Do We Change or Grow the "Identity" of the Cannabis Consumer?
Identity has become a hot topic, and rightfully so!
What it means to us…
How we identify ourselves…
Who and what we identify ourselves with…
Mostly centered around gender and sexuality, identity has opened the conversation on personal alignment for a new, more progressive generation. People are no longer allowing themselves to be defined or boxed in by labels, but liberating themselves from the constraints of what labels society has often felt made comfortable with. It used to be that those who identified with cannabis, were seen as delinquents, criminals, or lazy miscreants who are menaces to society (that of course, having laziness being the crux of a capitalist society, but that’s a whole different conversation…). So, we had to ask ourselves: what does identity mean to the cannabis industry? Who and what people align themselves with cannabis, and more importantly, who does Big Cannabis align themselves with?
Becoming a cannabis consumer is a different journey for everyone! In today’s age of cannabis becoming more mainstream, “coming out” is more of an option these days than in earlier times of cannabis being a sign of rebellion, criminality and counter culture. Being open about cannabis use or intrigue is becoming more of a thing because the conversation is right in our face, with legalization and decriminalization being hot topics, especially as a new election rolls around, and elected officials trying to deliver on their own cannabis promises. Plus, there’s so much of a variety of products to try and experiment with that cater to a plethora of lifestyles. We have CBD skincare, fashionable , less granola-looking hemp garbs, THC oil cartridges and pens, as well as, cute consumer-friendly edibles. I can’t walk past a cafe in Brooklyn without a sign boasting CBD Lattes for sale! I guess that’s the thing. Cannabis has been repackaged and rebranded for the masses, trying to sell itself to mothers, grandparents, and savvy millennials and forgetting those that have always loved it and have paid the ultimate price.
Identifying with cannabis can be something for everyone, but behind the scenes those incarcerated for mere grams of marijuana hear, read, and learn about marijuana’s new image, while they serve their time for it. The industry has carved out a space for “anyone” to become curious, learn, and try cannabis for themselves, but we know that “anyone” really isn’t everyone. All people, regardless of age, sex, occupation, socioeconomic class, education background, or religion have aligned themselves with cannabis. So why doesn’t the industry, and more importantly, the government align themselves with them? Cannabis has been pushed for mainstream society, i.e. middle-class white people, yet every community has used marijuana all along. The average cannabis consumer is not just people of color, but in actuality, white people consume cannabis just as much as people of color. And as we’ve highlighted before, people of color are picked up at an appallingly higher rate than their white counterpart, though they consume cannabis at the same rate.
The industry has created a space centered around well-being, health, self-care, and fun! Yet, this isn’t fun and games for everyone. People of color have been long misidentified with cannabis in a negative way, creating real life-and-death consequences til this very day. The stakes are higher for people of color in this cannabis movement, and the identity of the cannabis consumer has to grow beyond what society believes is the antithesis of their average consumer. Just as companies in other industries started becoming more environmentally-friendly and transparent as a way to connect better, and work with their consumers’ needs, the cannabis industry needs to broaden who they think their customer is, and enact provisions that help all people work with cannabis and/or consume safely and legally. Cannabis has no face, the cannabis consumer has no color, nor knows no gender. And that’s the beautiful thing, we all share the joy of cannabis and what it can add to our lives together.