2026 Fireman Award Goes to Advocate and Entrepreneur Weldon Angelos

Multistate operator MariMed and IgniteIt announced on Monday that longtime cannabis justice advocate and entrepreneur Weldon Angelos has been named the 2026 recipient of the Bob Fireman Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The honor was presented during the IgniteIt Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago, where the annual award recognizes executives who reflect the entrepreneurial drive, business success, and reform‑focused leadership exemplified by MariMed co‑founder and former CEO Bob Fireman.

Fireman, who died in 2022, was widely regarded as a pioneering attorney and early architect of the regulated cannabis industry. MariMed established the award in 2023 to honor leaders who demonstrate the same combination of ingenuity, integrity, and commitment to expanding access to legal cannabis that defined Fireman’s career.

“This gentleman is the embodiment of everything Bob Fireman believed in and supported, both as a change agent for reform and as the builder of a business,” MariMed chief communications officer Howard Schacter said as he presented the award to Angelos. “Bob would be thrilled that we’re honoring him with this year’s award.”

A Life Shaped by the System He Now Works to Change

Angelos said he sees a direct connection between his own path and the values the award was created to highlight. 

“Bob obviously cared about the same things I care about,” he said in a recent interview with IgniteIt. “He was very connected to the cause and the suffering of the people impacted by cannabis, and I feel connected because I was directly impacted myself.”

Angelos served 13 years of a 55-year sentence in federal prison for a cannabis offense involving a relatively small quantity of weed. 

“I essentially lost everything over $900 worth of cannabis,” he said. “I lost a dream career, I had two young sons, and I lost it all for cannabis.” 

Before his arrest, Angelos had built a promising career in music. 

“I used to be a producer. I worked with Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Nas, P!nk. I worked with a lot of musicians on a high level,” he said.

His arrest, incarceration, and eventual pardon in 2020 reshaped his trajectory. 

Turning Experience Into Mission

That mission became the foundation for Mission Green and his broader reform work. 

“I’ve helped change federal law, the first bipartisan major criminal justice reform since 1970 in the First Step Act,” Angelos said. “There will be no more Weldon Angeloses in our system.”

He has also built a business model that integrates advocacy into every part of his work. 

“Everything I do, I include my advocacy,” he said with sincerity. 

His brand, Reeform, was designed to merge entrepreneurship with purpose. 

“I created Reeform, where I put the word refer and reform together, because everything I do, I bring my mission with me,” he explained. 

The company provides grants, training, and job placement for people leaving prison after serving time for cannabis-related offenses. 

“We helped Luke Scarmazo find an 80- or 90-thousand-dollar-a-year job right out of prison,” he said.

What the Award Means

Humbly, Angelos said the recognition carries personal weight. 

“I don’t get selected too often for awards, so it’s good to see that somebody’s paying attention to the work that I’m doing,” he said. “The work that I’ve done is undeniable. We’ve changed federal law, state law, we’ve gotten thousands of people out of prison, dozens of people presidential clemency.”

Angelos added that he hopes the award helps broaden opportunities for others. 

“I’m hoping it highlights that people like myself can be successful in this industry if you give us a chance,” he said. “If you get behind us and believe in us, we can make successful companies as well.”