M4MM Kicks Off Congressional Black Caucus Week Honoring Cannabis

Written By Gretchen Gailey

Washington – Minorities for Medical Marijuana, the largest community-based nonprofit in the cannabis and hemp industry, kicked off Congressional Black Caucus Week with its bi-annual Diversity and Inclusion for Cannabis Equity Mixer in downtown Washington, DC. At the event, M4MM honored two “Champion 4 Change” Awardees, Bakari Sellers and Florida State Senator Tracie Davis. The advocacy group’s goal this week is for lawmakers to recognize how policy will affect minority communities and what is needed for these communities to be a vital part of legalization efforts.

“Every caucus member should be talking about the legalization of cannabis and how it’s affected their community, and we need to start now,” said Roz McCarthy, founder, and CEO of M4MM.

Sellers, a political commentator for CNN and New York Times Best Selling Author, rallied the organization with a fireside chat with McCarthy where they spoke a great deal about the difference between equality and equity.

“The people who are making profit off of marijuana really do not look like us. There is not an equality problem, we can have a conversation about equality on another day, but there’s an equity problem, and so we have to do something to address that problem with equity,” said Sellers.

The argument for equity vs. equality is that equality means individuals or groups of people are given the same resources or opportunities. Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances, and allocates the resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Sellers says, for an equitable outcome lawmakers must take a holistic approach when crafting cannabis policy.

“Is it an economic policy. The answer is yes. Is it a public health policy? The answer is yes, Is it something where we have to deal with equity across every agency…. The answer is yes,” he added. “The individuals who open dispensaries, it’s not just about whether or not you can get a license. It’s about whether or not you can get access to capital so that you can actually develop and build and do the things necessary so that you can provide for your family. And so, this comes from a holistic approach across a bunch of different levels, and that the way we have to look at policy.”

The night’s second honoree, Senator Davis spoke of her efforts to push for legislation to help Pigford farmers in Florida have the opportunity to be awarded cultivation licenses. The Pigford Class are Black farmers who experienced unfair treatment for their local USDA county committees when they applied for farm loans or assistance. They were denied loans, waited longer for loan approval, and faced worse loan terms than white farmers.

“There is no option to fail sometimes and that’s what this was about. It was about going for those Pigford black farmers that have been dealing with this for five and a half years. The person thatcame to me to get me involved was a sorority sister and her grandmother is a Pigford. Her grandmother is 100 years old, so when you say to me, ‘Tracie, we’re gonna do this, but we’re gonna wait a little bit’, she doesn’t have another session (legislative session).

So, the issue was, we weren’t going to wait, we were going to do something now. And for me it was that they all would have a license, or nobody would have a license,” said Davis.

“All I was doing was fighting for a 100-year-old woman to have generational wealth for her family. And so, the blessing was eleven more people benefited.”

Thursday, M4MM will unveil their policy brief, “Cannabis Legalization: Policy Reform and Economic Priorities From the Black Perspective, at the Congressional Black Caucus’ Annual Legislative Conference. The brief outlines their views on policy for both the cannabis and hep industries:

· Licensing Structure and Process

· Increasing the share of Minority Owner/Operator’s licenses

· Economic Inclusion and Expansion

· Employment and Professional Mobility

· Supplier Diversity and Revenue Opportunity

· Improving Health Outcomes

· Municipal Empowerment, especially for Minority Majority Municipalities and Counties

· Restorative Social and Economic Justice Impacts

Their brief also outlines their amendments to the upcoming SAFER Banking Act coming up for a markup hearing in committee next week. M4MM is advocating for statutory language to provide capital access opportunities beyond debt instrument lending and a safe harbor for investment vehicles and national securities exchanges to list the securities of issuers that are State-Sanctioned Marijuana Businesses.

“M4MM recognizes the evolving policy landscape and pledges to be the rational voice in the storm, to drive outcomes that deliver broad returns for our members and the greater constituencies we serve. Federal legislation will take multiple years of engagement advocacy and outcomes. Ensuring a balanced federal policy that supports home-grown small businesses, restorative social justice, and economic freedom is our number one priority,” added McCarthy.

To wrap up the week, the group will head to Silver Spring, Maryland to host one of their Project Clean Slate Expungement Clinic. The week’s events are being sponsored by Cresco Labs and Trulieve.

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About Minorities for Medical Marijuana:

Minorities for Medical Marijuana, Inc. (M4MM) is organized as a nonprofit organization with corporate offices based in Orlando, Florida. The organization is structured as a 501c3 with a full Executive Team and Board of Directors who support the organization’s overall goals and strategic direction. The organization was established in May 2016 and currently has 27 state directors throughout the country including a Northern California chapter based in Oakland. M4MM’s mission is focused on providing

advocacy, outreach, research, and training as it relates to the business, social reform, public policy, and health/wellness in the cannabis industry.

Gretchen Gailey
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