Michigan House Representative Jeff Irwin (D- Ann Arbor) has been named to the list of CBE Political 100 Influencers in Cannabis.
The list incorporates the most influential people from around the globe and includes the heads of nations, high-profile entertainment figures, elected officials and activists. It is published by Cannabis Business Executive, a website charting the movers and shakers of the marijuana business industry.
Rep. Irwin was the only entry whose description included the word Michigan. He ranked 90th internationally.
His description from the CBE website included this:
“Irwin introduced a bill to decriminalize and regulate medical marijuana in Michigan, claiming that cannabis is safer than alcohol. At the 44th annual Hash Bash in Michigan, Irwin announced that “It’s going to be Colorado improved in the Great Lakes state.” He is a leading and instrumental figure for the cannabis movement within the government.”
Not to detract from the significance of this recognition for Rep. Irwin and the Michigan marijuana law reform community, but the list of 100 contained several odd selections, leaders of nations that did not actually reform anything, and business figures whose accomplishments fall in the category of self-enhancement.
To be fair, this is how the CBE website describes the selection criteria:
“Members of the CBE Political 100 come from diverse backgrounds, including (but not limited to) activists, advocates and advocacy groups, members of the legal community, state, local and federal government elected and appointed officials, heads of state, and prominent journalists and spokespersons who have helped shape public opinion. In most cases, folks were assigned rankings based on the impact that their efforts have on providing legal access to cannabis at home and abroad based on potential consumers added to the industries target lists.”