About
BIOS
Richard Cowan
Education:
Bachelor of Arts in Economics: Yale University, 1962
(President of the Yale Young Republicans; Chairman of the Party of the Right in the Yale Political Union; Founding member of Young Americans for Freedom; etc.)
Business background: 1962-1992
Various management positions in manufacturing and natural resources. Served on the boards of a number of publicly owned companies. Duties included all aspects of corporate management, finance, and due diligence for investments in a variety of areas.
Writing and speaking on public affairs, 1972-present.
December 6, 1972 National Review Cover Article “Why Conservatives Should Support the Legalization of Marijuana.” In his book Smoke and Mirrors, Dan Baum said that this article “opened a second front in the War on Drugs.” Time Magazine even carried a story about the article. (MarijuanaNews.com was launched on the twenty-fifth anniversary of this article.)
December 5, 1986 National Review Cover Article: “How the Narcs Created Crack.” This article has been cited in various scholarly journals as the origin of the economics of contraband, “The Iron Law of Prohibition: the harder the enforcement, the harder the drugs.”
Writings on other subjects have appeared in a variety of newspapers and other publications, including the Atlantic Monthly
Television appearances include interviews on numerous news programs, including CNN, and a variety of talk shows.
August 1992 - August 1995: National Director of NORML, The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.
Currently: Member NORML Advisory Board
Editor and Publisher, MarijuanaNews.com; Partner: GeneralMarijuana.com and related ventures.
Justin Hartfield
Justin graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Information and Computer Science from the University of California at Irvine in 2004. Justin serves as the CKO of the Prometheus Institute, an independent policy think tank based out of Laguna Beach, CA. He is also CEO and cofounder of the popular cannabis dispensary finder, WeedMaps.com. Justin is an expert in internet research, development, and marketing and is well versed in Web 2.0 and other new internet technologies.