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Everything You Need to Know About Minority Cannabis Business Association’s Cross Country Equity Tour by Veronica Castillo

The Minority Cannabis Business Assocation (MCBA) Equity Workshop Tour is a series of events, a movement bringing together business, advocacy, and community leaders committed to building an equitable Cannabis industry. With the collective aim of strengthening industry footholds for social equity applicants and operators, the tour promises an enriching blend of immersive learning and purposeful networking opportunities.

Founded and led by 2024 MCBA Board Chair Mike Lomuto, the Equity Workshop Tour (EWT) is set to hit the road in March of 2024. This one of a kind tour is focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in cannabis, while educating minorities entering or already in the cannabis business.

With a list of speakers and participants that include state representatives, regulators, elected officials, MCBA board members, founders, owners, attorneys, accountants, creatives, plus Equity Workshop Tour partners, sponsors, and collaborators, Lomuto is set to deliver education and empowerment to all that attend and follow the tour.

The MCBA says this tour is more than a series of events, “It’s a movement bringing together business, advocacy, and community leaders committed to building an equitable Cannabis industry. With the collective aim of strengthening industry footholds for social equity applicants and operators, the tour promises an enriching blend of immersive learning and purposeful networking opportunities.”

About the MCBA and Equity Workshop Tour

The MCBA is an organization that supports equity in the cannabis industry through:

Policy: working with local representatives to support fair implementation and enforcement of sensible cannabis policies, and providing resources for governments and citizens to design and advocate for better policies.

Empowerment: Education, resources, educational and economic opportunities for minority entrepreneurs and communities: equity workshop tour, bootcamps, and expungement clinics. 

Connection: Connect with lawmakers and regulators, consumers, patients, and business owners through ongoing advocacy, engagement opportunities, and events. 

The organization does this with a 15 member Board of Directors, who are industry leaders representing various industry disciplines. 

The Equity Workshop Tour is a perfect representation of the MCBA’s focus to empower. Each stop will host and offer:

Roundtable Discussions: Engage with industry experts intent on delivering tangible takeaways.

Group Discussions: Identify synergies and galvanize collective efforts towards industry equity.

Panels & Listening Sessions: Get firsthand insights and direct access to influential leaders in the cannabis space.

Networking: Connect with peers and thought leaders in an environment curated for meaningful interactions.

Through roundtable discussions, group discussions, listening sessions, and networking, attendees will get insight and access to industry leaders, intent on delivering tangible takeaways. The conversations are ones that need to be had with industry leaders offering insight and information on: 

Abundance Mindset

Ecosystems

Building movements, not just businesses

Collaboration

Teams and funding

Legalization

Fair free enterprise

Micro work for macro impact

Accounting and Taxes

Navigating Challenges

Hear from MBCA Equity Workshop Tour, Founder and Leader: Mike Lomuto 

In October 2023, the Equity Workshop Tour, hit the road on a journey to and through: the Midwest, the East Coast, and the South, to empower social equity applicants and operators in the cannabis industry. This year the tour goes from nine stops to over 25 stops in all U.S regions: Pacific, Southwest, Midwest, East Coast, and the South.

From half of the country to the whole country, what prompted the decision to make this a country wide tour?

“When we originally drew up this initiative, the intention was to create a national tour of workshops, and three years later, it’s about to be a reality. When I migrated the tour over to MCBA in October 2023, we were able to put the pedal to the medal and set the stage for the national expansion because it was the right home for it. Everything and everyone aligned, and we’ve been off to the races since.”

What are 3 things you’re looking forward to as the tour hits the road on the west coast?

“The food. I’m always excited to travel and check out local food. I love all types of food, and I seek out regional specialties. I’ve crafted a lot of my life to be able to eat amazing food in the places that specialize in them, and the Equity Workshop Tour allows me to get on the road and break bread with my village.

The smoking circles after some of the workshops. At the end of the day, I love the plant, in all its forms. And I love sharing the experience of consuming the plant with people I love and respect and am building with.

Six years ago, when I decided that the licensing route wasn’t for me, I also realized that cities like my hometown of San Francisco would benefit greatly from the support of a national resource network. More specifically, those working for an equitable industry would need that support, in an industry still in federal prohibition and developing in hyper-silos. 

At the time I didn’t know what shape my contribution would take. But I have decades of experience both developing workshops and also of living semi-nomadically, so the EWT became a natural manifestation of my efforts and intentions. So I’m beyond excited to be bringing this back home in a full circle type of moment for me, personally.”

How can those that want to get involved make that happen?

“Reach out to me on LinkedIn where I post about the tour, register for an event, show up, etc.”

