Our Board

Jay is a founding member of the Cannabis Education Project.  A veteran of the Proposition 19 campaign to legalize marijuana in San Diego County, Jay and fellow advocates decided to continue their efforts to promote regulated access and to educate their communities on the harmful impacts of the war on marijuana by forming the Cannabis Education Project.  Jay has worked in the cannabis industry, as a manager at one of the first licensed marijuana dispensaries in San Diego City, and he is dedicated to creating more opportunities for people of color in the legal cannabis space. 

Armando Gudiño is a political scientist. For more than 20 years, he has worked in journalism and public policy, in places such as Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Over the last several years Armando has worked on key California legislation including the historic marijuana legalization initiative Proposition 64, civil asset forfeiture reform, deferred entry of judgement (retroactive), equalization of penalties for crack and powder cocaine, Proposition 47, and the state’s 911 Good Samaritan Law. 

Cynara Velazquez is a founding member with the Cannabis Education Project, and past president.   Her passion is using data to inform the community and improve outcomes.  She is a policy wonk who has written over 15 ballot initiatives to allow for  local regulated access to marijuana, and has provided public policy analysis of current and proposed marijuana regulations across the state of California.  She is a lead organizer for the binational actions and events for the Cannabis Education Project. 

One of the visionaries behind the Cannabis Education Project, Ben Doyle has spearheaded many of the Cannabis Education Project actions and efforts.  He was instrumental in creating community connections with the San Diego artist community, leading to many art shows and community events focused on the travesties of the war on drugs.

 Our fearless leader of direct community action, Ben can be found directly in the communities, spreading the word through direct canvassing and public outreach. Ben's passion is one of inclusion of those communities and persons most impacted by the war on drugs in the emerging legal cannabis marked.

Today, Ben continues to chronicle the travesties of the drug war on his blog: https://danktownesfinest.com/ 

Dion Markgraaff was a instrumental supporter who made the work of the Cannabis Education Project possible for many years.  He was a visionary in his support and drive for marijuana legalization and regulation in Latin America.  He was a tireless promoter of hemp, driving education efforts around the globe.  Our Cannabis Villages at Earthday, acres of educational booths, captivating speakers and musical performances for marijuana normalization and regulation was his original concept. 

Rest in peace, Dion. Thank you for making so much possible.