Charlana McKeithen is the founder and executive director of the political action committee and nonprofit: Cannabis Laws Matter (CLM). CLM advocates for cannabis laws and regulations that will work on behalf of the medical cannabis patient, consumer and those who have been historically and disproportionately affected by our nation’s War on Drugs. Her perspective is that of a 46-year-old disabled black woman who uses medical cannabis as a replacement for multiple prescriptions including opiates.
Charlana’s advocacy began in 1993 at Northeastern University in Boston where she served as President of Northeastern Black Student Association, and VP of the Black Engineering Student Society (BESS). She is an advocate, educator, citizen lobbyist, public speaker who also serves on several cannabis boards using her 25+ years of training as an analytical thinker to challenge equity and racial injustices due to the prohibition of cannabis.
After many career successes with Fortune 500 companies, Charlana was diagnosed with multiple health issues, including disabling chronic pain. Contrary to her upbringing, she tried medical cannabis as a last resort and found a safe, effective treatment that removed the need for opiates and improved her quality of life. This gave her a new mission in life: to become a cannabis advocate.