Eaze is partnering with Oakland, California-based nonprofit The Hood Incubator in their efforts to bring social equity to the cannabis space. The Hood Incubator works with communities of color in the cannabis space and Eaze has promised $1 million in funding over the next three years to help bring cannabis industry opportunities to such communities.
“We need to harness our power knowing that, as a community, we have deep knowledge and expertise in this industry, oftentimes because it was the only source of income we had when our families were shut out of formal economy jobs. Our alliance with Eaze will lay the foundation for the work that needs to be done to ensure fair policies are implemented as medical and recreational cannabis ordinances are adopted from a local to national level.” – Lanese Martin, The Hood Incubator co-executive director & political director, in a press release
According to a 2017 Marijuana Business Daily report, Black people comprise less than 5 percent of canna-business owners and founders. The partnership will see The Hood Incubator and Eaze work together to identify local issues for Black and Brown communities. The Hood Incubator has hosted 20 community events in the Bay Area ranging from starting a canna-business to criminal record expungement.
“As leaders in the cannabis industry, we recognize the opportunity to forge an equal and fair industry from the beginning. We’re excited to have The Hood Incubator as our partner in identifying key local issues around social equity and working together to develop programs to advance economic opportunity and to redress the adverse effects of marijuana prohibition.” – Jim Patterson, Eaze CEO, in a statement
The Hood Incubator was founded in 2016 and has more than 2,000 members nationwide.
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