Charlo Greene Says “F*ck It” and Quits TV to Run Cannabis Business

Charlo Greene, KTVA-TV  (ex) reporter in Anchorage, Alaska, quit her job on air following a news report on the Alaska Cannabis Club – a local group advocating for the legalization of cannabis. Greene (legal name Charlene Egbe) revealed herself as the owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club saying, “Now everything you’ve heard is why I, the actual owner of the Alaska Cannabis Club, will be dedicating all of my energy toward fighting for freedom and fairness, which begins with legalizing marijuana here in Alaska.” Greene finished her statement with a mic dropping sign-off that can only be described as badass, “And as for this job, well, not that I have a choice but, fuck it, I quit.”

Cannabis users can only admire the riveting way Greene quit her job live while working, however, the news station was much less enthusiastic with their former employee. KTVA 11 News made clear their disapproval of Greene’s remarks, releasing the following statement on Facebook, “Dear Viewers, [w]e sincerely apologize for the inappropriate language used by a KTVA reporter during her live presentation on the air Sept. 21. The employee has been terminated.”

Quite comically, the station claims to have “terminated” an employee who quit after dropping an ‘F-bomb’ and walking off the set. According to Greene, the station had no idea that she ran the club she was reporting on, or that she was going to quit on air. When asked by Dispatch News why she quit in such a sensational way, Greene replied, “Because I wanted to draw attention to this issue. And the issue is medical marijuana… If I offended anyone, I apologize, but I’m not sorry for the choice that I made,” says Greene.

Greene then released the following video on the Alaska Cannabis Club’s YouTube page to explain her decision to quit her job and dedicate herself full-time to cannabis legalization:

Near the end of the video, Greene challenges cannabis users to start conversations with friends and acquaintances and share what she calls their “My Marijuana Story” with others, to show that cannabis users are responsible, contributing members of society just like anyone else.

The Alaska Cannabis Club is a business that connects medical cannabis card holders who need cannabis, with card holders already in possession of cannabis. From the website itself, “THE ALASKA CANNABIS CLUB DOES NOT DISTRIBUTE MARIJUANA… BUT the club does connect medical marijuana cardholders in need to medical marijuana cardholders with green.” Thanks to Alaska’s 1998 Medical Marijuana Act, it is legal for medical card holders suffering from cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, MS and other ailments to possess and grow small amounts of cannabis, with a doctor’s certification.

But the Alaska Cannabis Club and other state advocates argue that the laws are insufficient to legally and safely allow cardholders access to the cannabis they need. Under current law, cardholders may grow and possess small quantities of cannabis, but there is no clear delineation as to how users can buy the substance if they cannot grow it for themselves. A cardholder may still grow cannabis for their own use or give it away to other cardholders for free, but the sale of cannabis in Alaska is still quite illegal. The Alaska Cannabis Club operates in this legal gray area by having club members give “donations” covering the cost of growing the substance to the person growing the plants, who then give club members their product technically for free.

It is a difficult legal situation to have to circumnavigate, which is why Alaskan advocates, including the Alaska Cannabis Club, are pushing for new legislation. On November 4th, Alaskans will vote on Ballot Measure No. 2, which would “allow a person to possess, use, show, buy, transport, or grow set amounts of marijuana, with the growing subject to certain restrictions.”

Greene has set up an IndieGoGo page to collect donations for her group’s marijuana advocacy work, to promote the measure to improve Alaska’s state laws on cannabis use.