Geoffrey Lawrence
Research Director, Reason Foundation
Geoffrey Lawrence is research director at Reason Foundation.
Lawrence has been a financial executive in both the public and private sectors and has served as chief financial officer of publicly traded, growth stage, and startup manufacturing and distribution companies. He was CFO of Players Network, the first fully reporting, publicly traded marijuana licensee to be listed on a U.S. exchange, CFO of C Quadrant, a startup manufacturer and distributor that was subsequently sold to Lowell Farms (LOWL), CFO of Apex Extractions, a manufacturer and distributor based in Oakland that he helped take public, and, most recently, CFO of Claybourne Co., a top-3 flower brand in California by market share. Through these roles, Lawrence raised capital, planned capital expenditure, prepared financial forecasts, implemented systems for accounting and inventory control, designed internal control processes, managed monthly and quarterly closings and reporting, managed compliance with state and local regulations, negotiated contracts, and prepared filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Lawrence also served as a senior appointee to the Nevada Controller’s Office, where he oversaw the state’s external financial reporting. Prior to joining Reason Foundation in 2018, Lawrence had also spent a decade as a policy analyst on labor, fiscal, and energy issues between North Carolina’s John Locke Foundation and the Nevada Policy Research Institute.
Lawrence is additionally the founder and president of an accounting and advisory firm with particular expertise in the licensed cannabis industry and public markets.
Lawrence holds an M.S. and B.S. in accounting from Western Governors University, an M.A. in international economics from American University, and a B.A. in international relations from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife and two children and enjoys baseball and mixed martial arts.
-
Arizona Proposition 138 would change the minimum wage for tipped workers
Under current law, workers who regularly receive tips from customers can be paid up to $3 less per hour by the employer.
-
Missouri Proposition A would increase the minimum wage, create a sick leave mandate
Missouri Proposition A would increase the minimum hourly compensation to $13.75 in 2025 and $15 in 2026.
-
Alaska Ballot Measure 1 would raise minimum wage, impact paid sick leave
Alaska Ballot Measure 1 addresses three issues simultaneously: the minimum wage, paid sick leave, and workplace penalties.
-
California Proposition 32 would increase the minimum wage
If this measure passes, California businesses with more than 25 employees would face an $18 minimum wage by January 2025.
-
California Proposition 4 would fund conservation and energy through bonds
California Proposition 4 would authorize the state of California to issue $10 billion in new bonded debt to pay for a variety of capital projects.
-
Nevada Question 1 would remove constitutional status of Board of Regents
The proposed constitutional amendment could make the Board of Regents answer to the legislature not directly to voters.
-
Nevada Question 5 would allow a sales tax exemption for diapers
Current exemptions include farm machinery, food, prosthetics, newspapers, feminine products, medical equipment, medicines, and mobility equipment.
-
Nevada Question 2 would revise language related to public entities for individuals with mental illness, blindness, or deafness
The proposed amendment simply changes the way persons with certain disabilities are described.
-
Nevada Question 4 would remove slavery as a punishment for crime
The intention is to remove from the Nevada Constitution the power of the state to force convicted criminals to work.
-
Nevada Question 7 would require voter identification
As a proposed constitutional amendment, it would need to be approved by a majority of voters in successive elections.
-
South Dakota Measure 29 would legalize the recreational use of marijuana
Measure 29 protects the rights of individuals to deliver, transfer, or sell marijuana to each other.
-
Florida Amendment 3 would legalize recreational marijuana
Florida Amendment 3 proposes a constitutional amendment that would protect the right of adults to possess up to three ounces of marijuana without penalty.
-
A framework for federal and state hemp-derived cannabinoid regulation
The growing popularity of hemp-derived products has stimulated significant legislative attention in recent years, with over 90 regulatory proposals introduced in state legislatures in 2024 alone.
-
Colorado should rethink proposed psychedelic application fees
There are several areas where the draft permanent rules on fees for psychedelic applications proposed by the Colorado Department of Revenue could be enhanced.
-
Colorado could improve regulatory rules regarding psychedelic use
As Colorado establishes an operating regulatory framework for The Natural Medicine Health Act, there is room for improvement in rulemaking.
-
How the FDA can safely approve a promising but controversial mental health drug
The FDA’s existing processes may be able to address the advisory committee’s worries about the previous tests.
-
A Schedule III designation is still overly restrictive for marijuana
A Schedule III designation fails to fully align federal and state law in the states that authorize some form of commercial market in marijuana.
-
New Jersey Senate Bill 2283 would decriminalize psilocybin
Senate Bill 2283 would allow personal possession and cultivation of psilocybin in a private residence.
