Mason Tvert
Communications Adviser
455 Sherman St.
Suite 390
Denver, CO 80203
B.A., cum laude, University of Richmond
Overview
Mason Tvert serves as communications adviser for Vicente LLP, and he is a partner at the firm's policy and public affairs consulting affiliate, VS Strategies. He has been working to change public policies and public attitudes surrounding marijuana since 2005, and he has been called "The Don Draper of Pot" by Politico Magazine, "marijuana's top evangelist" by The Boston Globe, and Colorado's "top thinker" in politics and government by The Denver Post. In 2017, he was named one of the "100 Most Influential People in Cannabis" by High Times magazine.
Prior to joining VS Strategies, he served as director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, the nation's largest marijuana policy organization, where he managed strategic communications, media relations, and online outreach in support of its efforts to reform federal, state, and local marijuana laws. While at MPP, he co-directed the successful 2012 initiative campaign to regulate marijuana like alcohol in Colorado and worked on several other state and local campaigns, including the successful legalization initiatives in Alaska, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts. He also coordinated communications efforts that contributed to the adoption of medical cannabis and decriminalization laws in state legislatures around the country.
Previously, Mason co-founded and served as executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a non-profit organization that laid the groundwork for the successful legalization effort in Colorado — including two successful city initiative campaigns in Denver — and facilitated the passage of cannabis-related student referendums on more than a dozen college campuses. He is a co-author of the book, Marijuana is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink?, and he frequently appears in the media discussing marijuana policy.
Experience
- Member, Marijuana Majority Advisory Board, 2012-Present
- Founding Member, Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) Board of Directors, 2005-2012
- Member, SAFER Voter Education Fund Board of Directors, 2006-2012
- Member, Denver Marijuana Policy Review Panel, 2007-2011
- Founding Member, Colorado NORML Board of Directors, 2007-2008
Recognition
- High Times, "100 Most Influential People in Cannabis," 2018
- Cannabis Business Awards, "People’s Choice: Cannabis Activist of the Year," 2014
- Drug Policy Alliance, "Justice Gerald Le Dain Award for Achievement in the Field of Law," 2013
- Cannabis Business Awards, "Most Influential Individual," 2013
- High Times, "Freedom Fighter of the Year," 2012
- Cannabis Business Awards, "Most Valuable Activist," 2012
- Denver Post, "Colorado’s Top Thinker: Politics and Government," 2012
- Westword: "Reader’s Choice: Best Medical Marijuana Advocate," 2010
- High Times, "Freedom Fighter of the Month," March 2006
- High Times, "Freedom Fighter of the Month," November 2006
- NORML, "Outstanding Citizen Activism Award," 2006
In the Media
- Marijuana Times, "The Biggest Marijuana Stories of 2019," December 21, 2019
- USA Today, "Is Marijuana Linked to Psychosis Schizophrenia? It's Contentious but Doctors Feds Say Yes," December 15, 2019
- Civilized , "The Complicated Realities of Accessing Cannabis When You Live in a Prohibition State," October 16, 2019
- Fox News Channel, "California lawmakers approve medical marijuana in schools for children as young as age 5," September 6, 2019
- The Science Times, "Illinois to Expunge Criminal Records for Marijuana Related Offenses," July 15, 2019
- The Daily Chronic, "Congress to Hold Hearing on ‘Marijuana Laws in America: Racial Justice and the Need for Reform’," July 10, 2019
- USA Today, "Illinois approves legal weed, expunging criminal records for pot crimes," June 25, 2019
- Law Week Colorado, "First Comes Vote, Now Comes Implementation," June 12, 2019
- Denver Business Journal, "Colorado passed 'most substantial' cannabis legislation since 2010 in 2019, industry leader says," June 3, 2019
- The Guardian, "'A grand experiment': how 'shrooms made Denver America's most drug-friendly city," May 19, 2019