There are no shortage of causes tied to this plant, and there are certainly no shortage of passionate advocates utilizing cannabis as a platform for change.

Social equity is a tricky beast to name -- it’s all new and a little crazy in an exciting way. Those familiar with the state initiatives know that they’re far from perfect, but most of what you hear about it focuses on the process, not the people.

Although there is hardly uniformity across the emerging cannabis social equity markets, I have come to find at least three common denominators – I call these the Holy Trinity of Social Equity.

I use cannabis and I’m not alone. It’s so much more than just “weed”…

So I'm in south central Los Angeles recruiting cannabis social equity applicants to partner with ONE Cannabis as we prepare to submit applications for social equity licenses. If you don't know what that is, you can learn more on my previous blogs. If you don't know where south central LA is, it's the inner city of LA. It's pretty much ground zero for the War on Drugs and the movie set for most every gangster related movie from "Boyz N The Hood" to "Straight Outa Compton". It's the real deal.

Years back, radio talk show host Dennis Prager was hosting an episode on the struggles of “coming out.” The following caller changed his understanding on what it truly means to come out. 

“Dennis,” the caller begins, “I am gay, I am liberal, and I am Jewish. I came out years ago to my parents about my sexuality. They embraced me fully and said they loved me unconditionally. But Dennis, (long pause for dramatic effect) I’m truly terrified to tell them I am a Republican.” 

Although the War on Drugs is not over, society has turned the page to a new chapter as the legalized cannabis market emerges. Through both the rise of this industry in general, and the birth of cannabis social equity in particular, there is a renewed sense of hope, purpose and revolution brewing in the communities most negatively impacted.

Is marijuana moral? I'm asked this question in 50 different ways all the time. Earnest employees within the industry sometimes struggle with it when having to defend their elected profession to their parents. Conscientious investors have worried about it, not just from a legality perspective, but also is it the right thing in which to invest.

So what do Fab Five Freddy (you may remember him from Yo MTV Raps back in the day), Kosher Cannabis (my upcoming talk in San Francisco) and California Love (Dr. Dre & 2Pac's mega hit) have in common? They all have something to say about the shameful history behind the War on Drugs (which I'll be blogging about soon).