Reflections on Lucky Leaf Louisville

Expos
Written By Matthew Bratcher

Lucky Leaf Expo is in the books - and this one felt special. Louisville played host May 29–31, and Kentucky NORML came in strong, from the classroom to the expo floor and everywhere in between.

We kicked things off Thursday with the Business Crash Course, where our very own Deputy Director, Lauren Bratcher, laid the foundation with a Cannabis 101 session. She was followed by some heavy hitters from our Board of Advisors: Jason Ams of Dentons brought clarity to cannabis business basics, Brad Clark dove into laws and compliance, and Barry Davis of NOBO shared deep insights into cultivation and cannabis botany.

That night, we gathered with the Dentons team at the Thoroughbred Society for cocktails, then joined other exhibitors for dinner at Porch. If you’ve ever mixed bourbon with policy talk, you know exactly how that evening went - spirited and memorable.

Friday, the expo floor opened and Kentucky NORML was posted up, ready to roll. We brought along a range of educational materials, some cannabis-themed games, and even a few goodies—thanks to Utokia Herb Co. for donating some hemp-derived Delta-9 gummies. We shared our table with Potency No. 710, a California-based skincare and lifestyle brand run by Kentucky native Mandy Lile, which brought some serious style and heart to our setup.

The speaker lineup Friday was stacked with familiar faces from the Kentucky cannabis reform scene. Patrick Dunegan of the Kentucky Cannabis Freedom Coalition tackled grassroots advocacy, Dee Dee Taylor of 502 Hemp and the Kentucky Hemp Association broke down state-level hemp regs, and Erica Sloan from Dope CFO laid out how to raise and deploy capital in cannabis. Lauren also returned to the mic to deliver “The New Hemp Playbook,” which explored how smart cannabis brands are pivoting and diversifying through hemp.

We capped the night with an industry hangout at Bluegrass Brewing Company. Nothing like good food and shared purpose to strengthen connections.

Mandy Lile owner of Potency 710. Photo courtesy of Mandy Lile

Saturday rounded things out with Mandy Lile speaking on the importance of cannabinoid skincare, followed by Jason Ams and Arin Aragona of Dentons, who gave a strategic talk on operational pitfalls cannabis companies can avoid by learning from other states’ experiences.

Kentucky NORML closed out the event with a nearly empty booth - we sold out most of our fundraising stock! More importantly, we made new connections, caught up with old friends, and added fuel to the fire that is cannabis reform in Kentucky.

Grateful to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and linked arms with us. Onward.

Matthew Bratcher
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