It is an understatement to say that Troy Dayton has been, and is, at the forefront of the cannabis industry. Dayton’s experience spans the gamut from advocacy to industry as much as anyone and he has been a leader of the cannabis movement as we have moved from outside rabble-rousers to the political mainstream to America’s latest growth industry.
Troy was one of the first volunteers for the Marijuana Policy Project, has been one of the organization’s top fundraisers and now serves on the board of directors, helping direct the influential organization. He was a co-founder of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, which now has more than 230 chapters across the country and is instrumental in training the next generation of activists fighting the Drug War. Currently, Dayton serves as executive director of the ArcView Group, the premiere cannabis industry investment group.
Personally, Troy’s work has been instrumental to many of my early activist endeavors. I am proud to have co-founded the SSDP chapter at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2001, where we focused on the plight of students losing their financial aid for minor marijuana possession conviction. MPP then funded the first campaigns that I worked on, which culminated in the Columbia, Missouri, decriminalizing personal amounts of cannabis for all adults while legalizing possession by patients in 2004. I am so thankful for advocates that helped lead the way and Mr. Dayton is certainly one of the early national activists that helped shaped my work and the work of many others.
Today, Troy leads ArcView webinars and meetings across the country, providing cannabis entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their businesses and products to interested investors. ArcView assists companies, pairing them with mentors who help them put their best foot forward for prospective investors. Additionally, ArcView has conducted research on the burgeoning cannabis market and have helped generate good press for the cannabis industry. While prohibitionists have been employing Reefer Madness rhetoric to demonize the cannabis industry as “Big Marijuana” Dayton and ArcView have always portrayed the industry in a professional and responsible manner.
Troy has really seen it all in this years working for the cannabis community. He has seen the organizational foundations and fundraising necessary to actually change our laws and he has seen many cannabis-related businesses both succeed and fail. At the International Cannabis Business Conference, we strive to combine both politics and business at our events because knowledge of both is necessary to effectively navigate the ups and downs of the cannabis business world. Troy Dayton is in a unique position to help provide cannabis entrepreneurs and businesses the information they need to succeed. You can see Troy at the ICBC in San Francisco February 15th & 16th.
