BIG POT EXPOSED - Key Persons

Ben Cort's passion for recovery, prevention and harm reduction comes from his own struggle with substance abuse. Sober since June 15, 1996, Ben has been a part of the recovery community in almost every way imaginable. From recipient to provider to spokesperson, Ben has a deep understanding of the issues and a personal motivation to see the harmful effects of drug and alcohol abuse minimized. Today, he spends his time as an author and an consultant. However, Ben built much of his career outside of the field of substance abuse recovery. Until 2007, he was the director of human resources at an S&P 500 firm. But his departure from that role did, indeed, compel him to do do more to help people enduring the substance struggles he knows so well. Ben started out by working to support a Colorado-based nonprofit that helps people regain sobriety, Phoenix Multisport (PM). As an original board member and then the nonprofit's first full-time employee, he was instrumental in building Phoenix Multisport into a nationally recognized organization lauded for its innovative approach to building sober communities around sport and healthy activities. He worked extensively with the treatment community and with drug courts and the therapy community as advisor, a member of clinical teams, frequent speaker and liaison. As someone who understands the experience of addiction treatment as much as the leadership of the programs delivering that treatment, Ben brings a holistic, compassionate and informed perspective to SAM's efforts.

Job Titles:

• Director of External Programs for SAM

Brendan serves as the Director of External Programs for SAM. He is responsible for creating and implementing fundraising plans, cultivating donor relationships, and organizing SAM trainings and speaking engagements. Prior to SAM, Brendan served as the Executive Director of Next Chapter, LLC, a company founded by former U.S. Representative, Patrick J. Kennedy. In his role with Next Chapter, Brendan spearheaded development of speaking engagements and consulting positions within the behavioral health space for the former Congressman. Before Next Chapter, Brendan spent 10 years working in the front office of minor league baseball teams serving as the Vice President of the Somerset Patriots Professional Baseball Club and then onto the Atlantic City Surf Professional Baseball Club where he was the General Manager.

Job Titles:

• SAM Director of Local Affairs / High Means DUI

Dana serves as SAM's Director of Local Affairs. She also oversees SAM's High Means DUI initiative which seeks to bring light to the stories of victims of marijuana-related car crashes. She has been a public health and safety advocate most of her adult life! She cut her policy chops serving as a volunteer for the 9th District PTA (San Diego & Imperial Counties) as Vice President of Community Concerns and then Vice President of Public Health. She also served on the state PTA Legislative Committee where she learned to work state legislation.

Job Titles:

• Canadian - American Journalist

David Frum is a Canadian-American journalist whose politically conservative perspective has shaped the reporting and editorial stances of some of the world's most prominent news organizations, including the Wall Street Journal, National Post, New York Times, Daily Telegraph and CNN. After earning a law degree from Harvard University, Mr. Frum worked as a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. In 2000, he was appointed to serve President George W. Bush as a speechwriter on economics. In 2009, Mr. Frum launched a dynamic political website aimed at attracting younger readers. In 2012, that site was merged into The Daily Beast, where Mr. Frum continues blogging. He is also the author of seven books, including his first novel, Patriots, which was published in April 2012.

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School

Dr. A. Eden Evins is an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Addiction Medicine and the Addiction Research Program of the Massachusetts General Hospital. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Virginia and her medical degree at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She completed an internship in pediatric medicine at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and her residency in psychiatry at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center and Harvard-Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program in Boston, where she was also chief resident. Dr. Evins conducted a fellowship in molecular biology at the Mailman Research Center of McLean Hospital and a second fellowship in clinical and translational research at the Massachusetts General Hospital. She received a master's degree in public health in clinical effectiveness from the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Evins' research interests include development of novel pharmacologic and behavioral treatments for nicotine dependence and for prevention of relapse to nicotine and other addictive disorders in people with and without major mental illness. Her interests also include development of personalized treatment algorithms, pharmacotherapy for negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia. She has authored book chapters, reviews and articles that have been published in prestigious scientific journals, such as the American Journal of Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry, Neuropsychopharmacology, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, and the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. Dr. Evins has received two career awards from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institute of Health (NIH), has twice received a National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (NARSAD) Young Investigator Award, received the National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit Young Investigator Award, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Program Young Investigator Award. She is currently funded by a NIDA career development award to mentor young scientists in patient-oriented addiction research and to continue her work in development of personalized treatments for addictive disorders, and by two NIDA R01 grants, two R21 grants and one U01 grant for the study of novel pharmacologic and behavioral treatments for addictive disorders.

