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Remaining a student has led Carmelo Anthony into various industries. The former NBA player, who retired in 2023 and is a first-ballot Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, reflects on his evolution from the 19-year-old drafted in 2003 to a businessman who is now a serial investor and founder in the wine and cannabis sectors. One of Anthony’s biggest takeaways: He is no longer operating in fear. “A top lesson that I’ve learned was ‘stop being afraid,'” he recalled in an interview with AFROTECH™. “ A lot of times when you’re younger and you in these powerful roles and there’s people who are making decisions and there are people writing checks, it’s like ‘You too young to understand it,’ until you grow and until you get older, you go through it and you understand what you truly want to do.” He continued, “At 19, 20, 21, I didn’t have any type of sense of business. I knew street business, I knew street knowledge. I have foundational ethics and morals that could carry over from the streets...
Ice-T has officially opened a cannabis dispensary in his home state. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the Jersey City Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approved his adult-use cannabis dispensary application in partnership with The Medicine Woman — owned by married couple Charis Burrett and her husband, Luke Burrett — in 2022. “We want everyone to have access to safe cannabis. You are the first application who have said something about the price point. I commend you on that,” CCB member Stacey Flanagan stated . Fast-forward to 2025, and the dispensary has officially touched down in Jersey City, NJ. The Medicine Woman Jersey City held its official soft opening on Thursday, March 27. It will host its grand opening on Saturday, April 19th, and Sunday, April 20th, 2025, according to a press release shared with AFROTECH™. This also marks its first location outside of California. View this post on Instagram A post shared by ICEMFT (@icet) “We’re thrilled to be officially opening the doors of...
Christina Betancourt Johnson has made history in the cannabis sector. The Washington, DC, native with 15 years of experience as an executive — per Honeysuckle magazine — is the founder and CEO of Standard Wellness Maryland, which launched in 2019. The company had an interest in catering to consumers as well as patients looking for premium products for their medicine. Its offerings include flowers, topicals, tinctures, vapes, and concentrates, its website mentions. At the heart of S tandard Wellness Maryland’s lies a mission t o ensure there is greater representation in the cannabis industry, and this became part of Johnson’s call to action to drive equity in partnership with Rooted Therapeutics, her first company. Benzinga reports that Standard Wellness Maryland’s existence is historic as it is the first v ertically integrated cannabis company in the United States majority-owned by an African American and Latina, according to the social equity office in Maryland. It is licensed to...
Krystal’s fourth South Carolina location opened in Orangeburg on Monday, Dec. 9, thanks to a partnership with Charlamagne Tha God — also known as Lenard McKelvey — and his wife, Jessica Gadsden-McKelvey. The couple are spearheading a five-store expansion of the quick-service chain across South Carolina, with the grand opening of the new Krystal location set for Dec. 20 — an event that will include Charlamagne Tha God himself, according to a press release. The new Krystal slider restaurant, located at 1486 Chestnut St., will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For the media personality and entrepreneur, the project holds personal significance. “Orangeburg is special to us because it’s the home of South Carolina State University, my mother’s alma mater, while my wife’s father is an alumni of Claflin University,” he shared ahead of the store’s opening. “I also have an honorary degree from SCSU, where I established the Ford Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, so it’s a blessing to...
Jay-Z is reportedly no longer affiliated with The Parent Company, which suffered significant revenue losses starting in 2022. In 2020, the rap mogul, born Shawn Carter, launched his luxury cannabis brand Monogram under The Parent Company, where he served as chief visionary officer, mentions Lawyer Monthly. Its flagship product, the OG Handrolls, was priced at $50, with the full lineup of strains primarily available at eight California-based dispensaries, including Caliva, Coastal, and Zen Garden, as well as an Arizona dispensary called Ponderosa. However, since then there appears to be trouble in paradise for both Monogram and The Parent Company. S FGATE mentions Monogram’s pricing did not fair well for cannabis consumers, especially since its products were marketed as high-end and premium. “Like many other things we’ve seen in cannabis surrounding rappers, the hype hasn’t met the reality. Monogram was supposed to be an ultra-premium product, and I don’t know anyone who tried it and...
