Bridging the Cannabis Media Gap: Meet the Cannabis Press w/ GreenState

Live Panel + Networking at Barbary Coast

The people shaping how cannabis stories get told are coming to Barbary Coast — and they want to meet you.

GreenState is bringing three of the most respected voices in cannabis journalism to SoMa for a candid panel discussion on the state of cannabis media. Whether you're an industry professional, an advocate, a brand builder, or just someone who cares about how the plant is covered in the press, this is your chance to hear directly from the reporters behind the coverage — and get a peek behind the media curtain.

The Panel:
Lester Black — Contributing Cannabis Editor at SFGate, Lester has been at the forefront of California cannabis reporting for years. His investigative work has appeared in The Guardian, FiveThirtyEight, and High Country News, and he holds a Cannabis Media Fellowship from the University of Vermont. From pesticide contamination to tax policy to the illicit market, Lester covers the stories that matter most to the legal industry.

Rachelle Gordon — Editor of GreenState and an award-winning cannabis journalist who's been covering the space since 2015. A two-time host of the California Cannabis Awards at the California State Fair, Emerald Cup judge, and recipient of the 2025 Emjay Cannabis Journalist of the Year award, Rachelle brings deep knowledge of the industry and a passion for the plant to everything she writes.

David Downs — Best-selling author, award-winning journalist, and a foundational voice in cannabis media. David served as the first-ever Cannabis Editor at the San Francisco Chronicle — where he created GreenState — and later became Senior Editor at Leafly. He's the author of The Medical Marijuana Guidebook and co-author of Marijuana Harvest, and the creator of SF Space Walk, SF Hash Week, and the Terpnami seed show. His work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED, Rolling Stone, and Scientific American.

Come for the conversation. Stay for the connections. 21+