TICAL: DEDICATED TO JUSTICE, PEACE, AND BROTHERHOOD

In our history books, we learned the stories of Emmett Till, Jim Crow laws, and the Tuskegee experiments.  And oftentimes we think of those things as only injustices of the past. But we needn’t look any further than the violent murder of George Floyd to know that this is not the case.

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer named Derek Chauvin. Video of the crime was taken, and eventually circulated around the globe.  Yet this criminal was free to walk the streets for days after the crime occurred.  And had it not been for the large-scale uprisings that happened days later, Derek Chauvin would still be a free man.

It is true that Chauvin was finally arrested and taken into custody on May 29th.  And some folks declared that justice had been done.  But that is not justice.  

Allowing a murderer to walk free for four days after killing a man in broad daylight, is not justice.  Allowing three other police officers who watched the murder take place, and did nothing, to stop it, still have the privilege of freedom, is not justice. Even when the narrative of justice is being diffused, we know that real justice still hasn’t been served.  And it never will be until we seek to take the reins of justice into our own hands.

TICAL and the Quest for Justice

Here at TICAL, we’re not just committed to providing high quality cannabis to discerning consumers.  We’re committed to building a brand that exists on the very foundation of justice.

A lot of people don’t know this, but the prohibition of cannabis was originally started by a man named Harry J. Anslinger.  Anslinger was the nation’s first drug czar who argued that cannabis instigated crime and violence. But it was later discovered that he used this dubious claim only to persecute and imprison people of color.

You see, Anslinger was an outspoken racist, known for vitriolic and hateful rhetoric.

Here are some of his most famous quotes …

Reefer makes darkies think they're as good as white men.

        There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics,   Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.

        The primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.

This is the man who facilitated the federal prohibition of cannabis.  A prohibition that remains in place today, and is responsible for the destruction of black and brown communities all across the nation.

The fact that federal prohibition even continues to exist in 2020  shows how absurd this prohibition is, and also reinforces the argument that justice does not exist for people of color.

Sure, with individual states legalizing, some progress is being made.  But even here, justice does not exist, as there are hundreds of very wealthy and successful cannabis influencers who have benefitted from an industry that was built on the backs of people of color, yet remain silent during turbulent times.

From former politicians who once supported cannabis prohibition, but now sit on the boards of publicly-traded cannabis companies to Wall Street elites who make millions in the “legal” cannabis game, few will raise their voices in solidarity as people of color continue to do time for violating drug laws that have since been rescinded.

If history is truly an indication of what the future holds, we know that we not only have to demand justice, but we need to incorporate it into our daily lives.  Otherwise, nothing changes.
Asking for justice doesn’t work.  We know this.  So we must demand justice by creating an environment for it to thrive on our own terms. And this is why we decided to launch our brand solely in dispensaries owned and operated by people of color.  After all, it has been people of color that have, for decades, felt the brunt of cannabis prohibition. Therefore, we feel it is our responsibility to ensure that people of color should be the first to benefit from our inaugural harvest.

So here’s a list of the first dispensaries - all owned and operated by people of color - that will be carrying our inaugural harvest …

Empire Connect

Empire Twin Palms
LitCo
Berners on Haight

** Blunts & Moore (due to this dispensary being targeted by looters during the protests, retail operations have been temporarily interrupted.  We are honored to be working with Blunts & Moore and have set aside enough TICAL for them so when the store is reopened, it will be on their shelves).

For us, TICAL is not just a name.  It’s a responsibility.

When we say Taking Into Consideration All Lives, we mean it.

We’re not just here to sell weed.  We’re here to build a movement rooted in social and economic justice.  There can be no other way for us.

We understand that we have the ability to change the narrative of what it means to facilitate real justice, and we welcome you to be a part of this movement.

Yes, we want you to enjoy our premium cannabis.  But more importantly, we want you to join us in our quest for a more peaceful and just world.  

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.”

We are dedicated, and hope you are, too.