“Would you like a bowl or a one-hitter?” a very nice lady asks me at 7 am, as I check in at the press table of the swanky Westin Denver Downtown Hotel. I select the bowl, and the woman places a frosted marijuana pipe into a tote bag reading “First Annual Weedstock Conference.”

Despite the title and the promotional paraphernalia, no marijuana is being smoked at this conference. I bet that exceptionally few attendees even smoke cannabis. We are gathered here to celebrate the wonders of a different green substance: money.