MJ Unpacked lights up Atlantic City this week
National cannabis conference returns May 5-7 at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
MJ Unpacked will return to Atlantic City Tuesday, May 5, through Thursday, May 7, bringing licensed cannabis operators, brands, researchers, investors, and industry professionals to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for three days of education, networking, product discovery, and deal-making.
The national cannabis conference and expo is built around a curated model focused on licensed operators, researchers, and investors. MJ Unpacked lists the Atlantic City event for May 5-7 at Hard Rock Hotel, with attendance centered on licensed THC cannabis retail and brand executives, researchers, health care providers, licensed testing labs, and investors actively investing in the space. Budtenders are eligible to attend the third day of the event.
The timing comes as cannabis businesses continue to evaluate recent federal and state-level changes affecting medical marijuana, research, taxation, compliance, and long-term planning. The U.S. Department of Justice announced in late April that certain marijuana-related products would move from Schedule I to Schedule III, while a new hearing beginning June 29, 2026, will evaluate broader changes to marijuana’s status under federal law. For operators, brands, investors, researchers, and service providers, MJ Unpacked arrives at a moment when industry participants can listen and learn from some of the best and brightest in the space while planning for a changing national marketplace.
For George Jage, co-founder and CEO of Jage Media, the value of MJ Unpacked begins with the people in the room and the connections made across the show floor.
“A lot of our clients say that’s the most productive two hours of trade show floor work they do, because everybody’s on the floor, everybody’s got a drink, everybody’s trying to get around and say hi to everybody,” Jage said of the Opening Night Reception. “And you’re just making tons of connections instantly.”
The Opening Night Reception is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in The Experience Hall at Etess Arena. Tuesday’s schedule also includes CSQ’s Pre-Conference GMP Workshop, a networking lunch, a Fortunate Youth show with special guests Lill Twinn x Mizzy Coke and Shore Shot at Hard Rock Balcony, The VC & CEO Mixer hosted by Poseidon, the Chris Higgins Premiere After Party, and High Tide at Showboat.
Jage said the opening night program will also include the Marshall Ogen Community Builder Award, which he said will be presented this year to Leo Bridgewater, a veteran and cannabis advocate known for work around access and community building.
“Leo has done some unbelievable hero work defending the plant, providing access to veterans,” Jage said. “He’s a veteran himself. He is a force, he is a badass, and he is just an unbelievably kind human being. And he’s built these connections and really helped people unselfishly meet new people and introduce the plant to new people.”
The conference program also includes research-focused sessions. “Bridging the Gap: Translating Cannabis Research into Real-World Results” is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, in Seminole Ballroom 1. Speakers listed for the session include moderator Kate Avruch, founder of Operator Academy, and panelists Josh Alb, founder of Cannademix; Dr. Hemant Kumar Bid, Ph.D., program director at Morehouse School of Medicine; and LaTonya Warren, founder of Armintia LLC.
Wednesday’s programming includes morning yoga, the Cultivated x Aquinnah Capital Breakfast, a networking lunch, Brand Slam, Supplier Slam, A Shore Thing Happy Hour with Lowell Smokes and 1906, the Chamber Mixer at MJ Unpacked, and the official afterparty at The Steel Pier, powered by Farechild Events.
The slam programming is designed to give companies and industry participants short, focused opportunities to present products, services, and ideas to the MJ Unpacked audience. Thursday’s schedule includes Tech Slam, Brand Slam, and Budtender Slam, along with a networking lunch and the MJU Cup Awards Ceremony.
The event also includes a community-facing component Thursday, when Blaze Responsibly and Ascend Co-Lab for Social Equity host a free expungement event from noon to 3 p.m. in the registration area. MJ Unpacked notes that the expungement event is open to all, but does not include access to MJ Unpacked.
One of the central features of this year’s Atlantic City event is the MJU Cup, an industry-driven product competition produced in partnership with Farechild Events. MJ Unpacked describes the Cup as part of the broader event experience, with a strategic partnership with the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association. Entries are evaluated exclusively by Certified Ganjiers in partnership with Green Flower Media.
Jage said the MJU Cup was built to address credibility concerns that have surrounded some cannabis competitions.
“It’s important to us that there’s credibility, that there’s transparency, that this isn’t looked at like a pay-for-play, which some of the other Cups have had a reputation for in the past,” Jage said. “And that the people who are entering the Cup understand what’s going to happen.”
According to MJ Unpacked, the MJU Cup is intended to spotlight high-quality cannabis products in the marketplace through professional evaluation. Jage said the competition uses Green Flower Media’s Ganjier program and a systematic assessment protocol designed to create a consistent judging process.
“I think it’s hands down the best in class, that is a transparent, repeatable, and consistent evaluation process,” Jage said.
Each product is reviewed by three level two Certified Ganjiers, according to Jage. He said the structure is designed to protect the independence of the process and reduce potential conflicts.
“We have three level-two certified Ganjiers evaluate each product,” Jage said. “The judges don’t know who else is evaluating the product. If there’s a conflict of interest, they’re not allowed to judge in that category or that product.”
Jage said the process is also intended to give companies practical feedback, even when they do not receive an award.
“Judges do a full process. They take detailed notes and provide feedback. So by entering the Cup, even if you don’t win, you’re going to get this report giving you some three independent evaluations of your product. I think that that’s an incredibly valuable feedback loop for the people in the company.”
The MJU Cup also reflects an effort to move beyond older shorthand product descriptions. Jage said the evaluation framework looks at categories such as fruity, gassy, earthy, and floral.
“I love what Ganjier is doing of trying to migrate off of this sativa, indica, hybrid kind of conversation,” Jage said. “They kind of break it down into being fruity, gassy, earthy, and floral.”
For Jage, that approach is tied to a broader goal: recognizing product quality through an industry-facing system rather than a popularity contest.
“That’s what MJU Cup is really about,” Jage said. “We’ve created a cup for the industry, for us to recognize us. And we want to create an outcome for the winners.”
The awards ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, May 7, from 6 to 10 p.m. at Showboat’s Island Waterpark. MJ Unpacked says awards will be presented for first place and runner-up in each category.
Jage said the event team has also continued to refine the attendee experience around hospitality and consumption, especially at a venue that serves both MJ Unpacked attendees and the general public.
“We work really hard,” Jage said. “You’ve got to build trust in any business. You have to show up. And you have to listen to your audience.”
Jage said organizers heard from attendees who wanted places to gather without crowding public entry points at the hotel.
“We knew that people wanted to be able to sample products,” Jage said. “It’s not always easy as a trade show to organize or to get a venue to say, ‘Hey, you can start handing out stuff.” As a result, MJ Unpacked created a designated outdoor area for attendees who want to smoke, with seating and music, while also respecting other hotel guests and the broader public.
“People need to recognize that this is not necessarily for everybody,” Jage said. “Your personal choices do not need to be shoved into other people’s faces.”
That approach reflects one of the larger themes surrounding the industry in 2026.
Cannabis is more accepted, more regulated, and more visible than ever, but the future of the industry depends on responsible practices.
The intoxicating hemp bans on both state and federal levels, in many ways, are a direct result of a lack of clear and consistent leadership and buy-in from operators nationwide.
Professionalism, responsible operation, public trust, and the ability of operators to adapt as laws, markets, and consumer expectations change will be paramount in making marijuana and cannabis as a whole successful as the markets evolve.
For MJ Unpacked, Atlantic City is positioned as both a business event and an industry meeting point, one built around operators, product quality, capital, research, and the relationships that continue to shape the national cannabis market.
MJ Unpacked will return, coming to Kansas City, Missouri, Oct. 13-15, 2026.