Ricardo Baca

Ricardo Baca is a 20-year veteran journalist and cannabis futurist, widely respected in both modern media and drug-policy circles. He was appointed The Denver Post’s first-ever cannabis editor and founded news vertical The Cannabist, where he extensively covered the advent of the U.S. adult-use cannabis market and related issues around the world, as seen in the feature documentary "Rolling Papers." Baca launched Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency, where he is CEO, in 2016 to work directly with business leaders in highly regulated industries, from cannabis to energy to traditional healthcare.

In 2023, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis appointed Baca to the state’s first-ever Natural Medicine Advisory Board to contribute to policy development around the state’s eventual psychedelics framework. Having been named one of Fortune’s 7 Most Powerful People in America’s Marijuana Industry and Marketer of the Year by AdCann, Baca has received numerous accolades for his trailblazing work, including the Denver Business Journal 2020 Small Business Award for Grasslands.

In addition to his previous journalistic coverage of drug policy, cannabis business and culture, Baca continues to host panel discussions at events nationwide and contribute columns for a number of top publications, including Rolling Stone. He is also a sought-after thought leader in media, cultural events and podcasts, and has spoken on "The Colbert Report" and NPR’s "All Things Considered" as well as at TEDxBoulder, TEDxMarin and SXSW.

A graduate of Metropolitan State University of Denver, Baca serves on the board of directors of Colorado Public Radio.