40 Tons Carries the Heavy Weight of a Broken Industry

When you look at the decades-long War on Drugs and the widespread state of cannabis legalization, the adverse impact this correlation has on marginalized groups is well-known within the industry. Numerous social impact cannabis brands have found ways to give back and support Black and brown communities that have been affected by unjust laws.. However, today’s society still proves there’s a defining difference between those who talk the talk and those who truly walk the walk.

40 Tons is a social impact cannabis brand on a mission that goes beyond giving back to those in need. It’s about reintegrating individuals into society, connecting communities with careers and supporting families who are left to pick up the pieces.

Among the many brands showing support and efforts towards social justice and equity in the industry, 40 Tons does an impeccable job at touching all points of the matter— using their collective resources and talent to make a vital social impact on the culture, legacy and lifestyle of cannabis.

What sets them apart are the hardships and history that have motivated 40 Tons to build a brand that’s successfully helping those directly impacted by the War on Drugs while also educating the greater public.

A System of Injustice

In 2014, Corvain Cooper was served a prison sentence without the possibility of parole over a nonviolent cannabis offense, the conspiracy of trafficking over 40 tons of cannabis. This miscarriage of justice not only resulted in life imprisonment for Cooper, but it’s what inspired the 40 Tons brand.

Founded by the very legacy operators who’ve helped build the industry we all know and appreciate, 40 Tons represents an authentic and trustworthy cannabis culture standing up for those who’ve fought—and are still fighting today—the unjust war over legalization.

Prior to Cooper’s arrest, 40 Tons CEO Loriel Alegrete had gone through her own deeply rooted history of cannabis incarcerations her husband experienced. Realizing what her husband had been involved with as he was being sent to prison, Loriel immediately knew she was in a challenging and troubling position in a society that was beginning to reap the benefits of its lucrative legalization. She was compelled to speak out and give a voice to those in need.

After years of speaking out and campaigning, former President Trump granted Cooper presidential clemency and freed him on his last day in office. From that point forward, the 40 Tons brand continued to catapult their fight for social justice in cannabis.

Between Corvain Cooper and Loriel Alegrete’s husband, the 40 Tons brand was born to represent those impacted by the system and fight for equity in a new and booming billion-dollar industry. With that, their brand’s efforts have been as transparent as their history.

40 Tons Careers

Today, you can represent the 40 Tons brand in more ways than one. This Black woman-owned social impact company is promoting lifestyle and culture through high-quality cannabis products, stylish merchandise and a series of career conferences. Their goal is to create a symbiotic environment and empower these marginalized communities to thrive.

The careers element of 40 Tons works to directly connect the impacted communities with top cannabis employers and educational institutions. Their main goal is to work with companies and organizations that want to employ, educate and enhance the community by giving back—with the commitment to give each and every individual with past cannabis convictions a second chance.

With a vision to create over 40 Tons of new employment opportunities and employ more than 80,000 multicultural consumers by 2024, the social impact brand is off to a tremendous start. At each cannabis career conference, 40 Tons Careers brings together the best businesses and educators in the industry to connect the diverse talent in the BIPOC community with a fully curated career in cannabis. But they are not just stopping there, they want to see more diversity, equity and Inclusion of minorities and system-impacted individuals in all of corporate America.  

Speaking Truth to Power

With over 25 years in the Legacy market, 40 Tons has taken its reputation of selling quality cannabis even higher by creating an empowering way to promote justice and give back to their neighborhoods.

Continuing to promote social impact from all angles, 40 Tons also found a way to create consumer opportunity in this social justice movement. The brand also has its own consumer packaged goods line within the state of California, where they work with top farmers and brands to curate the best products in every category.

No matter the product offered, any retail purchase from 40 Tons weighs stronger and is more impactful because of its direct support towards social justice within the community.

Each and every purchase of a 40 Tons cannabis product helps non-violent cannabis prisoners fight their unjust sentences, restore justice and provide full, equitable lives for them (and their families) to return to.

With a mission to break the chains of these injustices stemming from prohibition, 40 Tons is one step closer to social justice and equity within the cannabis space—one purchase at a time.

Elevating a Higher Social Impact

With Cooper’s presidential clemency in 2021, 40 Tons continues to take it as a chance to do good within the BIPOC community and to fight for bringing second chances to those impacted by the War on Drugs.

They’ve built an organization and space that is not only providing solutions to families and individuals impacted by cannabis criminalization but also offering executive positions and jobs to those in need. Not only that, but the entire 40 Tons brand stems from an executive team with a history of cannabis incarceration and Corvain Cooper is now the Chief Brand Ambassador.

40 Tons is a true social impact brand from every angle of operation. They’re out with boots on the ground, making a difference.

Whether you’re purchasing a 40 Tons’ quality cannabis product or supporting the search for connecting the BIPOC community with jobs in cannabis, you’re assured the interaction is making a direct difference for those who have been wrongfully impacted for far too long.