As someone who’s been active in the cannabis movement for nearly two decades, and a member of the NCIA board of directors since 2014, I’m thrilled by the progress we’ve made in the last two years towards ending cannabis prohibition and creating a properly regulated economy around this most beneficial plant. But it’s not enough. My driving motivation, now as when I first became a member of this culture, remains helping to create a world where no adult faces punishment for cannabis, and the plant is safely and readily accessible to all who want or need it.

In my role as president of Buds & Roses, a vertically integrated medical cannabis dispensary in Los Angeles, I’ve experienced firsthand the political, legal, and commercial challenges facing cannabis growers, product manufacturers, and retailers, while navigating one of the most difficult and shifting regulatory environments in the country. Despite these and other business challenges, I’ve nonetheless made a personal commitment to devote at least half of my working life to supporting cannabis as a political cause, including by attending NCIA board meetings and working directly with our members, tirelessly lobbying public officials, speaking at events and conferences, serving as a trusted source for the media, and holding leadership positions in local, state, and national organizations that promote sensible industry regulation. including the Greater Los Angeles Collective Alliance (GLACA), and the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA).

Looking forward to the next two years, my main focus will be working to shape inclusive and effective cannabis regulations in Los Angeles and the rest of Southern California, as this is not only my home base, but also the largest legal market in the country. I’ll also strive to ensure that The Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act—California’s new set of “seed-to-sale” regulations—is implemented in a way that supports a robust and broad-based industry that actively serves the needs of patients.

Also, this November, it’s likely that California voters will have a chance to approve full legalization of cannabis, assuming the Adult Use of Marijuana Act makes the ballot.  As in many other areas of public policy—from automobile emission standards to consumer protection laws—the massive size and influence of California as the nation’s largest state and the world’s eighth largest economy ensures that the system implemented here will serve as a starting point for many future legalization/regulation efforts across the country, so it’s vital that any system we create and implement here works for growers, manufacturers, and retailers of all sizes, as well as consumers and patients.

While more broadly, with the presidential election rapidly approaching, the future of federal cannabis policy—as it relates to everything from enforcement to scheduling to tax reform (including 280E and banking)—looms large as both an exciting opportunity for progress and a potentially serious challenge, depending on who wins the presidency, and how our industry responds.

To continue our incredible progress, and not suffer a setback, I believe it’s vital that we’re represented by leadership with a long track record of promoting cannabis legalization as a public policy issue, or we risk coming across as just another industry lobbying in its own financial self-interest.

If I win re-election to the NCIA board, I promise to use all of my experience and resources to continue our breathtaking progress, and that I won’t stop advocating for this cause until all 50 states (and the rest of the planet) have ended their unconscionable War on Cannabis. If you have any questions or concerns, or just want to hear more about my goals and strategies, please contact me via budsandrosesla.com.