Minority Cannabis Business Association

I’m late I know but I couldn’t let the year wrap without highlighting my MJBiz 24’ experience. The days were long but it was so good to see so many folks who I respect and work with on a regular basis in person! Thank you Kristi Price for including me in the Equity Panel offerings! There were so many gems dropped. I want to give extra love to my panelists, Belicia Royster Ernest Toney Michael Malcolm. Thank you Dr. Bridget Cole Williams, MD for first pulling me into the Courage in Cannabis Books series and then for all the additional love. The activation at Planet 13 Las Vegas was fire! Appreciate you Roz McCarthy, the M4MM - crew and BCB Mastermind for a week of events that centered US! Shout out to the Minority Cannabis Business Association board and members who showed up in amazing ways! And to 40 Tons Brand for allowing us to conduct interviews! Their activation and the space it provided was precedent setting. Naomi Granger, CPA, MBA and Jessica Velazquez CPA CFE your rooftop event was top notch! Chris Day and Jillian Reddish of Global Cannabis Network Collective congratulations on a meaningful offering. Happy holidays and see yall in 2025!

Anyone else feeling the crunch this week?! -- Recovering from the intensity of Vegas and knocking out all the followup, while wrapping up the year and prepping for the new one!! This year I’m fortunate enough to be shutting it down for some serious recharge time, but I’m not quite there yet, so I decided to take a moment to look at some of the fun moments from #MJBiz week, which I know will fuel me for the rest of this week’s grind! Over these next few days, I plan to wrap whatever I can, and then take a step back to look at the gameplan we’ve laid out for 2025 for Minority Cannabis Business Association. I believe that step back to evaluate and make necessary strategic adjustments is one of the most crucial steps that unfortunately gets left out all too often. I'm looking forward to it and then to hitting the year with a clean slate, a dynamic game plan, and an awesome team ready to go. 🌃 ❄️ But it’s also important to remember that the days being shorter is something to listen to. We’re entering the season of strategizing, conserving energy, going inwards, and tapping back in with the blueprint, so that we can indeed be ready for spring, when those blueprints turn into real action plans 🔋 🥳 I hope you all have some time carved out to spend with loved ones and to recharge your battery, so we can get after it in the New Year! 📸 after party highlights inspiring the rest of my week: 🪷 The view from from Naomi and Jessica's 7th Hour Rooftop Party 🗼 HUB International’s soiree at the base of the “Eiffel Tower” was a vibrant scene that played up the setting well 🎲 #M4MM's DICE Mixer: NEVER disappointed, it's like family at these parties! 🪄 FlowerHire’s Smoke and Magic -- run into great folks at these every year! Lindsey brought together some incredible people, and I've got a feeling the conversation sparked in this pic is going to lead to some breakthroughs in 2025 ♠️ Cova’s parties always serve two functions: 1) bringing together an incredible intersection of people I love running into; 2) providing a top-notch fun, themed experience - this year Bond Casino Royale! #cannabiscommunity

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President Biden’s recent clemency for over 1,500 individuals, including nearly 40 nonviolent drug offenders, is a solid move in the right direction—and we’re here for it. It’s a step toward justice, a nod to second chances, and a recognition of how the system has unfairly targeted marginalized communities. But let’s be real: this is just the beginning. There are still too many people locked up over a plant while cannabis has grown into a billion-dollar industry. The disparity is clear, and it’s time to close the gap. At 40 Tons, we’re calling for more bold moves. Clemency is a start, but true reform means going deeper—ending mandatory minimums, investing in rehabilitation, and releasing all nonviolent cannabis offenders. People who’ve served their time deserve the chance to rebuild their lives and contribute to their communities without stigma or barriers. As Frederika M. Easley, MCBA President, put it: “We hope to see more of this from President Biden with the remaining time he has in office. There are so many people serving time for a plant that is now a billion dollar industry due to disproportionate policing and stacked sentencing. I would say now, President Biden truly understands how a system and people in power can unfairly impact one’s life and ability to productively engage in society.” We’re here for justice, equity, and real change—let’s make it happen. Join us in signing our letter to the president! (More to come on that in coming days) Lets convince the president he can still do the right thing and with the stroke of a pen grant clemency’s to these cannabis offenders.

