Paul has served the community of Bernalillo County since 2008 as a firefighter, apparatus engineer, and currently as a Deputy Fire Marshal.

Paul joined the fire service out of a desire to serve and help the community, but ultimately suffered from numerous work-related physical and mental injuries. In 2022, a fortunate twist of fate led to an extended period of time off work to recover from surgery. During this time, Paul chose to use medical cannabis instead of the prescribed opiates for pain control. The positive effects were undeniable. This sparked a fire in him to change policy to allow for safe plant medicine for first responders, and in 2025 his work helped lead to a new policy for Bernalillo County firefighters to allow access to off-duty cannabis.

His drive continues with on-going plant medicine education, peer support training, psychedelic sitter training, facilitation of therapeutic recreation, and PEER Support PAT Guide training. Paul’s goal is to change policy across New Mexico and beyond to allow access to medical cannabis and psychedelic assisted therapy for first responders to aid in their healing process. Mental health and plant medicine advocacy, awareness, and education is not just a mission—it’s a passion.