Cannabis. weed, grow your own weed
A worker tends to cannabis plants at a medical marijuana plantation near the northern Israeli city of Safed. [Representational image]Reuters

South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference & Festivals has started and will be stepping into the future, by holding a debate and discussion session among cannabis experts, political advocates, scientists and entrepreneurs. This is the first time that a conglomerate of all art forms will foray into the world of cannabis.

The programme has assembled more than 40 keynotes and panels and has been organised by Leafly, which "is the largest cannabis website in the world, with over 15 million monthly visitors and 40 million page views across its website and mobile applications."

The SXSW opened in Austin, Texas, on March 8 and closes on March 17. The cannabis programme will open on March 14 and end on March 16 at the Hilton Austin Downtown.

SXSW,
REUTERS/Brian Snyder

The highlights of the programme will include several discussions and some demo sessions too. The Leafy Lounge has been set up for people to come and hang out and meet the experts. The two-day conference will see Leafly's principal research institute, Nick Jikomes, talk about how technology can be used to harness the potency in cannabis.

Even celebrities who have been very open about their cannabis intake will be attending the conference. Leafly will have a podcast section where Will Hyde will interview celebrities like Flow Kana's Amanda Reiman, Canadian cannabis celebrity Sarah Hanlon, and others.

Apart from that, SXSW has an interesting line up of musicians and comedians. Among comedians, from Todd Barry to Roy Wood Jr, will be doing shows.