Etienne Fontan
Etienne Fontan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Étienne Fontan (second from the right) at a rally organized by CAN at People's park in 1993. | |
| Born | August 28, 1969 |
| Occupation | Cannabis activist |
| Organizations | |
Étienne Fontan (born 28 August 1969) is a U.S. cannabis activist, entrepreneur, and military veteran based in Berkeley, California, active in cannabis advocacy since the early 1990s with NGOs like Cannabis Action Network and with the retail dispensary Berkeley Patients Group.[1]
Biography
[edit]Military service
[edit]Fontan served in the U.S. Army during the 1991 Gulf War, assigned to the West Virginia Army National Guard and participated in "Operation Desert Storm." During his service, he was diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome, a chronic multiple-symptom condition.[2] After the war, military doctors reportedly recommended cannabis to treat his symptoms. A positive drug test led to his discharge and his loss of veterans’ benefits.[3] These experiences informed his later activism for veteran health and cannabis policy.[1][4]
Cannabis activism
[edit]Fontan became involved in cannabis activism in 1993, when he joined the Cannabis Action Network (CAN).[5] Over the decades, Fontan has lobbied at local, state, and federal levels for patients’ rights and cannabis law reform.[3][6] He is associated with other activist groups such as Americans for Safe Access at the federal level, and since 2020, with the Veterans Action Council (VAC).[7] He has collaborated with Berkeley's former mayor Tom Bates and U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee and Earl Blumenauer to support various initiatives.[8] He also reportedly contributed to the works of researchers like Tod H. Mikuriya, Lester Grinspoon, Robert C. Clarke, and others.[9][10] In 2021, Fontan was co-recipient of the Dennis Peron Award with Wanda James.[11]
In recent years, Fontan has been engaged internationally on broader drug policy reform advocacy.[12] He attended the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs with activists Michael Krawitz (VAC and FAAAT),[13] Farid Ghehiouèche (ENCOD), and Myrtle Clarke (Dagga Couple). With them he co-founded the "Cannabis Embassy."[14]
| Part of a series on |
| Cannabis |
|---|
 |
Business ventures
[edit]Fontan's primary business role is with the Berkeley Patients Group, a dispensary opened in 1999 in a regulatory "gray zone." Part of BPG since the beginning, Fontan stepped-up at the managing role after the death of Jim McClelland, the original owner, in 2001.[15] He has since served as vice president. Fontan led various charitable initiatives, patient advocacy, and community giving campaigns with BPG to support veterans, medical patients, and various social justice causes.[6][16]
Fontan has been involved in other cannabis business ventures. The VAC mentions that he "founded medical and recreational cannabis retail, cultivation, and processing facilities" in multiple locations in California,[4] the brand NuLeaf in Nevada,[17][18] and reportedly other States.[5]
In the cannabis industry, Fontan has been active in professional associations. He co-founded and served on the board of directors of the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) from 2010 to 2021,[19] being chair in 2012.[4][20]
Fontan has been involved in several litigation with BPG, notably following 2012–2013 raids by federal prosecutors on several Berkeley dispensaries under a policy of strict enforcement near schools. BPG's property was seized in a civil asset forfeiture action even though no crime was charged. Fontan's team sued to stop the eviction, and in 2016 a federal judge dismissed the forfeiture case against BPG, just before California legalized adult use.[21] Fontan himself has not been charged with any federal crimes, his legal involvement being primarily defensive. Fontan has been more recently involved in litigation with the Veterans Action Council.[22]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Dalton, Nathan (2024-10-28). "Berkeley activists started a marijuana dispensary 25 years ago. Today, there's none older in the nation". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
- ^ Conrad, Chris (2019-11-11). "Etienne Fontan: Building a home in the BPG community". The Leaf Online. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- ^ a b "Berkeley Patients Group Turns 20: Compassionate Beginnings". Cannabis Business Times. 2019-09-10. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
- ^ a b c Veterans Action Council (2021-03-19). "VAC Council Member Etienne Fontan". VAC. Retrieved 2025-04-20.
- ^ a b "The Most Influential People in the Cannabis Industry, The Cannabis Business Executive 100". Cannabis Business Executive - Cannabis and Marijuana industry news. 2014-10-16. pp. #77. Archived from the original on 2020-03-02.
- ^ a b "Berkeley Patients Group Turns 20: An Eye Toward the Future". Cannabis Business Times. 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2025-08-01.
- ^ Veterans Action Council (2021). "Newsletter #1". VAC. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
- ^ Devine, Jim (2023-07-28). "Congress Pushes Back Against VA on Pot and PTSD". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ^ Grinspoon, Lester Grinspoon; Grinspoon, Lester; Bakalar, James B. (1997-01-01). Marihuana, the Forbidden Medicine. Yale University Press. pp. xi–x. ISBN 978-0-300-07086-6.
- ^ Joy, Janet E.; Watson, Stanley J.; John A. Benson, Jr (1999), "Individuals and Organizations That Spoke or Wrote to the Institute of Medicine About Marijuana and Medicine", Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base, National Academies Press (US), retrieved 2025-08-04
- ^ Marrapodi, A (2021). "Cannabis, Women Veterans, and VSOs: An Advocate's Journey". Cannabis Patient Care. Retrieved 2025-08-02.
- ^ Halsema, Femke (2024). "Amsterdam Manifesto: Dealing with Drugs". City of Amsterdam. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- ^ National Cannabis Industry Association. "Veterans Action Council & NCIA Lobbies with Etienne Fontan & Michael Krawitz". NCIA.
- ^ "Government of the Cannabis Embassy". Cannabis Embassy. Retrieved 2025-07-29.
- ^ Engle, Taylor (2025-02-10). "Berkeley Patients Group: 25 Years of Advocacy, Compassion, and Cannabis". mg Magazine. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ^ "Marijuana use is becoming a new normal among young adults". The Hill. 2022-10-18.
- ^ Morrison, Jane Ann (2014-07-29). "Las Vegas lists all medical marijuana applicants". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
- ^ Anderson, Kayla (2016-06-29). "Turning a NuLeaf: Inside Lake Tahoe's newest medical marijuana dispensary". Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ^ "National Cannabis Industry Association Celebrates First Five Years". New Cannabis Ventures. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ^ "Etienne Fontan Archives". The National Cannabis Industry Association.
- ^ "Berkeley Patients Group Turns 20: Settling Into California's Legal Cannabis Market". Cannabis Business Times. 2019-09-17.
- ^ Jaeger, Kyle (2024-11-18). "DEA Judge Rejects Veterans Group's Petition To Participate In Marijuana Rescheduling Hearing". Marijuana Moment.