A few days ago I had the pleasure of speaking with Courtney Barnes, Esq., an associate at the law firm Vicente Sederberg, about the draft ordinance she prepared on behalf of Decriminalize Nature Oakland. Everything happening now is an open-source uncontrolled policy experiment: federal intransigence continues to cause the drug control structure to crack as… Read More Keeping ahead of the corporate interests: attorney Courtney Barnes discusses Decriminalize Nature Oakland’s proposed new ordinance

  In this episode I speak with Kevin Matthews, the organizer who led the successful campaign to decriminalize mushrooms in Denver, a member of the Denver Psilocybin Policy Review Panel, and the executive director of the Society for Psychedelic Outreach Research and Education (SPORE). Among other things, Kevin discusses the potential of the Policy Review… Read More Kevin Matthews on activism and progress in Denver, Colorado, and beyond in 2020-2021

Here is my first-ever video post! I’m pleased to present a conversation with Melissa Lavasani, the chairwoman of Decriminalize Nature D.C., about the campaign to pass Initiative 81 this November.  

My friend and colleague Steve Bloom invited me to write a piece for Freedom Leaf magazine about what happened in Denver. Here is On Decriminalizing Magic Mushrooms: The Psychedelic Constituency and Its Challenges.

A helpful analysis of the Decriminalize Denver campaign in Westword. It’s an honor to be part of this part of the history.  

In January 2019, before anyone could know that cannabis legalization in New York would crash and burn – notwithstanding control of both houses of the legislature by the Democrats – Crain’s New York Business published my opinion piece projecting political challenges to successful cannabis legalization in New York City.

On August 30 New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office made a major announcement: the Governor will hold fifteen “listening sessions” on cannabis legalization at locations around the state in September and October. Those sessions are now underway. The Governor’s press release states: The purpose of these sessions is to garner input from community members… Read More New York legalization update: the Governor launches a series of “listening sessions” around the state for public input and what New York City can do about it