There’s still a long way for the cannabis industry to go before the general populace can fully accept the life-saving capability of its products. But that doesn’t mean that the industry is just sitting around until people come into terms with that grand realization.
As early as now, this emerging market is already making waves among the medical, government and business sectors. In Canada, for example, the Senate just passed the bill to legalize marijuana nationwide. It is the second country to do so, following Uruguay, and it is also the first G7 nation to perform such action.
The bill was lauded by Canada’s Health Minister, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, who tweeted her delight at the approved bill. “The passage of the Cannabis Act is a significant moment in the history of Canada, and I’m very proud that we’ve chosen to turn the page on years of failed prohibition with a sensible, responsible and equitable policy on cannabis,” she wrote on Twitter.
In the US, the non-psychoactive cousin of marijuana, hemp, was recently legalized for cultivation, processing, and sale for industrial purposes. This is a groundbreaking achievement for the industry as it could further encourage dialogues for cannabis advocates to lobby its benefits.
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also approved the first cannabis drug that aims to help people suffering from two rare forms of epilepsy, CNN reported. The drug, Epidiolex, is proof that with the right approach, countries can leverage on the medical benefits the plant could bring.
It is on these premises that cannabis supporters during this year’s Seed to Sale show, an event by the National Cannabis Industry Association, leveraged on to encourage companies to look into marijuana businesses as an alternative Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project.
One of the speakers, Yerba Buena operations manager Laura Day Rivero, said that the cannabis industry is ripe to become one of the formidable businesses to advance. She also urged the attendees to “see themselves ‘at the precipice of this brand new movement, this brand new industry, where we have the power to design it from the inside out.’”
She reiterated that the only way to do this is by establishing the business in an exemplary and positive way. With Yerba Buena, a cannabis cultivator situated in Portland, Oregon, the company is focused not only on marketing and advertising of its products but also on brand activism, where its showcases values such as fair labor practices within the company.
“If you don’t preach it, if you don’t advertise these things as elements that are important to care about, people don’t even know they exist or that companies are doing them,” Rivero added.
This CSR value is important for companies leveraging in the cannabis industry, in part to dispel the stigma often associated with the industry. The CSR aspect of companies is expected to play a significant role in their brand image.
According to Forbes contributor Susan McPherson, 2018 is an important year for CSR as various businesses will showcase their values and work ethics. “Companies will continue to expand their activism on, and investment in, the issues that matter to their employees, customers, and communities,” she wrote.
Cylvia Hayes, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Deschutes Growery in Oregon, said that it is important to create a positive legal cannabis industry that many people want to see successfully brought into existence. She also stated that this kind of movement will require constant vigilance to come to fruition.
Industry-led humanitarian missions
PotNetwork Holdings, Inc. (OTCMKTS:POTN), via its Diamond CBD subsidiary, has been indicating that the cannabis industry is active when it comes to addressing social issues all over the world like giving importance to the environment and alleviating poverty.
By partnering with Exponential, Inc. (XPO2), a cause-related technology marketing firm that develops white-label e-commerce platforms through partnerships with charities and non-profit organizations globally, the companies have accessed various nations to carry out a number of humanitarian missions.
In the first quarter of 2018, POTN reached out to a marginalized community in the Philippines to conduct a feeding program where they also donated food supplies and hygiene kits.
This is the first venture they launched with XPO2. POTN CEO Richard Goulding said in a statement that the initiative signaled an “immense global scope that will help to seat Diamond CBD as a truly global brand while building incremental sales.”
Photo courtesy of XPO2
A month later, both POTN and XPO2 traveled to Kenya’s Ngong Hills to conduct a much-needed tree planting activity. In the activity, which was supported by the national government, conservative groups, as well as local communities, the participants managed to plant a total of 1,000 trees in Kenya’s once flourishing countryside.
Ngong Hills used to be a 3,000-hectare forest reserve, but it has been reduced to only 1,200 acres due to deforestation. The area where POTN and XPO2 conducted the tree planting activity is a vital area comprising a thriving ecosystem encompassing Nairobi.
Companies like XPO2 make it easy and possible for companies like POTN to develop a strong CSR program by leveraging on the potential of e-commerce. Through a for-profit platform, companies showcasing their products on the XPO2 e-portal can support affiliate NGOs and charities by giving a portion of their sales to the cause.
This is done via a cashless donation initiative where consumers buy products at a discounted price and choose to support a charity. Currently, XPO2 has over 1,200 merchants affiliated with its e-portal system.
Like the business itself, the cannabis industry also has endless options to carry out CSR projects that hopefully can improve the way people see their market.
