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.
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State Marijuana Regulators Send Congress Cannabis Market Recommendations
States have consistently led the way on marijuana legalization and have already developed extensive regulatory regimes for cannabis markets.
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Lawmakers in 10 States Have Introduced Proposals to Legalize Marijuana This Year
Congress also appears ready to consider the decriminalization of marijuana at the federal level in 2021.
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New Jersey Lawmakers Can’t Agree on How to Regulate State’s Marijuana Market
New Jersey voters approved an amendment to legalize marijuana in November, but politicians' negotiations are stalling implementation.
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New Jersey’s Ill-Advised Rush to Implement Marijuana Regulations
The state should slow down and focus on a very basic framework.
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South Dakota Officials Seek to Overturn Voter-Approved Marijuana Legalization
South Dakota should implement the new voter-approved marijuana laws with reasonable safeguards tailored to the needs of the state.
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Watch Experts Evaluate the Various Approaches to Marijuana Taxation
A panel discussion on what states have done right and wrong as they've legalized and taxed marijuana.
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Marijuana Legalization Could Address Criminal Justice Reform and State Revenue Concerns
Marijuana legalization not only presents the opportunity to generate additional state and local revenue but can also address much-needed criminal justice reform in states like North Carolina.
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The Strengths and Flaws in Minnesota’s Marijuana Legalization Bill
The bill, H.F. 4632, would legalize recreational marijuana use by adults and set rules for a legal cannabis industry in the state.
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New Mexico and Other States Should Revisit Marijuana Legalization Efforts
Although most early marijuana legalization efforts were driven by ballot measures, legislative bodies have increasingly been willing to consider legalization on their own.
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Analysis of New Mexico’s Cannabis Regulation Act
"Legalized recreational cannabis in New Mexico is inevitable," Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said.
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Americans Need More COVID-19 Data, Not Rules, From Government
Overwhelmingly, Americans make rational and community-minded choices. What they need from the government is public health data to help inform those choices.
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The SAFE Banking Act Fails to Ease Challenges Facing Marijuana Businesses and Banks
The SAFE Banking Act, included in the latest round of federal stimulus spending, neglects to address steep compliance costs that confront banks that service marijuana businesses.
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Economic Shutdowns Pose Serious Risk to Human Welfare Across the Globe
A global collapse in economic production could expose untold millions of people to conditions of extreme poverty.
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Examining COVID-19 Shutdowns and Economic Tipping Points As Unemployment Skyrockets and Supply Chains Are Broken
At some point, the shutdowns won’t be temporary because supply chains will be broken and businesses will be permanently destroyed.
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Be Worried About the Economic Costs COVID-19 and Shutdowns Are Having on Workers and Small Businesses
It’s very plausible that the coronavirus pandemic could trigger a global depression.
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Governments Eliminate Burdensome Marijuana Regulations in Response to Coronavirus Crisis
Regulators have quickly enacted some changes that make it easier for medical patients and recreational consumers alike to purchase marijuana without coming into close contact with large groups of people.
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Illinois’ Legal Marijuana Shortage Will Continue Until Original Legislation Is Fixed
Since the state legislature chose to specify many details into statute rather than through rule-making, it will take additional legislative action to make the necessary corrections.
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Detroit Continues to Drag Its Feet on Legalized Marijuana
The Detroit City Council should lean heavily on the already extensive regulation developed by state authorities and seek to pass a simple regulatory framework to license adult-use marijuana.