Tuesday, April 8, 2025
4:00 PM-5:00 PM
The Medical Cannabis Research Center presents Cat Packer, a leading expert on cannabis law and policy.
Cat Packer is a leading expert on cannabis law and policy who views cannabis policy reform as both an opportunity and a responsibility to advance harm reduction, justice, and fairness. She currently serves as the Director of Drug Markets and Legal Regulation at the Drug Policy Alliance and as a Distinguished Cannabis Policy Practitioner in Residence at the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at Ohio State University. Additionally, she is the Director of Policy for the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition and serves on its Board of Directors. Packer has also contributed as an author to the Thomson Reuters Cannabis Law Deskbook. She is recognized as the first person of color in the United States to lead a medical and adult-use cannabis regulatory program. From 2017 to 2022, she served as the inaugural Executive Director of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation, where she led efforts to develop and implement cannabis business licensing and regulatory policies in what High Times described as “one of the largest, most challenging cannabis markets in the world.” Under her leadership, Los Angeles licensed over 1,200 cannabis businesses and generated more than $320 million in cannabis tax revenue.
Packer will present on the current proposed rule to reschedule cannabis, share an update on where we are in the process, and examine the potential implications if marijuana is moved from Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act to Schedule III.