A new venture undertaken by Wu-Tang’s Raekwon and “Breakfast Club” host Charlamagne Tha God has officially broken ground. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Hashstoria, a cannabis lounge, was slated to open in Newark, NJ, and would fulfill a long-held dream of Raekwon’s. “My own life compass has been great to me and can only become greater…these are goals and admirations on my vision board. I’m just marking them off,” the rapper said in a previous Instagram post. In 2023, there were initial roadblocks to overcome when getting the business up and running, as they were first rejected by the Newark Central Planning Board to operate as a Class 5 cannabis retail facility. However, their application was later greenlit by the same board, per NJBIZ. Fast forward to November 2024, and Raekwon and Charlamagne Tha God have officially opened Hashstoria’s doors to the public in partnership with civil rights attorney Bakari Sellers and entrepreneur Jedd Canty, a news release shared with AFROTECH™...
David “Slim” Penn Jr. has opened a cannabis shop in Pasco, WA. Penn’s journey into entrepreneurship began as a child, according to the Tri-City Herald. He would mow his neighbors’ yards and had a paper route. “I remember those 20-pound papers,” he told the outlet, embellishing the weight of newspapers in the past when they were larger and heavier. Today, that business mindset has carried over into the cannabis space. Penn is now a franchisee of Lucky Leaf Co., which is owned by his friend David Morgan, who has stores in Spokane, WA, and Pasco. Penn had previously backed Morgan when he was looking to challenge the city to allow for legal cannabis sales to adults back in 2022. The following year, a council approved removal of the ban and permitted the legal sale of cannabis, paving the way for three storefronts including Lucky Leaf Co. Now, Penn will operate his own store alongside his partner Jamie Badden, who serves as the manager of the store. To get the shop up and running, they...
While in the NBA, Al Harrington had long-held dream of owning a cannabis dispensary; now he owns several. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Harrington is the founder of Viola Brands, which exists to “increase minority participation and ownership in the cannabis industry while positively impacting and reinvesting into communities most affected by the war on drugs.” Its inception was inspired by his grandmother, who suffered from glaucoma that impaired her vision. He suggested she consume cannabis, and although she was initially reluctant, it helped her greatly after trying it. “She was complaining about her eyes hurting and I said, ‘Grandma, why don’t you give it a try.’ I said a doctor will actually recommend it,” he told News 12 New Jersey. “I said, ‘It’s legal here,’ and she said, ‘I’m in so much pain today, I’ll try anything.’ From that point on, I had a different outlook on cannabis. I realized that it was medicine. So, I started doing research and then eventually I got into the...
A Black-owned cannabis dispensary has opened in New Jersey. A news release mentions Simply Pure is set to open its doors on July 27, 2024. The company was founded by Wanda James and her husband, Scott Durrah, pioneers in the space since 2004. Veriheal reported that the two launched Apothecary of Colorado and became the “first Black-owned and veteran-owned dispensary in the United States.” The dispensary, edible company, and growing facility inspired their next venture, Simply Pure in 2010. According to the company website, the cannabis company disrupted the market by specializing in healthy alternative edibles. Its products were also driven by Durrah, who worked as an executive chef, as he created the high-quality edibles, Veriheal reported. The company served locals in the Denver, CO, area through its storefront and delivery service. Now, the company is expanding to Ewing, NJ, with the launch of Simply Pure Trenton. The 6,000-square-foot dispensary will be led by Tahir Johnson,...
