Cannabis policy reform organization Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) has elected four new members to serve on its board of directors.
“Their experience and proven track record of success in the cannabis space will boost MPP’s efforts and serve as an asset as we embark on another year of advocating for the end of cannabis prohibition,” MPP President and CEO Toi Hutchinson said. “My heart is full knowing MPP has mission-based people backing our work, and we won’t stop fighting until both the people and the plant are free.”
Per the MPP, joining the nine-member board of directors is Betty Aldworth, who, before becoming Director of Communications and Marketing at MAPS in 2020, served as Executive Director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, supporting drug policy reform rooted in safety, justice, and education. Additionally, Kim Napoli, the first female of color to own a cannabis-related business in Massachusetts through the 2006 opening of The Hempest Harvard Square in Cambridge, will also join the board.
The other two newly elected board members, the MPP noted, are Tom Roth, who leads state and industry relations for Scott Miracle-Gro’s Hawthorne Gardening Company as their Manager of External Affairs; and Barrington Rutherford, chairman of the Board of Directors at Park Jordan, who the MPP indicated possesses a deep knowledge of the cannabis industry via experience leading the real estate department of Cresco Labs.
“We thank our outgoing board members who were all tireless activists for cannabis reform,” MPP Board of Directors Chair Sal Pace said. “I am so thrilled to have Tom, Barrington, Kim, and Betty join the MPP Board of Directors. They bring a diverse depth of cannabis expertise from across the country. The new members are excellent additions who will strengthen the board and bring new perspectives from both cannabis business and legalization campaigns.”