Oct 8, 2022Biden’s Executive Order on Cannabis is a Welcome “October Surprise.”But for it to be Meaningful Beyond November, There is Still More To Do. — by Bridget Hennessey, Vice President- Public Affairs at Weedmaps In politics, it’s called an “October Surprise” — a super-newsworthy planned or organic event or announcement juicy enough to influence the election scheduled for the following month. On Thursday, President Joe Biden delivered a doozy. Without the usual advance notice to…Cannabis3 min readCannabis3 min read
Aug 29, 2022Normalizing Nature: Embracing Discomfort to Drive Changeby Keegan Gendron, Policy Research Associate- Public Affairs at Weedmaps “If the hideous monster Frankenstein came face to face with the monster of marijuana he would drop dead of fright.” — Harry J. Anslinger. Mr. Anslinger, the infamous father of cannabis prohibition, ignited an era of ignorance, fear-mongering, and injustice…Stigma6 min readStigma6 min read
Jun 16, 2022Until We Are All Freeby Kamry Parks, Policy Communications Associate- Public Affairs at Weedmaps America has two Independence Days: One commemorating America’s freedom from Britain’s rule; the other commemorating the actual end of slavery in the United States. We know all about the first one. School children across the country are taught that the…Juneteenth4 min readJuneteenth4 min read
Jun 3, 2022The Blame Gameby Bridget Hennessey, Vice President, Public Affairs at Weedmaps It’s been two weeks since the horrible events at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. But the pain hasn’t subsided. It is almost impossible to think about anything but the young students and teachers senselessly murdered and injured by an…Cannabis3 min readCannabis3 min read
May 18, 2022High ExpectationsEmbracing Cannabis in the AAPI Community — by Thanh To, Grassroots/Advocacy Campaign Associate- Public Affairs at Weedmaps After the Vietnam War, nearly 2 million Vietnamese “boat people” — including my parents — risked their lives to flee from political persecution and oppression with aspirations of finding freedom in a foreign land. Unsure of what was ahead, they…Aapi Heritage Month5 min readAapi Heritage Month5 min read
May 13, 2022A World of Differenceby Bridget Hennessey, Vice President, Public Affairs at Weedmaps I will admit, it’s “been a minute” as my kids would say, since I got excited about a cannabis conference. Don’t get me wrong. These gatherings are important, useful, impactful and worthwhile. I am not saying otherwise. Perhaps I’m suffering from…UN4 min readUN4 min read
Apr 20, 2022Today is More Than a Stoner’s HolidayBy Fran Hutchins and Carl Fillichio Happy Four Twenty–the U.S. cannabis industry’s unofficial “day.” The meaning behind 420 is as simple as it is complex. It is both pinpointedly specific and vastly broad. Local and universal. If “It’s 5 o’clock somewhere” is the call to arms for the cocktail crowd…Cannabis4 min readCannabis4 min read
Oct 30, 2021A Halloween Trick: Scaring Parentsby Bridget Hennessey, Vice President, Government Relations at Weedmaps Every holiday has traditions. Even Halloween. In our house, you can bet on my kids coming up with clever and unusual ideas for costumes (my 10-year old is going as Sophia from “The Golden Girls”) . . but at the very…Cannabis4 min readCannabis4 min read
Oct 12, 2021Brothers. In Arms. And OutA Different Coming Out Story — by Carl Fillichio, Vice President at Weedmaps I’ve been talking to my older brother Christopher a lot more lately…ever since I got a job related to the cannabis industry. He is passionate about the subject. Aside from sharing a surname, we haven’t had much in common of late. The last…Cannabis5 min readCannabis5 min read
Sep 7, 2021The Labor Day AfterThe Pundits Missed it! Cannabis was This Years’ Labor Day Story — by Carl Fillichio, Vice President at Weedmaps Tuesday morning quarterbacking Labor Day 2021 media coverage: The New York Times ran a lengthy and riveting opinion piece (“Let’s Honor True Spirit of Labor Day With a Union Revival”) exploring how American history often ignored the labor movement’s bloody struggle for human…Cannabis4 min readCannabis4 min read
