It is time to for those communities who have been historically criminalized by cannabis to profit from same plant that has been used to unjustly jail them.

The Tragic History of Cannabis Criminalization and Racism

The cannabis plant was originally legal — and well loved — in the United States.

Hemp, a kind of cannabis historically grown for its fiber and pulp, was planted on U.S. farms in our early settlement days. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their colonial farms.

We MUST NOT Leave Behind The Communities Marginalized by Cannabis Criminalization

Very exciting, all these opportunities with hemp. Isn’t it? But will everybody benefit?

The black and brown minorities who have been unfairly devastated since 1937 by cannabis criminalization want to enter this lucrative new market place too.

Yet the cannabis criminalization of their communities has created a lack of access to the generational wealth needed, plus a stigma of cultural roadblocks that white hemp industry entrepreneurs simply do not experience. This prevents them from profiting on the very plant that held them back for decades.

That’s where Legacy Farm Solutions steps in to help.

We forge the links and create a pathway for minority farmers, business, communities and individuals to invest, gain wealth, and restore their dignity via the very plant that once criminalized them — cannabis.

And we are building this new hemp economy the way all industries should have been — inclusively and equitably.

We partner with farmers, processors, investors, supporters and consumers of all colors and all backgrounds that have come together support a simple hemp equity pledge.

We pledge to create an inclusive, equitable hemp industry. For everyone.

For you. For those who most need it. For the world.

Criminalizing Cannabis and it’s Devastating Consequences on Minorities

In 1937 “Marihuana Act” was passed, prohibiting cannabis of all types. Including ‘hemp’ which cannot make you high. Within just a year, black people were almost three times more likely to be arrested for violating drug laws than whites. And Mexicans were arrested nearly nine times more than whites for the same charges.

Subsequent laws made sentencing for drug convictions mandatory. A first offense for smoking cannabis could land you in prison for two to five years. In 1970 the Controlled Substances Act was enacted, and cannabis — including hemp — was scheduled as a Class One drug lumping it in with drugs like heroin, LSD and ecstasy.

Unfortunately, the racist devastation of cannabis criminalization has, tragically, continued since then.

Hemp Legalization Can Reverse the Effects of Cannabis Criminalization

But when it comes to cannabis, things are FINALLY starting to change for the better. Many states have legalized cannabis (hemp and marijuana) entirely – for both medicinal and recreational purposes. More are predicted to follow. The majority of American’s now support the federal decriminalization of marijuana.

In December 2018 under the passage of the Farm Bill, hemp was removed from Controlled Substances Act. This means hemp is now FEDERALLY legal in the United States.

This means hemp can RIGHT NOW be grown — and its products sold — throughout the United States. Hemp legalization has already been embraced by farmers, processors and investors eager to profit from this brand-new industry promising lucrative returns.

In the early 1900s an influx of Mexican immigrants migrated to the U.S. fleeing political unrest. They brought with them a tradition of smoking the cannabis plant. This practice took off amongst African American communities. Caucasian communities, however, declined the practice, sticking with their traditional cultural intoxicant – alcohol.

In 1936, a film called “Reefer Madness” was released. This inaccurately portrayed dramatic effects of cannabis, creating fears that smoking cannabis was inextricably linked to violence, crime and the degrading of societal morals.

And who smoked cannabis? The black and brown people did.