Policy Pavilion

Friday, April 19

5:00pm

Letters of Hope: Empowering Change Through Compassionate Correspondence

Join us at the National Cannabis Festival for an uplifting panel hosted by the Last Prisoner Project, where we'll explore the profound impact of writing letters to cannabis prisoners. Discover how simple acts of empathy and solidarity can ignite hope, foster connections, and drive meaningful change. Our panelists will share heartwarming stories, offer insights into the power of compassionate communication, and inspire you to make a difference through your words. Together, let's unlock the transformative potential of letters and spread a message of love, support, and justice to those affected by unjust cannabis policies.

• Mary Bailey, Managing Director & Co-Founder of Last Prisoner Project

• Jeremy Grove, Social Justice Advocate & Constituent, Last Prisoner Project

• Bryan Reid, Social Justice Advocate & Constituent, Last Prisoner Project

6:00pm 

How to Navigate Legal Hurdles and Advocate for Policy Reforms in Cannabis Markets

As more states establish regulated cannabis markets, operators are experiencing challenges with receiving their licenses. Existing state laws - including residency requirements, location restrictions, and limitations on public consumption - create obstacles towards the founding of cannabis businesses. Join four advocates for the cannabis industry for a detailed discussion of emerging legal issues in the cannabis market and the policy reforms needed to grow the industry to meet its full potential.

• Cameron Mixon, Attorney, The Veritas Law Firm

• Levi Lyon, Lobbyist, Kannabis Bloc™

• Michale Robinson, Lobbyist, Kannabis Bloc™

• Rodney Holcombe, Director of Public Policy, Leaflink

6:45pm 

Breaking the Paper Shackles: A Social Equity Expungement Resources Fair from SSDP, Freedom Grow, Blaze Responsibly, and Ascend Co-Lab

Tens of thousands of victims of War on Drugs around the United States—including many of those who helped build what is now the legal cannabis industry—face ongoing discrimination and seemingly insurmountable obstacles to obtaining education, housing, and employment, blocking their ability to advance their quality of life and leading to a continuous cycle of economic hardship. It's time for us to re-center justice in the cannabis movement and break these paper shackles once and for all!

Join advocates, activists, and victims of the War on Drugs for a series of fireside chats hosted by Students for Sensible Drug Policy, Blaze Responsibly, and FreedomGrow that will explore the policy, politics, and practical considerations surrounding this crucial issue and explain how you can get your record cleared and what you can do to help make a real positive change in the world.

Saturday, April 20

12:15pm 

Criminal Record Sealing and Cannabis Corporate Responsibility: Why Record Sealing Is Critical to Transitioning the Unlicensed Cannabis Market 

This panel will provide an A-Z education on criminal record expungement and sealing, with a focus on the D.C. Criminal Record Sealing Act and what D.C. residents need to know about eligibility and the Act’s limitations to achieving a “clean slate”. The panel will address the complexities of expungements, sealing of criminal records, and what it means to get “final relief” from criminal court involvement and pursue the restoration of rights. This panel will also discuss how record sealing informs how state cannabis regulators design their social equity programming, and what a “clean slate” means within the context of the cannabis and hemp industry licensing. We will examine what “social equity” programming benefits have been actualized through record sealing and how state programs can and should utilize data related to “justice-impacted areas”.

• Jasmin Mize, MIZE Counsel, Civil Rights Attorney

• Everick L. Moore, Entrepreneur, Veteran, and Returning Citizen Advocate       

• Kat Murti, Executive Director, Students for Sensible Drug Policy

• Lamont Carey, Director, DC Mayor’s Office of Returning Citizens

• Moderated by: Charles Newsome, Social Equity License Applicant

1:30pm

No Statehood, No Legal Marijuana Market: The Impact Of Limited Autonomy On DC’s Marijuana Ecosystem

DC Voters passed Initiative 71 in 2014, and the law took effect in early 2015. Since then, individuals over the age of 21 could possess up to 2 oz of marijuana, use marijuana in private, grow up to 6 plants, and transfer small amounts to other adults without exchanging money, all without criminal consequences. However, it does not create a legal marketplace to buy or sell marijuana. As a result, the District has had a “gray market” for years in which shops take donations or sell other goods or services and “gift” marijuana to patrons. Due to Congressional interference through budget riders, the District cannot tax or regulate marijuana sales like other jurisdictions. This unique situation disproportionately harms Black District residents who are the most likely to experience the economic and criminal consequences of these policies. This panel will explore the impact of Congressional interference on DC’s autonomy, racial and economic equity, and public safety. And attendees will be asked to contact their representatives to urge them to eliminate the Harris Rider once and for all. 

