Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1403381
32 cannabis patient care | vol. 2 no. 2 cannapatientcare.com advocate focus Senate, and was stuck in the House Judiciary Committee when COVID-19 hit and halted everything. An amendment was draft- ed, too, with a social equity measure that ensures individuals who are considered minorities also have a path into this space. Carter said one of the main legal measures he hopes to see is restoration from the damage caused to individuals as a result of cannabis prohibition. "Cannabis has been illegal for quite some time now, and a punishment regime has been set up. I want to create an automatic process at no cost to the individual to ex- punge or seal their criminal records and establish a process of resentencing for individuals who are serving sentences right now for cannabis convictions." The Big Stigma In addition to talking to politicians and policymakers, Carter is hitting the road to have face-to-face conversations with folks in his state. Why? A few reasons, but one big reason is the fact Kentucky is an extremely red state, which means there are a lot of conservatives, folks who are staunch believers that cannabis is a drug—that you can overdose on it, and it kills. Carter and his team developed summer programming, in- cluding festivals, to educate folks. "We plan on traversing the state to start conversations with people and build on what we've already done but also increase the pressure on the leg- islators by building our grassroots movement and attending the festivals across the state," he said. "Even though this is the age of information, it's also the age of misinformation. We want to point citizens in the right direction where they can ex- perience and hear my story, so there's a connection." Their next step is to set up a landing page to gather peo- ple's information to build their grassroots movement, as these next several months are crucial in their fight for canna- bis. "A survey was done a year and a half ago that found 90% of respondents are in support of cannabis in the state of Ken- tucky," Carter said. "It's my goal to find that 90%, so I can let them know I need their help. We need each other's help in es- tablishing this new economy. We've got five months left until the legislative session starts in January—we have to build mo- mentum to get these politicians to start doing some work on this next legislative session." What's Next? Quite frankly, a lot. Carter is setting up an expungement clinic to help erase individuals' records and remove non-violent, drug- related charges. He is also taking steps to establish a cannabis real estate consulting firm, as one of the most important questions when establishing a legitimate cannabis business is where to set up shop. Is it a dispensary, a cultivation facility, or a testing lab? To accomplish this goal, Carter recently completed 96 hours for real estate school, and the next steps are passing the real estate exam, then teaming up with a brokerage firm. "Whatever the cannabis business is, ever ything has to be zoned correctly," Car ter pointed out. "And a cannabis real es- tate consulting firm can assist individuals who want to cul- tivate or manufacture and get set up and approved for their application." As Carter continues to fight on capitol hill and rally locals to support cannabis, he is most proud of his persistence and hav- ing the courage to take a stand. "A lot of people are unable to due to their employment, their beliefs, or just their perspec- tive," he said. "A lot of people are afraid to take the stand that I have." References (1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC5fJ8VKfeQ. (2) J.F. Hopkins, A History of the Hemp Industry in Kentucky (The University Press of Kentucky, 1998). https://www.kentuckypress. com/9780813109305/a-history-of-the-hemp-industry-in-kentucky/. (3) https://www.m4mmunited.org/about-us. (4) https://www.instagram.com/m4mmky/. Shooting footage for Hemp Roots - Black Entrepreneurs series with Christopher Thomas and Eva McKend of Spectrum News One. C.J. Carter with his two sons Ziel and Zamir Carter.