If you look at the current make-up of the cannabis industry, you’ll see that a large percentage of these teams have something in common – they tend to be largely white and male. But why is cannabis unique in its needs for social equity reform? The cannabis industry was built on the backs of BIPOCs, and are now disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition. As a budding industry, cannabis organizations can respond to these problems by making sure that at the foundation of every business, there is a clear set goal of equity at every level. Let Narmin Jarrous, a female executive and woman of color, share her suggestions on how to serve the people in your cannabis organization over the company pockets.
Narmin Jarrous, Chief Development Officer, Exclusive Brands
As the Chief Development Officer of Exclusive Brands, Michigan’s first licensed adult-use dispensary that now boasts multiple locations, Narmin Jarrous has dedicated her life to ensuring the cannabis industry succeeds by placing social justice endeavors and ethical science practices at the forefront of her mission. At 24 years old, Jarrous is the youngest executive in Exclusive Brands’ history and is already making her mark on the cannabis industry by taking actionable steps to broaden social equity throughout the industry and make clean and safe cannabis accessible to all.
Jarrous currently leads the Social Equity program by Exclusive Brands. In this mentorship program, Narmin helps Social Equity Applicants (as defined by the State of Michigan) gain their licenses. Narmin personally helps organizations fill out their applications, build their facility plans, pay application fees, and act as a liaison between the organization and the state.
Dedicated to prioritizing Social Equity in the cannabis space, it’s no surprise that the state of Michigan has also looked to Jarrous as a leader in the cannabis industry. Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) knew Jarrous as the ideal woman to structure and guide its first remote Business Resource Workshop in September 2020 as part of the state’s social equity program. Jarrous’ presentation was a huge success with a 700% increase in attendance over the average turnout for similar workshops. Please use the link provided to access the Exclusive Brands business resource workshop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx4Z7tawkYQ