High Priority

Legalization is sweeping through the nation as more states consider permitting medical and adult-use cannabis. But many states that want to legalize cannabis are struggling to develop equitable policies that address the lasting social and economic damage inflicted by the War on Drugs. In this episode, we speak to Karen O'Keefe, Director of State Policies at Marijuana Policy Project, about what legislators in up-and-coming states must prioritize when creating fair cannabis policies.

Cannabis, marijuana, reefer, weed, ganja --there are few products out there that take on so many names and identities. In this episode, we’ll take a deeper look at the complex, and often racially charged history, behind cannabis’ many names with Professor Isaac Campos, Associate Professor of Latin American History at the University of Cincinnati and author of Home Grown: Marijuana and the Origins of Mexico's War on Drugs.

Capital markets are booming in the U.S. cannabis industry, but the lion’s share of these funds are still allocated to established companies, many of which already have strong investment relationships. While more states are creating business opportunities for social equity applicants, securing capital remains an enormous barrier to entry, especially for individuals without access to fundraising resources. In this episode, we speak to MacCalvin Romain, Founder of NEMA Ventures and Head of Product at Lantern, one of the many industry stakeholders committed to bridging this gap and creating a more accessible space for entrepreneurs of color. We discuss what it exactly means to take an equity-focused approach to investing and how social equity applicants can best position themselves for long-term success.

Approximately one-fifth of incarcerated Americans are serving time for a drug-related charge. Even worse, Black Americans are six times more likely to be incarcerated for drug charges despite equal usage rates between Black and white Americans. For the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have served their time and are trying to rebuild their lives, the road ahead can be excessively cumbersome. In this episode, we speak to Meko Lincoln, a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, Reentry Case Manager and Board Member at Amos House, a nonprofit that provides transitional housing to the unhoused and formerly incarcerated individuals battling substance abuse. Meko Lincoln’s account of coming up against professional licensing barriers as a formerly incarcerated individual made national headlines in 2019, and he continues to be an advocate for dignified reentry programs. Meko discusses what businesses, lawmakers and law enforcement must understand and do to tangibly address the lasting damage of drug-related incarceration.

Who exactly are the women behind High Priority? In this episode, co-hosts Alexis Dionne and Chelsea discuss their experiences working as women of color in the cannabis industry, the role cannabis has played in their lives and what they hope to learn from their forthcoming interviews with industry experts.

The War on Drugs officially started in 1971 under the Nixon Administration and its lasting impacts are still being felt throughout the country, especially among communities of color. Despite the fact that cannabis is legal in some capacity in over two-thirds of the country, and policymakers have admitted to the failure of these drug policies over the past decades, the war still wages on in 2021. In this episode, we speak to the team behind social impact brand 40 Tons about the indelible mark cannabis prohibition has left in their own lives. Loriel Alegrete, Anthony Alegrete and Corvain Cooper discuss how the War on Drugs has actually gotten worse since the 2000s and how all industry stakeholders can build a better future for those who have been unfairly targeted by the War on Drugs.

Hi, I’m Alexis Dionne.

And I’m Chelsea.

And we’re here to tell you about our new podcast, High Priority.

Cannabis may be legal in a lot of places now, but it has a complicated history.

We’re two chill women of color who happen to work in the cannabis industry, but we still have a lot of unanswered questions.

Each week we’re asking industry leaders tough questions about the past, present and future of the plant.

You can find High Priority on mattio.com (that’s m-a-t-t-i-o.com), iTunes, Spotify, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

We’re already learning some mind blowing info about the history of the plant and we hope you come along for the ride!