Mieko Hester-Perez is a Champion for Special Needs Families
Mieko Hester-Perez is a modern day warrior mom, a champion of special needs families. Every single day, her mission is to help families improve the quality of life for their loved ones through unconventional treatments and she has pledged to “leave no family behind.”
Just this past Sunday night, Mieko was presented with the Chalice Festival’s Industry Dedication Award for her tireless work helping families with special needs children to better understand medical cannabis. Drawing on 20 years of legal experience, 15 years of special education knowledge, ongoing research, and her personal experiences navigating through treatment options for her own son, Mieko continues to help families throughout the world achieve positive results with cannabis.
Not your typical cannabis activist
Now, it should be mentioned, Mieko Hester-Perez is not your typical cannabis activist. She doesn’t wear tie-dye, wasn’t raised by hippie parents, and doesn’t use cannabis herself. Quite the contrary: she comes from a very conservative family that includes a long line of law enforcement. “I know I’m an unlikely cannabis advocate,” Mieko says, “being raised in South Orange County among other conservative constituents.”
Because of her professionalism and reliability, physicians who don’t normally recommend cannabis call Mieko to consult with patients’ families who are considering cannabis when all other treatments have failed. She understands and sympathizes with these families because she’s been in their shoes: before trying cannabis as a treatment, her son Joey had been on over 14 different experimental medications that did not work. Secondary to his autism, Joey was diagnosed with anorexia and malnutrition and it was Mieko’s extensive research into how to get him to eat that led her to bake a few batches of gluten-free cannabis edibles for her son.
Not only did the cannabis edibles successfully improve Joey’s appetite, which led to improved nutrition and healthy growth, Mieko also noticed he began making eye contact on a more consistent basis, he had less aggression and became more productive in educational and home settings.
Not your typical cannabis activist
Now, it should be mentioned, Mieko Hester-Perez is not your typical cannabis activist. She doesn’t wear tie-dye, wasn’t raised by hippie parents, and doesn’t use cannabis herself. Quite the contrary: she comes from a very conservative family that includes a long line of law enforcement. “I know I’m an unlikely cannabis advocate,” Mieko says, “being raised in South Orange County among other conservative constituents.”
Because of her professionalism and reliability, physicians who don’t normally recommend cannabis call Mieko to consult with patients’ families who are considering cannabis when all other treatments have failed. She understands and sympathizes with these families because she’s been in their shoes: before trying cannabis as a treatment, her son Joey had been on over 14 different experimental medications that did not work. Secondary to his autism, Joey was diagnosed with anorexia and malnutrition and it was Mieko’s extensive research into how to get him to eat that led her to bake a few batches of gluten-free cannabis edibles for her son.
Not only did the cannabis edibles successfully improve Joey’s appetite, which led to improved nutrition and healthy growth, Mieko also noticed he began making eye contact on a more consistent basis, he had less aggression and became more productive in educational and home settings.
Read full blog on Hopegrown.org
Bureau Of Cannabis Control Announces Public University Research Grant Funding Recipients
Author: Bureau of Cannabis Control
Published: Nov 13, 2020
Sacramento, California
SACRAMENTO – The Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) announced today that it has awarded $29,950,494 in public university research grant funding to universities across California.
“The research conducted through these public university grants will provide critical information for evaluating our legal cannabis system and its impacts,” Bureau of Cannabis Control Chief Lori Ajax said. “This research will be a valuable tool to inform future cannabis policy in California.”
Research proposals had to fall within one of the several specified categories, including public health, criminal justice and public safety, economic, environmental impacts, and the cannabis industry. A detailed description of the list of research subjects for grant funding can be found in Revenue and Taxation Code section 34019.
