Dispensaries Join Forces To Support Cannabis Justice With Mission [Green] Alliance

The nonprofit organization The Weldon Project unveiled Mission [Green] Alliance Tuesday, a project designed to inspire customers of legal cannabis to contribute to cannabis justice efforts.

By rounding up their purchases at participating dispensaries, customers can make a significant impact on social change, provide financial aid to incarcerated individuals and promote advocacy for individual clemencies.

More On The Cannabis Justice Effort: Mission [Green] Alliance, a grassroots effort spearheaded by Weldon Angelos, a criminal justice activist working to end cannabis prohibition and reform the U.S. federal justice system, has ambitious goals.

It aims to support incarcerated individuals, effect legislative reform and devise strategies to release cannabis offenders. To make this possible, customers of legal cannabis can support cannabis reform directly at the point of sale in participating dispensaries.

Heads-up: The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference is returning to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel April 11-12. 

Operators taking part in the Mission [Green] Alliance give their customers the option to round up their purchases or make additional contributions to The Weldon Project. The program was successfully piloted in 2022 through a partnership between The Weldon Project and Verano Holdings Corp VRNOF, which helped secure the release of Luke Scarmazzo from federal prison.

The Alliance's Industry Backers: The Mission [Green] Alliance has garnered widespread support from stakeholders across the cannabis industry, including Glass House Brands GLASF, AYR Wellness AYRWF, TerrAscend TRSSF, PharmaCann, Missouri Health & Wellness, Sunny Daze, 4Front Ventures FFNTF, Vangst, Headset, SALT, Springbig, Treez, Aeropay, Mattio, Eminence Capital, JWAM and CB1 Capital.

Angelos, founder of The Weldon Project, emphasized the responsibility of cannabis operators and consumers alike to "acknowledge the complex history of cannabis and take meaningful steps towards greater equity."

He added that Mission [Green] Alliance provides a simple and efficient way for legal cannabis consumers to support justice-focused causes within the industry.

Scarmazzo, now a cannabis justice advocate after being released from incarceration, expressed his gratitude for the initiative.

"Weldon and Mission [Green] were instrumental in advocating for my release from incarceration — my freedom would be impossible without their tremendous, life-changing work. Now, I look forward to paying it forward by working alongside Mission [Green] to create awareness, foster dialogue with lawmakers and ensure that no individual has to remain imprisoned because of cannabis."

The Last Word: Scarmazzo is speaking at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Miami Beach on Tuesday, with hundreds of dispensaries around the country offering roundups on the day of the event.

This presents a prime opportunity for cannabis consumers to actively support cannabis justice efforts and work towards achieving greater equity in the industry.

Photo via Shutterstock.