 When we look back at the dynamism, not just of marijuana reform, but even broader drug policy reform in the U.S., we look back at the breakthrough in California with medical marijuana in 96, and all that followed from that. But in fact, that victory built on the work of another activist, a patient activist, Robert Randall. Robert Randall was the fellow living with glaucoma who sued the federal government for the right to use marijuana medically and actually won the right for the federal government to provide him with his marijuana as medicine. He then proceeded to educate a generation of activists to fight for changes in state laws, to produce the materials, and so we call our award for citizen action the Robert Randall Award. I'll tell you something else about this award. There's no award for which there are a greater number of nominees. I mean, oodles of nominees, and we haven't figured out at DPA how to recognize all the activists who merit recognition. So we typically give out two Randall awards, which we're gonna do tonight. I'm gonna ask two of my colleagues who you both all saw rock the house in days past. First, Ashabandeli to present the first, and Cassandra Federique to present the second. I'm gonna try to get, don't do it now. Y'all know I'm a double border sign. I'm gonna try to get through this without crying. But I won't get through it without a confession. When I first began doing this work 10 and a half years ago at the Drug Policy Alliance, I managed very carefully who I told what I did. I was scared. The space to be a mother in this world is limited. The frame of what it means to be a good mother narrowed ever more by the moralists, or the people who consider themselves moralists. And for me as a single black woman whose husband was in prison, I often felt there was an agency out there just ready to take my baby at any moment. And so I was quiet quite often. I was scared. But working at the Drug Policy Alliance and being given the great privilege to run its grants program allowed me to meet and make partners with an incredible woman, Gretchen Burns Bergman. She refused to be silent when her own precious babies were struggling. She refused to be silent no matter what it said to her neighbors and her friends, no matter what it did, sitting up there. She refused to be silent. That refusal gave me so much courage to not just be an advocate but to be a loud and proud mama advocate. And so Gretchen, my partner, my friend, my sister from another mister, for all that you have done from starting a new path which gathered and called together the parents, for all that you did to bring them together to pass Proposition 47, which in 2000 was the single largest criminal justice reform that the United States had ever seen, for all that you did to organize mom, you's knighted, who brought together a moral voice, a moral undergirding to now see the single largest criminal justice reform the United States has ever seen. And this very week to take that message to the ONDCP and Michael Botticelli and tell them very clearly what mothers have to say is needed to ensure that the world knows that all of our children's lives have value on behalf of me and on behalf of all of my colleagues at the George Policy Alliance, on behalf of the parents you've inspired into action, on behalf of the lives you'll work around, good Samaritan laws and naloxone access, the lives you will never know you have saved. You will never know who you have saved, Gretchen. And most of all, I stand here on behalf of your sons and I am honored beyond words to present you with the Robert C. Randall Award for Citizen Action. Thank you for this recognition and wow to be recognized and introduced by the ASHA, amazing. I'm so humbled to be included in the honorees with the honorees this evening. Their work is so incredible. And Ethan, seriously, one minute, have you ever asked a mom to speak for one minute and gotten what you wanted? I'd like to sort of recognize some of the other honorees that are incredible. Vocal, New York, your voices. And the work that you're doing is so critically important. And Ira Glasser, I think you're over there. This is for you. I love our moms and cops partnership. It's powerful. There's a lot of fiercely wonderful women that really deserve this award with me. And I'd like to recognize a few of them. Caroline Stewart, Julia Negron, Denise Cullen. I want to name you all, but I'm aware of the time. So would you please, if you're a path member or a mom's united person, a mother or an other that works with me, would you please stand up quickly? In 1971, I became a mother for the first time, my son, Elon. Five days later, President Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs. Little did I know then that this war would be waged for over 40 plus plus years and be decimating families, destroying communities and countries around the globe and taking away our liberties and losing our children's lives. I started speaking out because I had to because silence would mean that I was accepting the stigma and the shame. I spoke out so that others would be encouraged to speak out because I knew that moms' families were the silent majority and they needed permission. This is a human rights issue. I must speak out, there is no other option. I want to thank my two sons who definitely took the road less traveled and their painful journeys brought me to this mission, but for that now I'm grateful. I really love my two sons, you probably can tell. I love their courage, their resilience. I'm very proud of them and I love them so deeply and by the way they're both in recovery and they're alive and well and smarter and intelligent and wonderful. I want to thank my husband who's been so supportive, both emotionally and also with his sage advice from a medical perspective. And I want to thank my friends and family. They've loved me, despite me. It's not easy sometimes to be around me. I'm very driven, I'm very tenacious, I'm very stubborn, so thank you for loving me anyway. It's gratifying to finally be hearing legislators, decision makers talking about treating drug use and addiction as a public health problem. Da, to be talking about harm reduction. To be addressing the overdose crisis and finally, to be talking about ending mass incarceration. But we still have a long way to go and I'm gonna be there. I'm getting kind of old, but I'm gonna be there. I won't stop. I love the Drug Policy Alliance. I wish I could name every one of you that I've been able to interact with over these years. I deeply respect you. I feel so honored to be able to work with you. I won't stop. Thank you for being there with me.