But beneath the surface there was a growing discontent with our nation’s drug laws, cannabis policy in particular, that was making criminals of otherwise law-abiding citizens. Having spent the 2000s working professionally in the drug policy reform movement, I began to witness the emergence of the first professional cannabis businesses. Some of these became donors of SSDP, helping to support the important advocacy work we were doing at a time when donations were hard to come by. It became clear that showing a community that cannabis can be distributed in a socially responsible, community-oriented, and professional way was having as much of an impact on changing public perception of cannabis as our advocacy work. Some may see my involvement in the cannabis industry, and the participation of folks like myself with an activist background, as a departure from my advocacy roots.

Source: Forbes March 20, 2018 15:45 UTC