Past Projects
2020 Project - Outreach to Communities of Color in Encinitas
In 2020, the Cannabis Education Project engaged in outreach to communities of color in Encinitas to provide education regarding Measure H to allow for marijuana land use in Encinitas. We provided education on how prohibition continues to serve the interests of the black market in communities of color and the benefits of cannabis access to the communities.
2018 Project - Cannabis Utopia at Pride
A principle organizer of the Cannabis Utopia Gender and Health Oasis at San Diego Pride. With close to a 250,000 parade attendees and participants and 40,000 festival attendees, our Utopia at Pride section was an amazing opportunity for the cannabis industry to educate the masses about our cannabis movement.
2018 Project - Earth Day Cannabis Village
In bringing together cannabis and hemp industry professionals with the general public, Cannabis Village celebrates our economic and social power that continue to enlighten leaders and transform public opinion in bigger and better ways.
Cannabis Village participants educated and informed us about the many uses of one of nature's most miraculous plants. As our country and the world continue to embrace the many benefits of cannabis, we will continue the drive to forge awareness that our industry presents one of humanity's best opportunities to make our planet more habitable, healthy, and sustainable for the future. Our organization will strive to pursue how we benefit society and enthusiastically support significant events like EarthFair, one of the largest of its kind in the nation.
2017 Project - Earth Day Cannabis Village
San Diego EarthFair in Balboa Park is the largest free annual environmental fair in the world. The Cannabis Village at Earth Fair was a designated area to promote the use of cannabis, hemp, and cannabis by products as environmentally friendly alternative healthcare, building, personal care and clothing materials. The Cannabis Village also featured the “Sun Stage” with speakers, performers and musicians promoting cannabis and an additional draw to the Cannabis Village.
2016 Project - Adult Use Campaign for Proposition 64
In 2016, the Cannabis Education project sponsored and helped organize the San Diego based Adult Use Campaign for Proposition 64, including hosting and organizing performances by artists, civic art displays and the election night gathering.
2016 Project - Foro ciudadano sobre la legalización y regulación de la marihuana en Tijuana
In 2016, we organized and sponsored multiple legalization conferences and seminars in Tijuana with prominent Mexican and bi-national cannabis medical and public policy experts.
2014 Project - Artistic Expression for Medical Marijuana
In 2014, we brought together musicians and performing artists from around San Diego to perform in support medical marijuana access in North and East County. Their personal stories and artistic creations were used as mediums to reach the public about this important issue.
In June 2012, the Cannabis Education Project applied for a Special Opportunities Grant from Drug Policy Alliance to engage in a public outreach campaign to garner civic support for medical marijuana access and ending marijuana prohibition. These efforts were undertaken in conjunction with ballot measure campaigns to allow medical marijuana access in the communities targeted for outreach.
From August 2012 through October 2012, we targeted civic groups, prominent members of the community and institutions in the targeted communities of Lemon Grove, Solana Beach and Del Mar, with the goal of changing attitudes on marijuana prohibition and demonstrating to the greater community the prevalence of attitudes of acceptance of medical marijuana usage.
We met our project goal of presenting 48 presentations in two months. To achieve this goal, we also created presentation packets, brochures and handouts, creating 10 pieces of outreach material in total, targeted at different outreach demographics. We exceeded our project goal in terms of endorsements gathered with 27 endorsements to allow medical marijuana access in the communities. That said, while exceeding our goals in terms of political endorsements, it proved more difficult to gain religious endorsements than previously anticipated.
2011 - Outreach To Communities of Color
The short-term strategic goal of this project was to identify and cultivate leadership for medical marijuana collectives in targeted communities to support fair regulation of medical marijuana collectives in San Diego. However, this project also served a longer term strategic goals of developing and evaluating messaging against marijuana prohibition to communities of color, and identifying and cultivating a base of Latino and African American leadership and support for ending marijuana prohibition in the greater San Diego area.
We engaged in an aggressive community outreach campaign to community and advocacy groups in San Diego neighborhoods with high concentrations of Latino, African-American and Filipino voters.
We developed presentations and informational workshops targeted at specific communities to address misconceptions, fears and overall negative perceptions of marijuana. The material we present was based on existing research and publications from Drug Policy Alliance and other allied groups. This was an opportunity to refine outreach messaging to Latino, African American, Filipino and other minority audiences.
We presented at meetings of civic groups, religious groups and community advancement groups. We targeted groups and leaders within the community who’s political and social leanings would indicate an opportunity for support for medical marijuana. Our goal was that by identifying pro-marijuana forces within the target communities, we can help build grass-top support to counter the community leadership fighting against safe access and legalization.