Dr. Aaron Weiner is a board-certified Psychologist and owner of Bridge Forward Group, a private practice and consulting organization. He earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and completed his fellowship in Addiction Psychology at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Prior to forming Bridge Forward in 2020, Dr. Weiner served as the Director of Addiction Services at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Naperville, Illinois, and the founder and clinical director of the Spectrum Health Addiction Rehabilitation Program in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dr. Weiner is a strong advocate for evidence-based care in treating chemical dependency and behavioral addictions, as well as a proponent of integrating behavioral health services into medical settings. Dr. Weiner has been an outspoken advocate for numerous forward-leaning trends, including naloxone co-prescribing in hospital settings, fentanyl test strips, responsible opioid destruction, marijuana education, person-first language for stigma reduction, and vaping awareness for youth. He has spoken nationally on the topics of opioid addiction, marijuana commercialization, and the vaping epidemic, as well as has served as a context expert for both policy-makers and media outlets. In addition to his work in healthcare systems, Dr. Weiner is adjunct faculty in the Counseling Psychology Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has served on the Board of the Society of Addiction Psychology, and won multiple regional awards for his commitment to converting best-practice ideas into real-world change. For more information about Dr. Weiner and his areas of focus, visit his website at weinerphd.com.

Dr. Christian Thurstone is one of fewer than three dozen physicians in the United States who are board certified in general, child and adolescent and addictions psychiatry. He is medical director of one of Colorado's largest youth substance-abuse-treatment clinics and an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver, where he conducts research on youth substance use and addiction and serves as director of medical training for the university's addiction-medicine fellowship program. Dr. Thurstone has completed medical training at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and UCD. In 2010, he completed five years of mentored research training through the National Institute on Drug Abuse/American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry K12 Research Program in Substance Abuse. He is also a past president of the Colorado Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society. He is honored to treat American service members who need mental healthcare as an Army Reserves officer in the Combat Stress Unit of the 807th Medical Command. Dr. Thurstone is a fluent Spanish speaker and enjoys working with many of his young patients and their families in his second language.

Job Titles:

• President and Founder of MillerBio

A graduate from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Dr. Miller earned her Ph. D. in Pharmacology through the Neuroscience Training Program. Her professional history includes both instructor and research associate at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, postdoctoral fellow at Mental Health Research Institute and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and research microbiologist at US Geological Survey. Dr. Miller has been published in peer-reviewed journals over 30 times in her 30-year career. Currently, Dr. Miller is the president and founder of MillerBio, a firm dedicated to behavioral pharmacology research and consulting. Her areas of research include genetic loci associated with risk for psychosis, the biochemical basis for major mental disorder, biomarkers of psychiatric state and suicidality, and animal models of pharmacotherapy.

Job Titles:

• Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Professor of Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Director of Adolescent Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, which he joined in 1984. Since that time, he has served as Director of the Substance Abuse Assessment/Intervention Team at The Johns Hopkins Hospital Adolescent Program and as Director of The Johns Hopkins Substance Abuse Faculty Development Programs. In February 1997, Dr. Adger was selected to fill the position of Deputy Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. In July 1998, he returned to Johns Hopkins to resume his duties as a full-time faculty member.

Job Titles:

