Woman Leads Program to Help Blacks With Previous Marijuana Convictions Become Entrepreneurs in the Industry

Khadijah Tribble

Khadijah Tribble is fighting hard for returning citizens with marijuana convictions. As Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Curaleaf, a leading medical and wellness cannabis operator, she is using her experience in government relations to help create equitable cannabis regulations that will give returning citizens a new start in the multi-billion dollar industry.

The harm caused to the Black community through the criminalization of cannabis must be acknowledged in order to set a new path forward. One out of every four individuals who have a marijuana conviction live above the poverty line. That means three out of four, or 75% of those individuals, are living in abject poverty.

This story is common for many Americans, especially for Black and Brown individuals who have become victims of the “War on Drugs.” In cities where marijuana is now legal, individuals who have been convicted of a marijuana offense, cannot invest, own, or operate a marijuana dispensary, let alone work in one. They have the connections, the capacity, and the competence to open a dispensary, but in jurisdictions across this country, they are denied a second chance.

Rooted in Good (RIG), a program that Khadijah is heading at Curaleaf, is focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), social equity, and sustainability. RIG was developed to consider the holistic health of each of the communities in which it serves around the country. This includes patients, employees, and neighbors, as well as the environments we impact, both locally and globally. The focus of its social equity initiative is on activating programs that foster repairing social harms and removing systematic barriers for people from communities most harmed by the War on Drugs and institutional oppression.

Learn more at https://curaleaf.com/social-responsibility/