A still from a commercial created and directed by Leah Thomas, founder of The Greens Girl Co., to … [+]
As more states legalize and mainstream acceptance of cannabis continues to rise, a flurry of initiatives has sprung up focused on rectifying the wrongs inflicted on people of color because of the war on drugs. The Greens Girl Co., a black-owned ecommerce website and resource platform founded by 25-year-old Leah Thomas, is the latest notable example. Unlike the others, The Greens Girl Co. is not an extension or offshoot of an established brand; rather its entire mission is based on helping those whose communities have been historically marginalized and unjustly prosecuted build equity and wealth in the legal cannabis industry.
„While consumption from white and black people are roughly equal in rates, black people are almost four times as likely to be arrested for cannabis possession,” said Thomas, when explaining why she launched The Greens Girl Co. “Through The Greens Girl Co., I am working to build a just and inclusive cannabis revolution, where the industry can provide economic opportunities for all. The future of cannabis is intersectional.”
Living in California where adult-use has been legal since early 2018 and medical since 1996, Thomas, a frequent cannabis user, found it empowering to to sample myriad new products without the fear of legal prosecution. At the same time, as a black woman, she also realized how unfair it was that she was able to enjoy her cannabis consumption when there were so many black, indigenous and people of color incarcerated across the country for simply consuming and selling. To Thomas, it seemed hypocritical.
With this in mind, Thomas sought to create a space that would help the BIPOC communities while destigmatizing cannabis for everyone—not just the one percent. Having already gained almost 180,000 followers in less than five months after launching Intersectional Environmentalist, a climate community site that targets the BIPOC communities, combined with her over 175,000 followers on various social media platforms, Thomas felt she had the clout and influence to bring cannabis equality and reform to the forefront of attention. Enter The Greens Girl Co.
Leah Thomas, founder of The Greens Girl Co. and the Intersectional Environmentalist
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“My goal with The Greens Girl Co. is to bring the inequalities of the cannabis industry into the mainstream light,” said Thomas. “States who have legalized cannabis have made over $10 billion, while there are 15.7 million people who have been incarcerated for cannabis offenses, most of them being black, indigenous or people of color.”
The business, which is less than a month old, boasts the following features on its site: The Cannabis Innovation Fund, “which aims to support black cannabis innovations and reform organizations, and provide grants to BIPOC in cannabis or those negatively impacted by the sector,” as per a press release announcing the launch of The Greens Girl Co; a BIPOC cannabis directory, which helps consumers find BIPOC-owned businesses; and a shop that partners with artisans for “unique capsule collections.” Presently, The Greens Girl Co. is selling handmade ceramic pipes created by Takoma Ceramics as its first product. Sales are online although Thomas hopes in the future to team up with dispensaries to do pop-up stores or even pop-up events during the holiday season.
Like other startups, Thomas is bootstrapping The Greens Girl Co. as she is drawing upon her savings. Besides herself, her team is skeletal, consisting of a designer, consultants and artisans. Yet, even under these circumstances, Thomas’ ambition is evidenced by a commercial she created and directed to herald the debut of her latest brainchild.
The Cannabis Innovation Fund does not have investors right now; however, according to a spokesperson for The Greens Girl Co., Thomas is speaking to various consultants in the cannabis space to work on “solidifying grant specifics.” The future does look promising as the fund has already received two nominations of black-owned cannabis businesses and reform organizations to receive the grant.
The Greens Girl Co. is donating 5 percent of sales and a minimum of $2,000 per quarter to criminal justice reform, bail funds and cannabis reform organizations through the Cannabis Innovation Fund. (A percentage of proceeds will also be going toward the Intersectional Environmentalist). Thomas has also teamed up with cannabis education and advocacy platform Humble Bloom Co to build a review council to ensure that these funds will be allocated to impactful organizations.