These Women Are Trying to Get More People of Color into the Cannabis Industry

When it comes to legally growing pot and the business of legally distributing cannabis, it seems like everyone wants a piece of the pie of this lucrative business. It's also a very expensive process to get into business as a cannabis grower or dispenser which excludes people of colour who can't afford high application fees. Supernova Women is a group of amazing women of colour who are dedicated to getting more people of colour into the cannabis industry. Amber Senter is the co-founder of the group, and she says that right from the start they noticed a higher amount of white males in the industry which must change to include people of colour and women of colour. These women of Supernova women have a wealth of information on the cannabis industry, so they joined forces in 2015 when they noticed lower numbers of people of colour at cannabis business events and networking events. They want to help empower women of colour to become self-sufficient in their cannabis businesses and to even the playing field in the industry. People of colour make up only 20% of the number of cannabis business owners in the United States of America which is far too low. This is a very profitable industry, and the wealth should be spread equally. White people who benefit from privileges should also advocate for people of colour to make the changes necessary, so there is more inclusion.

Amber explains that some of the documents and applications cost $60,000 or more just to file in order to start a business in the cannabis industry. That is not something that people in their community can afford, and those prices are just for the application fees. On top of that, there are the costs of getting a place to operate out of, equipment and hiring employees. Amber also went out and prompted San Francisco and Oakland to have a program that will prioritize permits from people who are victims of the war on drugs. This would be people who have been arrested for cannabis after 1996. Supernova will hold clinics where people can learn about how to get their charges expunged with help from local law firms and legal services. Through this program, people can find out if they can qualify to receive legal assistance for expungements and how to show proof of rehabilitation. This is such a great program to offer to the community to help people understand the law and take their lives back.

Supernova also gives free cannabis business boot camps to people of colour at different times during the year. There is The Cannabis Business Launchpad which is a 101 series for beginners who are just starting out in the cannabis industry who want to begin growing pot legally or distribute it legally. Then there is The Cannabis Business Accelerator which is the 201 series for those who have been in the industry a while who want to invest or level up their business. Their other key program is the Shades of Green program which talks about the absolute need of people of colour in legislation positions regarding cannabis as well as education. The first panel is on the current regulations and local politics and the second panel goes into how people of colour can participate in the industry and how to become involved. Cannabis is being shown to be one of the most popular alternative therapies at this time. With not only the cannabis that is smoked but products with cbd that are eaten or used as ointments that will help with anxiety and insomnia without any psychoactive effects. Cbd is also being recognized as one of the alternative therapies even for serious illnesses in conjunction with traditional medicine and a doctor's treatment plan.***