For Immediate Release: December 12, 2024

Healthcare Leaders & Cannabis Experts Unite Behind Bold Federal Medical Cannabis Effort for 2025

Americans for Safe Access Founder Steph Sherer Returns to Lead the Initiative

PRESS CONTACT:  [email protected], cell (510) 872-7822

Washington, D.C. – Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is proud to announce the return of its founder, Steph Sherer, to the position of Executive Director. Sherer will lead a renewed, nationwide effort to fully integrate cannabis-based medicines into the U.S. healthcare system. She will be supported by a team of expert advisors ready to guide this transformative initiative.

During her previous leadership at ASA, Sherer helped establish state medical cannabis distribution programs, developed product safety standards, and secured protections for these programs from federal interference through the “CJS Medical Cannabis Amendment,” which has been in place since 2015. Having spent the past several years advancing federal medical cannabis frameworks abroad, guiding cutting-edge research initiatives, and reforming international drug treaties, Sherer now returns with a vision to elevate patient needs and ensure the federal recognition of cannabis-based medicines in the United States.

Founded in 2002, ASA has consistently championed the inclusion of patient voices in national cannabis policy discussions. The organization has paved the way for federal recognition of botanical cannabis medicines by addressing barriers defined by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in rescheduling denials over the past 5 decades. Through its projects and programs, ASA has tackled key objections by developing rigorous product safety protocols, training healthcare professionals, expanding research and testing capabilities, working with the World Health Organization (WHO) to recognize the therapeutic uses of cannabis, and contributing to international rescheduling efforts.

"HHS’s recent acknowledgment of cannabis having ‘currently accepted medical use’ in the United States validates decades of patient-led advocacy. However, removing cannabis from Schedule I is only the first step. We must now create a viable pathway for complex botanical medicines to serve millions of patients who need them,” said Sherer.

Joining ASA’s Board of Directors:

Deondra Asike, MD, Clinical Associate, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Founder and CEO, National Pain Releaf

“I am grateful to join the board of Americans for Safe Access, an organization that has been both a champion for patients’ rights and a relentless fighter for medical cannabis access for over two decades. I believe cannabis is medicine, and patients deserve dignity, protection, and support when using it. They should have access to informed guidance from healthcare professionals, legal protections for their medical choices, and fair insurance coverage.

ASA’s unwavering commitment to advocacy, education, and policy reform establishes it as the best vehicle to advance these goals and ensure medical cannabis patients and their medicine are treated with the same compassion, respect, and legitimacy as any other medical treatment.”

Shanetha Marable-Lewis, MS, MS, Disabled Veteran and Executive Director of Veterans Initiative 22

“I am joining the Americans for Safe Access board because it is the most connected and informed voice on Medical Cannabis Policy.  Their sole mission is to ensure safe access for the millions of patients who rely on cannabis as medicine. Medical Cannabis literally saved my son’s life when everything else failed, but the state-level access will NOT meet his needs once I can no longer care for him.  A national medical cannabis program is the only way that cannabis medicines can evolve to give my son the well-researched, safe, and standardized medicine he deserves.”

These new board members, alongside a cadre of advisors (see below), will guide ASA’s Cannabis and Cannabinoid Medicines Initiative. This project will engage key stakeholders across the healthcare industry to align state-level compassionate use programs with the requirements of the national healthcare infrastructure, ensuring patient access, safety, and equity.

“Patients have pushed state reforms as far as they can, and without federal action, patients are still denied basic rights. Contrary to popular belief, adult-use or hemp markets do not adequately serve patients’ specific medicinal needs. We need representation on Capitol Hill to bring this message to policymakers and a communications team to amplify patient voices,” said Sherer.  “Today, we are calling on all medical cannabis advocates and supporters to join this effort.”

Sherer will also lead efforts to educate patients on safely navigating cannabis markets through ASA’s “What’s in Your Cannabis?” campaign, train and certify producers in product safety protocols via the Patient-Focused Certification program, and empower medical cannabis stakeholders to advocate for cannabis medicines at all levels of government. ASA’s Safe Access 4 All campaign is building a national coalition with the help of organizations like the U.S. Pain Foundation and Veterans Initiative 22 to pass federal legislation that would create a national medical cannabis program, including establishing an Office of Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoid Control (OMC) at HHS and introducing a new “Schedule VI” classification for cannabis.

Dec 17, 2024, 8 pm ET Join Steph Sherer for her first briefing as Executive Director. Sherer will share her vision for the future of medical cannabis and plans for ASA 2025. RSVP Now; space is limited.  

ASA Board

Antonio Fraizer PFC Advisory Board Chair, Lab Executive and Engineer 

"I am proud to serve on the board of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), one of the few organizations that remains truly patient-focused in an increasingly commercialized cannabis landscape. Unfortunately, the expansion of adult-use cannabis has made it harder for our most vulnerable communities to access safe, affordable medicine. ASA’s Patient Focused Certification (PFC) program has created rigorous product safety standards that both patients and regulators can trust and that cannabis businesses and the press can understand. At the same time, ASA is working to fully integrate cannabis into our national healthcare systems, ensuring reliable and equitable access for all." 

Mary Shapiro Counsel at Crown, LLP, Founding Board Member, National Cannabis Bar Association (NCBA) , Advisory Board Member, International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA)

"Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is an impactful national voice for medical cannabis patients, and their presence in Washington, DC, is needed more than ever. While U.S. agencies hesitate and delay meaningful action on medical cannabis policy, a dangerous misconception that expanding adult-use legalization benefits medical patients or views cannabis solely as a matter of state rights hinders action from federal policymakers to create a national medical cannabis program; the result, patients are suffering. As an  ASA Board member, I am proud to support Steph Sherer and ASA's efforts to bring the patient experience into coherent federal policy and battle misinformation with patient voices." 

Nic Easley CEO and founder of 3C, CEO and Managing Director for Multiverse Capital 

“I am deeply honored to serve on the Board of Directors for Americans for Safe Access, an organization whose mission aligns closely with my lifelong commitment to advancing medical cannabis access and ensuring safety for patients and veterans. I have witnessed firsthand the transformative potential of medical cannabis in improving quality of life, particularly for those who have served our country and individuals facing chronic health challenges. By working with this incredible organization, I am proud to contribute to the vital work of shaping policies and programs that prioritize compassionate care, scientific research, social responsibility, and equitable access for all who can benefit.”

Don Duncan ASA Co-Founder, Board Treasurer, Legacy Medical Cannabis Operator

"I helped to found ASA because people I care about were using medical cannabis but facing legal risks and discrimination. There were too few options for safe and dignified access to medication. Worse still, patients had no voice in local, state, or local law-making and regulation. I am proud of our nationwide progress, but there is much work to do. That's why I remain committed to ASA and patient advocacy today." 

Dr. Carla Rossotti Vázquez Primary Care Physician, PCMH Certified Clinic, Co-Chair Regional Health Equity Council, Vice-President, Sociedad Puertorriqueña de Ciencia y Medicina Cannábica

For a full list of ASA Board members and Advisors, visit ASA's Leadership page.