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Planning for the Future & the Causes We Care About

Now that I have retired, I've been thinking more about self-care, future care, and the decisions that come with planning for the next chapter of life. Over the next few years, I'll be making some important decisions about my assets, end-of-life wishes, power of attorney, advance directives, and finding my forever home. Part of that planning also involves thinking about the causes I care about and how I can continue supporting them long into the future.

One way to do that is through legacy giving.

For nearly 30 years, I've been involved with several nonprofit organizations, both as a member and as a board director. Currently, I serve on the Board of Directors of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to integrating medical cannabis into the U.S. healthcare system. ASA works to expand safe and legal access to medical cannabis, protect patients' rights, improve product safety, and advance policies that recognize cannabis as a legitimate medicine.

With all the attention medical cannabis has received recently, particularly around federal rescheduling, you might think that safe access is now a reality nationwide. Unfortunately, that is far from the case.

The April 2026 rescheduling order issued by the Acting Attorney General marked a historic change in federal policy. It moved qualifying state-licensed medical cannabis into Schedule III. This represented a significant departure from Schedule I, a classification reserved for substances considered to have no currently accepted medical use in the United States. The change reflects the federal government's recognition that cannabis has accepted medical uses, but it does not mean that every patient can obtain safe, affordable, and reliable medical cannabis.

State medical cannabis programs have been invaluable laboratories of democracy, allowing patients to access treatment and giving healthcare professionals opportunities to gain clinical experience. Yet important gaps remain in patient protections, research, product safety standards, and access to care.

For patients with autism, MS, cancer, chronic pain, and chronic sleeplessness, medical cannabis can be a valuable solution for symptoms (though not a cure for the condition). I want to see research continue (even if we are merely replicating studies conducted outside of the U.S., e.g., Israel). Patients are ready for breakthroughs on the many minor cannabinoids, such as CBG, CBC, CBN, and THCV (among the other 120 cannabinoids that have already been identified), including many that are non-intoxicating. THC and CBD can be a solution, but we have much to learn about the natural compounds found in cannabis.

I believe Americans for Safe Access will have an important role to play for decades to come, and I want to make sure they have the resources to continue. The progress we've made over the past three decades didn't happen on its own, and the work of integrating medical cannabis into healthcare is far from finished.

Legacy giving offers a way to help sustain that work for future generations. According to Giving USA, charitable bequests accounted for approximately 10% of all charitable giving in the United States in 2025. These gifts help nonprofit organizations plan for the future and continue pursuing goals that may take years, or even decades, to accomplish.

As I consider my own legacy giving, I like knowing that I can contribute, even in a small way, to building a better future for patients and their caregivers. I may not be around to see every breakthrough in cannabis research or every improvement in patient access, but I can help support the people and organizations working to make those advances possible.

If you're planning for your own future, I hope you'll consider including Americans for Safe Access in your legacy plans. It's one way we can help ensure that the progress patients have fought so hard to achieve continues for generations to come.

Whether through a bequest in your will, a beneficiary designation, or another planned gift, you can make a lasting difference. Learn more about how to support the future of medical cannabis patients through Planned Giving and Memorial Gifts to Americans for Safe Access.

About the Author

Mary Shapiro serves on the Board of Directors of Americans for Safe Access and is a newly retired attorney who specialized in cannabis law, intellectual property, and consumer protection. A longtime advocate for cannabis policy reform, Mary has worked to bridge federal intellectual property law and state cannabis regulations. Her commitment to nonprofit service and patient protections continues to shape her work and her approach to legacy giving.