DENVER — VS Strategies announced Wednesday that nationally recognized marijuana policy reform advocate Mason Tvert will be joining the firm next month as vice president of public relations and communications.

Tvert will come to VS Strategies from the Marijuana Policy Project, the nation’s largest marijuana policy organization, where he has served as director of communications since December 2012. He will officially leave MPP in July.

During his time with MPP, Tvert co-directed the successful legalization initiative campaign in Colorado and worked on the successful legalization initiative campaigns in Alaska, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada. He also provided communications support for several successful marijuana policy reform efforts in state legislatures. He frequently appears in the media discussing marijuana and marijuana policy, and The Denver Post named him Colorado’s “Top Thinker” in politics and government in 2013.

VS Strategies is a Denver-based government relations, issue advocacy, and strategic communications firm dedicated to advancing the cannabis industry in a dynamic and responsible manner. It serves cannabis businesses, industry associations, ballot initiative campaigns, nonprofits, and others seeking to shape public opinion and implement the most effective cannabis laws.

VS Strategies is affiliated with Vicente Sederberg, LLC, one of the world’s leading cannabis industry law firms. VS Strategies’ director, Steve Fox, and principals, Brian Vicente and Christian Sederberg, played leading roles in the drafting of Colorado’s historic Amendment 64, the management of that campaign, and the implementation process following its passage.

Prior to working together on the Amendment 64 campaign, Tvert and Fox co-founded Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a nonprofit organization that laid the groundwork for the successful legalization effort in Colorado. They are also co-authors, along with Paul Armentano, of “Marijuana Is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink?”  

“I am thrilled to be formally reuniting with Mason to continue our work to reshape the image of cannabis and advance marijuana policy reform,” Fox said. “To say that he is a cannabis communications expert is frankly understating his value. Whether he is educating the public about the relative harms of marijuana and alcohol, coordinating events to advance legislation, or managing communications during ballot initiative campaigns, he is relentlessly aggressive yet unfailingly professional. We are excited to be able to offer his talents to interested individuals, organizations, businesses, and associations.

“As a former MPP staffer myself, I have an immense amount of appreciation for the work Mason and the MPP team have done for the marijuana policy reform movement,” Fox said. “We both look forward to working with MPP on future campaigns, as VS Strategies has done in the past, when the opportunities arise.”

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