Founder & Principal

Joy Beckerman has been involved in the hemp movement and industries for over thirty years, and her extraordinary knowledge and passion for this versatile, valuable crop are contagious. Often referred to as a “hemp encyclopedia,” Joy is the Principal at Hemp Ace International, a Seattle-based consulting, legal support, and expert witness firm serving the global hemp fiber, grain and extract communities; and is a sought-after regulatory specialist in the rapidly-developing field of non-intoxicating, hemp-derived cannabinoids. She is an internationally renowned public speaker and frequently presents at conferences, institutions of higher education and continuing legal education seminars. Joy serves on the Advisory Boards of the National Hemp Growers Cooperative, Environmental Living Industries and Colorado Hemp Works, America's first post-prohibition hemp grain processing facility.

Joy has contributed thousands of hours to the hemp and cannabis movements across decades, using her professional skills to advance the hemp economy and commonsense regulation through grassroots advocacy, education and organization; and she has played an integral role in shaping law and regulation in multiple states. After many years of service to the Center for the Study of Cannabis & Social Policy (CASP), Joy now serves as CASP’s President. Joy is Past President and Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient of the Hemp Industries Association (founded in 1994); Past Vice President of the U.S. Hemp Authority; Past Executive Vice President of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable; and Past Hemp Liaison Director of National NORML.

In the early 1990’s, Joy opened the first hemp store in the State of New York. Upon passage of Vermont’s first hemp bill in 1996, Joy relocated her family to serve as Secretary to the Vermont Hemp Council and to help develop the Vermont hemp retail industry. While continuing her work in hemp, she commenced an extensive dual career in compliance and complex civil litigation support in Seattle, supporting some of the West Coast’s most distinguished attorneys and serving as Lead Paralegal for numerous multi-million-dollar civil lawsuits. Permaculture and ethics are the foundation of Joy’ mission and they play fundamental roles in her work and purpose.