The second annual Black Cannabis Week will take place from September 19-26 both online and at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During this week-long conference, there will be approximately 30 different speakers discussing minorities in the cannabis industry. 

​​“The cannabis industry has been on track to grow into a favorable financial and social tool for change,” the Black Cannabis Week Instagram posted recently. “Entrepreneurship, jobs, innovation are just a few of the positive impacts resulting from an accessible and inclusive industry. The industry has provided all kinds of new positions, and many of them are high-paying. And as the cannabis industry grows, so, too, does the number of job openings in the field.”

To clarify, the goal of Black Cannabis Week is to create a connection to entrepreneurship, wellness, innovation, education and more with the overall aim to advance social justice. The week is also sponsored by Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities (DACO), Minorities for Medical Marijuana, and Philadelphia Cannabis Business Association.

Activist Response

“We have long been an integral part of the cannabis industry from labor to creators. These roles have garnered little to no attention or regard,” the Black Cannabis Week website states. “During this week, we will educate, celebrate and elevate Blacks in cannabis. Black Cannabis Week (BCW21) is a collective web of educational and informational experiences to empower Black communities to move toward social and political change. In collective work, we aim to educate, destigmatize and advance the efforts of social justice.”

With this in mind, Cherron Perry-Thomas, a DACO Social Impact Strategist, spoke about the cannabis industry and minority involvement. “Black and Brown communities have been an afterthought in the evolving global cannabis industry,” they said. “If we fail to prepare and learn now, we will be too far behind to enter into this emerging field. It’s imperative that we learn the facts about cannabis, the unjust laws that have created the stigma, explore opportunities for empowerment, and reduce the barriers to help more Black and Brown communities switch from consumers to decision makers which is our mission with Black Cannabis Week.”

Involvement

Right now, the involvement of minorities in the cannabis industry is lacking. In 2017, a poll found that 81 percent of cannabis business owners were white. This left 5.7 percent of owners Hispanic/Latino, 4.3 percent of owners black, and the final 2.4 percent Asian owners. In light of this, Black Cannabis Weeks looks to change these numbers with the help of their annual conference. Therefore, it’s open to all wishing to become entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry.

Make sure to check back for more cannabis and hemp related news.