HARRISON CAMPAIGN JOINS TOGETHER WITH NEW JERSEY’S KEY CANNABIS LEADERS AND ADVOCATES FOR OPEN FORUM REGARDING LEGALIZATION OF CANNABIS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

[March 3, 2020 – Longport, New Jersey] Bringing together the top leaders and advocates of New Jersey cannabis community, Brigid Callahan Harrison, Democratic candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s second congressional district, will host a public forum to address the value and benefits of the legalization of cannabis and criminal justice reform.  Joining Harrison will be Scott Rudder, President of the New Jersey Cannabusiness Association; Advocates Leo Bridgewater and LaQuay Jewel; Stockton University Professors Rob Mejia and Tom Olah; and legal expert Brittany Bonetti.

Since announcing her candidacy, Harrison has developed the most thorough and substantive policy regarding the issue of all the candidates running for Congress in New Jersey’s second congressional district and as a candidate has met with key leaders in New Jersey and Washington, DC to specifically strategize on moving this issue forward on the federal level.

The event will take place on Wednesday, March 4^th at 11 am at Cooper Levenson, Attorneys at Law, 1125 Atlantic Avenue, 3^rd Floor, Atlantic City, NJ.

The forum will be open to members of the media and those interested in learning more regarding the issue.  Please note those attending will need to check in on the ground floor of the building prior to arriving to the forum.

Those wishing to attend should please RSVP by calling Grace Kennedy at (609) 457-0149.  

WHO:             Brigid Harrison – Democratic candidate for Congress in New Jersey’s second congressional district.

Brittany A. Bonetti, Esquire – is an associate in Cooper Levenson’s Healthcare and Cannabis Law practice groups. Within her cannabis practice, Brittany counsels physicians registered within New Jersey’s medical marijuana program and provides guidance to prospective and existing alternative treatment centers. She is a frequent author and lecturer on cannabis law and serves on the New Jersey State Bar Association Cannabis Law Committee.

Leo Bridgewater – was an Army Specialist who served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and worked with some of the Army’s highest ranked officers as a communications liaison before retiring with an honorable discharge. Having struggled with PTSD himself and after learning that several veteran friends took their own lives in suicide, Leo became an activist for cannabis. He was one of three veterans asked to testify before the New Jersey State Assembly, when an amendment adding PTSD as a qualifying condition to the state’s medical marijuana law was under consideration. He has since traveled throughout the United States advocating on behalf of veterans in other states’ legislative hearings and speaking at events. He is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit against Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice over the unconstitutional classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 Controlled Substance.

LaQuay Jewel – is a former Marine Corps Captain having commanded a division of combat engineers, and is a combat veteran of three foreign conflicts. Mr. LaunJuel is an entrepreneur owner of Ibadah International hemp and herbal extract farms, the Home First Foods brand, and Dansby Business Consulting. He is a trustee Chairman of the Non-Governmental Organization – All Afrikan Empowerment Society and has served as President Emeritus of the NJ chapter of the National Forum of Black Public Administrators.  He is a native of Atlantic City and is a current bi-continental resident of West Africa and New Jersey.

Rob Mejia – is an Adjunct Professor at Stockton University and teaches a course called, “Preparation for Cannabis Internship.”  He is the author of The Essential Cannabis Book: A Field Guide for the Curious and The Essential Cannabis Journal: Personal Notes from the Field.  He also writes a monthly column for Evercannabis where he responds to reader’s questions. Mejia is the founder of Our Community Harvest: A Cannabis Education company which provides curious adults with clear, researched information, stories from the cannabis community and products that offer confident, safe, and smart ways to responsibly experience cannabis.

Tom Olah – is an Adjunct Professor at Stockton University and teaches a course called, “Medical Marijuana in New Jersey.” Tom began his Cannabis Career at Compassionate Care Foundation of New Jersey as a Project Manager in 2013 establishing internal control standards and standard operating procedures for their Medicinal Marijuana facility, shortly thereafter Tom was promoted to Dispensary Manager, and later oversaw the operation as COO of the second Medical Marijuana Facility to open in NJ.  Presently, Tom is a nine-year Adjunct Instructor at Stockton University who created the class “Medical Marijuana in NJ” in the fall of 2015. He is also the CEO of TAO Consulting LLC, who advises the Cannabis Industry

Scott Rudder – Scott Rudder is the President of the New Jersey Cannabusiness Association. He is a former state legislator, mayor, veteran and current government affairs executive.

WHEN:          Wednesday, March 4^th at 11 am.

WHERE:       Cooper Levenson, Attorneys at Law

1125 Atlantic Avenue, 3^rd Floor, Atlantic City, NJ

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