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Christopher Smith, Publisher
Jun 30, 2021

A Brand with Brass Balls: EVIDENCE

As reported on Clubhouse in the State of Cannabis News Hour (Thanks for all you do, Susan Soares)


One thing that leading brands know: it’s easier to make profits than to make the world better place. But the ones that are successful are leaders in their categories AND inspire us to become our better selves. A few:

I'm making an important nomination for this category: EVIDENCE, an exciting brand with brass balls that doesn’t beg us to buy its cannabis, it challenges us to own it.


All of it.

EVIDENCE packages its flower in police-style evidence bags with the intent of compelling customers to reckon with the racial disparities surrounding drug-law enforcement.


EVIDENCE was created by Ocean Grown Extracts, a family-owned cannabis company with a profound focus on social justice.


One of its founders, Dan Dalton told Benzinga, “EVIDENCE is… an unapologetic disruptor that forces people to take a hard look at where we have been as a country and initiates the conversation on where we need to go.”


THE DEEP DIVE


Well that’s a far cry from Smarty Plants, the brand I reported on Monday which oh-so cleverly shimmies under Regulator’s Radar by not mentioning cannabis at all. (Adorbs!)


As for myself, I am nervous about a brand that won’t say what it is. And using the common filter of “What’s in My Weed?”, that’s a company that won’t even admit there’s weed in its weed.


I’d much rather support a brand that walks the walk:


  • Ocean Grown Extracts was started by siblings Casey, Dan and Kelly Dalton in 2013

  • In 2016, the family bought an abandoned, high-security private prison in Coalinga, CA and transformed it into a licensed cannabis cultivation and manufacturing facility.

  • “The company created over 100 jobs during their first year, many of which went to local community, and they even hired former prison guards to guard the weed. (Love the irony!)


But that’s not all:

The company was one of the first donors to Last Prisoner Project which works to get non-violent offenders out of jail. For every bag of EVIDENCE we buy, it donates a dollar to the cause.

THE LOOP BACK


The company has made an excellent film, which is on view on the company’s website and Instagram. Check out the spoken-word slam at the jump, as well as appearances by Damian Marley and Berner.


One last relevant point: the Dalton siblings inspire me because they’ve showed over and over that privilege can be shared and leveraged to make the world a better place, if we have the empathy and the courage to use it.


And that’s the difference between a company that’s clever, and a brand with brass balls.

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