HIGHER Conference

HIGHER Conference 2026 runs July 23–25 in Philadelphia, and it's the first national cannabis conference built by and for Women of Color — three days where equity stops being a panel buzzword and starts looking like capital, policy, and ownership. Founders, operators, advocates, educators, and creatives roll in from more than 25 states to trade real strategy instead of recycled keynote fluff. The programming leans into what actually moves the needle: access to capital and finance, policy reform and advocacy, workforce development, wellness, and cultural leadership. More than 60 speakers are on the bill across the three days, and the room is deliberately weighted toward people who have been building in this industry without getting the mic — the ones shaping cannabis from the ground up rather than buying in at the top. If you're in the business, or trying to break into it, this is a different kind of conference. It's less about a trade-show floor and more about the network you leave with: the investor conversation, the co-founder you didn't know you needed, the policy fight you want in on. Philadelphia sits at the center of the East Coast market's next chapter, which makes it a sharp backdrop for a gathering about who gets to own the future here. Before you go: it's a three-day format, so plan for full days rather than a drop-in. Passes and the full speaker lineup live on the official site, and the earlier tiers tend to move fast for a room like this. Bring cards, bring questions, and come ready to actually work the space. For anyone tracking where cannabis leadership is headed, HIGHER is one of the clearest signals of the year. Lock your pass, map your sessions, and pull up to Philadelphia ready to build.