Black History Month is a time to reflect on our collective history, what is happening right now, and what is to come in the future. Black people are carving out a lane for themselves in the burgeoning cannabis industry and pushing to undo the wrongs of the War on Drugs.
FlowerHire celebrates the changemakers moving the industry forward.
Lanett Austin, NEW YORK
What is your role in the industry? What do you do?
I’m an executive leader for culture, engagement, and DEI at a multi-state operator (MSO). This work focuses on ensuring the people who make up this industry are diverse and inclusive of the same communities that have been historically impacted negatively. This work also includes providing opportunities, access, and education to people within the industry as they progress in their careers and professional development. In short, “I’m focused on the people while the people are focused on the plant!”
What is the best piece of advice you have for folks who are looking for the right cannabis company and culture?
Know who you are and what you want first. Then seek out companies and opportunities to match that. Do this to ensure you’re entering a workplace that will be nurturing to you while you deliver results. Always remember that a working relationship is a two-way street, especially in cannabis. The cannabis environment is fast paced, with high demands and often minimal resources.
How might the cannabis industry execute social equity better?
Let’s first align on what social equity is and what it means! To me, it’s ensuring policies, programs, and processes are set up to provide generational wealth for the communities that have been historically negatively impacted by the War on Drugs. Generational wealth can be ownership of an operator, but it could also be access to employment, resources, capital, branding, product shelf space, education, stock options, and so much more!
What are some career paths that you see as career growth opportunities in cannabis?
We need more people-focused professionals! Yes, it’s all about the plant, but it’s our people that are behind all aspects of the operations and plant. So let’s do better and invest more in our people with more resources, education, benefits, recognition, compensation, and rest. Then watch how your investment multiplies!
How did you tell your mother or family what you do?
I just told them, and they celebrated with me! My first time consuming cannabis was with my mom when I was 18 in Amsterdam, Holland. It wasn’t until after that I realized my mom had been consuming cannabis my entire life. So we now consume together, and she is always very proud to tell people, “My daughter works in the cannabis industry!”
What’s your superpower?
Positivity! No matter the situation, I always find a way to seek out the positive aspect and lean into that. Trust me, that’s a real superpower benefit at times in this industry.
Otha Smith III, Maryland
What is your role in the industry? What do you do?
I’m the CEO and founder of Tetragram. Our goal at Tetragram is to discover the benefits of cannabis use for recreational and medical purposes by analyzing consumer outcome data. Since cannabis is federally illegal, there isn’t enough data to help consumers make educated buying decisions. We empower cannabis and CBD consumers to keep track of products purchased, rate their effectiveness, and share their personal experiences with others through our mobile app. We partner with dispensaries, cultivators, brands, and medical professionals to help them tell their product’s story and connect directly with consumers.
Why do you think people of color, in particular, should consider a career in cannabis?
Currently, less than 4% of the cannabis industry is represented by people of color. This is alarming because although consumption rates between people of color and white people are nearly the same, people of color are four times more likely to be convicted for cannabis possession. As a race of people that has been marginalized and overpoliced for cannabis, it’s only right that people of color be given priority to win a dispensary or cultivation license and receive financial assistance to boost the chances of success. The cannabis industry is a very young industry, providing countless job opportunities and options to start a business.
What is the best piece of advice you have for people entering the space?
- Know the racist history behind cannabis and why it was once legal before becoming federally illegal. Seek out the truth!
- You must have a true passion for the plant. The cannabis industry isn’t easy, there are constant regulatory changes, new products coming out weekly. You must be a person that’s comfortable with change.
- Always remember that cannabis is a medicine.
If you could sum up your cannabis career in 3 words, what would they be?
Rewarding, Life-changing, Fast-paced
How did you tell your family what you do?
My parents were fully aware that I smoked cannabis routinely throughout high school and college. After my car accident, once I decided to stop using pills and only used cannabis to manage my pain, my parents saw first-hand how beneficial cannabis was to my recovery. Years later, Colorado legalized adult-use. I vividly remember flying there to check out the scene. That’s when I knew I had to get involved in the industry in some way, shape, or form. That’s when I finally told my parents I was leaving my lucrative six-figure corporate job to start a cannabis company. My mother, who has a doctorate in education and has never drunk alcohol or smoked, said to me, “So you’re gonna sell dope?” She wasn’t happy at first, but she came around, while my father was completely supportive right away.
Thunder Walker, OKLAHOMA
What is your role in the industry? What do you do?
- Founder / Cannabis Appraiser and Dispensary Owner of Proud Mary Cannabis Holdings
- Regional Executive Director at Women Cannabis Chamber Of Commerce
- Host of TROUBLEMakers Podcast
How did you get into cannabis?
Spending time in the legacy market, I learned about the cannabis plant up close and personal. I studied real estate and discovered I was a savant in the industry. I have always loved real estate and cannabis, so when I had the opportunity to combine the two, I did. I was hired by a cannabis-friendly real estate company to appraise cannabis businesses, license them, and open full cultivation operations in multiple states.
What is the best piece of advice you have for people entering the space?
Education! Everyone is valuable in the cannabis space. So if you’re currently in the industry, don’t take that position for granted. We are writing and living the history of this industry currently, and I would suggest that you learn as much as you can about different topics in cannabis. If you are just now entering the cannabis space, the party has already started, but you can still make a major impact. Don’t limit yourself… Go for it!
What are some career paths that you see as career growth opportunities in cannabis?
Cannabis real estate, banking and travel.
How did you tell your family what you do?
My family read about me first on social media. Then I got the call! I told them about the wonderful healing qualities of cannabis, and they were convinced it was my destiny.
Brandon Barksdale, Maryland
What is your role in the industry? What do you do?
I’m currently Co-CEO of Remedy, one of the largest cannabis retail operations in Maryland.