• Medical Director of the Denver Health Clinic at the Family Crisis Center

Currently, Dr. Wells serves as medical director of the Denver Health Clinic at the Family Crisis Center and as an attending physician at Denver Health and at the Kempe Child Protection Team at Children's Hospital Colorado. She also is president of the Colorado chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a leader of the Colorado Court Improvement Project and a member of the board of directors of the Colorado State Foster Parent Association. Dr. Wells assisted in the formation of the Colorado Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, where she serves as an advisor to the executive committee. She was also involved in the development of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children, where she participates in the Medical/Research Working Group. Dr. Wells has conducted research on drug issues as they relate to children. Supported by a grant from ACYF's Children's Bureau, she developed a model program to better identify and serve substance-exposed newborns and their families. Another grant from HRSA's Maternal and Child Health Bureau's Healthy Tomorrows Program allowed Dr. Wells to develop a medical home for children in foster care. The result of that effort is the Connections for Kids Clinic at Denver Health - which now provides medical evaluations for 90 percent of the children placed in foster care in the City and County of Denver. Dr. Wells has received several professional awards. In 2011, she received the James E. Strain Community Service Award from the Colorado chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics for of her outstanding contribution to children's interests. In 2009, she received the Colorado CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) Advocate of the Year Award. In 2007, she received both the inaugural National Collaborative Leadership Award from the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare and the Commissioner's Award from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) branch of HHS. In her spare time, Dr. Wells enjoys anything related to the outdoors including cycling, hiking, and camping.

A Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Kansas. Her research is focused on treating tobacco dependence and training health professionals to incorporate tobacco treatment into their clinical practice. She is clinical director of the University of Kansas Hospital's highly successful tobacco-treatment program, UKanQuit at KUMed. Her research projects - many of which have received funding from the National Institutes of Health - include treating rural smokers and understanding the overlap in tobacco and other drug dependence.

Job Titles:

• Adjunct Professor of University of Maryland 's School of Medicine

Dr. Marilyn Huestis is adjunct professor of University of Maryland's School of Medicine and recently retired from her position as NIDA's Chief of Chemistry and Drug Metabolism last year after a 23-year career with the Institute. Professor Huestis is a world-renowned expert on human drug testing, publishing 453 manuscripts and book chapters on the topic and serves on five editorial boards. Her research focuses on effects of occasional and frequent cannabinoid use on pregnancy and child outcomes, brain function and driving impairment, and on novel psychoactive substances - synthetic cannabinoids. She received her Ph.D. in toxicology from University of Maryland, Baltimore, and was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in medicine and surgery from University of Helsinki in Finland. Professor Huestis is past president of the Society of Forensic Toxicology, the Toxicology Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists, and has received numerous national and international awards recognizing her research and contributions to public health and safety.

Job Titles:

• Principal Investigator

An associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado at Denver. For the last decade, she also has served as director of psychiatric services for adolescents at the university-affiliated Addiction, Research and Treatment Services (ARTS). Dr. Riggs' research career has focused on the development and testing of effective pharmacotherapy and behavioral treatment interventions in adolescents with substance use disorders and psychiatric comorbidity. More recently, her research has expanded to multi-site effectiveness trials of combined pharmacotherapy and behavioral interventions conducted in community-based treatment settings. Dr. Riggs has been the principal investigator on several research grants funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Institue on Drug Abuse. They include a recently completed randomized, controlled trial of fluoxetine versus placebo and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in depressed, substance-dependent adolescents. She is currently the principal investigator of a multi-site trial in NIDA's Clinical Trials Network (CTN): A Randomized Controlled Trial of OROS-MPH for ADHD in Adolescents with Substance Use Disorders.

Job Titles:

• Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School

Dr. Sion Kim Harris is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Boston Children's Hospital Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR), an international research center that strives to be a leading source of innovative, effective strategies to prevent, identify, and treat substance-related problems in children, adolescents, and young adults. Since its inception in 1999, CeASAR has pioneered work in adolescent substance use screening and brief intervention strategies, including the development of the CRAFFT screen which has become the internationally recommended standard for adolescent substance use screening. CeASAR has conducted research in partnership with investigators worldwide including the Czech Republic, Spain, Zambia, Turkey, Brazil, Colombia. CeASAR studies also include evaluation of the effects of adolescent substance use on brain development. Dr. Harris has published nearly 70 original scientific publications, and has received numerous awards, including the Young Professional Award from the Maternal and Child Health Section of the American Public Health Association, and Best Research Award from the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse. She is an advisory member of the National Adolescent and Young Adult Health Resource Center and the MCHB Adolescent and Young Adult Health Research Network.

