Harborside Inc., a California-focused, vertically integrated cannabis enterprise, announced today that its Co-founder & Chairman Emeritus, Steve DeAngelo was named an inaugural inductee into Marijuana Business Daily‘s MJBizDaily Awards Hall of Fame, which will be showcased next week during MJBizCon in Las Vegas.
“In the computer industry, there’s only one Bill Gates. In the automotive space, only one Henry Ford. And the marijuana world has only one Steve DeAngelo,” said Marijuana Business Daily in their announcement of the recognition.
The announcement went on to list Steve’s landmark accomplishments:
- Co-founding one of the most well-known dispensaries in the world, Harborside
- Co-founding the first commercial marijuana testing lab in the United States, Steep Hill
- Co-founding the first cannabis-focused investment group, The ArcView Group
- Founding member of industry’s first national trade organization, the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA)
“Those milestones alone would put DeAngelo in the running as one of the most influential figures in the modern U.S. marijuana industry, having helped lay the groundwork for many other cannabis businesses. But another part of DeAngelo’s story is perhaps just as important, if not more so: His willingness to take on the federal government in court,” the statement read.
Steve was a lead organizer and fundraiser for I-59, Washington DC’s medical cannabis initiative; and is most famous for his successful litigation against the Department of Justice, which halted DOJ’s last-ditch 2011 campaign to shut down California’s medical cannabis dispensaries. Recently, Steve has turned his attention to right the wrongs of prohibition. He recently co-founded The Last Prisoner Project. Its mission is to ensure that every single cannabis prisoner on the planet is released.
“Steve DeAngelo is a pioneer of the industry and we owe him a debt of gratitude for blazing a course of integrity, honor, safety, respect and community for all of us to follow,” said Peter Bilodeau, CEO of Harborside. “Harborside is proud to call Steve our own. We extend a heartfelt congratulations to Steve on this well-deserved recognition.”
“The cannabis plant has profoundly and positively impacted my life and the lives of millions of others around the world. Choosing to fight for reform was the easy part, and it is gratifying to see so many countries across the globe embrace cannabis and its healing properties,” said Steve DeAngelo. “Yet, the fight continues. We can’t stop until everyone has safe and affordable access to cannabis – a plant Nature has given us – and every person unjustly imprisoned for cannabis possession is set free.”
Wanda James will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside Steve at next week’s ceremony. The two 2019 Hall of Fame honorees will be recognized at the MJBizDaily Awards Gala for their impact on the cannabis industry at a ceremony set for the evening of Dec. 12 at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.