Shaun Salvaje has spent a career telling other people’s stories, first as a military photojournalist and now as one of the Texas Cannabis Collective’s most visible voices for veterans. The collective describes Salvaje as a retired military photojournalist working at the intersections of entheogenic education, transformational medicine and human performance optimization, and as the creator of Highly Informed.
Texas Cannabis Advocacy Pioneers, part 5 of 5. Previous: Karen C. Reeves. See the full series.
From Photojournalist to Outreach Director
According to the Texas Cannabis Collective, Salvaje is a retired military photojournalist who serves as the collective’s Veterans Outreach Director. That combination of lived military experience and a storyteller’s training is a good fit for the role: veterans are among the most persuasive voices in the cannabis debate, and getting their stories heard takes outreach, patience and credibility. The collective also maintains a dedicated veterans’ resource site.
Highly Informed
Salvaje created Highly Informed, a project the collective describes alongside the focus areas of entheogenic education, transformational medicine and human performance optimization. We did not find a detailed program description for Highly Informed beyond those listings.
On the Air
Salvaje is a frequent guest on cannabis shows. On the Texas Cannabis Collective’s own Lonestar Collective Podcast, Salvaje appeared in Episode 99 as Veterans Outreach Director and creator of Highly Informed. On the Las Cruces, New Mexico, show Ask Chad Grassy Logic (Season 3, Episode 2), the episode listing says the conversation covered the Texas THCA market and the latest legislative efforts in Texas and New Mexico, including proposed bills, tax implications and potential timelines for legalization.
Salvaje also joined Jay Maguire of the Texas Hemp Federation on Blazed Weekly News in early 2026, according to the episode listing, to discuss policy options during the DSHS hemp rulemaking and how Texans might react to the open public hearings. That crossover is the kind of coalition-building the collective says it wants: veterans’ advocacy and the hemp industry in the same conversation.
Why Veterans’ Voices Matter
Veterans’ stories carry weight at the Capitol, and Salvaje’s role at the collective is to help them be heard. If you are a veteran trying to understand Texas rules, start with our guides on whether veterans can get medical marijuana in Texas and PTSD and medical cannabis in Texas. To tell your own legislators what you think, use the Texas Cannabis Action Center.
The Texas Cannabis Collective’s page for Salvaje uses “she” and does not name a branch or years of service. One podcast listing describes Salvaje as a retired Air Force veteran and spells the first name “Shuan,” and we have not confirmed either detail. The Texas Cannabis Collective page for Episode 99 shows no air date, and we have not located the exact air dates of the other appearances.
Clear answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Shaun Salvaje?
Shaun Salvaje is the Veterans Outreach Director of the Texas Cannabis Collective, a retired military photojournalist and the creator of Highly Informed.
What is Highly Informed?
Highly Informed is Salvaje’s show and project focused on entheogenic education, transformational medicine and human performance optimization, as described by the Texas Cannabis Collective.
Where can I hear Shaun Salvaje talk about Texas cannabis policy?
Appearances include Episode 99 of the Lonestar Collective Podcast, Season 3, Episode 2 of Ask Chad Grassy Logic and an early-2026 episode of Blazed Weekly News.