Why Jay-Z Thinks That, When It Comes To Legal Weed, 'Arbitrary Borders Still Demarcate Who Can Benefit'

Jay-Z  launched a cannabis line, Monogram, in 2020. To mark the occasion, the brand, owned by TPCO Holding Corp GRAMF, unveiled a nationwide awareness campaign drawing attention to the arbitrary borders between state lines that still determine who can benefit from cannabis, whether that be through entrepreneurship or the positive effects of its use.

Timed to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which classified cannabis as a Schedule I drug, the campaign involved parking LED and mobile billboard trucks across the most starkly contrasting legal/illegal borders of cannabis legislation in the country:

• Oregon / Idaho
• Colorado / Wyoming
• Colorado / Kansas
• Illinois / Wisconsin
• Nevada / Idaho
• Washington / Idaho
• Michigan / Wisconsin

“For so long, cannabis culture has been marred by the effects of the Controlled Substances Act and stigmatized by political agendas," Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, told Benzinga. "While there has been progress, as we launch MONOGRAM, we felt it was imperative that we call out the arbitrary borders that still demarcate who can benefit from cannabis, whether that’s through business or the positive effects of its use.”

The trucks will be in place along each of these state lines for the next two weeks, through the election.

"MONOGRAM" is the maiden brand born out of the famed entrepreneur’s partnership with Caliva, one of the largest vertically-integrated cannabis companies in the U.S., with whom Carter joined forces as Chief Brand Strategist in July 2019.

Original publication: 2020