Voting is now open for panels to be part of next year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival, allowing anyone with an opinion to weigh in on what topics the event covers and whose views are featured onstage.
And once again, like in past years, there are dozens of marijuana- and psychedelics-related panels up for consideration.
There are 16 proposed panels touching on cannabis and more than 40 on psychedelics, though that’s a decline compared to what’s been offered in recent years.
The marijuana-focused proposals fall into broad categories such as culture, criminal justice, agriculture and business.
Overall, the drug policy panels run the gamut—with discussions on the need for marijuana clemency, putting cannabis products in convenience stores, the therapeutic potential of ibogaine to treat head trauma in athletes and even a psychedelic “puppet show.”
Here are summaries of some of the noteworthy panels being considered for SXSW 2026:
Marijuana
Cannabis Prisoners in the Era of Legalization, featuring Last Prisoner Project’s Stephanie Shephard and former NFL player Ricky Williams
As cannabis becomes legal across the country, tens of thousands of Americans remain incarcerated for the same plant. This panel brings together advocates and directly impacted leaders—Ricky Williams and Stephanie Shepard—to examine the state of cannabis legalization, expose how cannabis prisoners are being left behind, and offer solutions. From clemency to re-entry, the panel will share strategies to ensure justice is at the center of cannabis reform, not just profit.
C-Stores and the Mainstream-ification of Cannabis
Cannabis is no longer confined to dispensaries and head shops—it’s riding shotgun at the local gas station. From THC beverages and gummies to hemp pre-rolls and vapes, convenience stores are becoming the frontline of cannabis normalization. This panel will explore how C-Stores are becoming the unlikely accelerators of the cannabis industry’s march toward mainstream acceptance. We’ll examine the intersection of regulation, retail innovation, and consumer demand-and what this means for CPG investors, functional beverage brands, and legacy cannabis players eyeing broader distribution.
Read the rest of the story at Marijuana Moment
