Cannabis advocates play a vital role in advancing cannabis freedom.
As legal cannabis continues to evolve, advocacy is even more important if we are to build an industry that is sustainable but mindful of human rights and the atrocities of prohibition.
This segment of THE BLUNTNESS/100 highlights – in no particular order – different space defenders with different levels of focus and experience.
This list is by no means exhaustive! For every defender listed here, there are plenty of others doing a terrific job.
Steph Sherer is one of the world’s leading advocates of medical cannabis. In 2002, she founded Americans for Safe Access (ASA)the largest membership-based organization in the United States for patients, healthcare professionals, scientists, and concerned citizens.
For 20 years, Sherer has worked with legislators across the United States to shape better medical cannabis legislation.
It also works to strengthen the cannabis industry itself, creating medical cannabis standards for a better and safer industry.
Additionally, Sherer is a founding member of the International Medical Cannabis Patients Coalition (IMCPC), as well as a co-founder of the International Cannabis and Cannabinoids Institute (ICCI).
Connect with Steph Sherer via Facebook or LinkedIn.
What makes Christine De La Rosa one of the most influential women in cannabis?
As CEO and co-founder of The popular ecosystemDe La Rosa is a vibrant voice for all legacy cannabis operators sidelined and marginalized by Big Cannabis.
De La Rosa, who sits on the NCIA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and is the committee chair of the DEIC Integration Committee, is particularly vocal about the failures of social equity and the need for an inherited amnesty.
In 2021, De La Rosa spoke to Brutality on how the lack of industry support for legacy operators on board has caused more harm than good.
“That’s why we’re seeing this huge digital disparity. $20 billion in revenue in 2020 in the legal market and $60 billion in the informal market,” De La Rosa said. “Why so? Because we haven’t been able to bring a lot of our incumbents into the formal market.”
To stay up to date, follow Christine De La Rosa on instagram, Twitterand LinkedIn.
For more than two decades, Paul Armentano has worked tirelessly to advance cannabis policy. He is deputy director of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML)chair of science at Oaksterdam Universityand a prolific writer on cannabis and cannabis politics.
In addition to countless articles, Armentano co-wrote the book Marijuana is safer: so why are people being pressured to drink? and is also the author of The Citizen’s Guide to State-by-State Marijuana Laws.
When the US House of Reps recently passed a medical cannabis research bill, Armentano released a statement with his trademark clarity:
“These common sense regulatory changes are necessary and long overdue. Currently, the limited variety of cannabis cultivars available to federally licensed researchers do not represent the type or quality of cannabis products currently available in legal markets at statewide. The reality that nearly one-half of American adults have legal access to this myriad of cannabis products, but not our nation’s top scientists, is the height of absurdity and it is an indictment of the current system.”
Follow Paul Armentano on Facebook.
New York State Senator Liz Krueger and Rep. Crystal Peoples-Stokes aren’t die-hard cannabis advocates like the others on this list.
However, they have worked for years to actualize cannabis for adult use in New York.
In 2021, they finally did it with the Marihuana Regulation & Taxation Act (MRTA).
Legal cannabis in New York is a big deal, and while we wait to see how their adult-use industry takes shape, there’s a lot of pressure to get it right.
“I can guarantee you that we got some things wrong, and like other states that have gone down this path, we will make adjustments and changes when we see something isn’t working properly,” Krueger said. Brutality in 2021.
“I never mind acknowledging that, okay, you tried to do something big? Chances are you won’t fully understand the first time. But that’s what democracy exists for: to be dynamic and change as needed. »
To keep up with updates on Senator Kruger, follow her on instagram, Facebookand Twitter.
For updates on the Peoples-Stokes Assembly, follow her on instagram, Facebookand Twitter.
As president of the New Jersey Cannabusiness Association (NJCBA)Edmund DeVeaux’s role will only grow as The Garden State moves closer to its role in the adult use industry.
But what makes him an important defender of the plant? The answer to that question is why he agreed to get involved with cannabis in the first place: to make sure legalization is done right.
“We need to be able to pivot everything we’ve missed over the past 80 years and right the wrongs of a social justice system that was flawed and in fact intent on harming lives and lives. communities,” DeVeaux said. Brutality.
“We can now pivot and create a business and an industry that works for people who have been wronged in the past and can actually move forward.”
Connect with Ed DeVeaux via LinkedIn.
Legendary musician Peter Tosh was one of the greatest proponents of cannabis in the 20th century, a passion for which he paid dearly.
Today, his daughter Niambe McIntosh carries the torch at the head of the estate and the Peter Tosh brand and the Peter Tosh Foundationwhich focuses on legalization, social justice, cannabis education, as well as the Peter Tosh Museum.
When McIntosh’s brother, Jawara, lost his life in the war on cannabis, sheer tragedy only hardened his resolve, his mission to cannabis freedom.
She shares these painful stories, the loss of her brother and the regular beatings of her father by the Jamaican police, “so that no other family can have to go through what we have been through, and so that people can understand when we look for ways to support those who have been impacted by the war on drugs, there can’t be just one or two people entering the cannabis industry,” McIntosh said. Brutality.
“It must really look like reparations within the black community; it must look like children’s programming; it must feel like therapy; we need to think outside the box to really right the wrongs and begin to heal from the damage that has been done.
Connect with Niambe McIntosh on instagram, Facebook, Twitterand LinkedIn.
As founder and CEO of Minorities for Medical MarijuanaRoz McCarthy is one of the most influential people in the medical cannabis world.
“Our focus is advocacy, awareness, education and public policy. Any of our main areas of focus where there’s a political conversation going on, M4MM wants to be part of that conversation, and it doesn’t always have to be something about social equity,” McCarthy said recently. Cannabis time.
“Policy issues such as access to healthcare, workplace protections for employees who use medical cannabis, and veterans services are examples of issues we are also passionate about.”
McCarthy has also lectured at law schools and worked with legislators at all levels to ensure reasonable and inclusive cannabis policy, rules and regulations.
She is also CEO of Black Buddha Cannabis“an environmentally conscious, social impact-driven cannabis company focused on creating lifestyle and wellness products for the global market.”
You can follow Roz McCarthy on LinkedIn and instagram.
Ophelia Chong is a creative force in the world of cannabis advocacy.
One of his greatest contributions was founding Asian Americans for Cannabis Education (AACE) in 2015, which “connects and empowers Asian communities to educate the public about cannabis-related issues, news, and policies affecting Asians around the world.”
Chong is also the founder behind Pictures of the cooking pot in 2015, the go-to source for authentic cannabis, hemp and psilocybin images.
“I started the AACE because I discovered that my own people also had problems and propaganda that was not correct. It was just misinformation, and so I gathered APIs ( Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) to talk about cannabis, Chong told The Bluntness.
“And I started the stock pot images to dispel the images put out by the big stock agencies that were racist or stereotypical.”
Connect with Ophelia Chong via Twitter or LinkedIn.
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