The Green Fight: How equity entrepreneurs are navigating pressure, policy, and the push to keep cannabis culture intact

From Cell Block to Cannabis Business: Why Legalization Without Justice Fails the People Who Paid the Price

Legal cannabis is one of the fastest-growing industries in America, generating billions in revenue and creating a new class of corporate power players. But beneath the glossy marketing campaigns and investor celebrations, the human cost of the War on Drugs is still being paid. For thousands of people returning from incarceration for cannabis offenses, legalization has not meant opportunity. It has meant watching the same plant that took their freedom turn others into millionaires.

The Reality of Reentry
When someone walks out of prison after years served for a cannabis conviction, they face two challenges at once. The first is the universal reality of reentry: finding housing, employment, and stability in a world that often treats a criminal record like a permanent scarlet letter. The second is the bitter irony of returning to neighborhoods where cannabis is now legal but locked inside a heavily regulated, capital-intensive industry.

Consider Malik, who served over a decade for a non-violent cannabis offense. Upon release, he discovered that a dispensary now stood just blocks from where he was arrested. The store’s brightly lit counters and point-of-sale tablets bore no resemblance to the life that had cost him so much. Malik wanted in, not as an employee but as an owner. What he found instead was a maze of licensing requirements, application fees that reached tens of thousands, and a competitive process tilted toward those with money, connections, and a clean record.

Malik’s experience is not unique. Across the country, countless others face the same uphill battle. In Illinois, early social equity licensees were sidelined by delays that left them unable to open for years, forcing some to sell their licenses at a loss. In California, high taxes and overregulation have pushed many small operators — including those with equity status — to the brink of closure. In New York, lawsuits have frozen licensing, leaving dozens of equity applicants paying rent on unopened storefronts while MSOs quietly prepare to enter the market.

Equity in Name, Barriers in Practice
Many states have implemented “social equity” programs designed to give those harmed by prohibition a head start in the legal market. On paper, these programs offer priority licensing, technical training, or reduced fees. In practice, the results often fall short. Without access to funding, licenses are little more than symbolic documents. Zoning laws keep many equity applicants out of high-traffic retail areas. Background checks disqualify people for offenses unrelated to cannabis.

The result is a revolving door of opportunity that opens just wide enough to take a picture for the press release, but not enough to create sustainable ownership. Some applicants are forced into partnerships with well-funded investors who eventually take majority control. Others give up entirely, unable to bridge the gap between “qualified” and “operational.”

The MSO Advantage
While returning citizens and small equity operators struggle to get a foothold, multi-state operators (MSOs) move quickly. They have deep pockets, entire legal teams dedicated to navigating regulation, and the political influence to shape rules in their favor. By the time an equity license holder clears the last bureaucratic hurdle, an MSO has likely opened multiple storefronts in the same market, locked down advertising channels, and secured the most desirable real estate.

This imbalance is not just economic. It is cultural. The same communities that nurtured cannabis culture during prohibition are watching it be repackaged and sold back to them without acknowledgment or reinvestment.

What Real Justice Looks Like
If legalization is going to live up to its promise, it cannot stop at decriminalization. It has to include repair. That means:

• Fully funded, grant-based business incubators for returning citizens and other impacted individuals

• Automatic expungement of all non-violent cannabis convictions, without cost or application barriers

• Zoning reforms that reserve retail space for equity licensees in prime commercial areas

• Access to state-backed microloans that do not require personal collateral or perfect credit

• Procurement policies that prioritize equity operators for government cannabis contracts

• Legal aid programs to protect equity operators from predatory partnership terms

These changes are not just about fairness. They are about protecting the cultural and economic roots of the cannabis movement from being erased by the very system that once sought to destroy them.

The Stakes for the Culture
Malik’s path is still unfolding. He has connected with a reentry entrepreneurship program, begun saving for licensing costs, and partnered with a local cultivation collective to share resources. But his experience is proof that without structural support, equity is more slogan than reality.

The cannabis industry has a choice. It can be another chapter in the long story of economic exclusion, or it can be a rare opportunity to reverse course. That will require lawmakers, industry leaders, and consumers to demand more than token gestures. It will require a shift from profit-first thinking to people-first policy.

Because true legalization is not measured by the number of dispensaries in a city. It is measured by how many of them are owned and operated by the people who once risked everything for this plant, and how much of that success flows back into the communities that carried the culture through the decades of prohibition.

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If you’re building a brand, dispensary, product, or platform in the cannabis space, we want to hear your story. Whether you’re in the early trenches or finally seeing the vision take shape, your experience has weight.

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Herban Conversations: Episode 9
Beyond the Block: Building Newark’s Own with Legacy Leaf

In this week’s episode of Herban Conversations, Headstash links up with Corey Webb, founder of Legacy Leaf, to talk about building a cannabis business rooted in Newark, New Jersey, from the ground up. Corey’s journey spans the transition from the underground to the legal market, carrying forward the values of family, community, and opportunity that shaped his vision.

In this episode, Corey breaks down:

• The origins of Legacy Leaf and how Newark’s history and culture shaped its mission

• The challenges of securing municipal approval in a system not built for small operators

• Why community engagement is not just good PR but the backbone of his business model

• How Legacy Leaf integrates education and empowerment into its customer experience

• The role of collaboration, perseverance, and shared resources in building lasting success

This is not just a business story. It is a blueprint for how local cannabis enterprises can thrive without losing their cultural roots. Corey’s insights will hit home for anyone navigating the legal cannabis landscape, and for those who believe equity is more than a checkbox.

🎧 Tap in to hear how Legacy Leaf is proving that Newark-grown means Newark-owned.

