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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Analysis of New Mexico House Bill 12: The Cannabis Regulation Act
Recently proposed legislation in New Mexico represents the most streamlined legislative proposal for marijuana legalization in the state to date.
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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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Montana Ballot Initiative Analysis: Amendment Cl-118 and Initiative I-190 (2020)
A voters guide to Amendment CI-118 and Initiative I-190, which would legalize the sale and use of recreational marijuana and create a taxation structure in the state.
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Arizona Ballot Initiative Analysis: Proposition 207 (2020)
Arizona's Proposition 207 would legalize the possession, use and sale of recreational marijuana.
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South Dakota Ballot Initiative Analysis: Amendment A
South Dakota's Amendment A would legalize marijuana for adults over the age of 21.
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Oregon Ballot Initiative Analysis: Measure 110 (2020)
Oregon would become the first state in the nation to decriminalize all drugs if Measure 110 is approved.
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New Jersey Ballot Initiative Analysis: Public Question 1 (2020)
New Jersey's Public Question 1 would legalize the possession and use of marijuana.
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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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Nevada Ballot Initiative Analysis: Question 6 (2020)
Nevada's Question 6 would double the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030.
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Nevada Ballot Initiative Analysis: Question 4 (2020)
Nevada's Ballot Question 4 proposes to amend the constitution to insert a section guaranteeing certain voters rights.
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Nevada Ballot Initiative Analysis: Question 3 (2020)
Nevada's Ballot Question 3 would make changes to the State Board of Pardons Commissioners.
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Nevada Ballot Initiative Analysis: Question 2 (2020)
Ballot question 2 asks voters to remove language from the state constitution that prohibits same sex marriage.
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Nevada Ballot Initiative Analysis: Question 1 (2020)
Question 1 would amend the Nevada Constitution to remove the Board of Regents as the controlling body for the Nevada System of Higher Education.
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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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COVID-19 Lockdown Problems and Alternative Strategies to Safely Reopening the Economy
Part one of a series discussing strategies for combating and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. More data-driven approaches based on test and trace are desirable.
