| This week, Cannabis Business Times Associate Editor Andriana Ruscitto spoke with American rapper and singer Vic Mensa about how he is striving to provide education and equity for communities impacted by the war on drugs through 93 Boyz, Illinois’ first Black-owned cannabis brand.
"The subjects that I make music about and the programs I create with my organization so often take the form of social justice, and that's because that's who I am as a human being," Mensa told Ruscitto. "And in the creation of 93 Boyz, I felt that it is imperative to make it not just a self-serving venture, but to also be a vehicle for freedom because the criminalization of cannabis has stolen freedom from so many of us."
While the company’s long-term goals are eventually to vertically integrate its operations and venture into other state markets, Mensa said its current focus is on building the company in his hometown and giving back to underserved communities.
The CBT team will continue this conversation about social equity and brand building at Cannabis Conference, which takes place next week, Aug. 23-25, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.
On Aug. 23, LKP Impact Consulting LLC’s Laurie Parfitt will speak on “Marketing 101: A Step-By-Step Guide To Building A Cannabis Brand” to help you determine what your ideal customer should look like, how to build out the demographic, how to conduct important research and much more.
Then, on Aug. 24, Amber Littlejohn, former executive director of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, will moderate a panel discussion, “Turning Talk Into Action: How Cannabis Companies Can Develop Meaningful And Actionable Social Equity Priorities,” with Cresco Labs’ Chima Enyia, Urban Paragon’s Anna Shreeve and Cookies Social Impact member Cynthia Villamizar to provide key insights and strategies to help you examine your own social equity priorities and develop meaningful short- and long-term initiatives.
Your LAST CHANCE for discounted rates expires tonight, Aug. 19, at midnight ET. Learn more at CannabisConference.com.
-Melissa Schiller, Senior Digital Editor | 