👉 [Listen to this episode]

The Green Dream vs. The Green Machine: Staying Rooted in the Fight for True Cannabis Equity

The first time Marcus saw his logo printed on an actual jar, he felt like he had made it.
It was not just packaging. It was proof that the years of hustling for his license, meeting with city officials, and scraping together startup capital had meant something. His brand was not just a business. It was a promise to the neighborhood he grew up in.

When the city announced his social equity application had been approved, everyone on his block celebrated like it was their own win. Aunties brought food. Friends pulled up with champagne. People started tagging his brand on social media before the first product even dropped. The dream felt real, the green dream, the kind that could change his family’s future and leave something lasting for the culture.

The First Hurdles
Reality came quick. Licensing fees, build-out costs, compliance requirements — the numbers stacked high, and the capital he had scraped together barely made a dent. Investors came knocking, but most wanted majority control in exchange for cash. Marcus kept saying no. This was his thing, his people’s thing. He had built it from the ground up.

Then came the call from an MSO. This was one of the biggest players in the game, the type with a national footprint, dozens of dispensaries, and access to cash that seemed endless. They could spend in a month what Marcus hoped to make in five years and not feel it. Their brand marketing budget alone dwarfed his entire business plan. They had lawyers, lobbyists, and political connections that made the rules bend in their favor.

The first meeting was surreal. Here was a company Marcus had only read about, sitting across the table, telling him they respected what he built. They called his story inspiring. They told him he had done the impossible by making it this far without deep-pocketed backers. Then they offered to buy a controlling stake. The pitch was simple: security now, expansion tomorrow, and the promise to keep the brand authentic.

The Temptation vs. The Cost
Marcus walked out of that meeting both intimidated and validated. On one hand, the sheer scale of their resources made him feel small. On the other, it meant the work he had done mattered enough for the biggest fish in the pond to notice. That feeling of being recognized was powerful, and it made their offer seem like an opportunity rather than an exit.

But he knew the game. Once an MSO took over, the brand might keep its name, but the soul would change. Prices would rise. Shortcuts would be taken. The neighborhood loyalty that built it would be traded for quarterly profits. The real dupe was in how the deal was framed. They made it sound like a partnership when in truth it was a takeover dressed in friendly language.

That night Marcus did not sleep. Selling would secure his future. No more scrambling for payroll. No more hustling to pay for new compliance upgrades every time the law changed. His mother could retire. He could finally breathe. But he also knew that if he gave up control now, the community he promised to represent might never see that promise fulfilled.

Many Marcuses lol.. but nah foreal though..
Marcus is not alone. There are many Marcuses in New Jersey, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and every new market where social equity programs opened the door without giving people the resources to walk through it. They survived the era of criminalization only to find themselves competing with corporations that have endless funding, legal teams, and political influence.

The MSO playbook is simple. Identify authentic brands rooted in Black, Brown, and legacy communities. Buy in for the culture. Then sell out the culture. Position the takeover as a partnership and slowly erase the original purpose. It is a quiet form of cultural displacement, happening in boardrooms instead of through raids and arrests.

Lessons from the Frontlines
Some founders who took the deal regret it, watching their brands become unrecognizable. Others have stayed independent, leaning on community crowdfunding, partnerships with other equity brands, or slow organic growth to survive. The difference often comes down to one thing: whether they see cannabis as just a product or as a piece of cultural legacy that cannot be replaced once it is gone.

For some, the choice is made for them. They cannot secure the capital to stay afloat long enough to open their doors. They are locked out by zoning restrictions, delayed approvals, or endless red tape. Meanwhile, MSOs use their head start to dominate the market.

Staying Rooted
The green dream is more than a license and a logo. It is a living extension of history — the stories, the sacrifices, and the survival strategies that got us here. Selling too soon risks turning that legacy into just another line item in someone else’s portfolio.

Marcus has not made his choice yet. But he knows this. No matter how tempting the offer, the fight for equity is bigger than his own bottom line. It is about proving that ownership in this industry can stay in the hands of the people who built it without being swallowed by the same system that once tried to erase them.

Next week, we shift focus to those whose fight for equity started in prison cells, not business incubators. Their journey from incarceration to entrepreneurship is proof that resilience runs deeper than capital and that the green dream means nothing if it is not shared.

📡 On The Radar

🏙️ Times Square Goes Green: The Daily Green Opens in NYC Landmark
The Daily Green just planted its flag in one of the busiest intersections in the world, bringing legal cannabis to the heart of Times Square. The high-visibility location could be a game-changer for normalizing the plant in mainstream culture.
🥤 Cannabis Drinks Still Struggling to Break Through
Despite years of buzz and heavy investment, THC-infused beverages remain a small niche in the market. Tight regulations, cultural hesitation, and competition from alcohol continue to keep sales under 2% of dispensary revenue nationwide.
🇺🇸 Will Trump Change Federal Cannabis Policy?
With federal rescheduling on the horizon, PBS examines how the Trump administration could shape marijuana policy — from easing banking rules to reshaping enforcement priorities. The stakes are high for both the industry and consumers.
⚖️ Massachusetts Sheriff Indicted in Cannabis Extortion Case
Sheriff Steven Tompkins faces charges for allegedly pressuring a cannabis company into giving him $50,000 in stock. The case spotlights how power and influence can still be exploited in the era of legal weed.
📉 Federal Rescheduling Could Reshape the Industry
Moving cannabis to Schedule III could open the door to banking access, institutional investment, and major tax relief for operators. But the impact will depend on how quickly and fully the shift is implemented.

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