Cresco Labs' Social Justice Report: Raised $250,000, Supported Cannabis-Related Expungements & Documentary On Michigan's Longest-Held Pot Prisoner

Cresco Labs CL CRLBF revealed Monday that its “Summer of Social Justice” initiative has raised more than $250,000 for social justice-focused community organizations and supported the expungement process for over 1,000 individuals with cannabis-related criminal records.

The “Summer of Social Justice” initiative, launched June 19^{th -} the 50^th anniversary of the War on Drugs, is supported by Cresco Labs and its Sunnyside and Cresco brands.

The initiative encompasses the support of community expungement events, Know Your Rights workshops, a short documentary on how the drug war impacted the sentencing of Michael Thompson and financial contributions from the company and its third-party vendors.

“It was a privilege to lead a nationwide expungement initiative that supported the restoration of rights and agency for over one thousand people and collaborate with every business unit across the organization to deploy meaningful programming that raised broad awareness of social equity and engaged our customers and partners to act,” Chima Enyia, Cresco’s executive vice president of SEED stated. “There are still over 40,000 people imprisoned with cannabis charges across the country, and for these people, their families and their communities the War on Drugs continues. As our inaugural ‘Summer of Social Justice’ initiative ends, we’ll continue demonstrating our commitment and responsibility to historically marginalized people, businesses and communities, as well as encouraging our peers and customers to continue supporting social justice-focused community organizations.”

 “Summer of Social Justice” Initiative Highlights

• Cresco Labs’ third-party vendors donated over $150,000;
• A portion of proceeds from the wholesale of Cresco branded products, Sunnyside in-store fundraising and anonymous matching contributions totaled over $100,000, which went toward the Cannabis Justice Initiative to provide free legal resources to individuals impacted by the War on Drugs.
• Collaborated with eight community-based organizations—National Diversity & Inclusion Cannabis Alliance, Institute of Community Justice, PA Medical Marijuana Education Center, National Expungement Works, Center for Community Alternatives, Legal Aid Society of NYC, Black and Brown Cannabis Guild and Social Change;
• Released the trailer for “The Sentence of Michael Thompson,” a short documentary that tells the story of Michigan’s longest-serving non-violent pot prisoner. Granted clemency this past January, Thompson was serving a 60-year sentence in Muskegon Correctional Facility in Michigan for selling 3 pounds of cannabis to a police informant in 1994. The documentary will be released in 2022.

More recent news from Cresco Labs:

Cannabis Dispensary Roundup: Jushi, Cresco, Trulieve Expand Retail Footprint In PA, Canada House Wellness Opens Shop In Ontario

Cresco Expands In Pennsylvania Via $80M Acquisition Of Laurel Harvest

Cresco Labs Opens $30M Cannabis Cultivation Facility In Marshall, Michigan's Former Campbell Soup Site

Price Action

Cresco Labs’ shares were trading 0.75% lower at $7.96 per share at the time of writing Monday morning.

Photo: Courtesy of Business Wire