The long-time advocate for racial equality in the cannabis industry was stripped of her university Regent duties after she spoke out against harmful stereotypes at the school.
Back in the 80s, when many college students were trying to disguise the distinct smell of the marijuana they smoked, Wanda James believed there was no reason to hide it. A 1986 graduate of the University of Colorado Boulder (UC), she’d hang out on the steps outside her dorm and roll joints with her friends. But, it was only after college when she’d realize the unfairness of marijuana laws in the U.S., which led to Black Americans being imprisoned at much higher numbers than white Americans, even though both groups used it at similar rates.
The discovery inspired her to commit her life to fighting this issue.
It would take decades before Colorado became one of the first states to legalize recreational cannabis, and by then, James had already made great strides in her career.
She is a former Navy lieutenant, the first Black woman to complete CU’s ROTC program. In 2022, she was elected by the district to her alma mater’s Board of Regents, one of the most powerful boards in the state, making history as the first Black woman to hold this position in over 44 years. And as the first African American (she and her husband, Scott Durrah, have been pioneers in the space since 2004) to obtain a license to legally sell cannabis and open a dispensary in the United States, she also became a strong advocate for racial justice in the ever-evolving cannabis industry.
Throughout her profession, James has owned several cannabis businesses, which included an edible company and the addition of another dispensary. She knew that these endeavors had afforded her a platform to speak about the injustices within the cannabis business. And by becoming a respected leader in a field that has often harmed Black and Latino communities, she aimed to empower minorities who have been unfairly targeted in neighborhoods that were hotbeds for high marijuana arrest rates. Additionally, she continues to push for greater representation of people of color in leadership positions within the cannabis field.
Now, her bravery and strong dedication to the communities she serves have placed her at the center of a major media firestorm. This backlash, according to James, began after she criticized an anti-marijuana ad campaign by the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. The campaign, titled “The Tea on THC,” used racist illustrations to warn parents and the public about the risks of cannabis.
The ad, created by Initium Health, targeted individuals under the age of 25 and pregnant women. It included images of dark-skinned men, one of whom was holding a baby, along with messages highlighting the harmful effects of marijuana, such as laziness and poor academic performance.
James says that because of her criticism, she was punished and lost her duties as a Regent by CU’s Board of Regents during a special virtual meeting which was held on July 2.
According to a report from 9News, an NBC affiliate television station in Denver, Colorado, the university agreed with James’s concerns and removed the images from the campaign. However, rather than working with her to develop more thoughtful and inclusive strategies moving forward, they launched an investigation into her actions and accused her of abusing her political connections. This seemed to be their way of justifying the disciplinary measures they took against her.
James stated that the board claimed she broke various rules, including those related to conflicts of interest, fiduciary duties, political and social expression, academic freedom and conduct. They alleged that she urged Colorado Governor Jared Polis to withdraw funding from the campaign and redirect it to social equity programs, which they argued compromised her role as a Regent because, since she’s also a cannabis entrepreneur, she felt her business might suffer due to the ad.
“None of the Regents stood with me at all. The leadership was lukewarm. They took down the images, and then from there, it was over for a month,” James said in an interview. “And then a month after that, the board chair and vice chair sent out a memo on me, and the memo was completely just not true, and that’s what started this whole ball rolling.”
The censure takes James off all committee roles and prevents her from officially speaking for the university, but she still keeps her elected position until 2029. Still, this had led to an onslaught of harsh public and media fallout that seeks to damage her reputation.
“Their allegations come back to the fact that somehow or another, speaking out against the university, or speaking out against this program somehow violated a fiduciary responsibility that I have to the university,” James said. “However, I will say that my fiduciary responsibility to this university is to ensure that we do not put out racist and harmful images that are harmful.”
James attended the meeting, where supporters were present, from Brother Jeff’s Cultural Center, a space which fosters history, cultural diversity and economic development in communities of color, located in the historic Five Points District in Northeast Denver. She denied these claims against her and consistently maintains she did nothing wrong.
The university Regents—James’s fellow Democrats included—voted 7-1 to censure her. Only Regent Nolbert Chavez voted against the censure, while James abstained from participating in the vote.
Democratic Regent Elliott Hood, who backed the censure, stated that James continued to attack the program publicly and undermined the integrity of its research, despite the organization’s removal of the images.
“And even if you believed, as a cannabis advocate, that the program’s research findings were inaccurate, you cannot put your interests or the interests of your trade above that of the university that you serve and lead,” Hood said in the meeting.
James strongly responded to her sanctions.
“What kind of bullshit is this, y’all?” she asked. “I am being targeted for raising my voice against a campaign that demeaned, dehumanized and harmed the Black community.”
James also challenged the claim that she had any impact on funding decisions. She explained that the money for the campaign was set aside before she was able to see the campaign and its details.
“The governor proposed cutting the funds for the Tea on THC campaign three months before I’d even seen the campaign,” she said. “The narrative that I used my influence to defund the program, is once again, flat out false, the decision had already been made.”
Even though Polis’s office didn’t reply to the university’s investigation, just before the special meeting began, the governor’s representatives made a formal statement that he “does not have any recollection of speaking to Regent Wanda James during the time the administration was developing the 2025-2026 budget submission.”
The board went ahead and voted to censure James anyway.
This raises the question: why did Polis’s administration wait until the day of the meeting to clarify that he and James did not discuss the Tea on THC campaign, instead of getting involved in the investigation earlier?
“We did not feel compelled to engage in what seems to be a fishing expedition, and it’s disappointing to see Regent Wanda James being scolded for shining a light on the obvious and insensitive nature of how these funds were being used,” a spokesperson for the governor explained.
9News has also reported that Polis mentioned he had already suggested cutting the campaign’s funding in his November budget proposal “due to concerns about waste and prior insensitive campaigns.”
James called the censure racially motivated.
“This isn’t about anything except for I wielded a little bit too much power to make them comfortable,” she said. “They effectively silence the Black community in Colorado.”
The penalties prevent James from attending university events, which includes graduation ceremonies and sporting competitions in her official capacity. She has retained legal representation regarding the matter from Rathod Mohamedbhai LLC.
“So, I guess I’m not allowed to go to the football games. I’ll talk to Coach Prime about that,” James said in the meeting. “You’re going to tell Black students that you’re not going to allow me to go to a graduation or a football game because I stood up for racism a little bit too hard. Oh, my God.”
The penalties could be revised or lifted before James’s term ends in 2029.
In a statement released in March, Callie Rennison, the Chair of the CU Board of Regents and Ken Montera, the Vice Chair, said they asked for an independent review of James’s alleged conduct.
The statement reads in part: “As the Chair and Vice Chair of the Board of Regents, we have requested an independent review of Regent Wanda James’ recent efforts to eliminate certain state funding for the Colorado School of Public Health.”
In April, the Chair and Vice Chair issued another statement, which reads in part: “We wanted to take a moment to provide an update on the independent review we requested on March 18, 2025. University Counsel’s Office has hired outside counsel to perform the review and report back to the Board concerning any possible regent law or policy violations.”
James mentioned that over $300,000 has been spent on the independent review.
To date, the findings from that review have not been made public.
On Sunday night, July 13, 2025, Attorney General Phil Weiser, who was also running for Governor, posted a thread on X, formerly Twitter, acknowledging James’s First Amendment rights had been violated.
