Asian-American Culture And Cannabis

As hate crimes and rhetoric targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders reaches epidemic proportions, it is time for every industry, including cannabis, to take stock and reflect.  

According to the latest data from the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism (CSHE) at Cal State Bernardino, Anti-Asian hate crimes in America’s 16 largest cities surged by 164% in the first quarter of 2021 as compared to the same period in 2020.  The group Stop AAPI Hate has tracked 6,603 incidents of hate and violence targeting Asian American and Pacific Islanders during the pandemic year (March 19, 2020 – March 31, 2021). What makes these statistics all the more troubling is the fact that CSHE previously reported a 149% increase in Anti-Asian hate from 2019 to 2020.  The problem is compounding.

While calls to #StopAsianHate have intensified and local and national leaders have taken steps to address the crisis, including President Biden signing an executive action condemning racism and intolerance against Asian Americans, the solution to this crisis won’t likely come from the top down.  Rather, real and lasting change must be fostered through conversation, understanding and individual action.

Despite underrepresentation of Asian Americans within its ranks, the cannabis industry is neither insulated from the threat of Asian American hate nor immune from the racial prejudice and stereotypes that provide fertile ground in which hate can persist.  To that end, we recently caught up with five Asian American cannabis industry leaders within to understand how #StopAsianHate has affected their work and lives and how cannabis was viewed in their culture.

Included in our conversations were: Evelyn Wang, CEO of Papa & Barkley, Esther Song, CMO of Canndescent, Alexis Mora, Head of Marketing at Harborside, Victoria Baek , Head of Influencer Marketing for MATTIO and Leon Liu, Director of Processing at Canndescent.

What we heard was an abundance of insight. These leaders are true pioneers, often challenging deep-seeded perceptions regarding cannabis within their culture.  Racial violence against their community is profoundly felt.  While they share the worry and struggle with each terrible headline, there are common threads of hope to be found.  The first step: building bridges between the Asian American community and the cannabis community to foster conversation, understanding and mutual respect. 

This conversation is merely a first step. The hard work is what comes next.  But the benefits, to the industry, to individuals, to society as a whole, will be well worth the effort.

Explain to us how is cannabis perceived by your culture or in your family?

Esther Song, Canndescent:  “Traditionally there has been a stigma surrounding cannabis/traditional Asian families have not been open to cannabis.  Three years ago, I would have never imagined that I would be able to have an open conversation about cannabis with my 16-year-old niece. With the mainstreaming of cannabis the stigma is slowly being removed and I am able to openly speak about cannabis with my family. I do believe there is still a long road ahead before cannabis is fully accepted in Asian countries and communities. Education and advocacy are key to eradicate the harsh judgement and stigma that surround cannabis use.”

Victoria Baek, MATTIO:  “Anecdotally speaking, both of my parents emigrated from Korea which heavily influenced my views on society and formed my behavior. Growing up, my parents instilled a stringent view of “right” and “wrong”, with cannabis squarely on the side of “wrong”. It took a lot of initiative and inherent curiosity around the plant to break those preconceived notions my parents instilled and to venture deeper into the industry. 

“Ten years ago, if I told my parents, ‘I quit my comfy corporate job to pursue a career in cannabis.’ I’m sure I’d have been met with heavy resistance. It’s only after long and arduous talks that I’ve established the legitimacy around the plant to them, changes in the legality have also played a huge part, and now my dad dabbles in CBD use and my mother proudly tells friends and family about my occupation. That alone is a huge step in the right direction.”

Leon Liu, Canndescent:  “Despite its historical importance in both culture and medicine across Asia, there is currently a significant stigma associated with cannabis within the Asian community. This is partially a consequence of how cannabis was represented before legalization, and how many companies co-opted the same rebellious, edgy, counter-cultural iconography when it was legalized. As a result, a decision to enter this industry exposes the entire family to potentially uncomfortable discussions and possible judgment from the larger community. What we do, what we say, and how we represent the industry moving forward will shape the community’s perception of cannabis.”

Alexis Mora, Harborside:  “As an Asian-American I wanted to fight my culture’s negative talk track of cannabis. As a part of the industry, I wanted to fight the lazy stoner stigma.  And as a woman I wanted to see other women not only enter the space but thrive and take leadership roles.”

How has violence against the AAPI community affected you?

Song: “#StopAsianHate hit me very hard. My mother is in her 80s and lives in a senior community in Orange county. Her Asian neighbor received a letter telling her that Asians in the community need to leave. I have never feared for my mother as much as I did the day I found out about the letter. While the Asian community has been quiet in the past, we will not be quiet anymore. It’s been really encouraging to see the support from other marginalized communities.”

Baek: “The introduction of #StopAsianHate has created a voice for people to speak out against the “model minority” stereotype and to create momentum for conversations around increased diversity - it’s more important now than ever for people of the AAPI community to continue advocacy and to spread education around our culture.”

Liu:  “Yes, there has been an increase in brazen and overt anti-Asian behavior, but I don’t believe there has been an increase in underlying hate or suspicion. It’s been there all along, under the surface, but there hasn’t been a reason for it to come up to the surface until Covid-19 provided the excuse and specific institutions set the example.

“Asian hate is a symptom of many other factors. Bringing awareness to the symptom does not address the root causes.”

How should the cannabis industry address diversity and encourage AAPI participation?

Evelyn Wang, Papa & Barkley:  “Diversity is not an industry-specific issue to tackle. It is a living principle that needs to be incorporated across all aspects of our society. Collectively, we’ll be richer for it. As far as Asian Americans in the cannabis industry, there are few of us. We tend to come from more conservative backgrounds. I see an opportunity for those of us in the industry to help drive education and de-stigmatization within our own communities.”

Baek:  “AAPI diversity and the need for it is rampant, not just in this industry. The disparity in practically every field outside of medicine is shocking, we are underrepresented in so many fields. In college, I was a part of the 1% of Asian Americans in an undergrad class of almost 28,000. It’s this feeling of being the only one in the room that pushes me to advocate for more diversity. It’s also this scarcity in diversity that often perpetuates these norms of underrepresentation to continue. “

Liu:  “In my opinion, improving diversity in the cannabis industry requires individual courage and industry courage. On the individual level, Asian Americans who want to work with cannabis need to realize that their communities are unlikely to grant them social “permission” to do so. We can’t wait until the idea is normalized, so we need the courage to become ambassadors of the industry among our communities. 

“On the industry level, we need to realize that the role of cannabis in our society is expanding and evolving. Embrace and honor the journey and give due respect to the community that sustained it and helped us get to legalization. Understand, though, that this plant can bring benefit to everyone. We have to do the work with our marketing efforts and have the courage to have that discussion with the communities that are the most unlikely customers so we can really change perceptions about cannabis.”

Mora:  “More often than not, I am the only woman or the only person of color at the table. To take a meaningful step towards inclusion in the industry - it must start from within. My team consists of diverse individuals intentionally. When you bring creators from diverse cultural backgrounds, you get unique perspectives and expressions that translate into campaigns, brands, and products. This is why representation matters."

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