At the heart of Humans of Cannabis in a Renaissance of Hope are the voices of people who have found relief, resilience, and empowerment through cannabis. Each of the over 50 stories in this book, including NORML founder, Keith Stroup, and JM Pedini, Development Director of NORML and many other advocates, entrepreneurs, and patients, highlights the deeply personal journeys of those who’ve advocated and turned to cannabis for their health, healing, or hope.

In celebration of the legalization of adult use cannabis in Ohio and anticipation to the roll out of Kentucky’s Medical Marijuana program, I wanted to share the most important lesson I learned when shopping for legal cannabis.

On April 13, 1941, the headline Narcotics Agents Arrest Five: 200 Pounds of Marijuana Seized appeared on the front page of the Lexington Herald-Leader. At the time, “(t)he haul was the largest ever made in a raid in this section of the country,” Federal narcotics agents claimed the Kentucky arrests were “believed to have broken up a ring of dope peddlers which supported a wide territory including the states of Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Kentucky.”

The inaugural Kentucky Cannabis Conference, organized by Kentucky NORML (National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws) was an opportunity for various stakeholders at every level to discuss the next steps. Spanning 3 days, March 7-9, the conference featured 26 exhibitors/presenters and attracted over 145 paid attendees. Actual attendance was even more significant with legislators and state regulatory employees using their free admission. Looking back, it is safe to say that the inaugural Kentucky Cannabis Conference was an unqualified success.