Joy in the Fall of 1995 at her historic
hemp store in Woodstock, NY
Joy Beckerman, Principal
Professional Hemp Consulting, Legal Support, Expert Witness & Educational Services
Over 30 Years in the Hemp & Cannabis Movements
Joy's Professional Memberships
& Non-Profit Leadership Positions
Member
- National Federation of Paralegal Associations -
- Washington State Paralegal Association -
-International Hemp Building Association -
- Women in Nutraceuticals -
Center for the Study of Cannabis & Social Policy
www.CannabisAndSocialPolicy.org
President, Board of Directors
U.S. Hemp Roundtable
www.HempSupporter.com
Past Executive Vice President, Board of Directors
Past Chair, Law & Science Committee
Past Chair, Federal Lobbying Committee
U.S. Hemp Authority
www.USHempAuthority.org
Past Vice President, Board of Directors
Past Technical Committee
Hemp Industries Association
Past President, Board of Directors
2019 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
2014 National Activist of the Year Award Recipient
NORML
www.NORML.org
Past National Board of Directors
About Joy Beckerman & Hemp Ace International
Experience ∙ Standards ∙ Ethics ∙ Accuracy
Joy Beckerman has been involved in the hemp movement and industries for over thirty years, and her extraordinary knowledge and passion for this versatile, valuable crop is contagious! Often referred to as a "hemp encyclopedia," Joy is the Principal at Hemp Ace International, a Seattle-based consulting, legal support, and expert witness firm serving the global hemp fiber, grain and extract communities. Joy is also a sought after regulatory specialist in the rapidly-developing field of non-intoxicating hemp-derived cannabinoids; and she serves on the Advisory Boards of the National Hemp Growers Cooperative, Environmental Living Industries and Colorado Hemp Works, America's first post-prohibition hemp grain processing facility.
Joy's dynamic and engaging world class presentations are enhanced by her global network of hemp agronomists, farmers, researchers, innovators and experts. Joy has contributed thousands of hours to the hemp and cannabis movements across decades, using her grassroots organizing, advocacy and professional legal support skills to advance legalization and common sense regulation, and to educate the public, farmers, business owners, academia, lawmakers and regulators. A representative list of Joy's historic body of non-profit leadership roles is to the right.
Joy opened the first hemp store in the State of New York, in Woodstock, in the early 1990's. She also led her first legalization march and rally at that time. Joy then relocated her family to serve as Secretary to the Vermont Hemp Council and to help develop the Vermont hemp retail industry on the heels of the passage of Vermont's first hemp bill in 1996. While continuing her work in hemp, Joy commenced an extensive dual career in compliance and complex civil litigation support in Washington State, supporting some of the West Coast’s most distinguished attorneys at such firms as Littler Mendelson, Dorsey & Whitney and Lee Smart. In addition to working on the high-profile Exxon Valdez and Enron cases against those corporations, Joy has been the Lead Paralegal for numerous multi-million-dollar civil lawsuits, including the largest municipal securities fraud litigation in the history of Washington State. Her vast professional and hemp experience well serves her roles as an effective advisor and respected voice and leader in shaping law, regulation and standards in the emerging hemp industries. Joy is an internationally renowned public speaker, writer, and authority; and in addition to conducting continuing legal education seminars for practicing attorneys regarding hemp, she regularly presents at conferences and institutions of higher learning, and frequently contributes to media coverage.
Joy founded Hemp Ace International in 2014. Permaculture and regenerative agriculture are at the foundation of Joy’s mission, and they play a fundamental role in her work and purpose. Among multiple recognitions, Joy received the Hemp Industries Association’s 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award and 2014 National Hemp Activist of the Year Award. She works with lawmakers and regulators at the federal level and in multiple states as a grassroots advocate, both proactively and upon request. Responsible, educated stewardship of the valuable, versatile hemp crop and industries is Joy’s calling and driving force.