Harborside Inc. (“Harborside” or the “Company”) (CSE: HBOR), a California-focused, vertically integrated cannabis enterprise, announced today that its Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Steve DeAngelo was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Cannabis Awards (CCAs).

Steve has worked tirelessly as an advocate for cannabis legalization for the past four decades. Steve was a lead organizer and fundraiser for I-59, Washington DC’s medical cannabis initiative; and is most famous for his successful litigation against the Department of Justice, which halted DOJ’s last-ditch 2011 campaign to shut down California’s medical cannabis dispensaries. Recently, Steve has turned his attention to right the wrongs of prohibition. He recently co-founded The Last Prisoner Project. Its mission is to ensure that every single cannabis prisoner on the planet is released.

In addition to his activism, Steve has founded and co-founded several cannabis businesses and organizations including,  Harborside, that have had a profound impact on the cannabis industry. Other companies founded include CannBe, a marketing, lobbying, and consulting firm; Steep Hill Laboratory, the first dedicated cannabis lab; the Arcview Group, the first cannabis investment firm; and the National Cannabis Industry Association, the industry’s first trade association.

“Steve DeAngelo’s trailblazing activism and work in the creation of Harborside, a model medical cannabis dispensary, has set the tone for the entire cannabis industry to follow with regards to integrity, safety, collaboration, respect and community,” said Peter Bilodeau, CEO of Harborside. “On behalf of the entire Harborside team, we extend our congratulations to Steve on an honor well-deserved.”

“I’m grateful to the CCA for this kind recognition, and to all the many thousands of my fellow cannabis activists who made my life’s work possible,” said Steve DeAngelo. “The change we started working on decades ago is now sweeping the globe, with countries in every continent reforming their laws. Yet much still remains to be done— our mission will not be complete until everybody on the planet who needs cannabis has safe and affordable access to it, and the very last cannabis prisoner comes home to their family.”

The CCAs is produced by WebJoint, an all-in-one cannabis software company for retailers and brands and features 18 award categories that range from top brand, to top dispensary, to top activist. Cheryl Shuman was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s ceremony.

SOURCE Harborside Inc.