From CBD healing to epic highs to gourmet meals, Black entrepreneurs are revolutionizing cannabis (again)
Cannabis has been a significant staple in Black culture for generations. Its decriminalization has allowed many Black entrepreneurs to legitimately sell the world’s most popular and once-stigmatized recreational drug.
If you’re looking for a Christmas gift this year that puts your loved one on “Cloud 9”, here are 12 Black-owned cannabis companies that you should consider:
1. Viola
Founded by retired NBA player Al Harrington, Viola is a brand for the culture. It merges cannabis with notable athletic and entertainment figures to educate and promote its brand of flower, vapes, edibles and more. Currently, Viola is available in stores across Colorado, California, Michigan and Oregon.
2. Deuces 22
Deuces 22 is another brand with an NBA connection: It was founded by Tyla Salley, daughter of four-time champion and co-founder John Salley. Her brand offers both products and educational content to help both customers and the curious understand the benefits and various applications of cannabis.
3. Oakland Extracts
Supplying “Terps from the Town,” Oakland Extracts founder Terryn Niles Buxton creates high-quality, small-batch goods for his California customers. The brand offers live resin and vapes, but it’s the signature cookie crumble concentrate that keeps customers coming back.
4. V Affect
V Affect is the soon-to-launch product line of Vetra Stevens, the first Black woman to own and operate a dispensary in Wayne County, Michigan. Her Metro Detroit storefront offers flower, vapes, topicals and more through her 1st Quality Medz storefront, and sourced by her own grow and processing operation.
5. Simply Pure
Simply Pure was founded by military veterans Wanda James and Scott Durrah, making the Denver storefront the first Black-owned and female-owned cannabis dispensary in the country. James is a former political advisor to the Obama Administration and was also named one of 2020’s 35 Most Influential Women in Cannabis by Green Entrepreneur. The company sells flower, vapes, tinctures, edibles, extracts and more, all sourced from its own farm.
6. Ardent
Ardent founder and president Shanel A. Lindsay was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Cannabis by High Times. She developed NOVA, a home device that delivers decarbed marijuana to patients looking for an alternative method to consume. The brand also sells infusion kits, molds and other edible-making accessories.
7. Herbn Essence
The products sold by Atlanta-based Herbn Essence are classified as cannabis, but not as marijuana. While Georgia continues to decide how it will tackle its expanding legalization efforts, the Black woman-owned company is offering hemp and CBD flower and prerolls in a variety of strains to bring calming relaxation to customers.
8. American Cannabinoid Clinics
American Cannabinoid Clinics is owned and operated by Dr. Jessica Knox, Dr. Janice Knox, and Dr. Rachel Knox, a family of experts in cannabinoid medicine and endocannabinology. ACC offers a more structured way to integrate cannabis into everyday life. The three physicians, along with co-founder Dr. David Knox, have counseled several thousand patients in the use of cannabis therapies to promote restoration of health, well being and function. Patients can schedule appointments through their online system for virtual meetings.
9. 99th Floor
For the gourmet lover in your life, 99th Floor offers dosed, curated meals by professional cannabis chef, Miguel Trinidad. Dinner courses are meticulously dosed, advertised and sold on the company’s social media pages. The New York-based company has plans to sell its own line of edibles through local dispensaries in the near future.
10. Hollingsworth Cannabis Company
Owned and operated by two generations of the Hollingsworth family, Hollingsworth Cannabis Company considers the planet as it supplies customers with sustainably grown, processed and packaged goods. The Washington State-based company sells infused soaps, topical treatments, and even hand sanitizer. The company is the only Black-owned cannabis farm in Washington.
11. Inertia’s Root
Founded as a co-op for Black hemp farmers by Stuart McClean, Inertia’s Root sells flower, tinctures, and balms, while helping to educate farmers on best practices to produce cannabinoid-rich hemp for products. Inertia Root is based in Nashville.
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