In total, the Bureau received more than 100 applications for grant funds up to $2 million for any specific proposal. After a thorough review process, the nearly $30 million was awarded to the following public universities:
| PublicUniversity | AwardedFunding | Research Proposal |
| UC San Francisco | $2,000,000.00 | Comprehensive Analysis of Developmental Cannabis Exposure on Brain, Immune, and Sensory Systems |
| UC Santa Barbara | $1,999,191.00 | Surface Water Emissions from Cannabis Cultivation Sites: Quantity, Quality, Toxicity, and Relationships to Farmers’ Practices |
| CSUDominguez Hills | $1,866,311.00 | Cannabis Industry in South Bay Los Angeles |
| UCBerkeley | $1,827,596.00 | Local Regulation of Cannabis in California |
| UC Los Angeles | $1,429,001.00 | Impact of Cannabis Potency on The Properties, Composition, and Toxicity of Inhaled and Second-Hand Smoke |
| UC San Francisco | $1,384,466.00 | Effects of Chronic Cannabis Use on Endothelial Function |
| UC Irvine | $1,351,556.00 | Exploring Cannabis Policies and Practices That Influence Adolescent Use: Evolution of Local Cannabis Law, Products, Sales, and Marketing |
| UC San Diego | $1,321,833.00 | The Public Health Impact of Cannabis Legalization in California: A Comprehensive Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis by Age, Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Regions |
| UC Los Angeles | $1,082,815.00 | Assessing the Feasibility and Consequences of Implementing a Cannabis Potency Tax in California |
| UC San Francisco | $1,067,483.00 | The LEAF Study: Lung Effects and Function Associated with Cannabis Use |
| UC Los Angeles | $1,048,857.00 | Study of Employment Conditions and Equity in California’s Cannabis Industry |
| UC San Francisco | $1,038,782.00 | Public Health Impacts of State Policies Mandating Point-of- Sale Warning Signs Regarding Cannabis Use During Pregnancy |
| UC Davis | $1,034,730.00 | Understanding the Impact of Cannabis Use in Early Psychosis |
| UC San Diego | $987,738.00 | Evaluating the Impacts of Packaging and Labeling on Cannabis Edible Use among Youth |
| UC San Francisco | $952,540.00 | California Cannabis Poisonings Under Proposition 64 |
| UC Los Angeles | $896,794.00 | Assessing the Impact of Proposition 64 on Cannabis Use, Maladaptive Cannabis Use, Cannabis Use Disorder Treatment, and Public Health |
| UC San Diego | $887,101.00 | The Role of Cannabidiol in Anandamide-Related Improvement in Alexithymia and Health Outcomes |
| UC Los Angeles | $781,707.00 | A Demographic Analysis of the California Licensed Cannabis Industry and Consumer Market |
| UC Los Angeles | $758,517.00 | The Impact of Cannabis Marketing on California’s Youth: Neuro-Behavioral Studies for Informing Policy |
| UC Davis | $726,816.00 | Cannabis Industry: Assessment of the Location, Structure, Function, and Demographics of Licensed Cannabis, Focusing on Geographical Price Differences, and Differential Impacts of Local Prop-64 Related Regulations on the Competitiveness of Licensed Businesses |
| UCBerkeley | $658,306.00 | Transformation of Unregulated Cannabis Cultivation Under Proposition 64 |
| UC Davis | $655,564.00 | Economic Impacts: Market Prices for Licensed and Unlicensed Cannabis and the Effects of the Current and Alternate Cannabis Tax Structures and Tax Rates on the Private and Public Sectors in California, Including Government Administrative Costs and Revenues |
| UC Davis | $562,240.00 | Environmental Impacts of Cannabis Cultivation in California As Affected by the Farm Economics of Licensed and Unlicensed Cannabis Production, Including Effects of Testing Regulations and Compliance with the Criminal Prohibition of Unlicensed Cannabis |
| UCBerkeley | $489,762.00 | Assessing Environmental Impacts of Cannabis-Related Noise and Light Disturbance to Inform Management of California Wildlife |
| UCBerkeley | $465,902.00 | Examining Tribal Sovereignty Over Cannabis Permitting on Native Ancestral Lands |
| CSUHumboldt | $464,997.00 | Cannabis Business Entrepreneurs and Jobs |
| UC Los Angeles | $414,183.00 | Understanding the Impact of Cannabis Marketing on Cannabis Use Disparities Among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth |
| UCBerkeley | $328,916.00 | Cultivation Bans, Local Control, and the Effects and Efficacy of Proposition 64 |
| UCBerkeley | $319,091.00 | Cannabis and Wildfire: Current Conditions, Future Threats, and Solutions for Farmers |
| UCBerkeley | $314,417.00 | Cannabis Water-Use Impacts to Streamflow and Temperature in Salmon-Bearing Streams |
| UCBerkeley | $270,269.00 | The Effect of Local Cannabis Regulation on Property Prices |
| UC San Diego | $235,039.00 | Evaluating Risks and Benefits of Cannabis Use by Older Adults: A Pilot Study |
| CSUHumboldt | $183,015.00 | The Economic Impact of Cannabis Legalization in Rural Northern California |
| UC Davis | $144,949.00 | California Cannabis Workers: Perceptions, Beliefs, and Knowledge of Occupational Health and Industry Hazards |