MESQUITE, Nev., Oct. 12, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Cannabis Sativa, Inc. (CBDS) announced today that the Board of Directors has elected Stephen Downing as the Company’s Chairman of the Board. Mr. Downing stated, “I am honored to step into the shoes of my long-time colleague and drug war mentor, Judge Jim Gray and humbled that the CBDS board asked that I take on this important leadership position on behalf of our shareholders”.

Mr. Downing’s experience commanding the LAPD’s narcotic enforcement program has made him a nationally recognized advocate for finding an exit strategy to end the war on drugs.

“We are privileged to have Mr. Downing accept the Chairman position,” said CEO Mike Gravel, “He has been a go-to Independent Director, always asking the questions that needed to be asked and helping guide Cannabis Sativa through business decisions and regulatory challenges faced in the sector.”

Mr. Downing began a 20 year career with the Los Angeles Police Department as a patrol officer, rising through the ranks, and working assignments that included vice, narcotics, detectives, and staff and command positions. He ultimately was appointed to the rank of Deputy Chief of Police, where he oversaw the LAPD’s Special Investigations and Personnel and Training Bureau.

While still on the force, Downing wrote for numerous network television series.  After retiring from the LAPD, Mr. Downing expanded his creative endeavors into television production, working both as a writer and producer, becoming the executive producer of several well regarded tv shows including MacGyver, Robocop and Fx-The Series.

Mr. Downing is currently developing a screenplay that will tell the story of cannabis activist Shona Banda, a Chron’s disease sufferer, patient’s rights advocate and victim of the unintended consequences of the war on drugs.

About Cannabis Sativa, Inc.:
Cannabis Sativa, Inc. (“CBDS”) is engaged in the licensing of cannabis related intellectual property, marketing and branding for cannabis based products and services, operation of cannabis related technology services, and ancillary business activities. CBDS licenses the “hi” and “White Rabbit” brands, holds a U.S. patent on the Ecuadorian Sativa strain of Cannabis, owns patent pending and trade secret formulas and processes, offers the hi benefits discount pharmacy card, and operates subsidiaries including: Wild Earth Naturals, Inc., (wildearthnaturals.com), iBudtender (www.ibudtender.com)  and PrestoDoctor (www.prestodoctor.com). In addition, CBDS seeks strategic partners for acquisition of operating companies, intellectual property and other assets which fit within the CBDS corporate vision.

Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains “forward-looking statements.” Although the forward-looking statements in this release reflect the good faith judgment of management, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks that may affect our business, financial condition, results of operation and cash flows. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from those expected or projected. Underlying assumptions include without limitation, the ongoing enactment of legislation favorable to the production of and the commercialization of cannabis products and the Company’s success in capitalizing on that legislation. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this release.