Pressure Co. reflects on Juneteenth through their missions in Missouri
Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of the enslavement of Black Americans across the country. Since becoming a federal holiday in 2021, more people across the country have learned about the history and celebrated this day of freedom. Juneteenth is a day of remembrance and highlights how Black Americans still fight for a seat at the table today.
Pressure Co., a St. Louis-based company, is not only creating these tables but also applying pressure to ones that need a change. Pressure Co. advocates for social equity and economic empowerment in the cannabis industry for minorities. Mohamed Yusuf & Demarco Moorehead, co-founders of Pressure Co., saw this need for change while breaking into the industry.
“There’s been a lack of diversity and inclusion in the industry and we just want to help bridge that gap,” said Mohamed Yusuf, co-founder of Pressure Co.
The statistics and demographics around cannabis are stagnant and not progressing. The majority of this billion-dollar industry consists of white men. The lack of diversity in this industry is partly due to the impact of the war on drugs that president Nixon declared in the early 1970s. This campaign increased federal drug control agencies to halt the production, distribution, and usage of illegal drugs. Following this campaign, the US prison population increased, impacting mostly Black and Latino communities. These communities were disproportionately impacted by drug arrests and racial profiling. The effects are still relevant today, especially in the St. Louis area.
In December of 2021, St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed a bill repealing outdated laws related to the possession of small amounts of marijuana and paraphernalia. Jones noted that nearly 600 people had been arrested in St. Louis on cannabis charges in the past three years, and nearly 500 of them were Black.
St. Louis’ marijuana laws are outdated, unfair, and discriminatory. In the past 3 years, 591 people were arrested in our city for marijuana-related charges – of those individuals, 82 percent were Black.
Let me be clear – locking people up for marijuana does NOT make us safer.
— Mayor Tishaura O. Jones (@saintlouismayor) November 21, 2021
Jones emphasized that the bill removed discriminatory policies, and Pressure-Co.’s mission is to help combat these disparities in the Missouri area.
Pressure Co. prioritizes social equity and inclusion for marginalized communities by increasing the diversity of owners, employees, and consumers. They achieve these goals by creating policy considerations, social programming, and outreach initiatives. Pressure Co. also created a not-for-profit, Exit-Now, to help facilitate and execute their missions.
Exit-Now, a minority-led 501(c)(3) organization, creates inclusion in the cannabis industry through education and community outreach. In the rise of mass incarceration, Exit-Now provides expungement clinics and workshops for nonviolent cannabis offenders to offer them the opportunity to exit the stigma. The not-for-profit also works with local lawmakers and politicians to ensure equality is at the center of these conversations as Missouri moves towards cannabis legalization. Exit-now recently hosted an expungement clinic in February and helped Missouri residents clear records of non-violet cannabis charges.
“The clinics are a great program that gives people a resources and opportunity to further their lives and helps us complete our mission,” said Demarco Moorehead, co-founder of Pressure Co.
A part of creating equity in the cannabis industry is providing education to people who lack the resources. Exit-Now in partnership with Pressure Co. also launched the Equity-Now scholarship contest for the Saint Louis University Cannabis Science & Operations program.
“A portion of sales from each Pressure Co. product will help support Exit-Now initiatives. We believe in cannabis with purpose and impact, said Yusuf. “Through our partnership with Exit-Now, we can address the inequities that exist in the cannabis industry while working to reverse the adverse effects of the war on drugs.”
The program offers online certification in learning all aspects of the cannabis industry including cultivation, growing, and production. The purpose of the scholarship is to create diversity and inclusion in this industry.
In addition to funding education, Pressure Co. and Exit-Now will connect applicants with prominent cannabis companies within the region and guide them as they complete the program. The program currently has funded three students into the program.
Pressure Co. is a purpose-driven brand that helps create and make a change to bring about diversity and inclusiveness in the industry. Their priority is to advocate for social equality in this industry while selling quality products. Pressure Co. products will hit the market for wholesale in July 2022. As a “cannabis with a purpose” company, a portion of the sales will go to the Equity Now scholarship, expungement clinics, and other campaigns advocating for communities negatively affected by prohibition.
“Juneteenth, It’s a time to celebrate freedom but also a time to be reminded about sacrifice and bringing about change,” said Moorehead.
As we approach the celebration of the Juneteenth holiday, it’s important to remember the progress and understand that there is still change that needs to be achieved. Pressure Co. is a part of Juneteenth’s legacy and will continue to fight for inequalities in the cannabis industry.