The Equity Workshop Tours first set of stops are on the Pacific/ West Coast: 

San Francisco, CA: March 2

Portland, OR: March 5

Seattle, WA: March 7

Tickets are available on EventHi (linked in the cities listed above). Following these stops: Las Vegas, Phoenix, Santa Fe, Oklahoma City, and Denver. Dates are coming soon; however, Lomuto says that the plans are late March into the first part of April. 

West Coast/Pacific Northwest Tour Info

The MCBA Equity Workshop Tour is a series of events, a movement bringing together business, advocacy, and community leaders committed to building an equitable Cannabis industry. With the collective aim of strengthening industry footholds for social equity applicants and operators, the tour promises an enriching blend of immersive learning and purposeful networking opportunities.

The Equity Workshop Tour is a perfect representation of the Minority Cannabis Business Association’s focus to empower. Each stop will host and offer:

Roundtable Discussions: Engage with industry experts intent on delivering tangible takeaways.

Group Discussions: Identify synergies and galvanize collective efforts towards industry equity.

Panels & Listening Sessions: Get firsthand insights and direct access to influential leaders in the cannabis space.

Networking: Connect with peers and thought leaders in an environment curated for meaningful interactions.

Through roundtable discussions, group discussions, listening sessions, and networking, attendees will get insight and access to industry leaders, intent on delivering tangible takeaways. The conversations with industry leaders offer insight and information on: 

Fair free enterprise

Micro work for macro impact

Accounting and Taxes

Navigating Challenges

Abundance Mindset

Ecosystems

Building movements, not just businesses

Collaboration

Teams and funding

Legalization

The tour launched in San Francisco on March 2nd and has since traveled to: Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; and starting March 26, the tour will be making the following stops:

Las Vegas, NV on 3/26

Phoenix, AZ on 3/27

Albuquerque, NM on 3/30

Oklahoma City, OK on 4/2

Denver, CO on 4/4

MBCA Equity Workshop Tour, Founder and Leader: Mike Lomuto on the First Stops

In October 2023, the Equity Workshop Tour hit the road on a journey to and through: the Midwest, the East Coast, and the South, empowering social equity applicants and operators in the cannabis industry. This year the tour offers more than 25 stops in all U.S regions: Pacific, Southwest, Midwest, East Coast, and the South.

With four stops down and more than 20 to go, Lomuto was grateful and full of optimism about the Equity Workshop Tour. Regarding the roundtables that took place, Lomuto stated, “I’m likely a little biased because it’s my hometown, but I found the panel in San Francisco to be very inspiring.”

He added, “Eugene Hillsman, Jeremy Schwartz, and Greg Minor — regulators from California’s DCC, San Francisco, and Oakland, respectively — provided great insights on the process for advocating for the changes we’d all like to see. This was alongside fellow panelist Raina Jackson, a licensee who has spent several years navigating within the realm of all three agencies.” 

Lomuto stated that the pulse at each stop was consistent. “There were several frustrations and, quite frankly, devastating stories shared by the attendees, but even so, I felt a strong current of hope for what we can still create together, building upon our experiences and challenges thus far. The strong call to action to form a new working group to weigh in on regulatory and/or policy changes was inspirational, and it’s something the MCBA is looking forward to collaborating with the local leaders on.”

When asked about about discussions that have come up collectively at all stops he provided the following insight:

“A strong and unfortunately unsurprising  theme that emerged at all three workshops, including the planning of each, is: the fatigue and at times fracturing of the advocacy leaders up and down the more mature cannabis markets of the West Coast. 

“To be within that environment, I actually found it very encouraging that the same call to action emerged in all cities. Attendees at all cities made the decision to reactivate as a community to form working groups with the singular focus of pushing forward changes and suggestions for a more equitable industry.”

Emerging Updates

Stay tuned for tour updates. Cannabis & Tech Today is an MCBA, Equity Workshop Tour Media Partner, in collaboration with the Traveling Cannabis Writer who is following the tour virtually and reporting back. 

All tour updates, including schedules, stops, new sponsors and partners, updates from Mike Lomuto, and more will be published here. Make sure you are following the MCBA, Cannabis & Tech Today, and the Traveling Cannabis Writer on social media to get insight on each stop of the tour as the tour is in motion. 

When asked for final words, Lomuto responded, “Thank you to our media partners and all partners, sponsors, supporters, everyone that has been a part of the tour, and those that have signed on to be a part of this one”.

It takes a village, including the village that is supporting media coverage of this much needed cross country tour, such as: 

Police & Thieves, a woman and minority owned cannabis marijuana dispensary in Denver, Colorado with two locations: East Colfax Ave and Cherry Creek. Police & Thieves offers a diverse selection of top-quality cannabis products, and says: “We have something for everyone. Our team carefully curates our product offerings from trusted suppliers who share our commitment to quality. Come join us and elevate your Mile-High experience.” 

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