The National Institute of Cannabis Health and Education (NICHE) has announced that Dr. Jenna Valleriani has been appointed to the position of CEO.
“Dr. Valleriani is very well-respected in the academic and cannabis community and we are very pleased that she is taking this leadership role with NICHE,” said Barinder Rasode, founder of NICHE and current CEO of Grow Tech Labs (GTL). “She will be a valuable resource for the organization as the team continues to provide public education and engagement activities across the country.”
Linda Stromberg, interim NICHE CEO, said “we are very pleased to welcome Dr. Valleriani to the team. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge about the medical benefits of cannabis and experience building relationships with leaders in government, industry and the academic community.”
According to a release, Dr. Valleriani is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the BC Centre on Substance Use, and Strategic Advisor for Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP). Her work has involved researching community-based cannabis substitution programs and the instrumental uses of cannabis.
The release notes she has also led youth and cannabis legalization engagement efforts with CSSDP, including leading the development of an evidence-based youth cannabis education toolkit, spearheading a youth roundtable and submission for the legalization Task Force consultations, and presenting to the federal government on youth engagement, education and cannabis legalization.
Rasode will be leaving the Board of Directors of NICHE in order to focus her attention on her new role as CEO of GTL, a business accelerator for Canadian and international companies innovating the medical and recreational cannabis industry.
Rasode says she will continue to provide an advisory role with NICHE to support the creation of public policy, research, education and new resources to assist all levels of government with legalization.
For more information on NICHE, visit nichecanada.com.
