The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) and Key Regulatory Issues, Initiatives and Trends

The Cannabusiness Key is a free, monthly, web-based speaker series featuring some of the foremost thought leaders in both the marijuana and hemp industries. Started in 2016, the Cannabusiness Key has brought together dozens of interesting speakers exploring a wide range of topics that are relevant and timely for cannabis operators, owners, and investors alike.

About This Event:

Host Jason Klein is joined by CANNRA’s Executive Director Gillian Schauer and President Andrew Brisbo (Executive Director, Michigan’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency) to discuss current developments impacting the cannabis regulatory and policy spaces, including how regulators are responding to hemp derived cannabinoids, evolving distribution and delivery models, social equity initiatives, and the potential for sweeping change on the federal level.

Meet the Speakers:

Andrew Brisbo & Gillian Schauer

Andrew Brisbo was appointed by Governor Whitmer to lead Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) in April 2019. In addition to overseeing licensing and regulation for the medical and adult-use marijuana industries in Michigan, the MRA also runs the state’s medical marijuana registry card program. MRA’s mission is to establish Michigan as the national model for a regulatory program that stimulates business growth while preserving safe consumer access to marijuana. Andrew has worked in licensing and regulation with the State of Michigan since 2004, including with the Michigan Gaming Control Board, Department of State, and occupational and health professional licensing.

Andrew is also active in the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA), a national organization of more than 40 US state and territorial regulatory agencies that provides policy makers and regulatory agencies with the resources to make informed decisions when considering how to approach the legalization and regulation of cannabis. He currently serves as CANNRA’s president, having been elected to the role in 2021.

Gillian Schauer, PhD, MPH is the Executive Director of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA), a non-partisan organization that convenes cannabis regulators from more than 40 states and territories to identify and share best practices in cannabis policy and regulation to protect consumer safety, promote equity, and create regulatory certainty.

Dr. Schauer has worked in public health and drug policy for nearly two decades and has a decade of experience working with federal and state agencies on cannabis policy, data monitoring, and research translation, including work with the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prior to her work on cannabis issues, Dr. Schauer worked on tobacco control policy, with a focus on tobacco cessation and treatment.

Dr. Schauer is also an Affiliate Research Scientist with the Addictions, Drug & Alcohol Institute at the University of Washington and has more than 65 peer-reviewed research publications on cannabis, tobacco, and other substances. She has a PhD in Behavioral Science from Emory University, a Master of Public Health from University of Washington, and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University.

Host:

Jason Klein |Partner@Rimon Law

Jason Klein is a business attorney with a long track record of representing cannabis businesses, both marijuana and hemp, in tightly regulated markets. As one of the first lawyers on the East Coast to build a practice dedicated to the cannabis industry, Mr. Klein has a long track record of successfully navigating his clients through challenging regulatory and business operating environments amid uncertainty in new marketplaces.

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