CORE Summit 2026
CORE Summit 2026 is a multi-day event, hosted by the City of Sacramento and the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to advance equity, education, and collaboration within the cannabis industry. Designed as both a learning and networking event, the Summit brings together regulators, equity operators, policy leaders, municipalities, advocates and industry experts to promote sustainable pathways for participation to advance equity businesses in the cannabis marketplace. Join Us!
Conference Dates
SAFE Credit Union Convention Center
May 6 - 7, 2026
Day 1: 2:30pm - 6:00pm
Day 2: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday, May 6: Pre -Summit Day 1
- Opening Session - Welcome
- Panel - "Behind The Work: How CORE's Strategic Partners Deliver Impact"
- Evening Networking Social
Thursday, May 7: CORE Summit Day 2
- Opening Session - Breakfast & Gather
- Regulatory Update - Department of Cannabis Control (DCC)
- Panel "Women Shaping the Cannabis Industry"
- Break - Networking Lunch
- Breakout Tracks
Track One - Licensing & Compliance
Track Two - Funding & Growth Strategies
Track Three - Marketing & Branding
- Plenary - Legal Environment of Cannabis
- Municipal Panel - Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles
- Closing Keynote - Stephanie Shepard, Executive Director, Last Prisoner Project
CORE Summit 2026 Registration Ticket Types and Price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| CORE | FREE |
| Equity Participants (Outside of Sacramento) | $25 |
| Non Core - General Admission | $50 |
Stephanie Shepard Executive Director, Last Prisoner Project
Summit Spotlight - Stephanie Shepard, Executive Director
Stephanie Shepard was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in 2010 and sentenced to ten years in federal prison as a first time, nonviolent offender. After serving nine years, she was released and placed on five years of federal probation.
Today Stephanie serves as Executive Director of the Last Prisoner Project, where she is a leading advocate for restorative justice. Drawing on her own lived experience, she works to address the ongoing harms of cannabis criminalization and to support those who continue to be impacted by its consequences.
Department of Cannabis Control - Regulatory
Deputy Director of Equity & Inclusion for California Department of Cannabis
Chief of the Compliance Inspection Branch, Department of Cannabis Control
Women Shaping the Cannabis Industry
Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA)
Advocate and Founder of Josephine & Billie's
Coalition for Cannabis Policy Education and Regulation (CPEAR)
Founder & Owner of BACHAZ
The Legal Environment of Cannabis & Equity
4Leaf Consulting
Municipal Panel
Social Equity Program Director, City of Los Angeles
Analyst II, Economic Workforce and Development Department, City of Oakland
Director, Office of Cannabis, City of San Francisco
Closing Keynote
Executive Director, Last Prisoner Project