We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shaleen Title. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shaleen below.

Hi Shaleen, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents raised me with the principle of karma, meaning that one’s own intentions and actions matter most. It’s impacted my career because I try to focus less on the result and more on what I can control.

As a lawyer, if I see people being unfairly arrested due to an unjust law, I do my part to end that. As a regulator, if I’m part of a group making a decision, I make the best case I can and vote with my principles. As an activist, if I see harmful actors gathering excessive power to benefit themselves and hurt others, then even if it feels futile, I do what’s within in my control to stop that.

I focus on what I can do, not what I can’t do. Everyone has some level of control that they can exercise. The point is to focus on your own intentions and actions, not the results. That’s easier said that done, but in general, the practice has worked for me. It keeps you from giving up before you even get started.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a lawyer and adjunct professor focused on regulations for emerging industries including cannabis and artificial intelligence. I was previously a top cannabis regulator for the state of Massachusetts, where I served as a commissioner of the Cannabis Control Commission from 2017 to 2020. I teach a graduate course on cannabis policy, politics, and regulations at Thomas Jefferson University’s Institute of Emerging Health Professions.

As a parent, I am also involved in grassroots efforts to empower communities to navigate technology on their own terms, especially when it comes to AI and other Big Tech products being pushed in public schools.

I am particularly focused on the middle ground of regulation, preventing corporations from exploiting the most vulnerable while maintaining our rights against unchecked government power and surveillance. This means consumer protection, workers’ rights, and fair competition.

Since 2021, I have held the position of Distinguished Cannabis Policy Practitioner in Residence at The Ohio State University’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. My published reports examine current issues including racial justice, interstate commerce, and corporate capture. My paper Bigger is Not Better: Preventing Monopolies in the National Cannabis Market was SSRN’s second-most downloaded antitrust article in the world the year it came out.

My op-eds and other written work have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, and Marijuana Moment. I have been a founding board member of influential organizations including Parabola Center for Law and Policy, Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition, and Minority Cannabis Business Association. My work as a marijuana legalization activist spanned two decades, from being named a High Times Freedom Fighter in 2012 to “the people’s weed watchdog” in Boston Magazine’s 2019 Power List, and most recently a 2024 Forbes Cannabis Leader for my efforts advocating for people-centered cannabis laws.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I’m a strong believer that it’s always in your best interest professionally to tell the truth, whether or not it serves your financial interests. That propensity to tell the truth helped me most as a public official, when I didn’t speak in talking points or typical careful political language. When you focus on truth and clarity, your expertise shines through and the credibility you gain will be with you forever. The biggest compliment I’ve gotten is when people call me their north star or trusted guide, or, within cannabis, “the people’s weed watchdog.” I won’t always know the best course of action, but I will tell the truth about it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After more than 20 years in one field (cannabis policy), I realized that I want to pass the torch to fresh voices and perspectives. Legalization is something new now; it can’t be what we were doing 15 or even 10 years ago. There’s an urgent need for a new, more effective message, because the old approaches aren’t working, and there are new dynamics at play now that an ever-growing, ever-greedier profit motive has been created.

It’s not easy to find a new field after 20 years! But by transitioning from being an advocate on the ground to teaching grad students and mentoring new leaders, I was able to create space and find where else I can make an impact right now. That’s when it became clear that I can help my own community by participating in education, research, and working groups to regulate technology, especially in schools. I don’t want my family to be treated like a guinea pig for the benefit of tech companies. I believe that if we learn about community and we learn the basic skills of literacy and critical thinking, we can stand up for ourselves and our collective rights. Right now, schools are unfortunately trending away from teaching those skills, but we can change that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shaleentitle.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaleentitle/