We want to highlight the situation legacy/underground/black market operators are facing as states begin to legalize cannabis. The POC communities who built the cannabis industry during the 80+ years of prohibition are being boxed out of the opportunity to operate in the legal industry by corporate giants.
Whether it be lack of access to capital, criminal records, or lack of corporate know-how, underground cannabis operators are the last in line to get a legal license. What corporate cannabis doesn’t understand is that cannabis and its success in the legacy market are not without the culture and the people pushing it. The legal industry will not and can not be successful without the inclusion of the legacy operators who got us to where we are now!
Programming descriptions are generated by participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SXSW.
Vladimir Bautista
Happy Munkey
Steve DeAngelo
Last Prisoner Project
Christine De La Rosa
The People’s Group
Rico Lamitte
Canivision