A new website and series of digital ads from the National Cannabis Industry Association are designed to combat the “stoner stigma” of people who work in the cannabis industry.
The National Cannabis Industry Association has launched a brand new website and a series of digital ads that showcase the true faces of those who work in the United States’ cannabis industry.
The trade association’s new website, We Are The Cannabis Industry, is the cornerstone of the campaign meant to combat the stoner stereotype often affiliated with those who work with cannabis. It highlights a diverse collection of cannabis professionals, including a former Marine that now works as an assistant manager of a Las Vegas dispensary, and an older woman who used cannabidiol (CBD) to manage the pain associated with knee and hip replacements that now works as a dispensary employee.
The former Marine, Brian Eberthart, shared how cannabis helped him wean himself off opiate painkillers and discussed his frustration over the fallacious idea many have about those in the industry.
“Stoner. I hate that word, and I hate that stereotype. It’s not at all accurate to my experience with cannabis, and it’s not the experiences I’ve seen with others, either,” Eberhart said.
Another industry professional so far highlighted is Corey Barnette, an MBA graduate of Duke University that now owns a couple of dispensaries.
“I love the energy in this industry,” Barnett said. “We have a lot of people who are engaged on both an intellectual and emotional level. In a lot of industries — and very successful industries at that – one often sees entrepreneurs who are motivated by pure entrepreneurship. But in the cannabis industry, we see a lot of people who are just as engaged and motivated by the actual product they’re selling.”
The National Cannabis Industry Association works to advance the interests of the legitimate and responsible cannabis industry. Medical Marijuana, Inc.’s distribution company, HempMeds®, is a member of the association, which unifies and coordinated a campaign to ensure the sector is treated fairly under the law.
The association’s new campaign arrives on the heels of the confirmation hearings of President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama). Sessions has been a vocal opponent of marijuana legalization, even at one point saying, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.”
“Cannabis businesses generate billions of dollars in economic activity and support tens of thousands of jobs,” said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, in a statement. “The people of the industry provide compassionate care for patients, responsible education for consumers, and cutting-edge innovation for quality and safety. We’re proud to tell their stories.”
The National Cannabis Industry Association says that new profiles will be posted to the site regularly in the coming weeks. The series of ads will run in the Washington, D.C. area.
Find the We Are The Cannabis Industry website, here.
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