Coffee, Courage, and Cannabis: Leading Change in the Regulated Marijuana Market

Abstract

As Washington approaches another anniversary of marijuana regulation, lessons learned serve as a reminder that courageous leadership is a critical component in successful forward movement in a complex, unstable authorizing environment. What does leadership look like in this context, and how is it experienced? Offered from the perspective of a pracademic and regulatory leader in the nascent marijuana industry in Washington State, this paper explores the underpinnings and practical application of complexity theory in both the public administration and leadership contexts, going beyond theoretical, metaphorical application, and actually engaging scholarship and complexity through the emerging theory of engaged complexity.