In West Hollywood, California, on February 28th, 2026, ‘Join the Club’ ends with Dennis Peron looking gleefully into the camera and saying, ‘Love wins.’ The room was filled with people who took part during the initial movement, as well as many who are actively shaping what is happening right now.
If you know about cannabis history and legalization, you likely know about the connection to the LGBTQ+ community and to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 90s. San Francisco was the epicenter, and the Cannabis Buyers Club and its raid gave Proposition 215 momentum, ultimately legalizing medical cannabis in California. This was the topic of the documentary ‘Join the Club,’ which was the impetus for the Cannabis Culture and Change Conference, centered around the movie screening.
Before the screening, held in the West Hollywood City Council Chambers, the day started with Ngaio Bealum, comedian and full-time good time, taking the audience on a ride of who’s who in West Hollywood. Mayor John Heilman, Vice Mayor Danny Hang, and City Councilmember John Erickson all spoke. California State Treasurer and candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Fiona Ma, continued to be extremely candid about the mistakes that were made with Prop 64 and the necessary changes for progress
The curated list of speakers and panels did not disappoint with a range of topics. Beau Whitney provided compelling data and an even more interesting personal take on the current state of the industry. Jason Beck, Dr. Terry Church, Sam Mistrano, and Sara Payan had a robust discussion during the panel on Science and Economics of Medical Cannabis. Jocelyn Sheltraw, Sküt, Jake Stevens, and Lauren Fontein brought the artistic energy to the panel on Design and Storytelling. And the final panel took the room to school with John D’Amico, Lanny Swerdlow, Ian Rassman, and Len Lanzi, who discussed Gay Liberation & Cannabis Legalization.
Then Scott Schmidt gave a powerful keynote, with a clear message: come out of the closet, step into the sunlight, and learn from another important movement that fought and won legal marriage rights for the LGBTQ+ community. He explained specifically how the community reached some important groups of people and connected with them, because most people know someone close to them who is gay.
The same is true for cannabis. Even if someone doesn’t understand cannabis or has thinking based on the War on Drugs or Reefer Madness, they know someone who has used cannabis to help with the side effects of cancer treatment or know a child whose seizures were reduced due to cannabis. It’s not about reinventing the wheel; it’s about learning from history, changing, and doing the things that will make an impact.
After a brief intermission to grab food and cannabis at The Artist Tree, the night was perfectly crescendoed with the screening of ‘Join the Club’ (Written by Paul Marchand and directed by Kip Andersen and Chris O’Connell). The film was presented by Queer in Cannabis founder Rich Magaña.
A must-see for people passionate about the plant, the movie covered a legion of people who helped to shape this movement, but at their core, they all represented love over hate. With too many to name, a few to note are:
Dennis Peron – Lost his partner to AIDS in 1990, opened the first public dispensary in San Francisco in 1992, and authored Proposition 215, which made California the first state to legalize medical cannabis in 1996.
Brownie Mary (Mary Jane Rathbun) – A hospital volunteer who baked cannabis brownies for dying AIDS patients. Her two arrests generated enormous public sympathy and directly pressured legislators to act.
Harvey Milk – Though assassinated in 1978 before the AIDS crisis peaked, he built the political infrastructure and community networks in San Francisco’s Castro district that made grassroots health activism possible. The organizing foundation he created became essential to both the AIDS and medical cannabis movements that followed.
This list is overly concise; too many important people and organizations are missing. Please watch the documentary for a more robust accounting.
In addition to the day-long programming, Sunset Social Club, which opened last year in West Hollywood as a private members-only club, opened its doors to those attending the conference. It provided a safe and comfortable space to consume cannabis, have additional conversations, and also demonstrated how far the movement has come since the days of the Cannabis Buyers Club. Yet still so far to go.
Cannabis Culture and Change Conference, the name was perfect, and the event had it all. As you go through your days, if by chance you find yourself frustrated building sandcastles on a beach that has an overly active tide of regulation and legacy, keep in mind that at the root of it all is compassion. Compassionate care for yourself and for the people you care about, and even those you don’t, because in the immortal words of Dennis Peron, ‘Love wins.’
Article written and images provided by Dina Nagib of Grass Goddess Consulting, and Chris Carroll of Hoodie Analytics
Featured Image from Emerald Village West Hollywood.
