Ben & Jerry’s Co-founder Forms Cannabis Nonprofit
One of the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s, Ben Cohen, has started a new social venture in the cannabis industry.
The newest addition to the cannabis industry comes from one of Ben & Jerry’s co-founders, Ben Cohen. Swapping ice cream for cannabis, Ben created “Ben’s Best Blnz”, which is a nonprofit cannabis line with a mission statement hoping to help right the wrongs of the war on drugs (1). On their website (2), it lists that 80% of their profits will be given to grants for African American cannabis entrepreneurs and the rest will then be divided equally between the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance and the national Last Prisoner Project.
“The War on Drugs (first so named by President Richard Nixon) has targeted lower income Black and Brown people thru over policing, discriminatory prosecution, and discriminatory sentencing,” the website states (1,2). “That’s why despite using pot at the same rate, Black people are 4 times more likely to be arrested than Whites.”
Ben’s Best Blnz, also known as B3, will license its formulas, trademarks, packaging, and marketing materials to for-profit businesses that pay a royalty. Once expenses are handled, the royalties will be donated to the cause.
The cannabis B3 uses is cultivated in soil that does not use pesticides, herbicides, nonorganic fertilizers, or fungicides (1,2).
Products offered from B3 will include pre-rolled joints containing lower levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and are expected to be available for purchase in Vermont cannabis shops in May.
References
Ep 24, Part III: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 26th 2024In the final part of this episode, Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn discuss the need for a national entity to centralize cannabis data collection, moving from snapshot data to continuous updates. They emphasize the importance of accurate lab data and adverse event tracking, suggesting QR codes on packaging to report issues. Yasha suggests harsher consequences for result manipulation and suggests collaboration between state departments and federal entities to support underfunded regulators. They also discuss the potential benefits of off-the-shelf testing and the importance of stability testing. Finally, Yasha shares his top three reading recommendations for the audience.
Ep 24, Part II: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 12th 2024Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn, co-founder of MCR Labs, discuss the discrepancies between current regulations and data on mycotoxins and pesticides in cannabis products. They highlight the need for updated regulations based on new data, emphasizing the importance of accurate testing and labeling. They also discuss the issue of result manipulation, particularly in THC content, and the need for public health officials to address this. Yasha suggests making testing data public to enhance oversight and suggests a national entity to manage this data for better consistency and public safety.
