Empowering Cannabis Leadership with Ernest Toney; Denver, CO

“If you look at the history of cannabis prohibition, you see cannabis being used as a tool of oppression and the communities being targeted are the Black and brown communities.” Starting from this place, BIPOCANN founder and longtime cannabis expert Ernest Toney leads strategy, education, and business operations for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in the legal cannabis industry. In this episode, Ernest talks to Trae about how he works interpersonally within his network to help newcomers and up-and-comers succeed—thereby taking back that imbalance of power. Using a business-to-business approach, and leveraging new legislation as well as any social equity programs that exist, Ernest believes that successful enterprise and strategic partnerships are key to increasing visibility, representation, and equity. This week’s Chime In features Elijah Lewis. This episode was produced by Lili Gu, Linnea Ingalls & Julia Drachman and edited by Josh Berl.