The longtime activist is currently advocating for a bill allowing for reciprocity to visiting out-of-state medical cannabis patients
There are few people more qualified than Ellen Brown to help guide Massachusetts regulation around cannabis. A United States Air Force veteran, she’s an experienced advocate, current industry compliance trainer, and all-around font of information about everything from growing to policy.
Last week, state Treasurer Deb Goldberg appointed Brown to the Cannabis Advisory Board, which is charged with studying and making recommendations to the Cannabis Control Commission “regarding the regulation and taxation of marijuana in Massachusetts.” Brown was assigned the advisory board seat designated for an expert in cultivation, and will also advise Cannabis Control Commission subcommittees on research and market participation.
In a media release about the appointment, Brown noted that her “career started before cannabis legalization in the United States.” In 2010, she “managed a medical dispensary and cultivation facility in Northern California, and after a few years in the Emerald Triangle she moved back to Massachusetts.” Brown “began teaching cultivation courses and advocating in support of cannabis reform,” and was “a campaign leader with Yes On 4, which supported the ballot initiative to allow for recreational cannabis.”
Brown’s current company, Green Path Training, was among the first CCC-certified Responsible Vendor Trainers in Mass, and “offers compliance training on topics such as retail, delivery, and core curriculum.” On the policy side of things, she recently worked with state Sen. Susan Moran’s office on a bill allowing for reciprocity to visiting qualifying out-of-state medical cannabis patients, and hopes to generate awareness about the proposal through her CAB appointment. The Joint Committee on the Judiciary Committee has extended its time to report on S.1082 until April 30.
“An act to ensure access to medical cannabis for visiting qualifying patients is currently being reviewed,” Brown told Talking Joints Memo. She “hopes that this beneficial bill amendment will pass the committee favorably.”
