We recently connected with Samuel Wilson and have shared our conversation below.

Samuel, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

For 50 plus years the cannabis prohibition was used as a tool to destroy black communities. Now in the wake of legalization and social acceptance, those same people barely have a footprint in the legal industry from an ownership perspective. There is no true social equity in cannabis.

Samuel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In 2019, while serving the community as a Lieutenant/Paramedic on the fire department, I was enlightened to the fact the black people were going to be largely excluded from the legal cannabis industry from an ownership perspective. It is my opinion that the cannabis prohibition had devastating and longer term effects on black communities. And now in the wake of legalization, there is a strategy to exclude black ownership. This level of hypocrisy truly fired me up and lead me to start support your local weed man. What originally started as a t shirt company, exploded into a full scale movement. Through that movement some strategic partnerships were made and now we are owners of 2 THC Cafes, one in Chicago and the other in the sw suburbs of Chicago.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Currently as we speak corporate cannabis is using there corporate dollars and political influence to ban the hemp industry which allows for true social equity. In Illinois we have taken this fight to the capital as support your local weed man is on the front lines.

How’d you meet your business partner?

In 2019 when I founded support your local weed man I launched as a t shirt company. I wanted to wake people up to the pending strategy by corporate cannabis and I thought a great way to start was with a statement tee shirt. I started selling shirts online and they seemed to attract a lot of attention but I wasn’t satisfied. Speak on the phone with my brother, I expressed to him that I needed someone as passionate about this issue as me so we can create a movement. 3 days later he sent me a Facebook live of Tyrone Muhammad, a well known activist out of Chicago. In this live Tyrone and his organization ex-cons for community and social change (ECCSC) were protesting in front of a cannabis dispensary fighting for equity and inclusion. I contacted Tyrone and the rest is history.   

Contact Info:

• Website: Supportyourlocalweedman.com
• Instagram: @supportyourlocalweedman
• Facebook: Support Your Local Weed Man