US Cannabis Council Launches Task Force To Advance Diversity, Equity And Inclusion In Marijuana Industry

The US Cannabis Council (USCC) announced that over two dozen civil rights, business and cannabis industry leaders have joined the organization’s new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. Chaired by Linda Mercado Greene—owner of Anacostia Organics and the first person in the District of Columbia to open a dispensary east of the Anacostia River—the DEI Task Force will work to develop and implement strategies to diversify the cannabis industry and ensure that communities impacted by cannabis prohibition benefit from legalization.

The 28-member group includes NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson and Vice Chair Karen Boykin-Towns; National Urban League CEO Marc Morial; businessman, sports icon and philanthropist Isiah Thomas; former ACLU Washington office director Laura Murphy; and former U.S. Congressman Carlos Curbelo, among others.

“I am thrilled to convene this powerful and inspiring group of leaders,” said Greene, the Task Force chairperson. “As a woman of color who owns and operates a cannabis dispensary, I have firsthand experience with the obstacles to greater diversity and equity in our industry. But I also know that progress is possible, and I believe we have assembled the right leaders at the right time to drive meaningful change.”

The Task Force will develop benchmarks and goals to measure the industry’s progress on diversity, equity and inclusion and advise on policies and programs aimed at increasing minority participation in the cannabis industry. In early 2022, the Task Force will launch a new assessment tool that will provide cannabis companies with a DEI scorecard measuring their performance across the following criteria: recruitment/retention, procurement, governance and philanthropy/community engagement.

“USCC is committed to creating an equitable and values-driven cannabis industry, and the DEI Task Force is a vital avenue for advancing this work,” said USCC CEO Steven Hawkins. “Our member companies and organizations are excited to work collaboratively with the Task Force to boost DEI within the industry and create opportunities for growth that mitigate  the negative consequences of decades of cannabis prohibition.”

The DEI Task Force includes the following civil rights, business and cannabis leaders:

• Linda Mercado Greene, Owner/CEO, Anacostia Organics and Chair, DC Cannabis Trade Association

• Ngiste Abebe, Vice President, Public Policy, Columbia Care

• Peter Barsoom, CEO, Nuka Enterprises

• Karen Boykin Towns, Vice Chari, NAACP

• Vince Canales, President & CEO, CLG & Associates

• Yolanda Caraway, President & CEO, The Caraway Group

• Rev. Delman Coates, Ph.D., Founder & President, New Abolitionism Campaign and the Black Church Center for Justice and Equality

• Carlos Curbelo, Former U.S. Congressman

• Dr. Patricia Frye, Founder & Medical Director, Takoma Park Alternative Care

• Judge Shelli Hayes (Retired), Co-Founder & CEO, Tetrasol

• Wade Henderson, President, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

• Hirsch Jain, Director, Government Affairs, Caliva

• Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, NAACP

• Dakeana Jones, Vice President, Human Resources, LivWell Enlightened Health

• Tony Lee, Managing Partner, Dickerson Insurance Services

• Eugene Monroe, Diversity Consultant, Green Thumb Industries and retired National Football League player

• Marc Morial, CEO, National Urban League

• Laura Murphy, former Director of ACLU Washington, D.C. office and President, Laura Murphy & Associates

• Kim Napoli, Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Vicente Sederberg LLP

• Akele Parnell, Head of Equity Partnerships, Lantern

• Caroline Phillips, Founder & Executive Producer, National Cannabis Festival

• Mykel Selph, VP, Social Equity, Cresco Labs

• Ashesh Shaw, Director, Akerna

• Tracy Syphax, CEO, From the Block to the Boardroom

• Isiah Thomas, CEO, Isiah International, LLC

• Khadijah Tribble, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Curaleaf

• Nick Turner, President & Director, Vera Institute of Justice

• Herb Wilkins, Jr., Managing Director, SCI Ventures

For more information, visit: https://www.uscannabiscouncil.org/