By: Tatiahna Turner
In 2015, Supernova Women was formed by women of color that resided in the San Francisco Bay Area. Being that the cannabis industry is predominantly white and male, these women decided that the industry needed to be more inclusive. Less than 20% of the cannabis business is made up of people of color.
Besides starting their own business, these amazing entrepreneurial women also began holding free business workshops, panel discussions, and networking events that are targeted towards educating those who are the most affected by The War on Drugs. Through these events, Supernova Women help other people of color to obtain business permits and get into the legal cannabis industry. When discussing their business one of the Supernova Women founders, Tsion Lencho told Huffington Post, “When you came to the business side of things, there was a complete dearth of conversation about inclusion, even though social and racial justice were at the forefront of the talking points around why you should legalize and why you should allow local jurisdictions to give permits, but no one was talking about providing permits for those who actually went to jail for cannabis.”
In the end, these minority business owners hope that the industry will adapt and learn to respect their part in the business that they helped to grow.