Let’s Make the Cannabis Industry More Black & Brown
By: Victoria Mba-Jonas
Tags: Cannabis Legalization, Community Engagement, Cannabis, Social Equity, Social Journalism

My journey with cannabis began in high school. After school, I would consume it with friends. One day, we thought it was a good idea to smoke in my backyard while my mom was home. We definitely got caught, yelled at, and lectured about how it wasn’t a good idea for young Black people to smoke weed. From that day forward, I was determined to change her mind and continue to consume cannabis.

My name is Victoria Jonas. I am a social journalism and documentary specialization student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. For the past year and a half, I have served as a social journalist in the cannabis community.

Before I tell you about my journey as a cannabis social journalist, I want to ask you a question: have you ever consumed cannabis?

Most people will answer “yes” to that question. However, many people feel shy or embarrassed to admit they consume weed publicly. Although I’ve never been discreet about my cannabis consumption, I understand why others might be.

The decades of criminalization and stigmas associated with weed has made it a taboo topic, especially in Black and brown communities. For this reason, I decided to make Black and brown cannabis consumers my target audience, with a focus on Black women.

I’ve been apart of this community for about a decade. But, I decided to take a step back to examine and understand the needs, wants, questions, and concerns of Black and brown cannabis consumers.

So, I did what any great social journalist would do. I started showing up to community events and meetings (both in-person and virtually), observing, listening, and asking questions. Community members provided me great insights.

“I want to know more about legalization.”

As I continued to perform my social journalist duties (listening, observing, showing up even when I didn’t need anything, and engaging the community), I began to discover the key community issues for Black and brown weed consumers.

“Marijuana use is roughly equal among Blacks and whites, yet Blacks are 3.73 times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union in 2013. This quote is pretty old but it’s the core of why Black and brown people should have more access to the legal cannabis market.

Black and brown communities were harassed and arrested the most for weed. Those same communities were/are the target of the war on drugs, which is why social equity and social justice programs are so important!

The core responsibility of a social journalist is to serve a community. So, I saw gaps and developed significant ways to fill them.

I used stories, videos, creative content, events, and social media to entertain, educate, engage, and help change weed stigmas in Black communities.

So, my first solution to achieve my goals in this community was to create my own cannabis community: Buddafly Effects. Buddafly Effects is a cannabis lifestyle, creative weed content, and infused meals + baked edibles brand that I launched in July 2020.

Similar to the meaning of The Butterfly Effect, Buddafly Effects means making small changes in cannabis that will make a larger impact over time.

The purpose of Buddafly Effects is to create a platform where I can engage and inform Black and brown cannabis consumers.

Instagram is where I have the largest following. I used creative weed posts, IGTV videos, Reels, and Instagram stories to cultivate a community of Black and brown cannabis consumers. The audience is growing daily and the content receives a lot of views, likes, and comments.

I also used infused foods to connect further with Black and brown cannabis consumers. And the feedback has been all positive.

“The snickerdoodles were the bomb. They got me through recovery from a minor surgery and election week…Would love to order again.”

The cannabis industry is shifting! Marijuana is legal for adults in 11 states and Washington D.C. Medical marijuana is legal in 34 states.

Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed the MORE Act bill, which removes marijuana from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act.

The further I go into this community, people are viewing me as a weed expert or cannabis influencer. They often ask me questions about the changing cannabis industry.

My social journalism journey continued with me developing a solution to keep Black and brown cannabis consumers informed.

*Please watch the above video!

Buddafly Buzz is a weekly cannabis newsletter in video format. I invite the community and audience to consume weed with me as I inform them of the latest cannabis news, updates, and information.

The Buddafly Buzz series has only one video so far, but engagement has began on YouTube (where it’s hosted) and Instagram (where it’s promoted).

Buddafly Effects and Buddafly Buzz receive a lot comments, likes, sends, reposts, and views. I wish I could show and highlight every comment or DM I receive. But honestly, there are too many.

Yet, the two comments that stood out were from The Cannabis Cutie and Cannabis Noire, both are Black women and cannabis influencers with large followings. I admire their work. So, their comments were reassuring as a social journalist and as a new influencer within the cannabis space.

I also wrote an article about how Hip-Hop shaped weed culture for Kaptial Magazine.

But honestly, this journey wasn’t easy. I faced challenges like imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and being a one-person team. To build a community and gain their trust, I had to step out my comfort zone and become a weed expert/cannabis influencer. It was hard at times but I did it! I am proud of the work I did for and on behalf of Black and brown cannabis influencers.

Going forward, I will confidently continue to serve this community.

I came a long way from smoking weed in my backyard and getting caught by my mom. She is now very informed about cannabis and fully supports the work I’m doing in this community.

The advice I would tell future social journalism students is to find a community that truly interest you and show up often, not only when you need something.

This past year and a half pushed me much deeper into my weed passions. So deep that I’ve decided to become a full-time weed expert and cannabis influencer after I graduate from the Craig Newmark Gradute School of Journalism on December 18, 2020.

So, spark a conversation with me and let’s talk cannabis!