Getting WOC to Switch from The Plug to the Dispensary
Recreational cannabis use has been legalized in Illinois for 3 years, and yet I have only visited a dispensary a handful of times. Despite being a daily smoker, I have still found solace in my many plugs. In fact, they know exactly what I like and are usually available as needed. So why would I trade my buds for visiting an overpriced and overhyped dispensary? Thats the question that many cannabis consumers in Chicago face every day.
Now if you’re living in a suburb, having access to high quality cannabis might not be possible outside of a dispensary. But here, in the Windy CIty, the freshest and best green is found in the streets. Proven by the stagnant growth of legal revenue in our state, it is a fact that finding weed in some cities is as easy as walking to a certain block. But what can dispensaries do to entice and pull people away from the legacy market? Should they just join in? Here is my take on this whole debacle.
We Want to Smell the Product
Especially when there are plugs happy to show us and eager for us to smell the weed we’re buying from them. Because good weed is something to be proud of. And bad weed is something to hide, hint, hint. With that very real mentality in mind, urban cannabis consumers will have a hard time making that transition from plug to dispensary.
We Can Tell When You Don’t Value Your Budtenders
Urban cannabis consumers, especially women, have a long documented history of problems with unsavory plugs. In fact, I myself have been hit on, solicited, and dealt with uncomfortable moments in my quest for some weed. Because of this, I truly believe WOC are open to working with budtenders, and in establishing that type of transactional relationship. What does that mean for dispensaries?
Where is the Community?
In Illinois, dispensaries in communities of color are little more than streamlined CVS. One of the fundamental pillars of cannabis is community, something that is severely lacking not only in dispensaries but in cannabis brands as a whole. Dispensaries that offer recreational sales should have more opportunities for cultivating conversations. The buying process shouldn’t revolve around getting the customer out in the shortest amount of time possible.
Really dispensaries should be more active in their attempt to drive and diversify their clientele. Unfortunately Illinois offers little competition in this industry, so many dispensaries and even cannabis brands are extremely low effort in their operations. As the years progress, and more craft licenses are issued, we will see the role community plays in retaining customers.
Targeting Women of Color
There is one very real demographic that has been completely left out of the equation: Women of Color. While WOC continue to pioneer the industry, and our country in general, they are still left out marketing campaigns, discussions about buying potential, and out of positions of power. There are less than 25% of women executives in the cannabis industry, a percentage that is much smaller in relation to WOC.
So why are established dispensaries and cannabis brands not targeting women of color? I have seen numerous events tailored to certain areas in our city, why are there no events happening on the West Side? In Little Village? Events centered around women’s wellness and cannabis. Why are brands holding communities of color at an arms length? When they should be front and center in giving back to the communities affected by the war on drugs, a war that they are now profiting from.
Treat Communities of Color Right
Cannabis brands need to be putting their money to work, sponsoring event coordinators and community organizers of color. Creating events in communities where weed was sold on corners. Creating conversations about making the jump from the block to the dispensary. I think urban cannabis consumers would trust dispensaries more if they were more active in creating a community, and contributing to the one they’re already a part of.
Cannabis brands, dispensaries, and organizations are doing WOC a real disservice. Putting our needs on the back burner when WOC account for over $5 trillion in buying power. Forcing us to relate to women who know nothing about our struggles, our communities. The real, and unique issues that WOC face. I would like to see more effort made to create community on the West Side of Chicago. More money spent on making a productive presence. And more funds allocated to resources for WOC.