A Nirvana medical marijuana dispensary Photo by Mark Oprea” class=”uk-display-block uk-position-relative uk-visible-toggle”> click to enlarge
Photo by Mark Oprea
A Nirvana medical marijuana dispensary
It’s possible to say that Brian Adams’ journey into the world of cannabis activism began with a film canister.
It was March 11, 2006, and Adams was an introverted 22-year-old working at a restaurant in Bedford. As an east side teenager, Adams had indulged in marijuana but was certainly not immersed in the world.
Regardless, a dishwasher gifted him a film container’s worth of bud as Adams was ending his shift for the night.
Outside in the parking lot he was met by two police cruisers. He was arrested, and later convicted of “drug abuse” in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and fined $255. Because possession of marijuana—a Schedule I narcotic at time—was classified as a fourth-degree misdemeanor, Adams spent the following decade managing the lingering spoils of a drug charge: cold shoulders by landlords, stigma when dealing with HR departments, a fate dealt to tens of thousands of other Ohioans.
“It could keep you from getting a job,” he said. “Even in the