I ran High Times magazine. Cannabis reform needs safeguards.

As the former chairman of High Times magazine, I spent decades immersed in cannabis culture. For 25 years, I also used cannabis every day.

I built companies, ran media platforms and helped shape conversations around marijuana – all while believing it was largely harmless. Like many Americans, I saw cannabis as natural, safer than alcohol and free of real downside.

It wasn't until I stopped that I understood how deeply it had shaped my life.