By VERONICA CASTILLO
Get to Know Homie Cannabis a Friend, Neighbor, and Comrade “Born from a call to action to see people of color have a seat at the cannabis table”- CEO, RT A black man with a vision for his community, RT, is the sole founder and CEO of Homie Cannabis- a company that turned a corporate no, into an independent yes. RT, says: “Homie Cannabis is more than a brand, it's a platform to capture the consciousness of the cannabis culture. I wanted a brand that would target a particular niche, and bring a new level of cultural engagement, strategy, and image to cannabis.” When I was asked to profile Homie Cannabis, I knew that I’d be profiling a black owned company. And the name...I love it! Many would assume that I am playing into the stereotypical b.s, but consider this: how many black owned companies are there in the cannabis industry? Wouldn’t it be great to know that a company is black owned based on its name? Especially if you are looking to buy black? The term “homie” doesn’t belong to black people, but it was birthed by black culture. When I asked RT about the birth of the company name, he explained: “The ‘Homie’ name was carefully selected to identify a term that crosses ethnic, geographical, and economic lines. When someone refers to another as their homie, it is a term of endearment. Homie Cannabis reflects that warm embrace extended when we greet one another, and when we refer to someone we really like! My goal is to change the vernacular of what describes cannabis, pot, marijuana, weed, or reefer, to homie. When you say: ‘I got some homie’, ‘bought some homie’, or ‘enjoyed some homie’, it's understood among users and non-consumers what you mean.”
32
Homie Cannabis: Mission, Purpose, and Goals On a mission for communities of color, who are not seen enough in this industry (and many), Homie Cannabis offers products of the people- by the people- for the people. Their mission is to capture the consciousness of the cannabis culture from cultivation, production, distribution, retail and consumers. Their mandate is to enhance the community and enrich the culture by serving notice that people of color belong in the cannabis industry. RT says: “we seek to move our end users beyond the consumer only model, and have meaningful representation at retail. Our culture wants to see a minority entrepreneur succeed, ones that aren’t rappers as well. Opportunity for entry into the cannabis sector and advancement, must include those who didn't leverage their fame to get licenses for shelf space!"
