Thousands attend Southwest Cannabis Conference and Expo in Phoenix

PHOENIX - Marijuana has been a big topic this election season and Cannabis Boot Camp has started at the Phoenix Convention Center. It's part of the Southwest Cannabis Conference and Expo taking place in downtown Phoenix.

This is the second annual Southwest Cannabis Conference and Expo. 300 exhibitors and thousands of people are attending the event, which shows the legal marijuana industry is growing -- and it stands to grow even more in Arizona if voters approve Prop 205, which legalizes recreational marijuana for adults this November.

At the Cannabis Boot Camp seminar, a sober discussion for people who want to get into the legal marijuana business, is hosted by a Denver-based company called Medicine Man Technologies.

"What is cannabis? How do you grow it? All the questions answered in one place.. young professionals, people.. business people, moms that want some answers," said Lilach Power of the Giving Tree Wellness Center.

Dr. Neil Kramer of the Banner Heart Hospital in Mesa was one of the attendees.

"We came here to see about a business model for marijuana use and also we know there are medicinal benefits for the patients," he said.

Other people attending the event say they're interested in the science of growing marijuana legally because they see it as a crop that's here to stay.

"We generally get treated by dirt by the state. We get called drug addicts. It is time for that to stop. I don't see too many drug addicts other than caffeine in here," said Marc Goodman.

The Cannabis Expo also features companies selling their products, like Baked Bros., which produces syrup and gummies with THC, the man psycho-active ingredient in marijuana.

"We focus on THC syrup and medicated gummies.. ability to determine their dose which is important with any medication," said Baked Bros.' Nadeem Alhasan.

The Southwest Cannabis Conference and Expo continues through Sunday at the Phoenix Convention Center. Organizers expect several thousand people to attend each day.

Online: swccexpo2016.com