I have always felt that one of the best ways to advocate for cannabis law reform is by doing all I can to normalize the cannabis conversation. While I am usually immersed in a world of cannabis industry professionals who have all grown far to used to having legalized cannabis where they live, getting emails and inquiries from people all over the world who are hoping and praying for legalization keeps it real for me. As a “soccer mom” of 3 children who is the PTA president and the Vice Chair of my neighborhood nonprofit, however, I am doing outreach almost on the daily to start conversations with the intention of lifting the stigma and attempting to normalize the conversation about the cannabis plant. This is in large part why I started the Moms for YES on Measure 91 group during the Measure 91 campaign to legalize cannabis in Oregon back in 2014.
I am thrilled to say that this week I will be attending the Maven Coalition Conference in Whistler, BC where I will be representing The Weed Blog (and, in my mind, the entire cannabis movement and industry) as the only cannabis centric media outlet included in the conference. I see this as a huge opportunity to help educate and network with other independent publishers and professionals outside of the cannabis sector.
The Maven is our media platform and is a coalition of independent publishers coming together to grow our businesses and reclaim our independence. The Coalition believes that at a time when we are all concerned with fake news, destructive algorithm changes, and disappearing revenue sources, a new way is needed, and we’re building it together. Maven’s leading executives, James Heckman, Paul Edmondson and Josh Jacobs, have decades of experience as entrepreneurs, executives, advisors and industry visionaries. You can learn more about their vision and platform by watching this video. Now at over 40 million monthly visitors, we’re partnering with proven entrepreneurs like you to build a new media model: a coalition of content creators and shareholders, building a shared future that allows us to control our own destiny and grow our businesses together.
I will be speaking on a panel at the conference alongside greats like Collette Watson of Free Press and Rinku Sen of Race Forward and will be discussing the need for free speech. This is especially pertinent in the cannabis movement right now as we are continually trying to lift the stigma that surrounds the cannabis plant due to decades of conjecture and and propaganda fed to us by the U.S. Federal Government.
I would love to hear what your thoughts are on what issues about cannabis need to be discussed most, please leave me comments below! Likewise, if you are Whistler-based cannabis company, please message me! I would love to link up if I have time while I am in the area.
