Rocky Mountain High: One Year of Legal Retail Marijuana in Colorado
Session Type(s): Panel
Starts: Thursday, Jul. 16 5:15 PM (Eastern)
Ends: Thursday, Jul. 16 6:30 PM (Eastern)
This panel will discuss the successful experience of the state of Colorado in the aftermath of Amendment 64, the ballot measure legalizing the possession and retail sale of marijuana. Local advocates, business owners and political stakeholders will offer their perspectives on marijuana legalization and its total effect on the state from an economic, public policy and revenue, and public safety point of view.
Moderator
Alan Franklin
Alan Franklin was one of the first full-time employees of the ProgressNow national network, which began in Colorado and has now grown to over 20 states. Franklin directs political messaging to ProgressNow Colorado members and local media. He also works with other organizations and partners to develop and execute effective political communication strategy. Franklin has been involved with the breaking and development of numerous major political stories in Colorado since 2004, as well as cultivating earned media for progressive causes and candidates.
Panelists
Wanda James
Ms. James is the managing partner in Cannabis Global Initiative (CGI), a marketing and consulting firm that specializes in PR, strategic alliances, regulation, message development, and media planning efforts surrounding the decriminalization and legalization of cannabis.
A leading advocate in the cannabis industry and one of the first people to own a medical marijuana dispensary in Colorado, and the owner of an edible company, Simply Pure, Wanda’s political and professional work on cannabis reform has led to her being featured her in numerous national and international shows including Smile Jamaica, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, CBS Sunday Morning Holiday Special, “Eat, Drink and be Merry” and on CNBC’s Marijuana USA.
Ms. James past clients have included Jared Polis for Congress in Colorado’s CD2 and Lt. Colonel Jay Fawcett for Congress in Colorado’s CD5. In 2008, Ms. James was appointed to President Obama’s National Finance Committee.
State Rep. Jonathan Singer
A leading policymaker on marijuana issues in Colorado, Representative Jonathan Singer was appointed to the Colorado State House in January of 2012, and was subsequently elected to two-year terms in 2012 and 2014. He currently serves as Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Local Government and is a member of the State House committees on Appropriations, Health, Insurance & Environment, Joint Technology, and Public Health Care & Human Services. Prior to joining the Colorado State House, Jonathan Singer spent well over a decade working to protect Colorado’s most vulnerable children, families, and the elderly with Boulder County’s department of Child and Family Services. He also spent time with the City of Denver’s Office of Economic Development, overseeing a program to get Colorado families off of welfare and permanently back to work.
Art Way
Art Way directs the Colorado office of the Drug Policy Alliance, based in Denver. Way is a graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law. Prior to joining DPA, Way directed the Racial Justice Program at the Colorado Progressive Coalition, where he worked to halt the overrepresentation of people of color in the state’s criminal justice system. He successfully spearheaded a legislative campaign amending state law regarding police duties during searches. As a result, Colorado has the only consent-to-search legislation in the nation that protects pedestrians as well as motorists. Art has also been deeply involved in the passage and implementation of Colorado’s marijuana legalization law.