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.
-
Analysis of North Carolina’s Proposed Marijuana Legalization Legislation
Overall, House Bill 617's establishment of a legal cannabis market in North Carolina would be positive for the state's economy, criminal justice reforms, and cannabis consumers.
-
Analysis of Proposed Marijuana Regulations in Montana
House Bill 701 would significantly restrict certain provisions of Montana's 2020 marijuana legalization ballot initiative in ways that may unnecessarily slow market development and hurt state revenue prospects.
-
Cannabis Freedom Alliance Launches, Aims to Spur Federal Legalization of Marijuana
The new organization will advocate for federal marijuana policy that helps all Americans achieve their full potential and limit the number of barriers that inhibit innovation and entrepreneurship in a free and open market.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
New Jersey’s Ill-Advised Rush to Implement Marijuana Regulations
The state should slow down and focus on a very basic framework.
-
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.
-
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.