As part of its commitment to building social and health equity focused on cannabis, the Cannabis Health Equity (CHEM)™ movement is proud to announce its partnership with the first and only national conference of cannabis professionals and consumers of color, the 2021 Black CannaConference & Expo (Black CannaCon). Over the course of this 3-day event, CHEM will run the CHEM CannaCapsule, an 8-hour collection of keynote speeches, special events and panel discussions, all focused on cannabis education and equity.
Black Cancun, the first conference of its kind providing education, professional development, and networking opportunities for people of color in the cannabis industry, will take place November 18-20, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference will feature over 40 speakers and over 100 exhibitors, many of them CHEM . Alliance leaders. As part of the CHEM Capsule, Dr. Rachel Knox, Dr. Jessica Knox and Dashida Dawson will deliver keynote speeches. The She Blaze podcast, hosted by sisters Ice and Dasheeda Dawson, will be recording a special episode of the conference. Dasheeda will also host a book signing for her core book, How to succeed in the cannabis industry. Other coalition members, such as The Dank Duchess®, a Hashish & Cultivator consultant, and Dr. Angela Ledbetter, a member of the Executive Board of the Association for Cannabis Medicine and Health (ACHEM), will participate in group discussions on equity, inclusion, health, and policy.
“The cannabis industry is growing. However, the impact of the decades-old cannabis ban targeting black, indigenous and Latino communities remains. Systemic inequality, lack of information, limited access to capital, and other barriers to entry make benefits Cannabis is out of reach of many communities of color.” Dashida DawsonCHEM co-founder, and chief strategy officer. “Like CHEM, Black CannaCon represents a seismic shift in the industry, providing valuable connections, knowledge and inspiration for those interested in cannabis. Our ChemCapsule educational programs will provide participants with pathways to reap the medical and economic benefits of the growing legal cannabis industry.”
There is extreme disparity in the cannabis industry. Less than 4% of all cannabis companies are owned by blacks and 70% of the CEOs of the 14 largest cannabis companies are white men. Despite recent efforts to legalize, there is still much work to be done. The CHEM CannaCapsule will provide BIPOC cannabis industry professionals and consumers the space to learn more about the cannabis industry and make the connections necessary to advance their careers.
About the Health Cannabis Rights Movement (CHEM)
The The Cannabis Health Equality Movement (CHEM)™ It is a call to action – a call to educate, advocate and prove that cannabis is the radical solution to healing people and the earth.
Our mission is to achieve health equity for all people starting with revitalizing the Black, Indigenous, and Latino (BIL) communities that have been hardest hit by the war on drugs. By applying regenerative design to the industrial environment of cannabis, CHEM aims to leverage cannabis agricultural, industrial, medical and nutritional innovations to revitalize BIL communities into sustainable, resilient ecosystems that produce health, wealth, and prosperity.
The goal is twofold: to cultivate the BIL cannabis industry and its workforce, entrepreneurship, and leadership success, and to strengthen oversight of community planning and economic development through education, workforce development, small business support, mutual partnerships, and the design and implementation of community revitalization initiatives.
