#159: Happy 4/20! Here's who the green rush is leaving behind... 🌿
Happy 4/20 my friends!
The legal cannabis market is BIG MONEY.
It’s estimated to be worth $100B here in the US by 2030 - the green rush!
And this year, there’s been no shortage of clever campaigns to take advantage of the stoner holidaze.
Delicious.
However, it’s important to know the dark side of the green rush. I appreciate this perspective from CHNGE:
What stands out to me:
~5% of cannabis business owners are black.
89.6% of marijuana arrests are just for possession - something I can do at my local dispensary.
Black people are 3.6x more likely to be arrested for cannabis despite similar usage rates as white people.
(In some states they are are 6, 8, or almost 10X more likely to be arrested!)
The truth is, despite all the rhetoric and momentum around legalizing/decriminalizing cannabis, harmful racial disparities have remained the same since 2010.
So, as we celebrate in 2022, we have to ask:
Who is the BOOMING green rush leaving behind?
All brands profiting from this vertical have a responsibility to address this imbalance, especially those who claim to be allies of the racial justice movement.
I can imagine a cannabis industry without exploitation. Can you?
Check out my full article “Reefer Madness, Racial Justice, and a Reminder for Brands on 4/20” on LinkedIn.
I penned it last year and unfortunately, the problem persists. Thank you in advance for helping me share and recommend it to your networks!
Our CTA is put succinctly by the ACLU:
And of course, Ben & Jerry’s
The ACLU pulls no punches as it describes the US’s war on cannabis as a “45-year drug prohibition charade.”
Let’s ensure the next chapter of legalization and the resulting green rush for businesses does not merely perpetuate a charade of social justice.
Best,
Katie
Things of note!
My friends at Socialive have a new virtual green room - check it out!
It makes my job as a host easy, giving us a private space to talk / prep and follow the broadcast before coming on-air.
Socialive has been my favorite pandemic-inspired tool to connect with a digital audience across multiple talk shows and virtual experiences. I’m always happy to chat if you’re interested in checking them out.
How can we all begin to remove the barriers faced by future LGBTQ leaders?
Join me and Pride in our Workplace next week, Tuesday April 26th for a virtual panel examining how we can support future generations of LGBTQ+ professionals while building towards a more equitable future of work.
11:45am - 1:00pm ET
Featuring:
- Connor Schoen (he/him), Co-Founder and Executive Director of Breaktime
- Derrick Young Jr. (he/him), Co-founder & Executive Director of Leadership Brainery
- Grace Sterling Stowell (she/they), Executive Director of BAGLY
Registration is free! RSVP now.
Back to Stockholm!
I’m proud to be part of the lineup for Webbdagarna happening May 3-4 in Stockholm, Sweden. Join us live or virtually! I’ll be sharing the risks of performative allyship, and how brands are navigating the collision of social movements and marketing.