February 2022 - EXTRAS: Lucky Leaf Expo

New Mexico is recently one of the many states that have realized the benefits of marijuana and took the incentive to make it legal. Starting April 1st, cannabis will become legal to partake of, which will lead to many events in the process. The Lucky Leaf Expo, scheduled for February 25th-26th, features more than 100 cannabis industry exhibitors, 50+ expert speakers, and numerous educational panels. Co-Managing Partner and Producer Chad Sheer shared how the event came to fruition. "We started in Texas doing hemp CBD shows. We were the first in the entire state of Texas to have a show after legalization," says Sheer. "It was a very successful show back in 2019. We decided moving forward any market that is emerging, we'd like to jump into it. If you look at New Mexico, it's going to be recreational on April 1st. That's a new market that we like to have our feet in. In a nutshell, we like to go into new and emerging markets.”

When it came to the idea of the Expo, it was a family affair. "My father years ago had a lot of back and knee pain. He would experiment with herbal supplements. They were effective, but not a hundred percent," shared Sheer. "When he was 73, someone gave him a brownie, on purpose. They told him, ‘Hey, you know this is going to take away a lot of your pain.’ It alleviated his pain a lot better than natural supplements. He slept better, he felt better, and, ever since then, has been infatuated with the cannabis industry. Not just to have shown, but the benefits for patients. When you see a major story happen in your house, where something positive happened to your loved one, versus taking opioids, your mind and world change completely. You want to shift into whatever helped them out. So we're bigger advocates now than we've ever been. That's what got us started."

With New Mexico on its way to legalizing recreational marijuana, The Expo will see a combination of every day smokers, connoisseurs, and entrepreneurs looking to start their own business. Sheer is excited about their lineup and how the public will respond. "You are going to see a mix of both businesses and consumers come to this show. Our event predominantly looks at things from a grower/retailer perspective," says Sheer. "Our headliner traded on the NASDAQ or the new york stock exchange. You'll see service fertilizer and soil companies. There will be attorneys, accountants, and retailers selling their products. So it is a diverse group. Everybody is going to be there."

The Lucky Leaf Expo features more than 100 cannabis industry exhibitors, 50+ expert speakers, and numerous educational panels. The event takes place on February 25th and 26th from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM at The Albuquerque Convention Center. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://luckyleafexpo.com/albuquerque.