10/24/2026
This message is from our CEO. We would love your vote!
Voting ends tomorrow!
I am incredibly honored to be nominated for an Americans for Safe Access (ASA) Award!
It has been a long and sometimes crazy road from receiving the first state-issued cannabis research license in the United States to growing over a million plants. I could not be more proud of what Kersten Beyer Gaba and I have built together ( Verda Bio Research).
Along the way, we've grown an amazing team, developed an incredible network of partners, sequenced cannabis genomes and made that data publicly available, contributed to the cannabis microbiome project, collaborated with leading universities, and completed over 1,000 genetic crosses. We've invented new breeding technology, developed plants that produce rare cannabinoids, and even built a consumer product brand inspired by a family member that has grown into something we're extremely proud of (Basic Jane Products).
The road has not been easy, and it certainly isn't getting easier. Like many companies in this industry, we're big enough to have real costs and responsibilities, but small enough that seemingly daily changes in the regulatory landscape can have an enormous impact on our business. There have been plenty of challenges, setbacks, and moments when we've wondered what on earth we signed up for.
But the science keeps us going. And we could not be more excited about what the next year holds, particularly as our rare cannabinoid research moves into its next chapter.
One of the things I find most exciting about this nomination is looking at how far cannabis science has come. We've gone from being a handful of scientists trying to explain to our friends and colleagues that we weren't crazy for wanting to study cannabis, to an industry filled with talented researchers, innovators, and advocates doing truly remarkable work.
My fellow nominees are incredibly deserving, and I am genuinely honored to be included among them. Winning would be wonderful, but seeing the caliber of people now working in this space might be the bigger win.
I can't wait to see what the next 10 years of cannabis science brings. If the last decade is any indication, we're just getting started.
And, of course, I'd love your vote!
https://www.safeaccessnow.org/csa2026_jessica_tonani .tab=0
Jessica Tonani and Verda Bio are expanding cannabis research beyond the handful of cannabinoids that dominate commercial products. Verda Bio operates a licensed research platform combining plant genetics, analytical testing, cultivation research, cannabinoid efficacy work, and real-world commerciali...
