nerve.

Storck was progressively losing his eye-sight as a teenager. Being near-sighted, he was an avid reader and came across an article describing how cannabis can treat glaucoma; and so he decided to self-medicate as a means to save his eye-sight.

Since then, Storck has founded multiple organizations dedicated to medical and recreational cannabis activism, including IMMLY (Is My Medicine Legal Yet?) and Madison NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), a subset of Wisconsin NORML.

Storck has also recently written a new book called “The Rise and Fall of Cannabis Prohibition in Wisconsin,” which examines the first cannabis prohibition laws in Wisconsin, the legislation that harshly increased cannabis-related penalties, as well as the current effort to end prohibition in a state where opinion on cannabis has dramatically shifted over the years.

“I’ve seen a sea change over my lifetime,” said Storck. “Public support is at an all-time high.”

He notes that if it were up to Wisconsin residents, we would have cannabis legalized today. An idea that was reinforced throughout the expo.

“A lot of people that I talk to are definitely in favor of legalization of marijuana,” said Jason Auerbach, candidate for Milwaukee’s 14th aldermanic district.

His eye-popping dandelion yellow and navy-blue campaign booth, which sat across from a CBD edibles booth, signaled that he was a different type of candidate for office.

“I don’t come from politics, I’m just running on quality of life,” said Auerbach.

And quality of life is central to his campaign; it’s why he supports cannabis legalization in Wisconsin.

“I would love to see marijuana eventually legalized,” said Auerbach. “It would definitely help; primarily with lead abatement.”

Auerbach explained that revenue from legal cannabis has helped different States with a number of issues. Here in Milwaukee, he thinks that revenue from legal cannabis sales could drastically improve the city’s lead issue and also mentions that public education would seriously benefit as well.

The incorporation of politicians and other professionals helps to normalize something taboo like cannabis in Wisconsin, which was the overall goal of the expo.

According to Louis Fortis, the event sought to legitimize cannabis in the minds of Wisconsinites. Through the use of professional and scientific presentation, the purpose was to show people in a serious manner just how beneficial cannabis can be.

“The idea is to scientifically discuss what it can really do; get to the facts and what it can really do,” said Fortis.

The idea of bringing Wisconsin residents together to discuss, celebrate, and learn about cannabis was central to the purpose of the expo.

“People just need to really stay on this and bring it up whenever they can,” said Storck.

Honest dialogue and conversation is what event hosts and exhibitors yearned to start.

“I’m excited that The Shepherd Express kind of spearheaded this and put this forward,” said Auerbach. “The best thing we can do right now is have the conversation, help everyone on all sides understand it, and advance the issue one step at a time in Wisconsin.”

Louis Fortis and The Shepherd Express already plan to bring back the Wisconsin Cannabis Expo in 2021. They anticipate turning this into an annual event in an effort to solidify and legitimize the idea of Cannabis in Wisconsin.