By Shelby Huffaker, MPH | Chair, San Diego Chapter of Americans for Safe Access
When it comes to community organizing, particularly around cannabis, it can be easy at times to feel disheartened. However, when you consider all of the people toiling day in and day out to advance the rights of medical cannabis patients and consumers, it becomes clear that there is power in community. This November, the San Diego chapter of Americans for Safe Access recognizes the invaluable contributions of local activists working towards the collective empowerment of cannabis stakeholders. This post is a love letter to them.
The Thought Leaders
Johann Balbuena
Johann Marie “JM” Balbuena is a fiery and ambitious entrepreneur who seems to have limitless time, which she dedicates to co-founding Prime Harvest Inc., a tech-retail-focused cannabis organization of which she is the current CMO; managing Jaxx Cannabis, a cannabis retailer in Ramona, CA; establishing Boycott Shitty Weed, a cannabis streetwear brand; writing books (including The Successful Canna-preneur and, more recently, Green Renaissance); speaking up in favor of cannabis social equity programs; and creating award-winning films like the Roll Up for Equity documentary on San Diego’s efforts to implement a cannabis social equity program.
Johann’s boundless energy is palpable, and she directs it towards changing prevailing narratives about cannabis and advocating for a more just, equitable industry. Johann is also a proud Afro-Latina and U.S. Navy veteran.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jmbalbuena/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BSWnation
X: https://x.com/cannabissynergy
Website: https://jmbalbuena.com
MEgain Erlise
When MEgain Erlise speaks, be sure to listen closely. Endlessly optimistic, she is usually saying a kind word to a friend, delivering one of her signature jokes, or making a poignant statement on the need for cannabis social equity in the San Diego region. MEgain draws on her experience receiving a cannabis possession charge to inspire change and hope for the future. See her interview with KPBS, San Diego local wants equity in cannabis industry, here.
The Doers
Armand King
Mention Armand King’s name and you will often be met with, “I don’t know how he does it all.” As a father, Program Manager for the Cannabis Social Equity Program Engineers, a collaborative group of people and organizations working to implement the County’s Socially Equitable Cannabis Program, Founder of several non-profits, including Walk With Me Impact, a group that provides mentoring curriculum for at-risk youth, a member of numerous boards and commissions, including the Mayor’s Black Advisory Board and San Diego’s Gang Prevention and Intervention Commission, and an author, Armand often appears to be in multiple places at once—hyping up a crowd, joking with friends (he has many), or delivering a
powerful statement on the importance of community empowerment and restorative justice. At the age of 22, Armand served 32 months in federal prison for a cannabis possession charge; this hardship, among others, instilled in him a deep sense of resilience and a commitment to community service. Armand is also a disabled U.S. Air Force veteran.
Dory Laramore
As a Community Engagement Specialist for the collaborative of Cannabis Social Equity Program Engineers, Dory Laramore has had an eventful year. Dory has played a key role in coordinating and conducting information sessions across the County, as well as processing applications. Throughout the implementation process, Dory has been a reliable and resilient presence, navigating unexpected challenges with dedication and professionalism. While serving a 12-year sentence for minor, non-violent cannabis-related convictions, Dory completed college courses in accounting and business and now dedicates his time to providing financial literacy education to members of the community from which he emerged. Dory is also a dedicated father and Little League coach and an author.
Cynara Velasquez
Cynara Velasquez is a long-time player in the cannabis activist space. She is not only the Chair of the Blue Dream Democratic Club, a democratic club that advocates for drug policy reform in San Diego, but the Director of all Clubs for the San Diego County Democratic Party, Founder of the Cannabis Education Project, one of the groups tasked with implementing the County’s Socially Equitable Cannabis Program,* a Senior Data Analyst for the collaborative of Cannabis Social Equity Program Engineers, and Founder of Community Engagement Resources, a firm that has assisted over a dozen minorities and small business applicants with cannabis business license applications throughout the region.
Cynara was the lead author for over a dozen cannabis legalization initiatives including the successful 2011 referendum against medical marijuana collective prohibition in San Diego City and other successful ballot initiatives in Lemon Grove, La Mesa, and Encinitas. In 2015, she successfully lobbied the City of San Diego to allow for marijuana cultivation, distribution, and manufacturing, and in 2016, she ran a state campaign for Proposition 64, legalizing marijuana statewide.
*The Cannabis Education Project is an organization that is part of the collaborative of Cannabis Social Equity Program Engineers.
The Steadfast Force
Terrie Best
Many have referred to Terrie Best as their “rock” – an ever-strong and steady force in the cannabis activist space. While Terrie may have passed on the title of Chair of San Diego ASA to Shelby Huffaker in April of this year after 10 years of service (in 2012, the chapter won Chapter of the Year award under her leadership and in 2015, she was awarded “Activist of the Year” among all ASA chapters—a prestigious honor), she continues to be a tireless advocate for cannabis patients and individuals harmed by the War on Drugs. Terrie remains on the Board of San Diego ASA as the Vice Chair and is also a Community Engagement Specialist for the collaborative of Cannabis Social Equity Program Engineers.
Terrie’s community organizing experience, which includes everything from organizing media responses to dispensary raids to providing court support for unjustly-incarcerated medical cannabis patients to orchestrating a City Council-directed postcard campaign in support of cannabis social equity, has allowed her to develop a keen talent for political strategizing, which she passes on to others.
The Community Builder
Linda Davies
Linda Davies has been a dedicated member of San Diego ASA since its inception in 2001 and has been actively involved with San Diego NORML for 35 years. If there is ever a cannabis-related event in San Diego where you do not see Linda, you know something is seriously wrong. She is the go-to person for mobilizing support for meetings, protests, press events, cultural gatherings, and more—an invaluable asset in the challenging world of community organizing, as any activist would attest.
We thank each and every one of these activists for their hard work. Safe access to cannabis would not be possible without their inspirational efforts.
