Canna Meets Culture in Review; It’s Harvest Season for a Green Dawning
By: Olamiji Pearse
Tags: Fully Integrated, Cannabis, Cannabis Industry, Greenish Vibes, Cannabis Medical

The first weekend in December, Fully Integrated presented what was coined as a virtual cannabis social conference entitled Canna Meets Culture. For two days attendees were given the opportunity to join a number of discussions centered around key areas about the cannabis industry in relation to black people.

CultureInTheCity.co was present, front-center and taking notes!

The sessions that CITC was ultimately able to hone in on was the Parenting & Cannabis, Finding Your Path in the Cannabis Business featuring Brand Partner Greenish Vibes, and Getting Candid About Cannabis/Open Conversation About Normalization.

Parenting & Cannabis

As a now Cannabis Advocate millennial who was raised in a household that normalized the use of cannabis, the Parenting and Cannabis session was a must to attend. It was important for me as a mother co-parenting with a household who doesn’t normalize the use of cannabis to understand ways of overcoming the stigmas and challenges when being a regular cannabis user and mother. And what I took away from this session was deeply validating. Below are my takeaways

Cannabis is ancient medicine that many women of color, like myself, have begun to look at as a natural holistic remedy for anxiety, depression, focus, temperament and energy. There’s no shame in it. Normalizing the use of it in one’s household requires honest, transparent discussions with age appropriate children. Explaining to children that it’s medicinal and necessary for a peaceful flow of day and even for their own peace of mind is a critical discussion to have. Because if Mommy doesn’t have peace then no one in the house will. There are supportive social groups in our community like Moms and Cannabis Too that offer additional resources to parents fighting this uphill battle. Utilizing community groups can assist with understanding the plant, it’s many medicinal uses along with keeping one abreast of the laws and legislation around the plant as it continues to become a staple in our collective worlds.

Finding Your Path in the Cannabis Business

Serving as an extra push of encouragement to those contemplating where and how to enter the industry, this session delivered on highlighting where blacks can take up space in an industry that was organically and originally made popular by them. This session was extra special because strategic brand partner, Greenish Vibes was on the panel. Here are a few golden nuggets I was able to gather.

Now’s the time to identify how you’d like to take up space in the industry. Blacks have been disproportionately left out of the dynamic growth happening with legal cannabis. Moving quick and steady to identify how one will enter and then work in the industry is paramount for African Americans.

There of hundreds of different ways that one can get into business without ever touching the actual plant. Panelists encouraged attendees to take off their blinders and open their eyes to all ancillary Cannabis Business opportunities. As an ancillary cannabis business, Greenish Vibes Founder Danicka Brown-Frazier added value to the panel by mentioning that there always seems to be a rush to grow the plant or open a dispensary. She encouraged those coming into the business to be open minded and find a path as a Cannabis focused attorney, accountant, marketer, influencer or event promoter. Mentioning that you can begin from wherever you left off in your corporate position, experience or passion, translating it easily to the cannabis industry. Keep in mind the Cannabis plant includes CBD, CBG, THC and a number of other cannabinoids, so the possibilities for growth should be explored in those areas as well. This is especially true because of the advertising, banking and regulatory issues surrounding the industry. Get intimately involved with supporting our local and federal elected officials. Support those candidates that make federal legislation milestones in the platform. Advocacy is important to lessen the barriers in the industry and to improve the entry points.

CultureInTheCity.co would like to give Fully Integrated and the entire team behind the Canna Meets Culture event a standing ovation. CITC understands the painstaking details that go into curating spaces and specialized events and the Canna Meets Culture was well organized and executed. The information provided by the panelists like a,b,c allowed those in attendance to walk away with a wealth of practical information and resource that would allow an African American who’s self determined to take up space in some capacity with cannabis.

Ultimately what this event taught me most is that it will be our collective advocacy, boldness to just do it and our linking together with other advocates in any way possible that will grow the African American presence in Cannabis. So let’s get this going, and I’ll join you — today I’ll each out to two of the individuals that I came across during the Canna Meets Culture conference. You do the same or if you didn’t attend the conference reach out to to lateral contacts taking up space in the Cannabis industry.