How did you get into cannabis?
My background was primarily in management consulting. I led an advisory service line within a large public accounting firm. Through that leadership role, I became focused on the cannabis industry, quickly becoming a subject matter expert. I assisted cannabis entities— large and small on business transformation, operational efficiencies, performance management, and organizational maturity. I quickly ramped up my understanding of operational priorities and dove deep into understanding every level of production. This knowledge has allowed me opportunities as a state expert witness on cannabis and a comprehensive strategic thought leader for executive teams. With this key experience, I was tapped to operate a successful vertical out of Colorado. After my tenure in that role was complete, I looked to new and exciting markets to lay my path forward. Remedy in Maryland became home. At Remedy, I oversee the operations of select business units, investor relations, and performance management, to name a few.
Why do you think people of color, in particular, should consider a career in cannabis?
Opportunity. There are countless avenues into cannabis and adjacent industries. Many of these opportunities are entrepreneurial in nature and have upside potential. New and mature markets alike are making strides to create and set-aside social equity avenues for minorities and impacted communities to benefit from positive opportunities within the industry.
What is the best piece of advice you have for people looking for a career in cannabis?
Continue to network and expand your reach. Most professionals in the cannabis industry are very open to knowledge sharing and assisting others. Be authentic and make the effort to introduce yourself, keep in touch, execute, and define your individual value proposition.
If you could sum up your cannabis career in 3 words, what would they be?
Wear multiple hats!
What’s your superpower?
Problem-solving
Timeka Drew, California
What’s your role in the industry? What do you do?
I am the Founder and CEO of Biko, a cannabis brand that creates luxurious, potent products and experiences. We currently produce Biko at my Los Angeles social equity manufacturer license – I was also awarded a retail storefront license and am in the last stages of operationalizing a non-storefront retail license in LA. I currently serve as a social equity business coach for the LA Department of Cannabis Regulation’s Business, Licensing and Compliance Assistance program through Oaksterdam University. I’m a seasoned industry veteran and have held executive roles at several leading cannabis companies.
How did you get into cannabis?
Cannabis saved my life. In the early 2000’s, after medically withdrawing from law school, I began working for a dispensary (Compassionate Caregivers in West Hollywood) to be able to be gifted the type of cannabis medicine I needed to heal my body. Through that position, I opened a doctor and patient referral service and placed the first advertisements for legal cannabis in underground, free publications, including the LA Weekly. At the time, I was suffering from what was diagnosed as Crohn’s Disease, and I was told that I would need to have life-changing surgery that would remove parts of my colon and require a colostomy bag. I was also told that due to the toxic medications I would need to take my whole life as well as the stress a pregnancy would have on my body, I would not be able to have children. Due to the success of my healing journey with cannabis, I am now the mother of four children and have not had to have any surgery to address my digestive disease.
What is the best piece of advice you have for people entering the space? Or for tenured cannabis folks who are looking for the right company and culture?
Be yourself at all times. There’s pressure to bend and change into what we think we’re expected to be when entering a new position or trying to fit into an existing team dynamic. The more we can lead with our authentic selves, without fear, the better equipped we are to know when a company or a culture doesn’t fit and won’t lead to value-alignment in the long run. Sometimes, our role might be to help change a company’s culture or influence its direction or trajectory— that’s also a valid position, and an incredibly important one.
How might the cannabis industry execute social equity better?
1) Cannabis companies should do more charitable giving to organizations that have been working to address the harms caused by the War on Drugs for years before cannabis legalization was ever considered. One example is The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign led by Cheri Honkala. Addressing housing inequalities and homelessness, unemployment, hunger and a lack of access to fresh produce, the school to prison pipeline that the War on Drugs helped support all continue to be critical in addressing “social equity” as it relates to the cannabis industry. Prison abolition and restorative justice should be discussed on cannabis conference stages with more tenacity than enforcement models for unlicensed operators that create an unfortunate and unnecessary continuation of the war on drugs.
2) Every single cannabis retailer – especially massive multi-store retailers and MSO’s – should be creating shelf space for social equity and underrepresented brands. Social equity retailers and brands should be forming powerful alliances that ensure our voices are amplified by each other and not drowned out by the highly organized, well-funded and publicly traded competition.
3) In my opinion, we should be expanding who we include in the equity framework – programs that aim to lift up and support system impacted and formerly incarcerated as well as Black, brown, queer, AAPI, indigenous and other underrepresented individuals and businesses are more inclusive in addressing the actual harms that were felt due to the systemic racism that fueled the War on Drugs and the enslavement of human beings for generations.
What are some career paths that you see as career growth opportunities in cannabis?
I think ancillary businesses are exciting – there are so many ways to serve cannabis brands and operators with environmentally conscious and sustainable products, patentable innovations and what seem like an infinite amount of services. I saw a Linkedin post asking about interest in a totally biodegradable pre-roll pack insert, noting it does not exist on the market – I had been searching for that very product the day before! There is so much room for the industry to get more sophisticated and thoughtful.
What’s your favorite word for cannabis?
Medicine!
What’s your superpower?
I think my superpower is my optimism. Finding a way to thrive even when survival is what I have been focused on. When I was bleeding internally, in constant pain and struggling to find a way to afford my medical cannabis, I never imagined that I would one day be able to build a career within an industry that makes cannabis medicine more available to every single adult across the country. I am passionate about this plant and restorative justice for the individuals and communities that have been harmed by laws targeting poor black and brown people under the guise of a war on drugs, and I am optimistic that we will find ways to begin to actually address what we are only beginning to truly and honestly discuss as an industry.
We at FlowerHire are grateful to know and work with people like Lanett, Otha, Thunder, and Timeka. These inspiring change-making people truly are Talent in Cannabis™.