I spent the 2014/15 academic year & following summer as Director of Education at the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis, the first cannabis industry vocational school “east of Oaksterdam,” as we liked to say. A Massachusetts cannabis industry trade school was the brainchild of Mickey Martin, a Bay Area activist who carried a federal conviction for having marketed Tainted-brand edibles. Mickey and I had known each other from shortly after I read about his case in High Times, and reached out.
We met in person for the first time at Seattle Hempfest, and formed a collegial relationship, to the chagrin of a few NORML board members. Mickey was a outspoken critic of NORML, who provoked Keith Stroup’s wrath on more than one occasion. I tried to bring them together under common cause, when I invited them to be Special Guests at a NORML Foundation fundraiser I staged in Seattle.
They both enjoyed being lauded, and the event raised over seventeen thousand dollars, more than covering an earlier accounting snafu that had left NORML obligated to Seattle Hempfest organizers. For the remainder of the time we spent working together, whenever Mickey started to criticize NORML, I thanked him for helping raise that money.
Those who fight marijuana prohibition seldom earn any money from it. At their peaks, NORML & MPP combined may have employed twenty-five people. The folks at Seattle Hempfest opened a small retail shop in Lake City, that they also used for organizing, but at most they were able to fund two full-time, hybrid retail management/event management positions. The success of Hempfest’s core mission (ending marijuana prohibition) also led to bans on cannabis advertising in public parks, which undercut long-time, major sponsorships. The event and the store ran into mounting debt, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, and both were drawn to a close.
A guiding principle of NIC was fostering reform activism among students and the community.
Mickey Martin
February 5, 2015When we started the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis project in April of 2013, my partners had a vision to create a world class learning institution for cannabis, and more so, to create a hub for the cannabis community to come together and share our experiences and understanding of cannabis. We added Uplifting Health & Wellness to the facility to bring more depth to the medical side of the industry and further our community of understanding. I have to say after just a few short months in business I am amazed and honored at what is being built there. I have an incredible team that makes my life easy, and the school is operated by people who are truly dedicated to cannabis freedom. I am excited to see what is in store next for NIC and the New England cannabis community. I look forward to coming back and #murderingit with the crew in a couple of weeks and having and amazing New England Cannabis Convention with NIC, Uplifting, and Parents 4 Pot. Talk about a dream come true. It was a long and difficult road to get all the pieces in place, but the project continues to exceed my expectations daily and has taken on a life of it’s own. It is nice to be able to stand back and know my squad has things managed. The future is going to be amazing for the Institute of Cannabis as a company and as a community of people committed to excellence and progress. Onward and upward my friends. Selah.
It was the only time I could ever say I was paid to protest; and we staged several of them targeting the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s ill-conceived medical marijuana program, with its $500,000 cash bond and vertically-integrated licenses shutting out smaller growers and a 1-patient-per-caregiver limit.
In my role as Director of Education, I produced a series of promotional shorts called “NIC Nuggets of Knowledge.” This one was titled “Stop Smoking Marijuana!”
Hi, I’m Dr. Keith Saunders, the Director of Education here at the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis and I want you to stop smoking marijuana!
It’s not good to smoke things. It brings a whole bunch of particles into your lungs. It’s not nice.
Vaporize!
Sub-combustion flower vaporizer. Excellent. Good for you. Preserves all the terpenes. Tastes great; less filling.
Vape Pen. Concentrates. Way to go.
My favorite: Dab rig. You hit this baby—BAM! One, and you’re done. Good for the day.
Be healthy. Be smart. Vape, don’t smoke.
Come to the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis, 10 Tech Circle, Natick, Massachusetts. Give us a call: 508-655-7420. We’ll get you higher.
