Carlos de la Torre is a true pioneer in the cannabis industry.  In early 2007, he and his partners opened Cornerstone Research Collective, which is one of Los Angeles’ original legal dispensaries.  Cornerstone is also California’s first science and research based cannabis collective.  Carlos currently serves as the company’s president and CEO.  Since 2008 Carlos has collaborated closely with state and local government officials, law enforcement, and the voters of Los Angeles. He has been instrumental in helping the city of Los Angeles write and pass safe, sensible regulations for the cannabis industry.

Carlos was one of the original accredited members of the Greater Los Angeles Caregivers Alliance (GLACA) and is a founding member of the United Cannabis Business Association (UCBA) where he sits on their Executive committee.  As a bilingual Cuban /American Carlos has worked very hard to bring cultural equality to the industry and has created a diverse team of employees. Many of which have worked with him for over 7 years. 

He believes that a robust, diverse and safe cannabis industry provides unlimited opportunities for employment and economic growth.

During his 15 years as acting director of Cornerstone, Carlos has witnessed countless healing experiences as a result of this medicine. Inspired by these stories, Carlos has become an activist for standardized testing, medical research and safe access to cannabis.

Before opening Cornerstone, Carlos worked in the entertainment industry, where he served as a television commercial producer.  His work in the General and the Hispanic markets took him to over 15 countries on 5 continents working with most of the largest American brands. These broad experiences have provided Carlos with an insider’s perspective on culture, work and politics.  His work as a producer has gained him the necessary skills to mobilize teams and staff under a unified mission.  If you had told Carlos 15 years ago that he would be running a cannabis dispensary, he would have said you were crazy. Well, as it turns out, his producing and leadership capabilities have turned out to be just the right combination of skills that helped him become a powerful figure in the original cannabis story of Los Angeles.

Lastly, Carlos is a native Angeleno.  He was born, raised, and educated in the city of Los Angeles and has a passionate and deep-rooted connection to his community.  He attended Loyola High School and Loyola Marymount University where he studied film and communications.  Every day he strives to embody the Loyola High motto: “A man for others.”