Oakland, Calif. (July 1, 2021) — Calling all digital artists who want to inspire the end of marijuana prohibition and criminalization! Oaksterdam University is hosting a cutting-edge digital art contest for an upcoming non-fungible token (NFT) drop. The winning art pieces will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the War on Drugs, which began when President Nixon named drug abuse as “public enemy number one,” and the United States Congress ratified the policy in July 1971. Society declared marijuana the gateway and turned to increasingly harsh measures against cannabis for even medical necessity. Digital artists are encouraged to enter original artwork depicting the political, criminal, social, and environmental – personal and human consequences. 

The contest is designed to inspire creative thought about the oppressive and expensive effects of marijuana prohibition while helping up-and-coming artists break into the emerging NFT marketplace. “We are excited to merge the worlds of cannabis, art, and NFTs with a potential cryptocurrency prize with this contest, which is a first for us,” said Dale Sky Jones, long-time cannabis legalization advocate and chancellor of Oaksterdam University. “We’re looking to utilize these new platforms to inspire the end of the War on Drugs.”

Artists are asked to submit original artwork through July 9, 2021, for a chance to win $100 (USD) per piece and 10 percent of NFT proceeds from their work(s). Select artists will also win a scholarship to Oaksterdam’s self-paced courses, including the Business of Cannabis, Horticulture, Commercial Extraction and Manufacturing, Budtending Certification, and more (valued at up to $1,000). See complete details at www.oaksterdamuniversity.com/nft/.