2019-11-07 by The Michigan Daily

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Ann Arbor, Michigan

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Former UN Commissioner talks First license human rights, student leadership for recreational

cannabis given to A2 business

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein defined nine main threats in talk for Distinguished Lecture Series

Exclusive Brands aims to dominate local marijuana industry with new regulations HANNAH MCKAY Daily Staff Reporter

RITA VEGA/Daily Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein of Jordan, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaks on “Global Challenges to Human Rights Today,” in Weiser Hall Wednesday afternoon.

to speak broadly about the topic. Al Hussein’s record fighting for human rights globally, Tsutsui said, make him an ideal lecturer. “I can’t think of anybody who is a better spokesperson for human rights than the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,” Tsutsui said. Al Hussein began his lecture by defining universal human rights but quickly turned to criticize academics and universities for not doing enough to protect them. “On the face of it, you would have to believe that (human rights) are a weak force,” Al

JULIA RUBIN For The Daily

Around two hundred people gathered in Weiser Hall Wednesday night to hear Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, speak on the world’s greatest challenges to human rights. Sociology Professor Kiyoteru Tsutsui, director of the Donia Human Rights Center, said the Distinguished Lecture series invites speakers to campus who have both experience in human rights and the ability

Hussein said. “The mere fact that most universities don’t have human rights centers, and if they have human rights centers, they are small, usually underfunded, usually lodged in a law faculty, and even there, they struggle to find a position of prominence … Voldemort would be so proud.” Al Hussein identified nine main threats to human rights today: China, Russia, the United States under President Trump, authoritarian-minded leaders around the world, white supremacists, conservatives, leading

academics who attack the human rights agenda without proposing alternatives and economic elites. He argued as each of these actors work to erode the global infrastructure built to protect human rights, codifying protections into law is more important than ever. Al Hussein illustrated this point with the story of René Cassin, one of the original drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, who fought in World War I and lost over a dozen family members in the Holocaust. See RIGHTS, Page 3

At midnight on Nov. 1, 2019, the application for recreational marijuana licenses opened to Michigan businesses across the state. The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency, part of the Michigan State Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, began accepting these applications as part of their efforts to implement new regulatory framework for recreational use in the industry. Ann Arbor’s own Exclusive Brands, currently an operational medical marijuana facility, was the first business to apply for the licence. Narmin Jarrous, executive vice president of business development at Exclusive Brands, explained they were well prepared to capitalize on the opportunity. “We had a pre-qualification approval before we woke up on Friday morning, we submitted our pre-qualification application at 12:17 a.m., and we were the first approval later that morning,” Jarrous said. Omar Hishmeh, owner of Exclusive Brands, said he

and his company prioritize being first to implement new developments in the industry. “It’s always been a priority of ours to be the first at about anything in the industry,” Hishmeh said. “Anytime any new emergency rules or anything comes out, we adapt to them; any new opportunities, we actively start to pursue them as soon as possible. Basically, just staying on top of everything we can to remain a leading company in the marketplace here in Michigan.” Exclusive Brands has its f lagship location in Ann Arbor and currently services patients with a diverse array of medical marijuana products. Jarrous explained the current scope of the business and their approach to managing production locally. “Exclusive Brands is currently operational as a medical marijuana facility, so we were one of the first vertically integrated marijuana facilities in the state, so we have a grow, process and provisioning center in Ann Arbor,” Jarrous said. See MARIJUANA, Page 3

CEO talks Facebook Executive Alvin Bowles leadership discusses community in business strategies VP of Global Publisher Sales & Operations presents as part of Yaffe Speaker Series in lecture

Refugees reflect on stories of freedom

Author, Michael S. Erwin discussed importance of ignoring e-distractions

LiNK event seeks to redefine perception of North Korea in U.S.

BUSINESS

JENNA SITEMAN Daily Staff Reporter

Alvin Bowles, Facebook’s vice president of global publisher sales and operations, shared aspects of his life that have been crucial to his career, as well as recent controversies surrounding Facebook at talk Wednesday evening. About 350 people attended the talk, which was part of the Yaffe Speaker Series led by Marketing lecturer Marcus Collins at the Ross School of

SOFIA URBAN For The Daily

Michael S. Erwin, CEO of the leadership development institution Character & Leadership Center, presented to about 100 people in the Annenberg Auditorium of the Ford School of Public Policy on the topic of, “In A Distracted World, Solitude is Practice for Tomorrow’s Leaders.” The event was the product of the collaboration of University of Michigan Athletics, The Barger Leadership Institute and the LSA Opportunity Hub, along with other organizations. Erwin, a New York native, graduated from The U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a degree in Economics in 2002. After three tours in Afghanistan, he continued his education at the University of Michigan, where he studied positive psychology and leadership from 2009-2011. With his diverse academic background, he founded the community-based combat veteran support non-profit called the “Team Red, White & Blue.” He also founded the nonprofit “The Positivity Project,” which focuses on empowering youth with the knowledge to build positive relationships with themselves and others. See DISTRACTIONS, Page 3

Business. The series showcases individuals in business who are restructuring their fields. At the event, Bowles discussed many of the factors that lead him to where he is today, such as a strong community. Growing up in Detroit, he relied heavily on his family’s community ties and cultivated his own. As a student at the University of Michigan, he said he found an intricate web of support from students and alums that he still uses today. After graduating, he went on to work for JP Morgan

& Chase, Sony, Time Warner and eventually Facebook. Bowles said a strong sense of community in Ann Arbor helped him get out of his comfort zone and achieve his goals. He said it was difficult relocating from Michigan to New York City, but he was able to stay in New York because of the connections he built with alumni who helped him feel confident in his own abilities. “I learned a valuable lesson: Comfort zones don’t make your life safe, they make your

life small,” Bowles said. “For me, New York was a foreign place… I didn’t have any friends and I didn’t know anybody but I leaned on my Michigan community, to be able to give me a sense of … family.” LSA freshman Dilpreet Kaur told The Daily she was motivated by Bowles’ story because his path unfolded over time, rather than following a predetermined track.