By John Payne
In two weeks, we will hold a series of events across the state, culminating with our Fall Conference at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Saint Louis on Saturday, November 15.
First, on Wednesday, November 12, former ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition Executive Director Neill Franklin, and Missouri State Representative Brandon Ellington will speak at a forum on race and the drug war at the Mary L. Kelly Center at 2803 E. 51st Street starting at 6:00 p.m. Next, Glasser and Franklin will speak at a Lunch-and-Learn event at the UMKC law school lounge on Thursday, November 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Also on Thursday, November 13, Franklin and Glasser will both speak at the University of Missouri in Columbia but at separate events. Franklin will speak about his experiences as a drug warrior at 4:30 p.m. in the Agriculture Building, Room 2-07. Later that evening at 7:00 p.m., Glasser will speak in Tate Hall. In between, we will host a meet-and-greet fundraiser at Bleu (811 E. Walnut Street in Columbia). Admission will be $10 for students and $25 for non-students.
Finally, we will hold a special pre-conference event on the ways a legal cannabis industry can benefit Missouri on Friday, November 14, at our shared office space at Nebula at 3407 S. Jefferson in Saint Louis starting at 6:00 p.m. Speakers will include Show-Me Cannabis board member Abhi Sivasailam, who now works in the industry in Oregon; Josh Kappel, a co-author of Colorado’s Amendment 64; and Brian Fox, who recently submitted an application for a dispensary license in Illinois.
After the discussion, please join us for drinks and appetizers at an intimate fundraiser at the offices of KAOH Media at 2210 Pestalozzi. There will be a suggested contribution of $100 at the fundraiser.
Next week, I will post a full schedule and speaker list for the conference itself. For now, the conference will start at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 15, and run until 5:00 p.m. In addition to Franklin and Glasser, our committed speakers include (but are not limited to) members of Show-Me Cannabis’ board of directors and NORML chapter leaders from across the state, Missouri ACLU Executive Director Jeff Mittman, Missouri Association for Social Welfare Executive Director Jeanette Mott-Oxford, Rep. Mike Butler, Rep. Brandon Ellington, Rep. Mike Colona, Saint Louis Magazine publisher and editor Ray Hartmann, and Washington Post blogger and police militarization expert Radley Balko. There is a minimum suggested contribution of $10 to attend the conference.
The conference will be followed by a private dinner and auction at Frazer’s (1811 Pestalozzi) starting at 7:00 p.m. This will be a wonderful opportunity to dine and discuss with our speakers and the leaders of this movement from across Missouri and beyond. If you’d like to contribute an item to the fundraiser auction, please email me at [email protected]. There will be a $25 minimum contribution to attend the dinner, and guests can order from the menu. You can purchase tickets on our website here.
Source: Show Me Cannabis – make a donation
