Wednesday, November 13th, 2019

12:30 - 2:00 PM, Herscher, Guerin B, The Cannabis Luncheon, Webcast

Cannabis Injustice and Social Equity: From Schedule I to Addressing the Human Cost of Prohibition and Criminalization

Senator Steven Bradford, California State Senate

Steve DeAngelo, Chairman Emeritus, Harborside

Katrina Rosseini, founder, BlunTv

Al Harrington, Founder, Viola Inc., former NBA Star

Courtney Eder, President, Shelf Life Distributing

David Welch, Attorney, D|R Welch

 

David Welch, Attorney, D|R Welch: David studied law at the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. After graduating in 2007, he founded a boutique law firm, D|R Welch Attorneys at Law, which primarily serviced the cannabis industry. Over the past 11 years, he has represented the largest publicly and private companies as well as many recognizable main street brands like Barneys New York and Canaccord Genuity, a major investment bank in most of the largest cannabis public offerings. He primarily represents companies in intellectual property and litigation as well as compliance with State, county, and city rules and regulations, providing services for organizations during facility start up and “midstream” to correct compliance violations for companies with existing operations. In 2015, D|R Welch Attorneys at Law was named a Top 25 Boutique Law Firm in California by the Los Angeles Daily Journal for David’s work  in the

cannabis industry. David was also named an Intellectual Property Trailblazer in 2016 by the National Law Journal and a Southern California Super Lawyer in from 2013 to 2018.David has litigated cases at all court levels, including the 9thAppellate Circuit Court and the California Supreme Court. His regulatory expertise is sought not only by business owners but also local municipalities, as he has participated in the cannabis ordinance drafting process for several cities throughout California, including social equity components that increase license accessibility for individuals of low income and with pastminor drug offenses.In addition to his legal work, David founded and manages a nonprofit organization in Los Angeles, Peace Tree, which provides pro bono legal and social services to non-violent drug offenders, enabling them to more easily reenter the workforce and thereby reduce the likelihood of recidivism.David’s cannabis regulatory experience and work as an intellectual property attorney and litigator give him an unparalleled level of experience.

 

Steve DeAngelo , Chairman Emeritus, Harborside: Steve DeAngelo, a globally recognized cannabis leader, was dubbed “the father of the legal industry" by former Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown. Steve is a life-long activist, author, educator, investor and entrepreneur who has spent over four decades on the front lines of the cannabis reform movement. His most notable business achievements include cofounding Harborside, one of the first six dispensaries licensed in the United States--now a publicly traded company on the Canadian Securities Exchange; Steep Hill Laboratory, the first cannabis analytics company; the Arcview Group, the first dedicated cannabis investment network. St eve is also the author of The Cannabis Manifest o, and originator of the wellness approach to understanding cannabis. He played a key role in the passage of Initiative 64, Washington DC's medical cannabis law; the passage of Prop 64, California's adult use law; and successfully defended multiple legal attempts by US federal authorities to shutter the doors of Harborside. His  media projects include the starring role in Weed Wars, the first cannabis-oriented reality TV show, produced by the Discovery Channel in 2011; a new online TV show, Ask Steve DeAngelo, available on GreenFlower.com; and extensive appearances on most major media  outlets including CNN, FOX, MSNBC, CNBC,  and The New York Times. Steve speaks widely on the topic of cannabis reform and the cannabis industry. He believes that a profitable, ethical, politically engaged cannabis industry will be the most powerful force in spreading cannabis reform to every corner of the planet. In 2019, he was honored with the Peter Tosh Equal Rights Award. Co-founding the Last Prisoner Project, he will not rest and he will not stop until the last cannabis prisoner is free.

 

Al Harrington, Founder, Viola Inc.: As Founder of premium cannabis company Viola Inc., Al Harrington is the mastermind behind the brand named after and inspired by his grandmother, Viola Harrington. After seeing how cannabis helped Viola who was a sufferer of various ailments including glaucoma and diabetes, Al worked with a team of industry leaders to create a cannabis brand that is founded in purpose. Overseeing Viola’s carefully curated cultivation, extraction, and production processes, Al has brought the most premium cannabis products to market. In 2018, Al launched Harrington Wellness, a company that manufactures non-psychoactive cannabinoid products, as well as a third company Butter Baby, that makes cannabis edibles. All three companies are under the Harrington Group umbrella. Prior to his entrepreneurship, Al Harrington was a professional basketball player for 16 seasons playing in the NBA. He played for the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards. He briefly played with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association. Al was first drafted at the age of 18, making him one of the youngest NBA players in history. Al Harrington is currently an active member of the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) and Tidal Royalty’s Advisory Board.

