This is buzzed.
Thank you for making it this far. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to subscribe to the weekly distribution list via the button below.
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buzzed is a weekly newsletter—released every Tuesday—covering the ever-expanding, sometimes wild, and always nuanced realm of cannabis and psychedelics. I’m not the first to do it, and certainly won’t be the last, but my hope is that I can provide you with an entertaining, unique, and most importantly, informed, perspective on the happenings of the cannabis and psychedelic spaces.
buzzed officially launches January 7, 2025
What you’re reading now is the “soft launch” of buzzed. We’re quickly heading into peak holiday season, and I hope you plan to step away for a while, as I intend to do. January 7, 2025 will be the first edition of the newsletter, where I’ll share a lot more about what to expect from buzzed: the structure, the content, and the thinking behind what I plan to cover, and why. The following week, on January 14, you can expect to find the first of my regularly-scheduled updates in your inbox, full of important and exciting psychoactive developments.
What a great way to ring in the New Year!
A little bit about buzzed
While you’ll have to wait a few weeks to learn more specifics, here’s what I can say right now. The cannabis and psychedelics space—whether it’s politics, science, business, history, or culture—is abundant with misinformation, misunderstanding, and false narratives. As the industry continues to expand in the U.S. and across the world, expert analysis and sensible ideas are critically important. That’s why I’m creating buzzed; to bring you expertly curated and impactful content.
This isn’t going to be your run-of-the-mill newsletter simply rehashing the headlines; and I’m by no means a journalist. Instead, I’m dedicated to sharing why the latest developments are important, and exploring good and bad ideas with the best intentions. Most of all, I’m bringing the perspective of a professional who’s been steeped in the space for years—a perspective that you can trust.
The author behind buzzed
buzzed will be a one man operation. With that, I think it’s important to establish who I am, and why you can trust the content I’ll be producing.
I’m Keegan Gendron. During the day, I’m a senior consultant at the nation’s leading cannabis policy consulting firm. That involves advising clients—local, state, and tribal governments—on a wide array of monumental tasks related to legal cannabis markets. From establishing a solid policy base built upon legislative and regulatory best practices from across the country, to building-out licensing and compliance models, I’ve helped brand-new cannabis markets get off the ground, and supported existing ones in improving their success stories; all underpinned by the importance of safeguarding public health, offering business opportunity, supporting equitable market outcomes, and protecting patient and consumer access. Prior to my current venture, I was also steeped in public policy initiatives at a major market-defining cannabis technology company.
I’ve cemented my career in policy, with a specific and intentional focus on cannabis. The recent years I’ve spent in the private cannabis sector and pseudo-public sector has allowed me to cultivate unique insights into the world of legal cannabis, at a time where its growth and growing pains are in full swing, and on full display. This window into the cannabis world is one that not many get to look through—a nuanced perspective built from spending time on the ground in an ancillary yet deeply ingrained cannabis technology company, and also working alongside regulators and lawmakers in addressing the day-to-day trials of a newly formed marketplace, in addition to the looming philosophical struggles and historical baggage that comes with those tasks.
Outside of these professional responsibilities, I’ve also become a bit of a scholar on the topics of cannabis and psychedelics (if I dare ascribe that term to myself). I’ve spent thousands of hours reading, listening to, watching, and studying the vast archives of history, physiology, biology, culture, business, philosophy, sociology, legality, and policy regarding psychoactive substances—whether these archives be allegorically mainstream, on the banks of the stream, or entirely outside the stream.
I’m a steadfast proponent of responsible drug decriminalization, and in many cases, commercial legalization. The War on Drugs has been a monumental failure of policy and philosophy, and the stain it has left on society will take countless decades to remedy. We live in a time of immense change; the way our American culture interfaces with psychoactive substances is long overdue for a radical paradigm shift. These are just some of the themes you’ll pick up on as buzzed continues to grow.
All of this to say: you can trust that buzzed is coming from a place of good intentions, informed analysis, and well-honed opinions. You won’t agree with everything I have to say, and that’s great. I hope this becomes a venue for quality discussions, new connections, and continued learning.
Let’s get buzzed together
Starting in the new year, I hope you’ll tune in each week to hear the latest and greatest in cannabis and psychedelics, and ideally, have some of your opinions and ideas challenged. This project is for everyone: industry professionals, business owners, regulators, lawmakers, scientists, researchers, journalists, and anyone who just wants to learn more and hear different perspectives.
I truly hope you find the writing compelling and entertaining.
Thank you, and Happy Holidays!
-Keegan