Explore the history, science, and road to legalization.
This presentation explores the history and science of cannabis, tracing its path from ancient and indigenous use through the fear-driven era of “Reefer Madness,” prohibition, and eventual legalization. Along the way, we’ll examine how myths, policy, and research have influenced how society understands the plant today.
About the Presenter:
Gary Bracelin is an entrepreneur and industry leader raised in Southern Oregon with more than 30 years of experience building and advising companies in highly regulated and emerging markets. He is a founding partner of Tokyo Starfish, a vertically integrated cannabis company operating cultivation, wholesale, and three retail locations in Oregon. He has been actively involved in the legal cannabis industry since its earliest days, helping navigate the transition from prohibition to regulation with a focus on compliance, community impact, and responsible business practices.
Gary is a board member of the Deschutes County Cannabis Advisory Panel appointed by the County Board of Commissioners and a founding member of the Cascade Cannabis Association in Deschutes County, as well as a member of CIAO (Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon), the organization that helps shape cannabis regulation in the state. He is also a co-owner of Drop Thesis, a licensed psilocybin service center in Bend, Oregon, and the founder of Bend Outdoor Worx, the nation’s first independent outdoor industry accelerator—bringing a cross-industry perspective shaped by decades in outdoor, wellness, and emerging cultural movements.
2026 A Novel Idea Book Selection:
Supersonic charts the rise of a boomtown city in the American West where ambition outpaces memory. In the present day, PTA president Sami Hasegawa-Stalworth is determined to rename her daughter’s elementary school after her late grandmother—a beloved music teacher and Japanese internment survivor. What begins as a symbolic family gesture spirals into a kaleidoscopic, multi-generational story of struggle—for and against change, and over who gets to define the future.
Through interwoven lives—an opioid-addicted 19th-century conman, a disgraced Navy seaman building a jet that will fly faster than sound, a stay-at-home dad turned weed entrepreneur, and a family haunted by the ghosts of progress—Supersonic reveals how each era tries to remake the same ground beneath its feet. At once intimate and panoramic, the story channels the restless energy that propels the West.
About the Author:
Thomas Kohnstamm was born and raised in Seattle. He still lives in the same house he grew up in—now with his wife and two children. A freelance writer for over twenty years, he’s been a Spanish & Portuguese translator, travel writer, video & animation producer and has covered subjects ranging from rainforest conservation to quantum computing to backcountry skiing. Supersonic is his third book.
Learn more about A Novel Idea
Questions? Contact laurelh@deschuteslibrary.org
AGE GROUP: | Adult |
EVENT TYPE: | Adult Program |
The Redmond Library has a varied collection of English and Spanish language materials for adults, teens, and children. English and Spanish-language programs are offered for all ages.
