On May 15th, social activists from around the US converged in Denver for the Go G.R.E.E.N.E. Cannabis Diversity Summit. “Mary Janes: The Women of Weed“ was there to capture the amazing energy of the speakers and the audience, who united around one goal: how make diversity and inclusion paramount in the “Green Rush”.
Here are the sound bytes that still resonate with us weeks later:
Lawyer Brandon L. Wyatt held himself and his colleagues accountable by saying, “A lawyer is either a social engineer or a parasite on society.”
Neill Franklin of Law Enforcement Against Prohibtion (LEAP) addressed the decades of propaganda against Cannabis. “We don’t have a ‘mass incarceration’ problem, we have an incarceration problem.”
Dr. Rachel Knox, who runs The Canna MDs with her mom and sister (Talk about “Puffragette” Power!) debunked the myth that cannabis is a “gateway drug” to substance abuse. Instead she said, “cannabis is a gateway drug to natural medicine”.
Madeline Martinez, the owner of the World Famous Cannabis Club, the Executive Director of Oregon NORML, as well as a grandmother of six and a former peace officer, emphasized how “we need to educate our children” about cannabis.
Andrea “Drayah” Sallis, Founder of Our Cannabis Culture, which aligns social activism, faith-based education and the creation of business model outreach programs, agreed. “We need to demystify the myths” and have “responsible conversations”.
In the end, Sabria M. Still may have summed up the event perfectly when she said, “If we aren’t at the table, we’re on the menu”.
Truer words may have never been spoken.
That is what’s at stake if the cannabis industry leaves women and people of color at the sidelines.
And this is why “Mary Janes: The Women of Weed” is filming the women (and men) who are fighting for gender parity, social justice, and environmental sustainability in the cannabis industry. You may call this “corporate responsibility”. We call this the “Puffragette” Movement. Join us!
