Welton Workspace, A Hub for The Black Cannapreneur & Home to The Color of Cannabis

By. Sarah Woodson

For centuries black people have been excessively incarcerated through the criminal justice system. The leading driver behind this mass incarceration is known as “The War on Drugs”. This war is still affecting black communities in real time negatively, while simultaneously a billion-dollar global industry is being built around a commodity classified as a schedule one drug, cannabis. The cannabis industry offers massive wealth opportunities for the black community. Many people in the black community believe that selling cannabis legally is a privilege that white America is afforded and not black America. Changing that narrative is key to having more diversity in the industry.  If selling cannabis is a privilege, this privilege is owed to the black community as they have been the most negatively affected by the unregulated sales of cannabis.  Organizations like The Color of Cannabis are doing the daunting work to make sure this privilege is a reality for the black community in Colorado. The Color of Cannabis is a non-profit organization that focuses on social equity in the cannabis industry. Hitting the seen in 2020, this organization has made groundbreaking strives to make sure that POCs in Colorado have the privilege of ownership and participation in the industry.  The organization was responsible for spearheading and drafting the social equity definitions in Colorado’s first Social Equity Bill in the cannabis industry, HB20-1424.  Under this new legislation licenses would be reserved for applicants who meet one of the following qualifications:

·       The applicant has resided for at least fifteen years between the years 1980 and 2010 in a census tract designated by the [state] Office of Economic Development and international trade as an opportunity zone or a census tract designated as a Disproportionate Impacted Area.

·       The applicant or the applicant’s parent, legal guardian, sibling, spouse, child or minor in their guardianship was arrested for a marijuana offense, convicted of a marijuana offense, or was subject to civil asset forfeiture related to a marijuana investigation.

·       The applicant’s household income in the year prior to application did not exceed 50 percent of the state median income as measured by the number of people who reside in the applicant’s household.

Final rules will be released this year by the Marijuana Enforcement Division.

According to MED License Demographic Data from 2018, blacks held 3% of key licenses, a key license in 2018 was the license type for owners.  That is why the passing of HB20-1424 is the first step in increasing minority ownership in the cannabis industry.  Many black Coloradans that have been interested in Cannabis for the last 10 years will now have an opportunity in delivery, hospitality, and the accelerator program. The Color of Cannabis wants POCs to understand the importance of representation when it comes to policy.  “Policy and regulated cannabis are intertwined” says Sarah Woodson, Executive Director and Founder of The Color of Cannabis. “I can’t explain how important it is to have representation at the table, we have three new license types in the pipeline, it will take policy work to have cities and municipalities opt into  the new license types”. “Our strategy is to focus on what is possible, be the representation that the community needs, create partnerships for mentorship and technical support with the companies that have had the most success. We want our members to have access to the best, so that they can be prepared, you can’t guarantee success in business, it’s always a gamble, but for the POCs that do succeed from being a part of the organization they will succeed big!”

The Color of Cannabis is in Denver’s’ historic Five Points Neighborhood on 28th and Welton. Their home office is in a new co-working space called Welton Workspace.  Welton Workspace will be open to the public in November of 2020. The co-working: shared workspace will offer a contemporary intimate space with an emphasis around cannabis business.  Ancillary startups and cannabis companies that are looking for office space will be welcomed.  “One of the negative stigmas in our community around cannabis is the criminal act of selling unregulated cannabis and the legal consequences.” Woodson says, I want people to know the regulated industry looks nothing like that.  It’s hard to run a business in the regulated industry, compliance is key, it’s very corporate and very professional! We are so proud of Welton Workspace, it will be well received.  A beautiful co-working space for POCs. It is so nice and intimate; folks are going to feel good when they walk in. Also, I think we might be the first and only co-working space in Denver for POCs”. Welton workplace will also host a 10-week Social Equity Business course starting in November. This course will be taught by Terrapin Care Station, Native Roots, The Green Solutions, and several other industry power houses. The course will give members the opportunity to create real relationships with industry and give industry a chance to do the same.  “We have an opportunity to create generational wealth and be the gold stander of what social equity programs can look like. Social equity in cannabis is not a handout it’s an opportunity for our brightest, best and most innovative entrepreneur to get in the cannabis industry” For more information on The Color of Cannabis and Welton Work Space go to www.thecolorofcannabisco.org