Six Cannabis Groups Supporting Equality In The Booming Industry Honored On 'National Nonprofit Day'

August 17 was National Nonprofit Day, which you may not have heard of but surely you will recognize these six groups who are and have been on the front lines of cannabis progress working for an equitable future for every generation affected by the War on Drugs, which among other problems has generated billions of dollars wasted in racially-biased arrests.

According to the ACLU, the war on Cannabis still costs American taxpayers about $3.6 billion. As cannabis legalization sweeps across the U.S., one can't miss the prosperity the industry is experiencing and forget that less than a generation ago, judges meted out harsh sentences, especially among marginalized communities.

Decades of excessive policing in communities of color have created a sense of mistrust during encounters with local police.

As an example, an ACLU research report noted that "there were more than six million arrests between 2010 and 2018, and black people are still more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white people in every state, including those that have legalized marijuana."

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Take a Look at What These NGOs Are Doing:

Image by Cannabis Workers Coalition

Image by Supernova Women

Image courtesy of Cannaclusive

Women Grow is another encouraging program that supports women in cannabis. Established in 2014 as a way to invest in the next generation of femme leaders, the group hosts seminars to help founders continue their cannabis education and arranges events to build strong community networks. Women Grow envisions a future in which cannabis prohibition ends on a global scale, and it wants women to be ready to lead in all facets of the industry once that happens.

Americans for Safe Access (ASA) is a large and well-established nonprofit with a long list of historical policy changes under its belt. Not only do they advocate for the rights of medical cannabis patients at the federal and state level, but they also built the world’s first International Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institute. They support medical professionals and patients by offering accredited education programs, as well.

Image by Americans for Safe Access

Becoming A Conscious Cannabis Advocate

There are many organizations whose mission is to work on social equity issues ranging from policy reform to racial justice. Including NuProject, located in Portland, which works to boost BIPOC cannabis entrepreneurs; the Oregon Handlers Fund, which provides low-income applicants with money for marijuana worker permits; and the Last Prisoner Project, a national group that provides legal assistance to nonviolent cannabis-related offenders, among others.
Recently, the Last Prisoner Project along with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers came together to establish the Cannabis Justice Initiative, an initiative that works to facilitate clemency and compassionate release for those who continue to languish behind bars due to cannabis. prohibition. Launched in the spring of 2021, the initiative recruits, trains, and matches volunteer attorneys with clemency candidates and successfully helps secure releases.

In addition, Our Academy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit digital native mentorship program that assists independent BIPOC cannabis entrepreneurs and is “open to knowledge sharing and supporting social equity qualified applicants, partners, and other disproportionately impacted and targeted communities of the war on drugs.”
Photo: Courtesy Of Brett Jordan On Unsplash