As Ohio’s cannabis industry continues to mature more than one year after recreational sales began in August 2024, one of the state’s largest cannabis industry events is returning for another edition.

The fifth-annual Ohio Cannabis Health & Business Summit (OCHBS) will take place Oct. 3-4 at the IX Center in Cleveland. The educational and networking event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days and is expecting as many as 6,000 attendees, including industry operators, consumers and enthusiasts alike.

Nearly 150 cannabis companies will be exhibiting at this year’s OCHBS, including cultivators, processors, automation and nutrient companies from as far away as California to Israel to China, according to Lenny Berry, OCHBS founder and CEO.

“We provide everything from understanding about the patient aspect of the industry, all the way to maintaining your current business, investing in this space, and building and marketing a company in this space,” Berry said.

For medical patients and recreational consumers, OCHBS provides education around expert advice for home growing, how to cook with cannabis, and perspectives from Ohio’s medical program. Consumers can also connect with specific companies to put a face to the name behind the brands they might frequent.

“This gives consumers an opportunity to converse with a store or dispensary, people who produce products in the market, and cultivators too,” Berry said. “It gives them a behind-the-scenes look at what’s currently available and what’s coming out.”

As for networking, those interested in working in the cannabis industry can also meet with industry operators at OCHBS to explore career opportunities such as budtenders, brand ambassadors, trimmers at cultivation facilities and more.

“I always tell people to bring a resume,” Berry said. If that’s something that you’re looking to get from this event, you have a lot of CEOs and HR people there.”

Tickets for this year’s OCHBS cost $50 for a two-day pass or $27.78 for a one-day pass when purchased online. Interested attendees can also purchase tickets in-person at the IX Center box office for $45 or $25, respectively, according to Berry.

In addition to the two-day summit, OCHBS and Green Tie Affair are hosting an afterparty at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland after day one on Friday. The afterparty runs from 8 p.m. to midnight and will feature a number of celebrity guests including “Breaking Bad” actors R.J. Mitte and Raymond Cruz, WWE legend Charles Wright AKA “The Godfather,” 2LiveCrew co-founder Mr. Mixx, DJ Mad Linx, DJ Bobby Booshay, and more. Tickets for the afterparty cost $111 and can be purchased online only.

“Last year we saw 1,000 people at this event. It sold out,” Berry said.

Berry founded OCHBS in 2019 and hosted the first event that year at the Crowne Plaza in Independence, Ohio. He previously was a co-owner of a medical clinic where he provided cannabis recommendations for patients, and said he was inspired to launch OCHBS after realizing there was a lack of education around the industry and plant in particular.

OCHBS was sidelined in 2020 and 2021 largely due to COVID-19, but returned in 2022 at the IX Center, where it has been hosted ever since.

More information on this year’s OCHBS can be found online at ochbs.com.