The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) announced its 2023-2024 board, naming OMMA Executive Director Adria Berry as one of its members.
"I'm honored to be elected to the CANNRA Board, joining regulators from other states and territories to discuss key regulatory topics, ideas and best practices," said Executive Director Berry. "These conversations are important and very beneficial, so I look forward to ensuring Oklahoma has a voice at the national level."
CANNRA is a non-partisan, non-profit association of government officials from more than 45 states and territories involved in cannabis regulation. The group’s mission is to educate and support governmental jurisdictions responsible for implementing cannabis policies through collaborative efforts that help identify ways to safeguard public health, promote equity and create regulatory certainty for industry participants.
The seven-member board is voted in by each state or territory’s designated voting member.
The other new board members are: President Will Tilburg, Director of the Maryland Cannabis Administration, President-Elect Dominique Mendiola, Senior Director of the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, Past President Tyler Klimas, Executive Director of the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board, Board Member At Large Nicole Elliott, Director of the California Department of Cannabis Control, Treasurer Chris Tholkes, Director of the Minnesota Office of Medical Cannabis and Board Member At Large Andrew Turnage, Executive Director of the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission.
“The 2023-2024 CANNRA Board is a great mix of diverse CANNRA member states and territories in terms of policies, politics, people and place,” CANNRA Executive Director Gillian Schauer said in the association’s official announcement. “The board will benefit from the experience of veteran board members who have served on the CANNRA board before, as well as new ideas and engagement that will come from new members.”
Read more about Director Berry in her bio:
Executive Director Adria Berry was appointed as the first Executive Director of the standalone Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority on Nov.1, 2022. She was confirmed by the state senate in May of 2023 after nearly two years of overseeing the program under the Oklahoma State Department of Health.
Adria Berry is a licensed attorney in Oklahoma and Texas with extensive experience in government affairs and public policy. She was a member of Governor Stitt’s senior staff, serving Oklahomans as a policy advisor and counselor. During that time, she advised the Governor on cannabis policy, building on her previous experience working with cannabis businesses and attorneys as Vice President of Government Affairs for the State Chamber of Oklahoma.
In June 2023, Director Berry was elected to the national board of the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) — a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that convenes government officials involved in cannabis regulation across more than 45 states and U.S. territories.
Director Berry’s goal is to ensure consistent and equitable regulation of medical cannabis in Oklahoma.
###
