A lawyer, journalist and designer, Deepa Vora is the CEO of CitizenGrown, on a mission to unlock the economic opportunities of the cannabis market for the people.

Not since prohibition has there been a crop that has the ability to re-shape the socio-economic landscape of this country like cannabis.  Without intentional effort to counteract what is already happening – the cannabis industry will go the way of Big Pharma, where wealth will be concentrated in the hands of the few (and those hands, by and large, will be primarily old and white).

We are living in a particular cultural zeitgeist where values matter more, and consumers want to understand what a company stands for.  There is a concurrent moment in cannabis wherein brands are starting to emerge.  We have the ability to create meaningful impact with cannabis brands.  What if this is the time to sell not only pre-rolls, but also an economic revolution – one in which everyday people can benefit from the prosperity this plant can bring?