Whoopi Goldberg is being honored. The veteran-actress-turned-television-host has received the Key to West Hollywood! The honor was a result of her commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and for her work as an entrepreneur, owning the first branded and tested woman-owned cannabis brand in California, Gold Derby reports. Goldberg’s foray into cannabis dates back to 2016. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, she launched Whoopi & Maya alongside co-founder Maya Elisabeth of Om. The company existed to provide medical cannabis to those experiencing menstrual pain, according to CNN. However, that company shut down in 2020 following a string of conflicts. “They wanted to include menstrual cramps in the list of things you can prescribe medical marijuana for but the governor said that will never happen in New Jersey because our doctors only prescribe marijuana for ‘real’ pain,” Goldberg said in an interview with The Cannabist at the time. “The fact that people think of (women’s health) as a niche...
Bob Marley’s legacy continues to stand the test of times. According to a news release shared with AFROTECH™, the Bob Marley family is collaborating with premiere cannabis brand Jeeter to launch a limited edition Jeeter x Bob Marley “One Love” Unity Joint. The venture is in alignment with the late singer who often smoked weed for its spiritual and medicinal properties as a Rastafarian, GQ reports. To bring the product to the public, Jeeter and the Marley family took a trip to Nine Mile, Bob’s birthplace located in Jamaica, where the team immersed themselves in the culture and music. Additionally, the Marley family worked closely with Jeeter to assist with the strain and packaging to ensure the final product was authentic to Bob’s legacy. “Jeeter’s work in the cannabis space has been incredible,” expressed Cedella Marley, Bob’s daughter and CEO of Bob Marley Group of Companies. “Cannabis culture and the Marley movement go hand in hand. Jeeter’s deep dive into Jamaican culture has been...
Carmelo Anthony has launched a cannabis brand that will allocate a portion of its profits towards a good cause. Forbes reports the 10-time NBA All-Star player is launching StayMe7o Cannabis under Grand National, a cannabis-focused agency created in partnership with Lowd Cannabis’ CEO and Founder Jesce Horton and Chief Creative Director Brandon Drew Jordan Pierce. Anthony had connected with Horton when he first moved to Portland, OR, through a mutual friend. “We understand what the value proposition is,” Anthony told Forbes . “I grew up on the Grand National car, we just wanted to tap into something that was very timeless, combining the businesses of all three of us and what we bring to the table.” As for his motivation to enter into the cannabis sector, it was a culmination of remaining a student within the industry over several years and firsthand experience for sports recovery purposes. Among his chosen products were tinctures, CBD formulations, and topicals — all tailored to...
He made his mark in rap, now Xzibit is looking to do the same in a new industry. The “Get Your Walk On” artist, born Alvin Nathaniel Joiner, will be scaling his interest in the cannabis industry. In 2023, he launched the “Lasagna Ganja” podcast in collaboration with co-host Tammy “The Cannabis Cutie” Pettigrew, CNN reports. The purpose of the podcast was to remove the stigma associated with cannabis use and to educate listeners. When speaking on the overarching goal of stewarding these conversations, he said in an interview on “Beyond the Red Carpet with Ny MaGee,” “I’ve seen the music industry go from millions to a billion-dollar industry. And I’ve also seen cannabis, you know, take on the same journey that maybe alcohol did after prohibition. And the misinformation that can lead us to continue to be left out of things is something that I want to combat. So when I say us, I mean people of color, people who have been incarcerated for cannabis, and now as it turns into this...
If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. That was the case for these Black women, who teamed up with friends to launch a cannabis company. Chicago Reader reports Grow Greater Englewood Executive Director Anton Seals Jr. was joined by Harvard Law School grad and entrepreneur J.T. Stinnette, the group’s wellness officer Jamaal Kendrick, restaurant owner Chris “Dough” Fryison, and additional silent partners to launch Organic Urban Revitalization Solutions (OURS) in 2019. Their collective aim is to introduce a “culture-driven urban brand” in Illinois, with the overarching goal of enhancing Black and brown communities by setting a higher standard for equity within the cannabis sector, their company website mentions.
