Dan Rush is an American former

union organizer A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. In some unions, the organizer's role is to recruit groups of workers under the organizing ...

and former statewide political and special operations director of the

United Food and Commercial Workers The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is a trade union, labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in industries including retail; meatpacking, food processing and manufa ...

for

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

and hemp workers. He was known for being a leader in the United States Labor movement in politics and for cannabis and hemp industry workers, and a civil and motorcycle rights activist. Rush began his career in the union in the 1980s as a senior official responsible for carrying out statewide ballot industry politics and eventually founded the concept of organizing medical cannabis and hemp workers in the United States and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He was later investigated by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

for enriching himself at the expense of his union in 2015, and for cheating his clients by betraying them for bribes from other cannabis industry stakeholders. He took a plea bargain in 2017, pled guilty to three charges, and served a multiyear sentence in federal prison.

Career

He was born in Oakland, California. He was a union organizer. Rush was hired to work on various projects for the UFCW Local 5. In 2012, he was national director of the

Medical Cannabis Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis or medical marijuana (MMJ) refers to cannabis products and cannabinoid molecules that are prescribed by physicians for their patients. The use of cannabis as medicine has a long history, but has not ...

and Hemp Division of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. He was hired by the UFCW International Union in 2014 to head up their cannabis division as Organizing Coordinator. In 2017 he testified that he never graduated from high school.

Federal prosecution

Multiple cannabis dispensary entrepreneurs went to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, or responded to FBI corruption inquiries, after feeling cheated or betrayed by Rush. This produced a Federal investigation called Operation Limelight. Rush was investigated on corruption charges for using his influence to favor Oakland cannabis businesses in return for paying off a $420,000 loan on Rush's personal house with a shopping bag full of cash. The "sordid details of his indictment" in August 2015 led the national union to immediately fire him. Rush was originally scheduled to go to trial in 2017. However, on June 20, 2017, Rush pled guilty to two charges of betraying his union for a bribe from an employer, and a third charge of

structuring Structuring, also known as smurfing in banking jargon, is the practice of executing financial transactions such as making bank deposits in a specific pattern, calculated to avoid triggering financial institutions to file reports required by law ...

a $500,000 cash deposit to avoid banks reporting it. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison.

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

reporter Jason Fagone interviewed Rush in prison in 2018. On March 24, 2020, Rush was transferred from federal prison to a halfway house in San Francisco.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Dan United Food and Commercial Workers people 1960 births Living people American cannabis activists