Key Takeaways from Vegas Cannabis Week and MJBiz24 (my biggest highlight was being in person with so many good people I know as friends and chosen family): 🤝 “Collaboration” is evolving, and the Ecosystem is bustling 🤝 A buzzword for several years now, we’re rapidly seeing collaborations take shape in a structured, and therefore sustainable, manner. Collaboration has always been a major advantage among the bigger players in all industries. It’s inspiring to see small- and mid-size players in our space now structuralizing collaborations, so we can all go further together 🇺🇸 The veil between Local, State, and Federal is starting to dissolve 🇺🇸 As more small businesses become “multi-state operators”, the lines between governmental jurisdictions are blurring.  While the big, original MSO’s have been keyed into this for a while, smaller businesses are rising to the challenge, realizing the importance of having a comprehensive, multi-level game plan, and collaborating more than ever. #Shoutouts to Queen Mary, Erin Thurmond, Equity Trade Network, Up Elevated Cocktails, and all the leaders of 40 Tons Brand Equity Row for continuing to push the envelope forward 🌿 Hemp isn’t the villain 🌿 Bridging the divide is of the utmost importance. It starts by acknowledging that all of us are championing the same plant. We need to come together, or the vultures will swoop in once we’ve torn one another apart. 🍹 Beverages have arrived - an overdue evolution 🍹 Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE flower (and ALL products). But how awesome is it to get elevated by hydrating?! Opportunities abound, and the sky is truly the limit for the category. BUT be careful, as most people will undoubtedly lose their shirts as the category matures Shoutout to Ben Larson for your leadership in this arena 🌼 The culture is shining through, AND we’ve still got a lot of work to do 🌼 The "satellite" events are more robust and representative of the culture each year. It’s imperative that the culture of cannabis does not get pushed aside as the industry of cannabis expands.  #Shoutout to all the groups hosting dynamic events, and especially Minorities for Medical Marijuana, Good Life Gang, and Beard Bros Pharm for your leadership in the area 2025 is going to be another wild ride AND we get to shape it In this industry like no other. Our ability to make an impact has never been greater It was an incredible experience and an honor to represent the Minority Cannabis Business Association as its Board Chair. I am humbled by the integral role this organization plays in the cannabis ecosystem and beyond. MCBA has an impactful and intense year lined up, with our priorities set and the calendar locked in. Join the movement and plug in. If you’re interested in supporting our efforts through financial means or people power, this is the time to reach out. Here’s to wrapping up the year in style, and to an incredible 2025 on the horizon!! #cannabisindustry #cannabiscommunity

Our leadership team at the MCBA commends President Biden's recent decision to grant clemency to 1,500 individuals, including nearly 40 non-violent drug offenders, marking a crucial step in reforming our criminal justice system. This act underscores the importance of second chances and acknowledges the need to address the disproportionate impact of punitive policies on marginalized communities. While the path toward a more equitable and rehabilitative system is ongoing, these pardons represent an effort to reduce over-incarceration and to help individuals who have served their sentences reintegrate into society. We also recognize that clemency is only one part of the broader conversation on criminal justice reform. The MCBA continues to advocate for policies that support comprehensive reform, the elimination of mandatory minimums for non-violent offenses, and the investment in rehabilitation programs that ensure former prisoners can contribute positively to their communities. MCBA President Frederika M. Easley adds: “We hope to see more of this from President Biden with the remaining time he has in office. There are so many people serving time for a plant that is now a billion dollar industry due to disproportionate policing and stacked sentencing. I would say now, President Biden truly understands how a system and people in power can unfairly impact one’s life and ability to productively engage in society.”

We caught up with one of our Champion Members at MJBIZCON- Wana Brands 🎉🌺 Hear about their why from President, Joe Hodas, as it relates to the MCBA.

We thank you all for an impactful MJBIZCON 2024. We can’t wait to see and connect with you in 2025.

We are connecting with the industry and community at MJBIZCON and loving every moment 🎉

Our board loves connecting with our members, partners, sponsors, and supporters.