On one hand, it’s given peace of mind and certain freedoms to those who consumed the plant during prohibition.
In 2021, data from the New York Police Department showed that 94% of total cannabis-related arrests in 2020 throughout New York City’s five boroughs were people of color.
For a group that has been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs , you’d think we’d somehow be granted a leg up when it comes to forming legal businesses in the weed industry, or at least receiving some type of reparations.
“We have to make sure our people are involved in the evolution of the legal cannabis market at every level, from cultivation to retail,” rap artist and owner of Coffee & Kush, Problem shares with InStyle.
“Until we see reparations as a path to healing and not a threat, I am afraid that we will never reach the peak of acceptance of this concept,” she shares.
Pryor also adds that with last year’s racial uproar caused by the tragic murder of Black people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, as well as President Biden signing legislation to make Juneteenth a national holiday in the U.S.
“Making financial commitments with no plan, being afraid of sharing diversity and inclusion efforts within and out of company walls, and using influencers as tokens are big no-nos that we will have to educate everyone about in cannabis.
While there are certainly not nearly enough cannabis brands doing their due diligence at this time, there are still a few that are giving back – as they should.
The beverage brand is a founding member of Cannabis for Black Lives, a coalition of cannabis businesses working to support Black-led organizations and communities by helping people to get hired, amplifying Black voices in the cannabis space, and offering financial support to grassroots initiatives.
For Pride Month, every Tonic sale will go towards The Trevor Project – an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ youth – and they’ve supported initiatives like Copper House Detroit, Black Women’s Health Imperative, and Essie Justice Group in the past.
Since September 2019, Besito has partnered with Equity First Alliance, a non-profit that aims to repair the damage done by the war on drugs, to create the A Record Shouldn’t Last a Lifetime campaign, which pushes for widespread automated expungements and helps those in need find legal resources.
One-hundred percent of profits from these premium pre-rolls – that come in sativa, indica, and hybrid strains – go towards prisoner release and record expungement programs for those disproportionately affected by prohibition.
As a strategic and creative branding company for cannabis brands, Limone may not sell weed, but they’ve long been focused on giving back.
For those who are interested in being a part of the cannabis industry, Cookies provides both training and education in order to reduce entry barriers, which includes resume creation and review, mock interviews, and alerts for hiring opportunities.
The cult-favorite brand uses their platform to share the stories of Black and brown people underrepresented in both the cannabis and social justice space, including Tsion Lencho of Supernova Women, Hector Guadalupe, founder of A Second U Foundation, and Arissa Hall, co-founder of National Bailout.