Jay-Z has gone into the legal marijuana business, and he plans to bring those with him who’ve historically been locked out.
The rapper has partnered with the California-based company Caliva, and as the chief brand strategist he’ll drive the overall creative direction.
The company says Jay will also do a lot of outreach for the company and will work to get those returning from incarceration into the cannabis industry by providing them with job training, workforce development and other programs.
Medical marijuana became legal in California in 1996 and recreational use in 2018, and as of last year legal cannabis in the United States was a reported $11 billion industry. Today there are 11 states that have legalized weed, not counting the District of Columbia.
But statistics show that out of all the marijuana business owners in the U.S., only 4.3 percent are black. So Jay wants to level that playing field and give those who’ve been excluded from the industry, especially because of their legal past, a fair shot.
Plus, the father of three will help change the conversation around cannabis so people know of its benefits and many uses.
“Anything I do, I want to do correctly and at the highest level,” said Jay in a press release. “With all the potential in the cannabis industry, Caliva’s expertise and ethos makes them the best partner for this endeavor. We want to create something amazing, have fun in the process, do good and bring people along the way.”
Dennis ‘O’Malley, Caliva’s President and CEO, also made a statement and said he shares Jay’s vision.
“For Jay-Z to seek out Caliva as a partner is humbling and confirms our mission of being the most trusted name in cannabis,” he said. “To find that we were in complete alignment around our values and ethos was just a home run.”
