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Stormy Simon has been an e-commerce pioneer and executive at Overstock (OSTK), on the Board and then CEO of High Times, and is currently running as candidate for the District 21 seat in the Utah State House of Representatives. Stormy began her tenure at Overstock as a temp and eventually rose to president, and it is that drive and motivation that fuels Stormy to want to change the face of politics and our understanding of plant-based medicine, including cannabis. Stormy also lends her support to a number of boards, is a very active volunteer and also hosts the podcast Lunch with Stormy.
Topics include:
- 4:20 - After 15 years at Overstock - after starting at the bottom and getting close to the top of the company, Stormy decided to get into the cannabis industry and learn more about the plant. Instead of going for the money as she initially thought, Stormy felt compelled to go bigger than just making money.
- 8:00 - Stormy is currently running for Utah's House of Representatives and is campaigning for lessening the gender pay gap - Utah has the US's largest gender pay gap. Utah also pays the least per pupil in education - have to invest more in education. Wants to create change for women, all socioeconomic groups and for cannabis.
- 14:00 - Utah currently medically legal, but Stormy would like to see the ailment list be extended. Licenses went to out of staters and Stormy prefers more would have gone to local businesses. Happy with the baby steps so far, but believes in plant medicine over synthetic medicine.
- 19:00 - The process of politics is hard - have been in all three main parties at various times - but the current divide is real. Would hope that people vote based on person not party, but found that's not true.
- 28:00 - SAFE Banking Act - the fact that we're making it so difficult for tax paying cannabis companies is almost comical. Sign that traditional banking may be disrupted based on these types of onerous regulations. Blockchain may be that disruptor.
- 33:00 - Stormy joined the Board of High Times in 2017 and became CEO in 2020 and then resigned after four months. Definitely frustrated by how quickly the cannabis world has become like every other industry, but also encouraged by all the progress and opportunity for change in things like Mission Green that she supports and is active in.
