Oakland, CA, June 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
Exclusive Interview: Former RNC Chair Michael Steele Speaks His Mind on Marijuana Legalization and More
Will Keynote The Arcview Group’s Investor Forum, July 19-21 in San Francisco
Steele: “The war on drugs as a political concept and a social response has failed. In fact, it has probably done more to make drug addictions worse.”
Oakland, CA - In a newly-released and exclusive interview with Arcview CEO Troy Dayton, former RNC Chair and current MSNBC pundit Michael Steele reveals his evolving opinions on the cannabis industry, the political landscape, and the most likely path to safe and legal access for both medical and adult-use applications.
The interview comes at a potentially critical tipping point for the cannabis industry, as several prominent Republicans including Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Orrin Hatch reverse or revise their prohibitionist stances.
Mr. Steele does not mince words, starting off the interview with strong words about Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice: “The feds will find it harder and harder to enforce their draconian, archaic laws. That’s because it’s a fight—they know, ultimately—they’re not going to win.”
Yet despite this optimism, Steele also has strong words of caution for the industry. Speaking on wide-ranging topics including racial justice, misleading consumer packaging, and misleading marketing tactics, he notes “Folks in the cannabis community can be their own worst enemy at times.”
“I was surprised to hear him speak so boldly and candidly on this topic” says Troy Dayton, Arcview Founder and CEO. “There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. Love him or hate him, we can all agree that when prominent conservative political figures like Michael Steele start putting energy into marijuana legalization, it is a clear sign that its time has come.”
Mr. Steele will keynote the Arcview Investor Forum in San Francisco on July 19-21. Download the full interview transcript at arcviewgroup.com/steele-interview, and qualifying investors can request a conference invitation at arcviewgroup.com/attend.
About Michael Steele
Michael Steele is an American conservative political commentator and former Republican party politician. Steele served as Lieutenant Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007; he was the first African-American elected to statewide office in Maryland. Steele also served as Chairperson of the Republican National Committee (RNC) from 2009 to 2011. Since 2011, Steele has contributed as a regular columnist for online magazine The Root and as a political analyst for MSNBC. Steele has recently co-founded Solo Green with Zach Todd and Saumitra Thakur, a cannabis focused fund and consulting firm.
About Troy Dayton
In addition to co-founding Arcview in 2010 with Harborside’s Steve DeAngelo, Troy is Chair of the board of the Marijuana Policy Project. He is a founding and current board member of the National Cannabis Industry Association and co-founder of Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Troy also helped launch and served as the first sales director at Renewable Choice Energy, which was recently acquired by Schnieder Energy. Fortune Magazine, International Business Times and Details Magazine all list him in their top 10 lists of most influential people in the cannabis industry.
About The Arcview Group
Founded in 2010, The Arcview Group is responsible for a number of groundbreaking ventures in the cannabis industry. The Arcview Investor Network has helped more than 1200 investors place $190 million+ behind 180 companies. Arcview Market Research has published over 20 reports analyzing and forecasting the rapidly evolving cannabis space. Arcview’s flagship annual report, The State of Legal Marijuana Markets has become the industry standard for market analysis and data in the sector. In 2015 Arcview became a partner in Canopy, the first seed-stage mentor-driven business accelerator. Arcview is also co-founder of Cannasure Insurance Services, the leading provider of business insurance to the cannabis industry. Forbes Magazine recently named Arcview among the top 5 financial firms in the cannabis sector. Learn more at arcviewgroup.com.