Dr. Yifrah Kaminer is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with an appointment as a Professor of Psychiatry at University of Connecticut School of Medicine's Alcohol Research Center and Professor ofPediatrics at Connecticut Children's Medical Center's Injury Prevention Center. Dr. Kaminer's research focuses on the assessment and treatment of youth substance use disorders. He has authored/edited five books, published more than 160 scientific articles, and guest edited journals including Substance Abuse Journal and American Journal of Addictions. He received his M.D. from Tel-Aviv University in Israel, and his MBA from the University of Hartford. Dr. Kaminer is also coordinator of the Youth Treatment Section of the Research Society on Marijuana (RSMj)'s advisory board.

Job Titles:

• Honorary Advisor
• National Drug Policy Director

Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey was the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) during the Clinton Administration. He was confirmed to the position by unanimous vote of the U.S. Senate and served as a member of the President's Cabinet and the National Security Council for drug-related issues. He currently serves as a national security and terrorism analyst for NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC News. Following government service, McCaffrey served as the Bradley Distinguished Professor of International Security Studies and then as an Adjunct Professor of International Security Studies at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY. McCaffrey graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He holds a Master of Arts degree in civil government from American University. He attended the Harvard University National Security Program as well as the Business School Executive Education Program. McCaffrey is a member Phi Kappa Phi, a national honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of academic excellence in all disciplines. In 2010, he was honored as a Distinguished Graduate by the West Point Association of Graduates at the United States Military Academy. He was also inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame at Ft Benning. Prior to confirmation as the National Drug Policy Director, McCaffrey served as the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces Southern Command coordinating national security operations throughout Latin America. During his military career, he served overseas for thirteen years and completed four combat tours. He commanded the 24th Infantry Division (Mech) during the Desert Storm 400-kilometer left hook attack into Iraq. McCaffrey served as the three star assistant to General Colin Powell and supported the Chairman as the JCS advisor to the Secretary of State and the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. At retirement from active duty, he was the most highly decorated four-star general in the U.S. Army. He twice received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest medal for valor. He was also awarded two Silver Stars for valor, and received three Purple Heart medals for wounds sustained in combat.

Job Titles:

• Director of the Parent Action Network

Heidi Rochon serves as the Director of the Parent Action Network to ensure families and family advocacy organizations across the country have access to information on the science of marijuana to promote health-first, smart policies and attitudes that decrease marijuana use and its consequences to children and families. Heidi comes to SAM with over 20 years of experience providing direct support to families, leadership and program development, implementation and management of countless local, regional and statewide family peer support programs for Maryland.

Job Titles:

• Honorary Advisor

The Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the nation's leading political voice on mental illness, addiction, and other brain diseases. During his 16-year career representing Rhode Island in Congress, he fought a national battle to end medical and societal discrimination against these illnesses, highlighted by his lead sponsorship of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008-and his brave openness about his own health challenges. The son of Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, he decided to leave Congress not long after his father's death to devote his career to advocacy for brain diseases and to create a new, healthier life and start a family. He has since founded the Kennedy Forum, which unites the community of mental health, and co-founded One Mind for Research, a global leader in open science collaboration in brain research. Kennedy is also the co-author of "A Common Struggle," which outlines both his personal story and a bold plan for the future of mental health in America. Patrick lives in New Jersey with his wife, Amy, and their four children.

Job Titles:

• Chief of Staff

Jaime Zerbe currently serves as SAM's Chief of Staff where she focuses on internal and external communications. Substance use, specifically regarding the opioid epidemic, is a personal issue for Jaime: her late father spent the last almost decade of his life (reluctantly) on opioids. Despite taking it exactly as prescribed, he was one of the countless Americans who unknowingly became dependent on oxycontin after being promised a long-term "addiction-free" pain solution. Jaime's time in DC began like so many others: answering the phone in her congressman's office. After some time on the Hill, Jaime served as the Legislative Director at a national nonprofit and advised on drug policy as well as communications strategy. In 2020, Jaime started a successful aviation-focused digital marketing and branding company that she named after her late father. Jaime has a heart for mentoring and encouraging young women who are at their career crossroads. Jaime and her husband live in Virginia with their black Labrador.

Former Purdue Pharmaceuticals CEO, John Stewart, recently decided to take up marijuana. He founded Emblem, a Canadian medical marijuana company, shortly after leaving Purdue.

