Jesce Horton steps down as director of Minority Cannabis Business Association

(This story has been updated from an earlier version.)

Citing a desire to spend more time with his family, a founding member and longtime leader of the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) has resigned as the organization’s executive director and board chair.

Jesce Horton, 34, who helped found the MCBA  in 2015, tendered his resignation last month, according to a Jan. 8 news release from the organization.

During Horton’s tenure, the MCBA partnered with Marley Natural to wipe clean the cannabis-related criminal records of 100-plus individuals and helped draft a groundbreaking model for a race equity-focused MJ legalization bill.

In 2014, Horton founded a marijuana cultivation company, Panacea Valley Gardens, and co-founded the Panacea dispensary, both in Portland, Oregon.

The organization is conducting a search for a permanent director, according to the news release.

In other MCBA news, the organization has elected a 16-person board of directors for 2018 and promoted Shanita Penny to board president.

Penny is a management consultant who previously served as vice president of the board.