IgniteIt Chicago Is Moving Cannabis Forward

June 22, 2026
By Dustin Hoxworth

Cannabis is food, fuel, fiber, medicine, business, community, and culture, which are reasons it’s one of the most fascinating things on Earth. It touches every aspect of society.

Farmers, scientists, doctors, patients, entrepreneurs, advocates, artists, media professionals, investors, cultivators, manufacturers, retailers, and consumers all have a relationship with cannabis, even if those relationships look very different from one another.

Because of that, no single event can fully represent every corner of cannabis. The industry is simply too large and too diverse. What conferences can do, however, is create opportunities for meaningful conversations between people who might not otherwise find themselves sharing the same room.

That’s one of the things I appreciate most about the IgniteIt Cannabis Capital Conference. For the second consecutive year, Fat Nugs Magazine was invited to participate in the event, and once again, I walked away impressed by the people, conversations, and intentional effort made by Elliot Lane, Patrick Lane, Jason Raznick, and the entire IgniteIt team to bring together a broad cross-section of the cannabis industry.

IgniteIt Chicago 2026

From business leaders to community builders, media professionals to advocates, entrepreneurs to operators, and a few investors (even if they were a little harder to find this year), came together under one roof for two days of networking, learning, connecting, and hopefully growth.

This specific IgniteIt conference creates an environment where these groups can interact, learn from one another, and hopefully leave with a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. That’s a big deal because the future of cannabis will be shaped by people willing to listen to perspectives outside their own experiences and areas of expertise.

Panels with Incredible Lineups

One of the highlights of the conference was participating in the Torchbearers Media Panel alongside some of the most respected voices in cannabis journalism, including Rachelle Gordon, Bill Levers, Niko Rodriguez, Dr. Sara Brittany Somerset, and Ricardo Baca. Sharing a stage with people who have dedicated so much of their professional lives to documenting, educating, advocating, and telling stories about cannabis was an honor.

The conversation covered several topics around media, but one theme continued to surface throughout the discussion: media matters because people matter.

Media documents history, preserves culture, educates consumers, creates accountability, shapes narratives, creates trust, and hopefully, helps us to understand one another better. In an industry built on relationships, media serves as a bridge between all the different “factions” we have. It helps connect ideas, businesses, communities, and individuals who may never have crossed paths otherwise.

That same bridge-building spirit was visible throughout the conference itself. People like Angela Pih, Jamie Pearson, and Rachel Wright immediately come to mind. These are the folks who’ve built reputations as leaders and connectors. They understand the language of business while also appreciating the importance of community and culture. They recognize that cannabis isn’t just one thing. And helping different groups meet and communicate effectively with one another is one of the most valuable contributions a person can make in this industry.

Cannabis Culture in the Heart of Chicago

Another thing I appreciate about IgniteIt is the way the event is structured. The conference takes place at the Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, which creates a centralized experience that makes participation easy and enjoyable. The panel sessions and networking are there. Restaurants are within walking distance, and afterparties are relatively close by, which makes logistics incredibly simple. That might not sound important, but anyone who travels regularly for conferences understands how much smoother an event feels when attendees aren’t spending large portions of their day navigating transportation, traffic, and scheduling headaches.

The conference also provides breakfast and lunch, which helps keep attendees present and engaged throughout the day. Instead of people constantly leaving the venue in search of food, conversations continue naturally between sessions. The event becomes more than a collection of panels and presentations; it’s a fully shared experience that people appreciate and remember.

The Best Conversations Happen Around the Dinner Table

As much as I enjoy speaking on panels and attending educational sessions, I’ve realized something over the last few years. My favorite part of traveling for cannabis events usually happens after the conference ends for the day. To be more specific, it’s dinner.

One of the many benefits of IgniteIt being held in Chicago is that the city happens to have one of the best food scenes in the country. Whether you’re craving pizza, an incredible steak, Italian food, a neighborhood favorite, or a quick stop at Portillo’s, the city delivers every single time. The food itself is fantastic, but the meals aren’t just about the food. They’re about the people you’re with and the conversations that happen around the table.

This year’s conference gave me the opportunity to eat amazing food and spend time with friends and colleagues, including Bill Levers, Brian Holler, Justin Sheerin, James Stephens, Jeremy Ortiz, Ann Brum, Tyler Stratford, Stephanie Pow, Tracy Lampe, Dylan McCollough, Rob Pero, Holden Farahani, and many others throughout the week.

Those dinners have become one of the things I look forward to most when I travel because there’s something special about sitting around a table with people you respect and simply breaking bread. No presentations, microphones, elevator pitches, or expectations. Just great conversations that can sometimes drift wildly from industry to family stories, to current events, music, art, and the list goes on. I’ve learned more about people over dinner than I have during countless networking events.

Some of the strongest professional relationships I’ve built in cannabis didn’t start during formal meetings; they started over meals, stories, laughter, and conversations that had absolutely nothing to do with business. That proves why community remains one of the most valuable assets this industry has. And Chicago is one hell of a place to build community around a dinner table.

IgniteIt Brings Small-Town Dreams to the Magnificent Mile

One of the coolest aspects of attending events like IgniteIt is getting the opportunity to see people I work with regularly throughout the year. Many of us, like Chelsea Landow, Rose Fulton, Sara Payan, Jeff Pehrson, and others, communicate weekly if not daily, but most of those interactions happen through screens. Seeing one another in person changes everything, because relationships become stronger, trust deepens, ideas evolve more naturally, and partnerships become more meaningful. It’s an easy reminder that behind every company, publication, nonprofit, agency, and brand are actual human beings doing their best to contribute something positive to the industry.

As I sit here writing this, I’m having a difficult time not getting emotional. If you told me a few years ago I’d be traveling around the country, speaking on panels, sharing meals with industry leaders, exploring cities like Chicago, and helping build an independent cannabis publication with readers in all 50 states, I would have laughed. I never thought things like this were possible.

Finding Community in All Corners of the Country

I come from a background where opportunities like this didn’t seem real. No trust fund or wealthy connections. No roadmap, shortcuts, or real guidance, but here we are with a sometimes stupidly stubborn belief that hard work, consistency, and caring about people still matter. And somehow, that belief turned into Fat Nugs Magazine, which has turned into a passport to experiences I never imagined I’d have.

The truth is that 2026 has been one of the hardest years of my life, but it’s also been one of the most rewarding. The revenue challenges are significant, hard lessons have been constant, and the growth has been very uncomfortable at times.

Conferences like IgniteIt remind me why this work matters. Not because of business deals, metrics, or numbers. It’s because of the people. We the People are why independent media matters. It’s why you see “Uplift The People, Uplift The Pant” on every single digital magazine we launch.

So, thank you to Elliot Lane, Patrick Lane, Jason Raznick, and the entire IgniteIt team for creating a space where meaningful conversations can happen. Thank you to every speaker, sponsor, attendee, exhibitor, volunteer, and organizer who contributed to the event. Thank you to everyone who stopped to have a conversation, shared a meal, and took the time to include Fat Nugs Magazine in the discussion. It means more than you know.

For the last two years, IgniteIt Chicago has provided an experience that feels thoughtful, welcoming, educational, and genuinely enjoyable. And more importantly, it’s brought together people who care deeply about the future of cannabis, and that’s always a good place to start.