We were lucky to catch up with Zara Ayanna Salmon recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Zara Ayanna, thanks for joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?
In a novel industry like cannabis, Corporate America is committing an extreme disservice by making the barriers of entry towards ownership opportunities so high. 15-years ago, the face of illicit cannabis was a low-income, young, black or brown male. Now that cannabis is legal, the owners of the legal cannabis companies tend to be high net-worth, middle-aged, white males. We live in a capitalist society right? If so, then where is the fair market competition in the cannabis space? I’d argue that there is none; especially in my state of Rhode Island. Meanwhile, millions of families were torn apart during the War on Drugs. Hundreds of thousands of disproportionately black and brown faces are currently behind bars due to cannabis; simultaneously, high-income folks who are disproportionately white and male get to legally profit off of the exact same substance. Corporate America can’t think about the cannabis space as just a numbers game. They have to incorporate empathy and equity into this space because the War on Drugs is still being waged against many poor people across America. From a strategic standpoint, it’d be smart to have entrepreneurs from the legacy market in your leadership team opposed to people who know nothing about the plant or industry. From a moral standpoint, I do believe cannabis business owners should make it their duty to advocate for a portion of cannabis taxes to go back into communities most impacted by The War on Drugs. We should not feel comfortable operating in the legal space of cannabis without advocating for the people in the legacy market; the ones that paved the path for us to be legal in the first place.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Zara Ayanna Salmon and I am the Founder of CRAVEInfused (for profit) and Co-Founder of Cannabis Policy Coalition (non-profit). My introduction into the cannabis space was 2017. I was conducting research for my political science thesis, “Cannabis is Legal Now What? An In-Depth Study on What the Legalization of Cannabis Means for Business, Business Owners, and the Marginalized Minority Disproportionately Affected by the Marijuana Drug Laws.” Through conducting that research, I started frequenting cannabis events which led to an internship with a cannabis events company, High Beautiful. Through that internship, I landed my first full-time job in cannabis but ultimately decided that starting my own brand in the space felt like a much better fit which led to me launching CRAVEInfused in 2019. CRAVEInfused is a plant-based lifestyle brand that focuses on cannabis events and topicals. Our goal at CRAVEInfused is to highlight the healing power of plants while destigmatizing cannabis as simply another healing plant. Through hosting policy-focused events with CRAVEInfused, the Cannabis Policy Coalition was formed in 2024. The Cannabis Policy Coalition is a coalition of several dozen organizations and individuals who want to see the cannabis industry serve small businesses and communities impacted by the War on Drugs. Our coalition organized to introduce #H7855, a bill that asks for a portion of cannabis taxes to be redistributed to low-income communities through public education, public housing, health subsidies, and grants. Our goal is to use our people power to influence policy on both the local and federal level.
I’m most proud of the fact that my organization introduced a bill without the intention to. I’ve always worked full-time while owning a business. Last year though, I was in between jobs and found myself with more time on my hands than I’ve had since college. With that time, I read a bill, found some loopholes, and worked with some really awesome people to introduce #H7855. I’m really proud of myself for not giving up last year while getting this work done.
The main thing I want people to know about me is that money doesn’t motivate me. Money is nice to have and something I strive to obtain – I want to retire my parents and that requires copious amounts of cash. That being said, working in the cannabis industry where millions of people are still dealing with the ramifications from the War on Drugs inspires me to advocate for policies where the money touches the people who were and still are on the frontline of that war first; and I’m not one of those people. I may be a black woman in America but my story is that I grew up in the suburbs. I was sheltered by loving parents, far from the battlefield. I believe that financial reward will come but true success for me is creating positive impact in industries and communities that I care deeply about; giving back to the communities that gave me community.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
“Black Privilege: Opportunities Come to Those Who Create It” by Charlamagne Tha God. I read this book in 2018, the year before I started CRAVEInfused. I enjoyed that book as it forced me to think about what my privileges are as a black woman. I grew up in a town and school system that was over 95% white. Though my parents spoke positivity into my being, society did not. Due to that, I entered adulthood very depressed with extremely low self-esteem. After reading Charlamagne’s book and seeing all he has accomplished despite many challenges including having to move back home at 32-years old with a toddler because he was fired for the 4th time; I realized as a single, 22-year old with no kids that I had nothing but time on my hand to make my dreams come true. With passion, patience, and perseverance, I could accomplish all of my dreams, and then some. Through reading “Black Privilege” I could acknowledge that my greatest privilege as an American is coming from a 2-parent household that prioritized education. As the title, “Opportunities Come to Those who Create It,” suggests, I also learned that I had to be an active co-creator in this thing called reality; and isn’t that all entrepreneurship is? It’s taking an idea and turning it into a tangible thing. A thing that creates an opportunity for you but then in time, creates an opportunity for others too! A positive result doesn’t come from negative thinking so I think to be successful in business, you have to first believe that the success was meant for you to have, and don’t let anything come in your way between you and that goal. Setbacks will inevitably happen but you can’t give up. You have to keep going. Take breaks and time off when needed, but you can never give up on that thing that keeps you up at night; you just can’t.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Success is a linear path; it’s not. I mentioned earlier that I was in between full-time jobs for the first time in my career. During this time, I kept the momentum for CPC high because I wanted to have a contingency plan just in case I had to move back in with my parents. Ultimately, there was 1-week in September where I spoke on a panel alongside nationally renowned lawyers, hosted an event that was covered in several media outlets, was honored with an advocacy award, was invited to a VIP mansion party, and also had my lights shut off – all within the same 7 days! This is the reality of entrepreneurship that many people refuse to speak on however I think it’s important to. Social media is a highlight reel where people post all of their positive achievements. As consumers, we can get lost in the facade and think that the highlight reel is reality. A truth that I believe is that it takes 15-years to create an “overnight success.” Those 15-years of work will be filled with successes and failures along the way and it’s all about how you navigate through them. Above anything else, it’s important to never give up. You didn’t get this far to only get this far so if you need to pivot; do that, if you need to take a break; do that, but never give up on your dreams as it may be a disservice to humanity if you do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.craveinfused.com/ | https://cannabispolicycoalition.com/
- Instagram: @CRAVEInfused | @cannabispolicycoalition
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/craveinfused/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/cannabis-policy-coalition/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@craveinfused1628
- Other: The Cannabis Policy Coalition website should be set by the end of the Summer. We are still very new!
Image Credits
Eric Larson, Professor, UMASS Dartmouth