By Aaron Justis, Buds & Roses Collective (CA)

Having joined NCIA in its first year of operation, I have always sought to build and advance the organization. I personally know and respect a majority of its membership, and I am aligned with our common interests for a strong, thriving, and respected cannabis industry. I am seeking your vote for a seat on the NCIA board to raise my involvement in the organization to a new, more powerful level. By sitting on the board, I can better promote cannabis reform and influence how the industry can grow and where it’s headed.

Growing up in Rockford, IL, the third most dangerous city in America, I saw firsthand the negative effects of prohibition and the drug war. I made connections early on between prohibition and many of the dysfunctions in our society. These connections are what put a fire in my belly for change, and it has never gone away.

I believe that with my love for this industry and the patients it supports, my talent as a motivator and promoter with a substantial presence and following on social media, my experience as a lobbyist, and my connections to the entertainment industry, I can help NCIA build its network of power-brokers, celebrities, and other influential stakeholders.

I come to NCIA as an experienced medical cannabis dispensary operator with a successful and proven model. If elected, I will be the only board member to represent Los Angeles, the single largest municipality to regulate medical cannabis and the largest cannabis market in the world. I played a key role in the adoption of those regulations, but I have also worked under the imposition of a ban on distribution, and under “limited immunity,” and I want to bring all of that knowledge and insight to the NCIA board.

I am extremely hard working, focused, and persistent, and will bring these qualities to the NCIA board if elected. I am very excited about this opportunity and I hope to get the chance to work with the great membership of the NCIA board.

See the full Board of Directors Voter Guide here.