Charlo Greene (born Charlene Egbe in

Lagos, Nigeria Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

) is a Nigerian-American

businesswoman A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

and former reporter/anchor for

KTVA KTVA (channel 11) is a television station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States, affiliated with the digital multicast network Rewind TV. The station is owned by Denali Media Holdings, a subsidiary of local cable provider GCI. KTVA's transmitter ...

television in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

. Greene received media notice after she quit her job on-air in September 2014 while covering a story on the Alaska Cannabis Club, a

medical cannabis Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana (MMJ), is cannabis and cannabinoids that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions ...

organization, revealing that she was the owner of the business.

Early life and education

Greene attended high school in Anchorage, Alaska, and earned a bachelor's degree in broadcast news from the

University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of Te ...

near Dallas.

Career and on-air resignation

Greene worked as an intern and production assistant at KXAS and KDAF in Dallas prior to becoming an anchor/reporter for WOAY and WOWK in West Virginia, WRWR in Georgia, WJHL in Tennessee, and KTVA in Alaska. In September 2014, Greene quit her job at KTVA on-air while covering a story on the Alaska Cannabis Club, a medical marijuana organization. In the news spot, Greene revealed that she was the owner of the club, and used profanity ("

Fuck ''Fuck'' is an English-language expletive. It often refers to the act of sexual intercourse, but is also commonly used as an intensifier or to convey disdain. While its origin is obscure, it is usually considered to be first attested to aro ...

it, I quit") after explaining that she was quitting in order to devote more time to advocate for marijuana reform in Alaska. The resulting video

went viral Viral phenomena or viral sensation are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the ter ...

, accumulating several million views across various online platforms, and has raised criticism over Greene's conflict of interest as she had reported on her own business. ''

High Times ''High Times'' is an American monthly magazine (and cannabis brand) that advocates the Legalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States, legalization of cannabis as well as other counterculture ideas. The magazine was founded in 1974 by ...

'' awarded Greene its ''Courage in Media Award'' at its 40th anniversary party in New York on October 16, 2014. The same month, ''

Elle ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the w ...

'' listed Greene as one of the "13 Most Potent Women in the Pot Industry". After her departure from KTVA, Greene opened an Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for marijuana reform, which raised over $10,000. She also worked with the Minority Cannabis Industry Association. In December 2016 Greene moved to Los Angeles, where she hosts ''The Weed Show''. As of 2021, Greene posts regularly to her Youtube channel dedicated to skin care.

Legal problems

In November 2014, the Alaska Public Offices Commission served Greene with a

subpoena A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...

, alleging that she had violated

campaign finance Campaign finance, also known as election finance or political donations, refers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Political parties, charitable organizations, and political ac ...

disclosure laws regarding

Alaska Measure 2 (2014) Alaska Measure 2 was a successful 2014 ballot measure in the U.S. state of Alaska, described as "An Act to tax and regulate the production, sale, and use of marijuana." The measure went into effect on 24 February 2015, allowing Alaskans age 21 a ...

, a measure that would legalize recreational marijuana use in Alaska. Greene objected to the subpoena, saying that the funds raised in her Indiegogo campaign were to be used toward worldwide marijuana advocacy and were not specifically earmarked for Ballot Measure 2. The commission rejected the subpoena, noting that while Greene's organization did not appear to violate campaign disclosure laws, she must still comply with the ongoing investigation. In January 2015, Greene and the Alaska Cannabis Club were evicted from a building they had been renting, a former Kodiak Bar and Grill location in Anchorage, for failing to obtain insurance in a timely manner. Greene's cannabis club was raided in June 2016 by local police. She was subsequently arrested and charged with several counts of misconduct involving a

controlled substance A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Single C ...

. In 2018 she pled guilty to one count, a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

, and was sentenced with a $10,000 fine but no jail time.

References

External links

Alaska Cannabis Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greene, Charlo American cannabis activists African-American television personalities Cannabis in Alaska Living people Businesspeople from Anchorage, Alaska University of Texas at Arlington alumni 1988 births American expatriates in Nigeria American women television journalists 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women