Job Titles:

• Communications and Legislative Affairs Officer
• Principal Communications

Jordan Davidson serves as SAM's Communications and Legislative Affairs Officer. When he was 17 years old, Jordan entered long-term addiction recovery after struggling with cannabis use disorder throughout his teen years. Prior to joining SAM, Jordan worked in Connecticut politics at the state and federal level. At SAM, Jordan is a principal communications staffer managing social media, writing press releases, and drafting Op-Eds. He also serves as the primary liaison between SAM and the media. In 2020, Jordan designed SAM's Annual Report. In 2021, he created the SAM Instagram and TikTok accounts, on which he generates regular original content. Since he joined SAM in 2019, Jordan has specialized in youth outreach and substance abuse prevention. He has been featured as a guest speaker for numerous organizations to talk about his experiences with addiction and recovery. Jordan is a junior studying Political Science at American University in Washington, D.C.

Job Titles:

• Judge

Currently on sabbatical, Judge Burnett, Sr. also serves as the senior judge for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia where he hears cases involving neglect, abuse, termination of parental rights, and adoption. He is also the court's community relations liaison judge, with the responsibility of preventing and reducing juvenile delinquency and promoting improvements in the foster care and adoption systems of the district. Judge Burnett, Sr. he began his law career in 1958 specializing in fraud, obscenity and public integrity criminal cases in the Attorney General's Honors Program at the United States Department of Justice in the Criminal Division and serving as a special prosecutor for the U. S. Department of Justice. From 1965 to 1969, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, D.C. where he prosecuted homicide and other cases, for nearly four years. In 1968 he became First Legal Adviser for the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department. In 1969, Judge Burnett, Sr. was appointed the first African American United States Magistrate in the United States. He served until 1975 and then became the Legal Advisor for the United States Civil Service System. From 1977 to 1980, he was also a legal advisor to the President of the United States on all civil service and personnel laws and as one of the President's chief representatives in dealing with federal personnel system bills pending before the U.S. Congress. In 1980 he was again appointed United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and served until appointed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia by the President in 1987. Judge Burnett, Sr. received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science with a minor in Economics summa cum laude from Howard University and his Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law in 1958. Highlights of his college and law school years include being elected to Phi Beta Kappa as a Howard University junior, graduating from New York University School of Law in the top 10% of his class and as a Founders' Day Award Recipient, and holding the title of Associate Research Editor of its Law Review. He was a member of the American Bar Association Steering Committee on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children and the District of Columbia Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics. He is a former Chair of the National Bar Association Juvenile Justice Task Force and former Chair of its Juvenile Justice Committee.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• President
• SAM President & CEO

