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Dr. Karen Randall
Dr. Randall is on the front lines of marijuana legalization. As an Emergency Physician she is an expert witness to the devastating impacts. She is an experienced speaker and has done presentations throughout the United States and has even traveled to other countries sounding the alarm about the harms of marijuana legalization.
“It is beyond my imagination that people think that the budget will be fixed by selling and encouraging use of a drug that is addictive. Every single day in the emergency department, I see the end point of drug use. It really is sad to see a 15 y/o child having yet another acute psychotic episode (only drug being used is THC). There are simply not enough resources to treat the number of children that are becoming addicted to the new powerful drug. Please tell your politicians you don’t want pot in your community. It will not fix the deficits.”
Credentials: residency trained in emergency medicine, pediatrics and family practice. Certified in Cannabis Science and Medicine – University of Vermont, SCEMA – VP of Case Management, SCEMA board member.
Dr. Libby Stuyt
Libby Stuyt, MD is a board-certified Addiction Psychiatrist and has worked in the addiction/behavioral health field since 1990. She was the Medical Director for the Circle Program, a 90-day inpatient treatment program, funded by the state of Colorado, for persons with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse who have failed other levels of treatment from 1999 to 2020. She retired from this position in May 2020 in order to spend more time attempting to educate as many people as possible on the un-intended consequences she has seen from the commercialization of marijuana in Colorado, focusing primarily on the deleterious effects of high potency THC on the developing brain and mental health.
Ed Wood
After his retirement as CEO of a medical device firm, Ed Wood’s 33-year-old son Brian was killed at the hands of two drug-impaired drivers on marijuana, methamphetamine, and heroin. Since then, he has worked with victims, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, clinicians, drug recognition experts, law enforcement officers, toxicologists, legislators, state officials, and an international list of researchers and other specialists in his quest to increase knowledge about drugged-driving.
Ed has shared what he has learned through his website, duidvictimvoices.org, and articles published in scientific journals. In 2017 he wrote a bill that passed the Colorado legislature that requires the state to annually collect and publish information on the causes and judicial consequences of DUI arrests based on laboratory data.
Jesse LeBlanc, Mechanical Engineer, BSME
Jesse graduated summa cum laude from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. For over 20 years, he provided services as an employee and consultant to a major oil company, performing risk assessments and hazardous operation reviews for multiple engineering projects. He also received numerous awards as an engineering mentor and for his novel solutions that solved many engineering problems.
He also recently contributed a chapter, “THC & CBD Decomposition and Terpene Hazards While Vaping or Dabbing”, to the medical textbook edited by Dr. Ken Finn, “Cannabis in Medicine, and Evidence-Based Approach.” He also has written articles for the parent support group, Every Brain Matters, one of which was an expose’ on Delta-8-THC, Delta-9-THC, and THC-O Acetate. In April 2022, Jesse gave a presentation titled “Cannabinoid Thermal Decomposition and Vaporization,” which delved into the harmful combustion byproducts formed and inhaled when smoking, vaping, and dabbing cannabinoids, for the International Academy on the Science and Impact of Cannabis (IASIC). Lastly, he got involved in the fight against marijuana legalization in 2016 when he discovered an illegal Chinese marijuana cultivation close to his vacation home in the mountains of Colorado. He has also seen firsthand how even low-potency 1970’s marijuana can lead people down a dark spiral to stronger drugs and ultimately to destruction, which was something that happened to several of his high school friends. Currently, he is a supporting member of Parents Opposed to Pot and is an advisor to Every Brain Matters.
Heidi Anderson Swan
Heidi Anderson-Swan is a former actress and the coauthor of the only fictional book which illustrates Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (a diagnosis in the DSM-5). Entitled, A Night In Jail, the story is inspired by her brother’s true life as a homeless drug addict with schizophrenia who went to jail eighteen times. Heidi is an outspoken advocate who works to prevent addiction, homelessness, and, when possible, mental illness.
Using the student-led short film, A Night In Jail, Heidi has cosponsored webinars with Behavioral Health Services (a contractor for Los Angeles County Substance Abuse Prevention and Control). Most recently, she cosponsored the first webinar which was focused on teen athletes. Her guests were from professional sports: Dr. Stephen Taylor, the Medical Director of the NBA, Darren Prince (Magic Johnson and Dennis Rodman’s agent), and Dr. Ken Finn. She’s spoken for youth councils, prevention groups, and podcasts and given a keynote presentation for Alcoholics and Substance Abuse Prevention Providers of New York State. Many years ago, Heidi voiced a now-famous video game character, Jill Valentine, from the Resident Evil franchise.
Community Advisors
Bart Bright
Bart was a camp counselor, day camp director and teacher for many years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in recreation from San Francisco State and his teaching credential from Chapman University. He retired in 2019 and lives in Northern California with his wife Hazel.
Bart is a volunteer with Mar-Anon Family Groups in addition to Every Brain Matters. (Mar-Anon Family Groups are fellowships of those affected by another person’s marijuana use.) He also supports Johnny’s Ambassadors and Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
Bart used to think marijuana was harmless. “In my 20’s, when I used to smoke pot, I said stuff like, ‘It’s just pot, it’s not a big deal.’ I was wrong. It was a very big deal for my son, Kevin. My wife and I witnessed our son experience many episodes of Cannabis Induced Psychosis, a diagnosis in the DSM-5. He died by suicide in 2018 at 29 years old. One of the last statements he made to me was, “Cannabis has ruined my life.”
Bart is honoring his son by helping others who feel alone… “If you feel alone because your family and/or friends think marijuana is ‘just pot,.’
Ellen Snelling, M.S.
Ellen Snelling joined the Hillsborough County Anti Drug Alliance (HCADA) in Florida in 2000 and currently serves as the board chair. HCADA’s mission is to prevent youth and adult substance abuse and promote healthy communities. Ellen chairs the Tampa Alcohol Coalition (TAC), a subcommittee of the HCADA created in 2001 in response to the high rate of underage drinking and DUI crashes in Hillsborough County. She participates on the HCADA Marijuana Task Force and Prescription Drug Abuse Task Force and is a volunteer for Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Hillsborough County. She serves on the Florida Coalition Alliance. Ms. Snelling received her M.S. degree in dietetics from Florida International University.
Sally Schindel
Ms. Schindel was a self-employed financial advisor, with CFP certification. Her bachelor’s degree in Accounting is from Western Illinois University in 1972. She retired in 2008 and lives with her husband Gregg in Prescott.
Sally’s passion now is volunteering with organizations making a difference in the lives of young people and their education. She is a long-term member of P.E.O., supporting women’s education, and a volunteer with MATFORCE in Prescott, AZ which works toward a brighter future by building a healthier community, striving to eliminate substance abuse and its effects.
Sally is on the National Marijuana Initiative Speakers Bureau and volunteers with Every Brain Matters and Moms Strong, an organization that tells their stories to unmask the marijuana charade. She also volunteers with Johnny’s Ambassadors Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), and Parents Opposed to Pot, national organizations dedicated to providing the latest information on the harms of marijuana to individuals and our country.
Sally is the proud mother of two. She calls her daughter “the light of my life.” Her son, Andy, died in 2014. Andy’s suicide death is linked to marijuana addiction. He left a powerful message that Sally wants all to know. Andy said, “Marijuana killed my soul + ruined my brain.”
Sally says: “I am now working with Andy, in his memory, urging young people to not risk using marijuana or other drugs. Marijuana is not harmless. I hope Andy’s message will help everyone ‘Think Again’ before assuming the drug marijuana is harmless.”