Former Alaska Senator Gravel named chief executive of cannabis products company

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01/01/2015 24:19

By Steve Quinn 
    JUNEAU, Alaska, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Democratic 
Senator Mike Gravel, who represented Alaska in the 1970s, said 
on Wednesday he would head a Nevada company that develops and 
markets cannabis throat lozenges and other products in states 
that have taken steps to legalize weed. 
    Gravel, 84, will run KUSH, a subsidiary of publicly traded 
Cannabis Sativa Inc, where Gravel previously served nine months 
on the board of directors, the company said in a statement. 
    "We need to decriminalize drugs and treat them as a health 
problem," Gravel, who lives in California, told Reuters. "You 
should go see a doctor on the subject, not a sheriff, a police 
officer or a warden." 
    Gravel's appointment comes two months after Alaska and 
Oregon voted to legalize marijuana use for recreational purposes 
in ballot initiatives that would usher in a network of retail 
shops, similar to those operating in Washington state and 
Colorado. 
    Despite marijuana being considered illegal by the federal 
government, Gravel joins investors showing increased eagerness 
to venture into budding state-by-state cannabis markets.    
Former New Mexico Republican Governor Gary Johnson is the chief 
executive of Cannabis Sativa  CBDS.OB . 
    Alaska's new law takes effect in late February, putting the 
state on a nine-month clock to establish regulations governing 
the taxation and sale of marijuana. Applications for the first 
business licenses would not be accepted until February 2016. 
    Gravel said the company would form partnerships with 
producers to manufacture and sell its products, including a 
lozenge called "Kubby," in states that have sanctioned 
recreational cannabis, as well as the nearly two dozen states 
that allow its medicinal use. 
    Gravel served in the Senate from 1969 to 1981. In 2008, he 
first sought the Democratic presidential nomination and then 
joined the race to become the Libertarian Party nominee. 
     
 
 (Reporting by Steve Quinn; Editing by Eric M. Johnson and Peter 
Cooney) 
 ((Eric.m.johnson@thomsonreuters.com; +1 206 922 2907; Reuters 
Messaging: Eric.M.Johnson.reuters.com@reuters.net; Twitter: 
ByEricJohnson)) 
 
Keywords: USA MARIJUANA/ALASKA