Hempresent

Brad Zerman is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience founding and operating businesses in highly regulated industries, including cannabis, payments, and financial services. He is the founder and CEO of Seven Point Cannabis Dispensary and previously led one of Illinois’ first licensed dispensaries before selling it to a public company. Zerman also personally benefits from the medical effects of cannabis, which fuels his passion for building a responsible and community-focused cannabis ecosystem. 

Beyond cannabis, Brad built and sold major companies in ATM operations and payment processing, managing thousands of machines and billions in transactions while ensuring compliance and security. His extensive regulatory, security, and financial expertise positions him as a strong leader in the evolving cannabis industry

Todd McCormick's life’s work has been deeply rooted—literally and figuratively—in the fight for cannabis freedom. Todd is a lifelong cannabis activist, medical marijuana patient, author, and cultivator who has dedicated decades to advancing both the science and the culture of the plant. From being diagnosed with cancer at a young age and discovering the healing benefits of cannabis to playing an active role in medical marijuana research, Todd has lived the movement from the inside out. 

His activism has taken him from courtrooms to grow rooms, from writing and speaking to hands-on cultivation, all while standing firmly for patient rights, legalization, and education. He’s written the influential book How to Grow Medical Marijuana and edited Jack Herer’s landmark hemp and cannabis book The Emperor Wears No Clothes. Today, breeder Todd is eager to share his years of expertise with the world through his seeds.

Jason Dunlap is a photographer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, where he runs a studio producing cannabis-focused content, documentaries, and unscripted material in the historic Wiltern. With a career spanning fashion, music, and art industries, Jason has been documenting the cannabis space since 2003, capturing the work and stories of pioneers like Eddy Lepp, Jack Herer, Dennis Peron, Lynnette Shaw, and many more. His work blends cultural insight with visual storytelling, preserving the history and evolution of cannabis for a new generation.

Stoney Tark is a prolific writer based in Europe who is known for his articles about cultivation, breeding, hash making, interviews, and especially his top tips. Over the last 11 years, he has become one of the most recognized writers in the cannabis industry.

Stoney is or has been the head cultivation writer for various magazines, including Soft Secrets, High Times, Skunk, Garden Culture, Weed World, The Emerald, Cannabis Culture, Dutch Passion, The Super Sativa Seed Club, Paradise Seeds, Humboldt Seed Organization, Atami, and ILGM. Stoney is also a breeder for Prana Medical Seeds, sponsored by SANlight, and he is the author of Stoney Tark’s Top Tips on Growing Cannabis available on Amazon. Stoney Tark is a producer of the YouTube channel The Roll Models Podcast.

Tim Gruver reports for the Washington Observer in Olympia on housing, labor, and the environment. He's also a 2020 Poynter-Koch Media fellow whose work has appeared in Politico, The Oregonian, and Pluribus News.

Jeff “The Dude” Dowd is an American film producer and political activist. He was a member of the "Seattle Seven," who were jailed for contempt of court following a violent protest against the Vietnam War. 

He later moved to Los Angeles and became an independent movie producer and promoter, producing such films as Zebrahead. He met the Coen brothers while they were promoting their first film, Blood Simple. He was subsequently a key inspiration for their character Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski from the acclaimed movie The Big Lebowski.

In 2011, Dowd was the subject of an 18-minute documentary short directed by Jeff Feuerzeig, which was broadcast on the USA Network as part of its "Character" series.

Since 1990, Christopher Boucher has been recognized as a co-founder of the modern-day American Industrial Hemp Industry. Chris founded The Hempstead Company, one of the first U.S. hemp clothing and seed businesses, with products sold in 4,000 stores across six countries.  

He co-founded the Hemp Industries Association (HIA), and became America's first hemp cultivator, growing the first hemp research field at the USDA Center in Brawley, CA, in 1994. 

Chris drafted the first U.S. hemp legislation in California and Colorado, leading to the establishment of the first hemp agricultural laws in these states and the U.S. From 1997 to 2000, Chris helped pass the first Native American hemp laws on the Navajo reservation. Currently, he has developed a breakthrough innovation with hemp leaf CBDA superfoods.

Caitlein Ryan holds a PhD from Arizona State University, with a focus on arts education, qualitative research, and social justice. Caitlein has been the director of the Washington State Cannabis Alliance since 2020.

She is a leading advocate for sensible adult-use cannabis policy, collaborating with businesses, lawmakers, regulators, and community stakeholders to shape Washington State’s cannabis industry and support national reform efforts.

Under her leadership, The Cannabis Alliance is focused on expanding patient access, legalizing home cultivation, creating pathways for cannabis hospitality and social use, and ensuring small and independent businesses can thrive. The organization also champions sustainable practices, equitable licensing, and science-based regulation, while pushing for fair enforcement and more transparent governance.

Nathan Marsh started his journey into Cannabis Activism in 1993 after his father lost his life in a drunk-driving accident. He was passionate that access to cannabis is a civil right and that society should be able to benefit from its positive impacts on both the mind and body. Living in Denver, Colorado, at the time, he committed to doing anything he could to spread the word about the benefits of cannabis and promote legalization and decriminalization. Nathan later moved to Oregon and Washington and was involved in several nonprofits dedicated to cannabis activism. In 2015, when Oregon legalized cannabis, he produced the Oregon HEMPFEST, one of the first to be licensed by the Seattle HEMPFEST, a 501(c)(3) federal nonprofit organization, and became the only licensed HEMPFEST in Oregon. That same year, he started the Oregon Growers Cup, a Cannabis Cup that has grown to be Oregon’s largest and oldest cannabis competition. Today, he also produces Cannabis Cups in Arizona, Missouri, New York, California, and New Mexico.

Medical Cannabis to manage the symptoms of liver disease. CC Ryder is a cannabis patient in the California Bay Area, a mother and housewife who enjoys music and dancing. She is active online and in her community and uses cannabis to help her address her daily challenges with stage four liver disease.