Attendees at the Missouri Cannabis Conference, held Saturday at the University of Missouri campus, agreed that simply by talking about marijuana they are benefitting the legalization movement.

The daylong conference � sponsored by several groups, including Show-Me Cannabis, NORML and the MU student chapter of NORML � included speakers ranging from a state legislator to national marijuana legalization advocates.

Mason Tvert, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, offered the keynote address. He said multiple times during his address that his experience is that the more people talk about an issue, the easier it is for them to understand and come to accept change.

Tvert has been part of the marijuana legalization effort in Colorado and continues to advocate for legalization in other states through talks such as the one he gave yesterday at MU. Tvert also has appeared on multiple cable news networks, including MSNBC, HLN and Fox News, advocating for the cause.

During his talk, Tvert explained that he and the Marijuana Policy Project channel the discussion "solely on pot being safer than alcohol." He said the majority of people who agree with that idea also agree with legalization.

So, the discussion starts with what Tvert calls "education" on viewing marijuana as a "safer alternative."

One of the most important places those types of discussions should take place is in college, he said.

"It's the perfect setting because binge drinking is a huge thing," he said.

Tvert also noted marijuana legalization would generate tax revenue and do away with the black market, but he said although "those are great arguments, those can't be the first argument you make."

"The places that are having these discussions are where the support is growing," he said.

Rep. Paul Curtman, R-Pacific, spoke before Tvert. Curtman chairs the House Downsizing State Government committee, which has heard from Show-Me Cannabis and other pro-marijuana groups multiple times during a statewide tour last year gauging issues that matter to the public.

Curtman spoke about his involvement as a co-sponsor of a bill about the production of industrial hemp, which received a stamp of approval from the House Economic Development Committee this week.

John Payne, executive director of Show-Me Cannabis, said he considered the conference to be successful, and he hopes everyone who attended shares what they learned with others.

"Obviously, we don't need to communicate to the people in this room the importance of what we're doing," Payne said. "They know it. But they need to tell others."

This article was published in the Sunday, April 27, 2014 edition of the Columbia Daily Tribune with the headline "Optimism pervades cannabis conference."