In a society that incarcerates African-American men everyday over marijuana, why wouldn't Jay-Z take advantage of the legalized industry?
Mr. Carter is spreading his entrepreneurial spirit to Caliva. The weed producer not only grows their own grass, but manufactures and sells various products from edibles to convenient pre-rolled blunts. With solid material on the market, the only thing the company was missing was outreach support. That's when Shawn Carter entered the picture. He stated on Tuesday (July 9):
"Anything I do, I want to do correctly and at the highest level. With all the potential in the cannabis industry, Caliva's expertise and ethos makes them the best partner for this endeavor."
Seeing as social justice is a common factor between the pair, Jay will join as Chief Brand Strategist. Job training, advocacy and workforce development are key factors he'll be involved in (as well as influencing) to bring about more opportunities catering to the disadvantaged due to the war on drugs. Clearly, previously expunging records of people with non-violent marijuana convictions was only the beginning for Caliva.
Chief Executive Officer of Caliva, Dennis O'Malley explained to CNN Business how "humbled" they are by the partnership and take pride in the responsibility behind it. Company officials went on to say:
"In this position, Mr. Carter will focus on and work to increase the economic participation of citizens returning from incarceration -- many of who are not seeing the monetary benefits of legalization -- through advocacy, job training and overall employee and workforce development."
Caliva also knows how to talk money like the billionaire rapper. CNN reported they've been able to raise $75 millions from investors. Surely taking creative lead by partnering with Ben & Jerry's ice cream on 4/20 boosted sales too.
Photo: Getty