2020 Cannabis Summit Speaker –

Lukas Barfield

After moving to Washington in 2003, he took a break from cannabis, only consuming socially, until 2013 when complications surrounding his blindness became more acute. He was ecstatic when he was approved for a “green card”   and walked next door into the jewelry store like atmosphere at Cannatonics in downtown Tacoma and made his first “legal” purchase of two grams of ” Chocalope” flower. He believes having easy access to cannabis greatly improved his quality of life, and since 2014 has been dedicated to improving medical cannabis in Washington State. Nowadays, Lukas writes for Ganjaprenuers, produces cannabis content for 2 LP FM stations in Tacoma,  serves on the WSLCB “Cannabis Advisory Council” and uses his experience to teach cannabis and radio continuing education classes at Tacoma Community College.   Despite his blindness, He is a successful indoor and outdoor cannabis grower, processor and crafts free custom infused Cannigars for friends and family, a brand he’s looking to eventually take into the I-502 market. Going forward, Lukas is looking to a more socially equitable and accessible cannabis industry in Washington State and beyond. 

Lukas grew up in the Southeastern US. He noticed cannabis at an early age around the creek banks, beaches and gatherings his parents frequented. The blind kid from Alabama wouldn’t know what the “herby” smell was until his teens, but cannabis’s friendly aroma always felt familiar and of home. It wasn’t until his late teens that he tried cannabis for the first time. It didn’t take long for him to notice it was something he could count on to help him deal with symptoms related to his blindness, but not much was known about medical cannabis in the early 90’s.  Lukas used cannabis “recreationally” throughout his twenties,  navigating a maze of Alabama dirt roads, racially motivated cannabis laws and countless police roadblocks. 

Throughout his twenties, Lukas would have many encounters with the police, often narrowly escaping arrest by hiding or disposing of cannabis. No matter how much cannabis he was carrying, there was always a plan on how to ditch the medicine. Lukas readily acknowledges privilege and a lot of luck helped him escape arrest in those days. However, many of his friends would not be so lucky, losing their careers, freedom, and even their lives in the drug war.  He would later attend the University of West Florida and earn a BS in Environmental Policy all along using cannabis under the threat of arrest.