Earlier this month, New York finally rolled out the names of it’s first 36 cannabis dispensary licenses and it marked a momentous occasion for the Big Apple as many have been patiently waiting for this news and what’s to come for the city of New York and the rest of the state as it continues to work on regulations for its citizens and entrepreneurs.
LIFE Camp received one of the first licenses to open an adult-use cannabis dispensary in New York. LIFE Camp provides youth and families that have been impacted by violence with the valuable tools they need to stay in school and out of the criminal justice system.
LIFE Camp founder Erica Ford provided a statement on this announcement and we’ve included it below.
Erica Ford is a world renown human rights activist and anti-violence leader. For more than 30 years, she has impacted the lives of thousands of disenfranchised Black and Brown people in vulnerable communities, schools, housing projects and prisons. Her approach to violence intervention and prevention work in South East Queens, NY — which resulted in nearly four years without a homicide — is widely respected locally and nationally by grassroots organizations, researchers, public safety and public health professionals and government officials.
In 2002, Erica founded LIFE Camp Inc., a non-profit organization that provides marginalized youth and young adults with intensive case management, mentorship, access to education, employment opportunities and unconventional therapeutic services, to reduce violence and mitigate contact with the criminal justice system. Since then, Erica’s expertise has been proven and sought after throughout New York City and around the nation, playing a vital role in creating many known anti-violence initiatives.
STATEMENT FROM FOUNDER ERICA FORD
It is an honor to be the first NYC based, Black Woman-led nonprofit organization to receive a license to open an adult-use cannabis dispensary.
LIFE Camp has a demonstrated history of successfully working with justice-involved individuals for more than 20 years. We have been dedicated to reducing violence in our communities, providing services to support strong and healthy families, and cultivating young leaders. This dispensary will be an extension of those efforts.
As we look back on the pain that cannabis prohibition has caused our communities, it is crucial that the monetary resources from this growing industry are reinvested to further social enterprises that help families and individuals heal from the economic and emotional trauma created by the war on drugs.
We intend to take what we learn as we embark on opening one of the first legal cannabis dispensaries in the state to teach other nonprofits how they can succeed, as well as provide job training and employment opportunities to people formerly incarcerated with cannabis offenses.
We look forward to working with the Office of Cannabis Management and other leaders to keep equity and integrity at the heart of what we are building.
