SEATTLE, WA - There was a time when a dog like Max, a brindle Dutch shepherd with perfect pointy ears, would've made marijuana users paranoid. But Max wasn't at the Seattle CannaCon this week to sniff out marijuana, he was there to show growers how to protect it.

"This is immediate recognition," Wade Morrell said gesturing to Max. He means that any prowler looking to break into a marijuana grow would see Max and immediately recognize they shouldn't. "Some people from the industry have reached out looking for alternate security methods, visual deterrents." Morrell and his wife, Lori, own Priority 1 Canine, an Ohio-based business that trains elite guard dogs. They came to Seattle CannaCon to see if their dogs can fit in the booming marijuana economy.

And they weren't the only ones. Scores of non-cannabis businesses and entrepreneurs were at CannaCon to sell solutions to problems in the industry, like financing, security, and IRS compliance. The convention was also a demonstration of how cannabis has made its way into the mainstream economy.

Companies that traditionally deal with very non-psychoactive things like insurance, textiles, and manufacturing are getting in on the green rush. Max, who, despite looking pretty fierce, is a very nice and good boy. Around 9 a.m. on Thursday, handfuls of attendees milled around in the sunny Atrium Lobby on the fourth level of the Washington State Convention Center. Except for the "Sorry we're dabbing" sign perched on a ledge near the check-in booths, the crowd could've fit in at any industry convention. There was a stack of free tote bags by the entrance and plenty of lanyards.



Inside an 80,000 square-foot exhibition hall, certified public accountants and propane companies had booths. The pen giant Bic had hundreds of elaborate lighters on display; one company was selling Keurig-style pods ready to be infused with THC; and scores more companies were selling glass-beaker contraptions for distilling hash oil.

Ryan Albrecht was standing next to a big stainless steel candy kettle finishing his breakfast. He's a salesman for Savage Bros. Co., a Chicago-area company that has been making candy machines since 1855.

"Survived the Great Chicago Fire and the Civil War," Albrecht said. Cannabis companies don't make up a huge portion of the business, he said, but it's growing as legalization sweeps the country. The company is seeing an uptick in interest from CBD candy makers especially. CBD, or cannabidiol, comes from the marijuana plant, but it doesn't get you high and is legal across North America. It's the hot new dietary supplement like goji berry and Ginkgo biloba once were.