Dear John,

Last week, we shared how LEAP’s Speakers Bureau amplifies the voices of justice system experts whose lived experience brings truth, clarity, and humanity to conversations about public safety. These voices are the engine that drives the work—humanizing data, informing policy, and helping communities understand what truly makes us safer.

Today, we want to lift up two speakers whose stories remind us why this work matters, and why your support is so essential.

Dr. Christi M. Smith: From Enforcement to Evidence-Based Policy

Ten years ago, the idea of advocating for marijuana legalization would have seemed impossible for Dr. Christi M. Smith. At the time, she was enforcing drug prohibition as a probation and parole officer—a role she held for two decades while also researching public safety as an academic.

But over time, Dr. Smith witnessed firsthand how Pennsylvania’s inconsistent, patchwork approach to marijuana—legal for medical use, decriminalized in some cities, but still prohibited for adults statewide—undermines trust, wastes resources, and entangles people who pose no threat to community safety.

As a mom, she also saw how smart regulation protects families far better than prohibition ever could.

Representing LEAP at the Pennsylvania Legislator Meetings in October, Dr. Smith urged lawmakers to place evidence above fear. Sensible legalization, she explained, strengthens public safety, restores police legitimacy, and keeps consumers safer.

“It was an absolute pleasure representing LEAP and I hope I get the opportunity again.”

— Dr. Christi M. Smith

Deputy Sheriff Rob Poynter (Ret.): Healing and Honesty After Trauma 

Deputy Sheriff Rob Poynter (Ret.) suffered a career-ending crash while serving as a motorcycle officer. During his recovery, he realized that throughout his 15 years in law enforcement, he had often treated his family unfairly, carrying the trauma from work into his home life.

Rob explored a range of mental health and wellness practices, including yoga, meditation, and talk therapy, but none fully addressed the anger and trauma he carried. He eventually began researching plant medicine, a step he initially resisted due to his identity as a police officer who had spent years enforcing drug laws. After connecting with a support organization for first responders struggling with anger and PTSD, Rob pursued plant-based treatment in Mexico. The experience proved profoundly transformative, helping him find relief from trauma and anger and allowing him to achieve a new level of wellness.

Rob recently represented LEAP on a panel for the D.C. Friends of Psychedelics, openly sharing how plant medicine has supported his life and well-being. The host later reflected on his remarks, saying it was "wonderful to see a thoughtful law enforcement professional share vulnerability and his personal story."

“I always just try to be honest and clear about my experience, so I’m glad it landed well. If there’s anything else I can do to support LEAP, I’m absolutely in.”

— Deputy Sheriff Rob Poynter (Ret.)

Stories like Christi’s and Rob’s are why the Speakers Bureau exists. They show how policy decisions ripple outward, affecting careers, families, and communities in ways that are often overlooked. Grounded in lived experience, LEAP’s speakers provide reflection and insight to bridge divides, challenge assumptions, and shift conversations from fear to understanding. And they offer a roadmap toward smarter, safer, more compassionate solutions. 

In 2026, we are committed to sharing even more voices like theirs, helping communities, journalists, and policymakers understand the realities of public safety from the inside out. But we cannot do that without you.

Your end-of-year gift helps ensure that LEAP speakers can continue telling the stories that change minds, and change futures.

Will you support these voices today?

Your generosity makes it possible for LEAP to:

• Train and equip more speakers

• Bring lived experience into policymaking rooms

• Support community responder programs nationwide

• Expand our impact in the media and public discourse

• Reach communities that need these stories most

A gift made before December 31 helps sustain this work in the year ahead.

Thank you for standing with us as we elevate voices of experience, and for helping us turn understanding into meaningful change.

With gratitude,
The LEAP Team

Sent by Law Enforcement Action Partnership Inc

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