Please be aware that cannabis and related laws vary. Programming in this track is designed to inform attendees about this fast-changing industry, and does not promote the use or sale of illegal drugs.

The state-regulated marijuana industry wouldn’t exist without the hard work of activists, and early on, industry and activism were one and the same. But in recent years, tensions between industry and advocacy have begun to emerge — some businesses have fought to restrict the rights of patients and consumers, and some activists have opposed forms of legalization that they don’t agree with. Kris Krane, the only person who has been both the Executive Director of a drug policy reform non-profit (Students for Sensible Drug Policy) and President of a publicly-traded cannabis company, 4Front Ventures, will dive deep into this relationship, examining how the two can support each other, where they clash, and why I think the industry is obligated to support the drug policy reform movement.