National Cannabis Roundtable Releases Inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility Report

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, the National Cannabis Roundtable (NCR) is proud to announce the release of its inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report for 2022-2023, titled: “Better Tomorrow Than Today.” This comprehensive report highlights the collective efforts of NCR and its member companies to create positive impact in the cannabis industry and the communities they serve in the areas of criminal justice reform, equity in business opportunity, workforce utilization, and health disparities.

"We named this report ‘Better Tomorrow Than Today’ to not only celebrate the great work of our members, but to serve as an acknowledgment of the existing gaps within the U.S. cannabis market and our concentrated efforts to address these challenges,” said Saphira Galoob, Executive Director of the National Cannabis Roundtable. “Looking ahead, we will continue to create initiatives and programs to contribute to the overall growth of the industry. We remain steadfast in setting new benchmarks for corporate social responsibility and call for others to join us on this transformative journey.”

“As we build a better tomorrow, we must be mindful of the missteps made in the past and work diligently to usher in a market that has equal parts viability and equity,” said Precious Osagie-Erese, editor of NCR’s 2022-2023 CSR Report and CEO/Founder of Precious Canna Co. “The work being done by the National Cannabis Roundtable has been extensive to provide the cannabis policy reform needed for a sustainable industry for years to come while holding fast to corporate social responsibilities that aim to support diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Highlights of the inaugural NCR CSR report include:

• National Cannabis Roundtable: Hosted a symposium on Capitol Hill on clemency policies and criminal justice reforms, resulting in the introduction of bipartisan federal legislation to create an expungement mechanism for low-level violations of marijuana law and provide an expedited, orderly process that clears the deck of non-felony cannabis offenses lingering in the federal system. Since the symposium, NCR also partnered with The Weldon Project and Oklahoma Appleseed to prepare petitions for the expedited release of more than a dozen individuals currently incarcerated because of cannabis convictions.
  

• Cresco Labs: Provided over $735,000 in direct support of restorative justice organizations and sponsored over 60 community and resource fairs across nine states, assisting over 8,000 individuals as part of the “Summer of Social Justice” initiative.
  

• Fluence: Launched the Women Innovation Leaders Forum to address the need for women across the horticulture/cannabis industry to meet quarterly to discuss innovation, community, and cross-collaboration. Members benefit through engagement in direct “cross-pollination” with leading women across the horticulture industry worldwide, exposure to best practices, innovation insights, and the ability to contribute to the next generation of women leaders.

• Greenspoon Marder: Expanded its partnerships and services offered as part of Project New Leaf, which mobilizes its talented attorneys across the U.S. to provide pro bono expungement and record sealing services to individuals in underserved communities, and more particularly, those impacted by the War on Drugs.
  

• iLava: Worked with the Arizona Marijuana Expungement Coalition’s Reclaim Your Future campaign to help individuals with marijuana-related public criminal records have those records expunged, hosting a free legal aid clinic that resulted in three individuals already having their records expunged.
  

• Mana Supply Co.: Played an active role in local community events throughout Maryland, Colorado, and Missouri, conducting frequent community events with more than a dozen local and national charitable partners to raise funds and bring light to each of their missions.
  

• Pura Vida Investments: Raised more than $1 million in peer-to-peer fundraising to support The Bowery Mission in helping individuals experiencing homelessness and hunger through compassionate care services, residential programs, and transitional housing in addition to providing funding and volunteers for the organization’s nightly dinner service.
  

• TILT Holdings: Partnered with the Shinnecock Indian Nation by providing financial investment, training, and mentoring to help establish Little Beach Harvest, the first tribally-owned, operated, and tax-free cannabis dispensary in Eastern Long Island. 
  

• Trulieve: Launched its nationwide supplier diversity initiative providing education and professional development resources while also creating mutually beneficial business relationships with a supplier base that is reflective of the customers and communities that Trulieve serves, encouraging diverse suppliers who bring innovation and value to its supply chain.
  

• urban-gro, Inc.: Provided labor, equipment, and financial support for a first-of-its-kind in Colorado indoor farm at Bruce Randolph High School in Denver in partnership with Teens for Food Justice, helping to bring fresh produce and agricultural education resources to the local community in an effort to catalyze a youth-led movement to end food insecurity through high-capacity, indoor vertical farming.
  

• Verano: Launched its Round Up for Cannabis Reform dispensary donation program benefitting The Weldon Project’s MISSION [GREEN] and the non-profit organization’s advocacy for cannabis- related criminal justice reform. With the support of the company, Verano team members and its dispensary visitors were able to donate $140,715 to MISSION [GREEN] in support of cannabis clemency. 
  

To view the complete report, please visit: https://nationalcannabisroundtable.org/corporate-social-responsibility-report/.

About NCR
The National Cannabis Roundtable is an alliance of cannabis companies, as well as ancillary services and solutions providers, who seek cannabis reform that nurtures the nascent domestic industry, protects consumers, and advances social equity.

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