 

Courtney Eder, President, Shelf Life Distributing: Courtney Eder graduated with a degree in Communication from the University of Colorado, Boulder. After graduating in 2004, Courtney lived in Tennessee and Georgia where she discovered a deep passion for Real Estate. Hard work and determination propelled her sales career during the recession, earning her the role of CEO for a local Keller Williams Real Estate franchise at the youthful age of 27. During Courtney's 6 years with Keller Williams, she developed a love of leadership and community outreach. Courtney has served as the Chairman of the Board, for the Young Professionals Network (Columbus, GA) and served on the Board of Directors at the Boys and Girls Club, of the South Coast Area (San Clemente, CA). In 2017, Courtney Eder and her husband Wes, 3rd generation wine and spirits distributor, co-found Shelf-Life Distributing. Wes' vision coupled with Courtney's compliant nature was a partnership made in heaven! During Shelf-Life's rapid growth, Courtney ensures the organization continues to conduct its business in full compliance with all state laws and regulations that pertain to the cannabis industry. October 2019, Shelf-Life Distributing was acquired by GF Distribution, where Courtney Eder currently serves as Vice President of Distribution. As Shelf-Life's Vice President, Courtney ensures each department meets their individual goals and is responsible for overall accountability.

 

Katrina Rosseini, founder, BlunTv: Katrina Rosseini’s experience ranges from Wall Street to politics, biotech, healthcare, entrepreneur and now, the cannabis sector. Katrina works withcannabis brands on various businessdevelopment and strategic growth needs, including investor relations and development, media spokesperson, branding advisor, brand partnership development, socially responsible campaign brand development and leadership coaching for effective investor communication, as well as financial story telling. Katrina is also the founder of “BlunTv”, creating the first woman owned digital media hub of all things cannabis. Her passion, experience and ability to authentically showcase real stories about industry, laws, social equity and social justice issues in California’s cannabis sector has enabled her to sit with law makers, celebrities and become a trusted source to media.  Formerly, Katrina was the founder and president of KRS Media, a healthcare strategic communication consultancy working with national leaders, doctors, Politicians, bio-tech and bio-med executives and clean-tech founders on their business leadership developmentand growth. Katrina’s efforts throughout the years have resulted in various success stories. She has led her clients to national and “primetime” coverage, which secured multi-year and multi-million dollar funding streams. As a spokesperson and communication advisor, Katrina represented and advised the government of Isle of Man at MIT and Gilead Sciences on their branding and communication needs.Prior of healthcare, Katrina developed a strategic campaign in Silicon Valley, which led her client to win a city council seat as mayor. In addition to KRS Media, Katrina is the only female member to hold a seat on the board of directors for St. Rose Hospital located in the bay area, where she also serves as chair of the hospital’s finance committee. Prior to KRS Media, she was a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and UBS Financial Services and a partner of a team that managing over a billion in assets. During her time as a financial advisor, she was the first female to have her own financial news show in California (with News10, ABC Sacramento and guest contributor on KCRA 3, NBC Sacramento). Katrina waspreviously appointed by Governor’s ofCalifornia including Schwarzenegger’s administration to various roles in Sacramento and Los Angeles. Katrina continues to provide interviews on podcasts and local news stations about cannabis industry trending news,policy, bills and legislation in California. She has spent the past year covering trending news and updates from the state capitol and interviewing key leaders and cannabis lobbyist. Katrina holds a B.A. from the University of California, Davis and an MBA from Colorado Tech, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude. She was inducted as a lifetime member of the Sigma Beta Delta International Honorary Business Society in 2010. She was recently giventhe “Patriot” award by ESGR, a department of defense. She was selected and interviewed by ABC10 news for a women in cannabis segment showcasing women leading the cannabis sector in California.

 

Senator Steven Bradford, California State Senate: Senator Bradford was elected to the California State Senate in November 2016 to represent the 35th State Senate District that includes North Long Beach, among other communities. Previously, he served as Mayor of Gardena and a member of the California State Assembly. In the Assembly, he served as Chair of the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color. While there, he worked hard to correct the many institutional injustices that plague young Black, Latino, and Asian / Pacific Islander males in California.