Black Cannabis Week sets Philadelphia forum on jobs, ownership and equity

Black Cannabis Week 2026 will bring national leaders to Philadelphia Sept. 25-27 for a conference focused on Black entrepreneurship, workforce development, restorative justice and community wealth-building in cannabis. The event centers on whether communities harmed by criminalization will gain real access to jobs, ownership and opportunity in the industry.

Why it matters: - The legal cannabis industry is generating new businesses, careers and wealth. - Organizers say Black communities that bore much of the harm from cannabis criminalization should have an equitable chance to benefit from the market now being built. - The gathering is designed to push the discussion from inequity to concrete pathways for ownership, jobs and economic mobility.

What happened: - Black Cannabis Week 2026 will bring entrepreneurs, policymakers, students, educators, advocates and community leaders together in Philadelphia. - The week culminates with the Cannabis Opportunities Conference, set for Sept. 25-27 under the theme "Rising in Joy, Rooted in Resilience, Building What's Next." - Dr. Brandi Hester-Harrell, co-founder and executive producer of Black Cannabis Week, said the effort is about ownership, jobs, education and whether communities affected by criminalization have a meaningful place in the new economy. - Cherron Perry-Thomas, owner of Plant and People and co-founder of the Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities, said economic equity must include ownership and wealth-building.

The details: - Friday, Sept. 25 features a Policy Summit at 8:30 a.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City. - Friday evening includes the High Black History Comedy Show & Fundraiser at 6 p.m. at Two Locals Brewing. - Saturday, Sept. 26 includes the Cannabis Opportunities Conference & Expo from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Philadelphia. - Sunday, Sept. 27 is a free Community Day centered on wellness, relationship-building and sustaining the work beyond the conference. - Programming includes workforce and career development, entrepreneurship support, expungement resources, scholarships for emerging leaders, public policy discussions, research, wellness programming and an economic marketplace. - Black Cannabis Week is an initiative of the Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities, operating with nonprofit fiscal sponsorship through Marijuana Justice. - Media interviews are available with Hester-Harrell and Perry-Thomas on economic equity, workforce development, business ownership, generational wealth, the impact of cannabis criminalization, expungement, career preparation and Philadelphia’s role in the national conversation. - Additional interviews are available with entrepreneurs, students, advocates, policy leaders and people directly affected by cannabis criminalization. - Media contact for the event is Theresa Spencer of Vintage Green Communications, reachable at 267-997-3354; the organization also lists more information online. - Black Cannabis Week also posted social links on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Between the lines: - The event frames cannabis not just as an industry story, but as a civil rights and economic justice issue. - By pairing policy, business programming and community healing, organizers are signaling that participation in cannabis should mean more than consumer access. - Philadelphia’s selection as the host city suggests the conference is positioning itself as a national convening point for this debate.

What's next: - Black Cannabis Week will unfold Sept. 25-27 in Philadelphia. - Organizers expect the conference to continue building pathways for Black entrepreneurship, workforce access and community wealth. - The event will also keep elevating discussion around expungement and the long-term economic effects of cannabis criminalization.

The bottom line: - Black Cannabis Week is trying to turn cannabis equity talk into access to jobs, ownership and generational wealth.