This Organization Has Gifted $1M Worth Of Medical Marijuana In 2021, And Is Aiming To Hit $2M By Year-End

The Sweetleaf Collective has met its ambitious goal for 2021: Helping California patients access $1 million worth of free medical cannabis. And it has done so six months ahead of schedule.

Consequently, the long-standing champion of numerous “Compassionate Cannabis” programs in Northern California has doubled its goal. The team now aspires to raise and facilitate $2 million worth of compassionate cannabis by the end of the year.

This is a particularly historic achievement for the 25-year-old cannabis nonprofit organization, which typically facilitates donations of between $250,000 and $500,000 worth of cannabis over the course of an entire year.

The Backstory

In 1996 when the groundbreaking Proposition 215 passed in California and legalized medical cannabis, “Sweetleaf” Joe Airone founded the Sweetleaf Collective to provide life-saving medical cannabis to HIV/AIDS patients in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since then, Sweetleaf has expanded its efforts to help other low-income people, people with disabilities and those with other terminal illnesses gain access to free medical cannabis.

Sweetleaf Collective is a donation-based charity to which a variety of partner organizations donate cannabis flower, edibles and concentrates that are then delivered to patients in the Collective. Any monetary proceeds donated to the Sweetleaf Collective go toward funding the organization of disadvantaged patients as well as paying the group's administrative costs and employees.

There are also numerous dispensaries around California that sell Sweetleaf-branded lighters to their customers as a way of raising money to pay Sweetleaf's overhead and to organize its patient to access of 3.5 grams of compassionate cannabis.

Chatting with Benzinga, Sweetleaf Joe said, “It is inspiring to see the cannabis industry come together to help those most in need. This industry was founded on compassion with Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary giving away free cannabis in AIDS wards in the 80’s. Seeing the industry returning to its compassionate roots is a beautiful thing. We are excited to see the cannabis nonprofit sector thriving in California. The impact on patients is dramatic. Together we are saving lives.”

For more information about the Sweetleaf Collective, please visit https://www.sweetleafcollective.org

Encuentra nuestro contenido en Español en El Planteo:

• Europa: Andorra Busca Crear Industria de Cannabis Medicinal
• Guía Paso a Paso: Cómo Inscribirse en REPROCANN

Photo: Lelen Ruete.