
About The JUSTUS Foundation
Who We Are
The scope of the Foundation's work is global. Every country that legalizes cannabis must come to grips with the legacy community that has been providing cannabis in that jurisdiction during prohibition. We recognize that if legacy operators are not welcomed into the legal market, they will continue their activities outside of it. Unburdened by regulatory costs and taxes, they will out compete.
Shifting the narrative from problem to opportunity.
The Foundation embarks on its work with a recognition that the legacy-to-legal opportunity is a new development in the evolution of the legal cannabis markets. Initially we look to understand the challenges of creating an inclusive, unified market, and then to identify the most promising, progressive and realistic solutions.

Meet the Team

COO
Scheril Murray Powell, Esq.
HIGH TIMES 100 TOP INFLUENCERS IN CANNABIS Scheril Murray Powell, Esq. is an Agricultural, Cannabis, and Dietary Supplement Attorney at Doumar, Allsworth, Laystrom, Voigt, Adair, and Dishowitz LLP.
She is the Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Sub-Committee of the ASTM D37 Committee.
The Daily Business Review has named her one of the Top 12 Cannabis Attorney’s in Florida. Her practice covers both the Marijuana and Hemp Industries, specializing in Cannabinoid legalization and UK Novel Foods registration. She is a Florida licensed Hemp Farmer and is a Research Farmer for the University of Florida.
Scheril serves on the Board of one of the oldest Cannabis Advocacy Organizations, Patients Out of Time. She is the former Executive Director of the Black Farmers and Agriculturalists of Florida and former Director of Federal Affairs for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Scheril is on the Hemp Pilot Program Advisory Board for the University of Florida and serves on the Broward County, Florida Medical Marijuana Advisory Board.
In her spare time she volunteers with the Winrock Foundation delivering Marketing training to Farmers in Ghana, Africa.

Founder
Steve DeAngelo
Steve DeAngelo is a globally recognized cannabis thought leader, expert & speaker who was dubbed “the father of the legal cannabis industry” by former Mayor of San Francisco & Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown.
As a lifelong activist, author, educator and entrepreneur, he has spent more than four decades on the front lines of the cannabis freedom movement.
His most notable business achievements include co-founding Harborside — one of the first six dispensaries licensed In the United States; the ArcView Group, the first dedicated cannabis angel investment network; and Steep Hill Labs, the first cannabis testing facility. Most recently, in 2019 Steve was the Founder of The Last Prisoner Project, which has grown into one of the most successful advocacy organizations in the movement, including the release of several prisoners serving life sentences.
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Steve’s mission is to bring the cannabis plant and cannabis freedom to every nation and every person on the planet.