• Patrice Sulton, Executive Director of DC Justice Lab

• Rafi Aliya Crockett, Writer and Executive Producer of Higher Power

• Lashonia Thompson-El, CEO of DC Native Botanicals

• Chelsea Higgs Wise, Executive Director of Marijuana Justice 

2:15pm 

Cannabis Equity 2.0: Devising a New Strategy After Past Failures 

Based on all the latest statistics about female and minority ownership in cannabis, the fight for equity to date hasn’t been successful. The legal cannabis industry is entering a new phase with increasing criticism of legacy sellers, major multi-state operators (MSOs) seeing stalled growth and cutbacks, and states like New York and Virginia facing significant challenges launching adult-use programs. With these conditions in mind, how can consumers, advocates, lawmakers and cannabis companies build on past work to get closer to achieving equity in a way that makes sense for the industry’s next phase? We’ll discuss the current state of the licensing process, methods for achieving diversity through education, and the power of the media in shaping the narrative on cannabis equity.

• Tauhid Chappell, Executive Director of the New Jersey Department of State's Cannabis Training Academy

• Tahir Johnson, CEO, Simply Pure Trenton

• Chirali Patel, Founder & Managing Partner Blaze Law Firm LLC and Founder & CEO of Blaze Responsibly LLC

• Moderated by: Raj Chander, Cannabis Policy Journalist, Advocate & Marketer

3:00pm

An Entrepreneur’s Journey from Legacy to Legal

Take an in-depth look into Al Kamara’s transformative journey, as he navigates from multiple arrests to forging a blazing path in the legal cannabis industry. Join Tosin Ajayi as they engage in a captivating conversation about determination and defying the odds of the drug war on his family and well-being. We will unravel his tales of resilience, the pursuit of equitable cannabis policy, and how these elements converged to create the ideal backdrop for his journey to ownership. 

• Al Kamara, CEO, Spark9, LLC

• Tosin Ajayi, Senior Policy and Research Analyst, Cannabis NYC

3:45pm

Federal Marijuana Reform: What to Expect and Demand from the Biden Administration and Congress this Year 

With 2024 being a significant year for federal marijuana reform, come learn about how these changes will impact you and how you can support the end of federal marijuana criminalization. How will moving marijuana from Sch. 1 of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Sch. 3 affect you? What can the Biden Administration do today to lessen the harms of marijuana criminalization? What can Congress do to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and create a legal regulatory framework rooted in equity? Our panel of federal and national advocates will answer some of your most pressing questions and share how you can join the movement to end marijuana criminalization and advance equity in federal marijuana reform. 

• Maritza Perez Medina, Director of Federal Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance & Convener, Marijuana Justice Coalition        

• Cat Packer, Director of Drug Markets and Legal Regulation, Drug Policy Alliance 

• Madison Moskowitz, Economic Advisor, Senator Wyden

• Chelsea Higgs Wise, Executive Director, Marijuana Justice

• Eric Goepel, Founder & CEO, Veterans Cannabis Coalition

4:45pm

Does Your Body and Education Belong to You or Congress?

What is bodily autonomy and how does it relate to current societal issues? What age is the right age to start educating young people about drugs? In this panel we’ll discuss the importance and timeline of proper harm reduction-based education in schools, as well as what bodily autonomy means and how one encompassing piece of legislation could change everything. This discussion will tie in themes of harm reduction, substance use, reproductive rights, sex work, and medically-assisted suicide.

• Julia Hilbert, MSW Overdose Prevention Specialist, Prevention Point Pittsburgh

• Kat Ebert, Former Students for Sensible Drug Policy Board Chair

• Tobi Aderotoye, Howard University, Students for Sensible Drug Policy

• Maya Tatum, Human Rights Advocate, Harm Reductionist, Registered Parliamentarian
  

5:30pm

Conservatives, Cops and Cannabis

Come meet the Cannabis Freedom Alliance, who seeks to end the prohibition and criminalization of cannabis in the United States in a manner consistent with helping all Americans achieve their full potential and limiting the number of barriers which inhibit innovation and entrepreneurship in a free and open market.

• Jillian Snider,  Policy Director, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties, R Street Institute        

• Jeremiah Mosteller, Senior Policy Analyst, Americans for Prosperity        

• Geoff Lawrence, Senior Policy Fellow, Reason Foundation                

• Diane Goldstein, Executive Director, Law Enforcement Action Partnership

6:15pm

Elevating Grassroots Impacts: An Exploration of the Past Present & Future of Cannabis Activism from Around the Nation

Cannabis advocacy and activism is complex & ever evolving. As local and state departments implement their interpretations of new cannabis laws & our nation begins to seriously discuss national legalization it is important for us to learn & build with each other to understand where we have been so we can re-imagine a more equitable future. Join us for this conversation of grassroots leaders from across the nation for their lessons learned navigating the maze of bureaucracy coupled with societal stigmas, and factoring in the effects of a major election year. 

• Antoine Mordican Sr., Owner/CEO, Native Black Cultivation, MCBA Board Member

• Courtney Davis, Deputy Director, Maryland Office of Social Equity (OSE)

• Mike Lomuto, MCBA Board Chair, Equity Workshop Tour Founder, Co-Founder, Dao Mastery

• Nina Parks, Co-Founder of Equity Trade Network & Supernova Women 

• Saydee Whitebird, CEO & Co-Founder, Whitebird Logistics LLC