Recently, Shanita Penny and Al Harrington spoke with host Eboni Williams of Revolt about black people and cannabis/hemp. Revolt is an American music-oriented digital cable television network founded by Sean “Diddy” Combs that launched in October 2013. The episode which is titled: It’s time for black people to become bosses in the cannabis industry, covers discussion on the different avenues of cannabis, learning about ways the cannabis industry can work for us, and becoming the bosses in it that we wish to be without legal consequence.

There were a lot of gems dropped in the 49 minute episode. This piece serves as a summary of the episode with important takeaways. Black people in the cannabis industry and those aspiring, get your notepads ready, this is a crash course on becoming a boss in the cannabis industry.

Black People in Cannabis: About Shanita Penny and Al Harrington

Shanita is the founder and CEO of Budding Solutions, a boutique cannabis consulting firm based in Baltimore, MD. Al Harrington is a former basketball player in the NBA and founder of Viola Brands, a Cannabis product company focused on social equity and empowerment in the black community. Before this episode, Al and Shanita were already acquainted through an organization that they are both a part of: MCBA.

The History of Black People and Cannabis

Did you know that slaves in the south grew hemp? James F. Hopkins said this in 1951 when discussing Kentucky hemp:

“On the hemp farm and in the hemp factories, the need for laborers was filled to a large extent by the use of … slaves, and it is a significant fact that the heaviest concentration of slavery was in the hemp producing area. Kentuckians sometimes referred to hemp as a ‘n***** crop.”

Fast forward to 1937 when cannabis was prohibited. This was the start of deportation of Mexicans and the incarceration of black people. Using the 1980’s as an example of the war on drugs which was also the war on black and brown people: 40,000 black people were incarcerated for nonviolent drug offenses during the height of the crack epidemic.

The Present State of Black People and Cannabis

Fast forward to 2021, many people included in the 40,000, are still incarcerated today. Black people made up 74% of the people arrested, 13x more than any other race. Today, black people are 253% more likely to be arrested for simple possession. In the cannabis industry, 81% of business owners are not people of color. Black people in cannabis make up 4% of the legal industry.

Key Components for Black People to Consider When Starting a Cannabis Business

• Read about the laws and regulations- education is important.
• Learn about the plant.
• Figure out what you want to do in the industry.
• What you do should be from your passion.
• Move from your purpose, your why.
• Vet investors, learn about their purpose and their why.
• Being in the cannabis industry, can be a form of/ contribute to reparations.
• Pay attention to the devil in the details, really understand legislation and don’t allow laws to continue to incriminate black people.
• Equity needs action but starts with information.

Veronica Castillo is a writer from Miami, with a pre-Cannabis background in insurance and human resources. Currently, she is a resident of the road exploring all thing’s cannabis and hemp in the United States.

You can follow her journey on IG @vee_traveling_veg_canna_writer.