Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Steph Sherer
Addressing Cannabis Safety Issues Is A Strength, Not A Weakness, For The Legalization Movement (Op-Ed)
“Acknowledging these problems is not a concession to prohibition. Solving them is how we protect the future of cannabis access.” By Steph Sherer, Americans for Safe Access For much of the modern cannabis movement, raising concerns about safety has been politically complicated. Advocates have spent decades fighting exaggerated claims about cannabis harms, and opponents have been eager to turn every adverse event, regulatory failure or unanswered scientific question into an argument for prohibition.
Federal laws need massive rewrites to match medical cannabis rescheduling Original
Opinion>Opinions - Healthcare The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill by Steph Sherer, opinion contributor - 07/07/26 1:00 PM ET Link copied by Steph Sherer, opinion contributor - 07/07/26 1:00 PM ET Link copied FILE- Michael Stonebarger sorts young cannabis plants at a marijuana farm operated by Greenlight, Monday, Oct.
Federal Marijuana Rescheduling Will End Discrimination In Housing, Healthcare And Employment For Medical Cannabis Patients (Op-Ed)
“These products are now federally recognized as legitimate medicine… Patients and their caregivers are no longer considered criminals under federal law. They have federal rights.” By Steph Sherer, Americans for Safe Access The Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration’s rescheduling of cannabis is more than just validation for the millions of Americans who rely on cannabis medicines. It is a legal platform for the restoration of their federal rights and privileges.
A bold, beautiful strategy for Trump’s medical marijuana policy Original
President Trump recently called marijuana policy “very complicated” while noting he had “heard great things” about medical marijuana. He is right on both counts — medical cannabis policy is complex, but the benefits are undeniable. With the right leadership, it is a challenge worth tackling. He’s not alone in this view. Former Rep.
The real cannabis policy power lies beyond the Oval Office
As the presidential candidates’ positions on cannabis policy make the headlines, it’s important to remember that the real power to shape cannabis laws doesn’t reside in the Oval Office. Over the years, advocates have fought for patients’ rights to access medical cannabis under numerous presidencies. Yet, the biggest strides in protecting medical cannabis patients haven’t come from the White House — they’ve come from Congress.
Opinion - The real cannabis policy power lies beyond the Oval Office
As the presidential candidates’ positions on cannabis policy make the headlines, it’s important to remember that the real power to shape cannabis laws doesn’t reside in the Oval Office. Over the years, advocates have fought for patients’ rights to access medical cannabis under numerous presidencies. Yet, the biggest strides in protecting medical cannabis patients haven’t come from the White House — they’ve come from Congress.
Medical cannabis should not make anyone homeless for the holidays
John Flickner, a 78-year-old, wheelchair-bound senior, is a certified medical cannabis patient in New York, who consumes cannabis from a vaporizer to avoid having to use the types of opioids that kill more than 115 Americans every day.
Medical cannabis community must join together and resist any action taken against us
Yesterday, I awoke to the news that I have been fearing since Jeff Session was nominated as Attorney General, his Department of Justice is rescinding the non-interference cannabis policies from the Obama Administration, the 2013 Cole Memorandum. As I was trying to respond to the flood of texts and emails, I had to fight off flashbacks from events that plagued the first 13 years of my work at Americans for Safe Access.
Medical marijuana patients need an antidote for Jeff Sessions
Medical cannabis is currently legal in 29 states and the District of Columbia and there are approximately 2 million medical cannabis patients in the United States overall.
Medical cannabis under Trump's first 100 days
The phrase “no news is good news” should mean an assurance that a situation is not dramatically worsening, and perhaps even improving. For the first 100 days of Trump’s Presidency, the lack of news surrounding medical cannabis has been, for the most part, good news for the status quo. However, this is not a comfort to medical cannabis patients for whom behind the scenes actions could upend, disrupt, or delay access to their medication.
Government has apparently dropped 'gateway' theory, marijuana critics should too
Recently the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) quietly removed a report from its website, suggesting that it is finally giving up the false theories that cannabis is a “gateway drug,” or that it causes permanent brain damage or psychosis. These myths have been at the heart of positions held by marijuana prohibitionists and often served as their platform when voting against medical cannabis legislation.
This election, don't let the lights go out on medical marijuana
For the past three years, state sponsored medical cannabis programs have operated under the guidance of federal agency memos and Congressionally imposed spending restrictions, which have limited federal interference and created a “cease-fire” for states implementing medical cannabis programs.
10 Smoke Signals Heralding The End Of Federal Medical Marijuana Prohibition
A little less than a year ago I wrote an article “10 Reasons Why Federal Medical Marijuana Prohibition is about to Go Up in Smoke� for the Huffington Post. While all the points in the article still reign true, I am happy to report that the list is still growing. In fact, there is so much happening on the topic that at times it is hard to keep up.
Medical marijuana users at legal risk (Opinion)
Editor's note: David Mattingly talks to Larry and Rhonda Harvey about their case Monday night on Erin Burnett OutFront at 7 p.m. ET on CNN. Steph Sherer is founder and Executive Director of Americans for Safe Access, a national organization that seeks to promote safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely hers.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Steph
Contact Steph, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack