Not long into her journey, Benton was contacted by the office of former District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen to assist with creating the legislation that would later become the Cannabis Equity Program of San Francisco (officeofcannabis.sfgov.org/equity). The Equity Program was developed to support cannabis entrepreneurs like Benton, whose background had been severely affected by the failed War on Drugs in the United States. During her childhood, Benton’s father had been incarcerated and her mother and other family members had used hard drugs. The program aimed to act as a restorative economic justice program that would provide ownership opportunities within the cannabis industry to those who had been hardest impacted by the War on Drugs. Through ownership opportunities and consequent businesses, money generated from the billion-dollar cannabis industry would be
returned to the communities that have suffered most. Since starting Posh Green, Benton has been dedicated to advocating for racial equality and justice within the cannabis industry. Her participation in creating the Equity Program stands as testament to the impact she has already made. Shortly after Benton agreed to help, Cohen’s office term ended and Nicole Elliott, who was the first director of San Francisco’s Office of Cannabis and who now serves as the Director of the California Department of Cannabis Control, took over the development of the Equity Program. Under Elliott, the program continued to develop with the assistance and advice of cannabis entrepreneurs, including Benton. In 2018, the Equity Program was officially launched and Benton became one of its recipients.
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