David Hurford
Vancouver, BC, Canada
BC Craft Farmers Co-Op
David Hurford has over 20 years of experience working in senior roles with federal, provincial and municipal governments, crown corporations, non-profit organizations and a top 40 global university. He was also National Policy Secretary for the Liberal Party of Canada from 2016 to 2018.
Throughout his career, David has been an active participant in the shaping of many drug policies in Canada. Among other things, David has helped:
- lead development of the Government of Canada’s original medical marijuana regulations and procurement plan as a special advisor to the Minister of Health between 1998 and 2002;
- implement Government of Canada’s hemp production guidelines and develop Natural Health Products Directorate as a special advisor to the Minister of Health between 1998 and 2002;
- negotiate terms with the City of Vancouver for the opening of Canada’s first safe injection site as a special advisor to Minister of Health between 1998 and 2002;
- organize Vancouver’s Four Pillars Coalition and facilitate the implementation of innovative heroin maintenance trials as Chief of Staff and Director of Communications for Mayor of Vancouver in 2007 and 2008;
- co-sponsor policy resolution at January 2012 Liberal Party of Canada’s biennial policy convention regarding the legalization of marijuana as Policy Chair for Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) British Columbia;
- lead the Liberal Party of Canada (BC)’s policy committee that published the “Legalization of Marijuana: Answering Questions and Developing a Framework” in 2013;
Over the past year (2019), David has been a special advisor to Vancouver’s Grow Tech Labs and supporting their efforts to establish an independent BC craft cannabis cooperative under the BC’s Cooperatives Act in collaboration with small producers, processors and retailers.
