Every year, we are so lucky to welcome lawmakers from all over the country to speak at NCF. These civil servants have time and again shown their commitment to ensuring a more equitable future for cannabis users and advocates. Their continued support of cannabis justice and reform is crucial in the march towards legalization. 

2:45pm Brooke Pinto, Ward 2 D.C. Councilmember

Brooke Pinto has some important top priorities; reforming the District's criminal justice system, helping small and local businesses thrive in a post-pandemic local economy, relieving homelessness, expanding the District's affordable housing stock, and empowering women and girls. She serves on four different committees and has drafted legislation in support of her constituents. In March of 2021, she co-signed Chairman Phil Mendelson’s legislation that would legalize recreational cannabis use for adults in the District.

2:45pm Joe Cunningham, gubernatorial candidate and former Member of Congress (South Carolina)

Delivering on his promise to put "Lowcountry Over Party," Joe Cunningham was considered one of the most independent and bipartisan members of Congress. He is now running to unseat South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMaster and is pushing for the medicinal and recreational legalization of marijuana. He would also expunge criminal records for low-level marijuana-related crimes, giving a second chance to people “whose lives have been ruined over a bag of marijuana.”

2:45pm Kenyan R. McDuffie, Ward 5 D.C. Councilmember

Focusing on juvenile justice reform, police transparency, the innovative Neighborhood Engagement Achieves Results Act (NEAR Act) which reforms the District’s criminal justice system by incorporating behavioral and mental health professionals to perform tasks that previously fell to law enforcement officers, Kenyan McDuffie has shown his dedication to the city and improving many of the systems that continue to target Black and constituents of color. He also was a co-introducer on Chairman Phil Mendelson’s legislation that would legalize recreational cannabis use for adults in the District.

4:00pm Jazz Lewis, Maryland House of Delegates

Born and raised in Prince George’s County, Jazz Lewis has been giving back to the community that made him since the start of his career. He has sponsored and supported legislation that would bring an end to the War on Drugs, tackle the systemic inequities in the prison system, and supported new opportunities for young people looking towards a brighter future and working families looking to get by. Lewis has also supported the movement towards the legalization of cannabis in Maryland and beyond, saying that, “legalization must be grounded in equity and restorative justice.” 

5:00pm David Moon, Maryland House of Delegates

A dedicated progressive, David Moon has always had cannabis legislation reform on his list of primary concerns. Since becoming a delegate, he’s passed 37 different legislative proposals, including one to “Allow Expungement of Petty Marijuana Possession & Automatic Shielding on Case Search (HB 379 & HB 83).” He’s served for two terms and will chair the Criminal Justice Impacts Subcommittee in the House Cannabis Workgroup. A member of the General Assembly's Marijuana Legalization Workgroup, Moon approaches his work with a social and racial justice lens. 

6:15pm John Fetterman, Lt. Governor, Pennsylvania

John Fetterman has been a fervent supporter of cannabis legalization and decriminalization since before it hit mainstream politics. The former mayor of Braddock, PA, he’s had over 13 years of experience in the political realm. He was elected as Lt. Governor in 2018 and has transformed the position advocating for economic justice and criminal justice reform. Since then, he has made significant strides in opening up the conversation around cannabis in Pennsylvania and beyond. Thanks to John, the Governor announced his support for legalization for the first time.

6:15pm John Falcicchio, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, Washington, D.C.

John Falcicchio serves as the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. Mr. Falcicchio has also served as the Mayor’s Chief of Staff since the start of her Administration after volunteering as a campaign advisor and director of Mayor-elect Bowser’s transition. Mr. Falcicchio previously served as a Senior Vice President of DKC, a New York based public relations firm; as a Regional Political Director for the Democratic National Committee during the re-election of President Obama; and as a long-time aide to former Mayor Adrian Fenty.