KEVIN A. SABET, PHD An affiliate of Yale University's Institution for Social and Policy Studies and the Medical School, dubbed by NBC News as the "prodigy of drug politics," author, consultant, and the only bipartisan drug policy advisor to three U.S. presidential administrations, Kevin A. Sabet, Ph.D., has studied, researched, written about, and implemented drug policy for more than 25 years. He is currently the President and CEO of SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana), a non-profit organization he founded with Congressman Patrick Kennedy and David Frum. His first book, Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana, was published by Beaufort (Midpoint) in 2013, and its second edition released in 2018. He is also the co-editor of Marijuana and Contemporary Health, published by Oxford University Press. His bestselling book, Smokescreen: What the Marijuana Industry Doesn't Want You to Know, was distributed by Simon & Schuster in 2021 and released to critical acclaim. Dr. Sabet's work as a government advisor began in the Clinton Administration as a researcher, and he was the senior speechwriter on drug policy in the Bush Administration (2002-2003). He returned to government in 2009, where he was asked to assist in drafting President Obama's National Drug Control Strategy as a senior advisor. In 2011, he stepped down after being the only drug policy staffer to have served as a political appointee in a Democrat and Republican administration. He has since been profiled in Politico, Crain's Business, Salon Magazine, the International Business Times, The Daily Beast, Vox, and many other publications as America's point person on drug policy issues. He has spoken at the Allen and Co. Sun Valley Conference, the Aspen Ideas, New Yorker, and Politicon festivals, at the Puebla Ideas Conference to debate the former presidents of Mexico and Colombia, on the Organization of American States blue ribbon commission advising hemispheric drug policy, and in hundreds of forums and discussions. He has been featured on the front page of the New York Times and in virtually every major media publication and news channel on the subject of drug policy. He has published op-eds in the Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and dozens of other publications. Dr. Sabet's regular blog is housed at the Huffington Post and two of his opeds have earned him a "Five Best Columns" distinction by The Atlantic. Dr. Sabet also regularly advises foreign governments, several non-governmental organizations working to reduce drug abuse and its consequences, and serves in an international role as an advisor, in various capacities, to the United Nations and other multi-national organizations. He is the winner of numerous drug policy awards, including the 2014 Nils Bejerot Award for Global Drug Prevention, given at Stockholm City Hall by the anti-drug organization chaired by H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden, the 2019 National Narcotics Lifetime Achievement Award, and the John P. McGovern Award for Drug Prevention given by the Institute for Behavior and Health, and Robert DuPont, the founding director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. He received his Doctorate of Philosophy and Masters of Science from Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar in 2007 and 2002, respectively, and his B.A. with high honors in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 2001. Described by NBC as the "prodigy" of drug politics and policy, Kevin A. Sabet, PhD, is an author, consultant, former advisor to three U.S. presidential administrations, assistant professor, and serves as the President and CEO of SAM, which he founded with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy in 2013. He has studied, researched, written about, and implemented drug policy for almost 20 years. He has worked in the Clinton (2000), Bush (2002-2003) Administrations, and in 2011 he stepped down after serving more than two years as the senior advisor to President Obama's drug control director, having been the only drug policy staffer to have ever served as a political appointee in a Democrat and Republican administration. He has appeared since at the Aspen Ideas and New Yorker festivals, on the Organization of American States blue ribbon commission advising hemispheric drug policy, and in hundreds of forums and discussions promoting the ideas outlined in his first book, Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana, published by Beaufort. He has been featured on the front page of the New York Times and in virtually every major media publication and news channel on the subject of drug policy.

Job Titles:

• Executive Vice President
• Principal
• Executive Vice President at SAM

Luke Niforatos serves as the Executive Vice President at SAM, described by the New York Times as the "well-coordinated opposition" to legalization. Luke's background is in nonprofit community healthcare, having helped manage Federally Qualified Health Centers and worked on health disparities. Prior to joining SAM, Luke was also the Co-Founder of DocBuddy, a healthcare start-up based in Denver, Colorado that he later sold. At SAM, Luke serves as the principal deputy to the CEO in his roles, manages the day to day operations of the organization, and serves as a spokesman on marijuana issues. In 2018, he was the campaign manager for the successful ballot campaign to defeat legalization in North Dakota, and led SAM's legislative victories in more than two dozen states. He has been featured at The Economist's Cannabis Summit as well as the United Nations' Commission on Narcotic Drugs, and in dozens of events and town halls across the country on the subject of drug policy. He has also been featured in many national media outlets, including Fox News and CNBC, and his op-eds are regularly published across the country. Luke graduated from the University of Denver, and his home state of Colorado gives he, his wife, and young daughter a unique vantage point on the issue of sound drug policy.

Molson Coors elected to partner with HEXO (Hydropothecary Corporation) to develop marijuana-infused beverages. Molson Coors is entitled to purchase shares of HEXO through the deal.

Job Titles:

• Member of the Board of Advisors for New York

Job Titles:

• Director of Community Engagement and Outreach

Coming from a legacy of civil rights leaders in Washington, D.C, Will Jones serves as the Communications and Outreach Associate at SAM. He is an experienced speaker and community activist working on issues of social justice at the local and national level. Partnering with national drug policy advisors and leaders around Washington, D.C., in 2014 Jones founded Two Is Enough DC to raise awareness of the predatory marijuana commercial industry which disproportionally targets disenfranchised communities similar to Alcohol and Big Tobacco. He later started the campaign against marijuana legalization and commercialization in D.C. Mr. Jones has been featured on a wide variety of TV, radio and print outlets talking about marijuana policy and other issues including NBC, Reuters TV, CBS, BBC World, Al Jazeera, C-span the Washington Post, Huffington Post, Associated Press. Mr Jones is also a 3rd generation Washingtonian and proudly serves as a DC Firefighter/EMT and obtained his MPA from The GWU Trachtenberg School of Public Policy.