As part of its commitment to building cannabis-centered health and social equity, the Cannabis Health Equity Movement (CHEM)™, is proud to announce its partnership with the first and only national conference for cannabis professionals and consumers of color, the 2021 Black CannaConference & Expo (Black CannaCon). Over the course of this 3-Day event, CHEM will run the CHEM CannaCapsule, an 8-hour collection of keynote speeches, special events, and panel discussions, all focused on cannabis education and equity.
Black CannaCon, a first-of-its-kind conference providing education, professional development, and networking opportunities to people of color in the cannabis industry, will take place November 18-20, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference will feature over 40 speakers and over 100 exhibitors, many of whom are CHEM Coalition leaders. As part of the CHEM Capsule, Dr. Rachel Knox, Dr. Jessica Knox, and Dasheeda Dawson will give keynote addresses. The She Blaze Podcast, hosted by sisters Ice and Dasheeda Dawson, will record a special episode from the conference. Dasheeda will also host a book signing for her essential workbook, How to Succeed in the Cannabis Industry. Other coalition members, such as The Dank Duchess®, Hashish Consultant & Cultivator, and Dr. Angela Ledbetter, Executive Board Member of the Association for Cannabis Health Equity and Medicine (ACHEM), will participate in panel discussions on equity and inclusion, health, and politics.
“The cannabis industry is growing. However, the impact of a decades-long cannabis prohibition targeting Black, Indigenous, and Latino communities remains. Systemic inequality, a lack of information, limited access to capital, and other barriers to entry keep the benefits of cannabis out of reach for many communities of color, ” says Dasheeda Dawson, CHEM co-founder, and Chief Strategy Officer. “Like CHEM, Black CannaCon represents a seismic shift in this industry, providing valuable connections, knowledge, and inspiration for those interested in cannabis. Our ChemCapsule educational programming will provide participants with pathways for reaping the medical and economic benefits of the growing legal cannabis industry.”
There is a severe disparity in the cannabis industry. Less than 4% of all cannabis businesses are Black-owned and 70% of top executives at the 14 largest cannabis companies are white men. Despite recent efforts at legalization, there is still much work to do. The CHEM CannaCapsule will provide BIPOC cannabis industry professionals and consumers with a space to learn more about the cannabis industry and make the connections necessary to further their careers.
ABOUT THE CANNABIS HEALTH EQUITY MOVEMENT (CHEM)
The Cannabis Health Equity Movement (CHEM)™ is a call to action-it’s a call to educate, advocate, and demonstrate that cannabis is a root-solution to healing people and the earth.
Our mission is to actualize health equity for all people beginning with the revitalization of the Black, Indigenous, and Latinx (BIL) communities harmed most by the war on drugs. Through applying regenerative design to the industrial ecology of cannabis, CHEM aims to leverage the agricultural, industrial, medical, and nutritional innovations of cannabis to revivify BIL communities into sustainable and resilient ecosystems that are productive of health, wealth, and prosperity.
The aim is 2-fold: to cultivate BIL cannabis industry and ancillary workforce, entrepreneurship, and leadership success, and to promote stewardship of community planning and economic development through education, workforce development, small business support, reciprocal partnerships, and the design and implementation of community revitalization initiatives.
