Green Thumb Industries Inc. has appointed Ethan Nadelmann to its board of directors. 

Nadelmann will join the board as an independent director and member of the compensation committee.

Nadelmann brings over 35 years of experience in cannabis policy reform and has a proven track record of transforming state, federal and foreign cannabis and other drug policies through assorted advocacy efforts. He is the founder of both the Drug Policy Alliance, where he served as executive director from 2000 to 2017, and prior to that, The Lindesmith Center, an Open Society Institute project that he directed from 1994 to 2000. 

Additionally, Nadelmann co-founded the International Harm Reduction Development Program of the Open Society Foundations (OSF) and served on its advisory board as well as that of the OSF’s Global Drug Policy Program.

“Ethan’s deep understanding of the cannabis industry and passion for our mission make him a perfect fit for our board,” said Ben Kovler, Green Thumb founder, chairman and chief executive officer. “His career-long impact of shifting public opinion about cannabis and advancing legalization efforts is inspiring, and we look forward to the contributions he will bring to our team.”

Nadelmann served as a professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton University from 1987 to 1994. He is the author of two books on the internationalization of criminal law enforcement and has published writings in top academic journals, policy journals and political publications. 

Nadelmann earned a BA, JD, and PhD from Harvard University and a master’s degree in international relations from the London School of Economics.

“Green Thumb is a clear leader in the cannabis space and a strong believer in the benefits of the plant,” Nadelmann said. “I’m excited to apply my experience to advance Green Thumb’s mission and create positive change in the industry.”