Caitlein Ryan holds a PhD from Arizona State University, with a focus on arts education, qualitative research, and social justice. Caitlein has been the director of the Washington State Cannabis Alliance since 2020.

She is a leading advocate for sensible adult-use cannabis policy, collaborating with businesses, lawmakers, regulators, and community stakeholders to shape Washington State’s cannabis industry and support national reform efforts.

Under her leadership, The Cannabis Alliance is focused on expanding patient access, legalizing home cultivation, creating pathways for cannabis hospitality and social use, and ensuring small and independent businesses can thrive. The organization also champions sustainable practices, equitable licensing, and science-based regulation, while pushing for fair enforcement and more transparent governance.

Nathan Marsh started his journey into Cannabis Activism in 1993 after his father lost his life in a drunk-driving accident. He was passionate that access to cannabis is a civil right and that society should be able to benefit from its positive impacts on both the mind and body. Living in Denver, Colorado, at the time, he committed to doing anything he could to spread the word about the benefits of cannabis and promote legalization and decriminalization. Nathan later moved to Oregon and Washington and was involved in several nonprofits dedicated to cannabis activism. In 2015, when Oregon legalized cannabis, he produced the Oregon HEMPFEST, one of the first to be licensed by the Seattle HEMPFEST, a 501(c)(3) federal nonprofit organization, and became the only licensed HEMPFEST in Oregon. That same year, he started the Oregon Growers Cup, a Cannabis Cup that has grown to be Oregon’s largest and oldest cannabis competition. Today, he also produces Cannabis Cups in Arizona, Missouri, New York, California, and New Mexico.

Medical Cannabis to manage the symptoms of liver disease. CC Ryder is a cannabis patient in the California Bay Area, a mother and housewife who enjoys music and dancing. She is active online and in her community and uses cannabis to help her address her daily challenges with stage four liver disease.

Author Jack Lohman discusses his new book on phosphorus: White LightJack Lohmann is a writer from Richmond, Virginia, who lives in the Western Isles of Scotland. He is the author of White Light—The Elemental Role of Phosphorus in Our Cells, in Our Food, and in Our World.

Jeff Kober is an American actor known for his television roles as Dodger in China Beach, Jacob Hale Jr. in Sons of Anarchy, Joe in the fourth season of The Walking Dead, and Kurt Nypo in Walker: Texas Ranger. He is also known for his movie roles in Out of Bounds, The First Power, One Tough Bastard, and Man Apart. For his role in ABC's General Hospital, Jeff received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

Jeff stars in Grassland, a new narrative film set in 2008 that explores the economic recession and the inequities of the era's incarceration rates. The story follows Leo, played by Ravi Cabot-Conyers, an inquisitive and sensitive boy who puts his mother's illegal cannabis business, played by Mía Maestro, at risk when he befriends their new neighbors, a young white boy and his police officer grandfather, Jeff’s character.

Max Vansluys is the president of Dialed In Gummies. Max started his career as a budtender in Colorado, working directly with consumers and gaining firsthand insight into what makes a quality cannabis product. With a passion for innovation and a deep understanding of the market, he worked his way up the industry ranks—ultimately becoming president of one of the fastest-growing solventless gummy brands in the country. Now, Max is launching Dialed In Gummies in Ohio, his home state. He is committed to offering high-quality, better-tasting edibles that stand out in the rapidly expanding market.

Jeff Crawford has been involved in independent media, activism, and technology for decades. He started with Bohemia AfterDark, one of the first indie music video shows, and later organized the Portland Hemp Festival in the mid-90s. His work spans media preservation, AI, and digital activism, focusing on counteracting algorithmic manipulation and censorship. Jeff has worked extensively with content archiving, including rare footage restoration for Getty, and he’s deeply invested in exploring how AI can be utilized to reclaim digital spaces from corporate and political influence.

Chris Bennett is an activist and author living in Nova Scotia, Canada, who has been researching the historical role of cannabis in the spiritual life of humanity for more than three decades. He is co-author of Green Gold the Tree of Life: Marijuana in Magic and Religion; Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible and the author of Cannabis and the Soma Solution; Liber 420: Cannabis, Magickal herbs and the Occult; and Cannabis: Lost Sacrament of the Ancient World.

Chris has also contributed chapters on the historical role of cannabis in spiritual practices in books such as The Pot Book, Entheogens and the Development of Culture, Seeking the Sacred with Psychoactive Substances, One Toke Closer to God, Cannabis and Spirituality and Psychedelics Reimagined. Bennett’s research has received international attention from the BBC, Guardian, Sunday Times, Washington Post, Vice, and other media sources.