Blog : Charitable Donations In The Cannabis Industry

Cannabis Cares™ Food Drive

Cannabis Cares™ Food Drive

The holidays are nearly here, and while Green Wednesday, Black Friday, Christmas, and New Years may provide a boost in cannabis sales, this is also the perfect time of year to think about how your cannabis business can give back. 

With a negative stigma still surrounding cannabis, especially in conservative cities like Colorado Springs, it is important for cannabis businesses of all types and sizes to make a positive name for themselves.  There are many simple ways to get involved in your community and make an impact, while also helping your cannabis brand to get in front of consumers in a positive light.

Although times are changing, and cannabis is becoming a more accepted and open part of today’s society, it may prove difficult to find nonprofit organizations that are willing or able to accept dollars that were earned from cannabis.  This is because cannabis is still federally illegal, and these nonprofits gain their funding through federally-regulated programs and grants.  If a nonprofit were to accept donations from a cannabis business, they may risk losing their ability to gain federal dollars for their organization.  For most nonprofits, this is a not a risk that they are willing to take.  However, with a little bit of research and persuasion, Cannabis Marketing, Inc. has been successful in pairing our cannabis clients with multiple nonprofit organizations.  Our clients have hosted food drives, clothing drives, and fundraisers for nonprofit organizations like Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, Westside CARES, and Casting for Recovery.

While giving back to the community and doing good for the customers who support your business is important, the other reason to host a charitable event or fundraiser is because it helps break that negative stigma about cannabis.  The more that people see that the cannabis industry is one who cares about its community, who gives back and plans to stay for the long haul, and truly cares about important issues, the more they will understand that the cannabis industry is not a bad one.  Getting involved is easier than ever this year, because Cannabis Marketing, Inc. is organizing a city-wide food drive!

Cannabis Cares™ is Cannabis Marketing, Inc.’s first-every food drive, and we are inviting all the dispensaries in Colorado Springs to participate!  We will be collecting non-perishable food items at each dispensary that wishes to partner with us for the largest food drive ever sponsored by the cannabis community as a whole.  We feel it is important to show that although dispensaries and brands are technically competitors, we are all in this for the same cause.  We support the community in which we do business, and participating in this food drive will show those who may be skeptics that the cannabis industry is one to be recognized for good.

Cannabis Cares™ will launch November 20th, 2019, and run through December 15th, 2019.  We encourage every dispensary in Colorado Springs to help us collect food items, which all help to benefit our friends at Care and Share Food bank for Southern Colorado.  The folks at Care and Share have seen the value in our partnerships, and we are thrilled to be able to partner with them this year to make an even larger positive impact in Colorado Springs.

If you’re interested in joining the Cannabis Cares™ Food Drive, please contact us at info@cannabismarketinginc.com.  It’s never too late to help make a difference!

Donation Drop-Offs:
NaturaLeaf Central
2727 Palmer Park Blvd

NaturaLeaf South
1004 South Tejon St

NaturaLeaf North
5875 Lehman Dr, Ste 100

Elevations Dispensary
8270 Razorback Rd

Big Medicine Cannabissary
2909 N El Paso S

The most needed items are:
Canned Fruit, Canned Vegetables, Soup, Canned Meat, Canned Tuna, Cereal, & Oatmeal.

Matching Cannabis Businesses With Charities

Matching Cannabis Businesses With Charities

It is no secret legal cannabis companies in state and local governments are continuously paying substantial taxes to the Federal Government.  The government uses this money for public needs such as schools, roads, hospitals, etc.    In Colorado alone, the Department of Revenue reports medical and retail marijuana tax and fee collections amounting to $226,157,028 from January to November of 2017.  The numbers have continued to grow year after year and will continue doing so as marijuana continues to gain acceptance as a legitimate and essential medicine.  So why won’t government funded charities take contributions from legal cannabis companies?

Making It Easier To Donate To A Good Causedispensary marketingAs cannabis businesses continue to expand, so does the desire for philanthropy.  Whether it’s large donations to local schools or re-building struggling hospitals, giving back to those in need feels good and cannabis companies want on that train.  As an expanding cannabis business, partnering with charities not only feels awesome, but is commonly seen as the next logical step in the growing process (no pun intended).  Ever since dispensaries began opening decades ago, they have been working hard to find unique and innovative ways to give back to those less fortunate in their communities.

Unfortunately, giving to charity has proven to be more difficult for our clients than expected.  As reported by Forbes, many charities simply aren’t willing to accept donations from legal cannabis companies.  Period.  In some cases, charities might be willing to consider monetary donations from cannabis companies, but only if the benefactor remains a secret.

Throughout the years, the cannabis industry has been anonymously contributing millions to their local and state charities, proving that it’s not all about the marketing and press.  Cannabis companies are just honest businesses trying to help those less fortunate.  There are numerous stories of large cannabis companies publicly attempting donations to large charities like children’s hospitals and veteran’s services.  These well-known non-profits are always willing to take the donations either through a company affiliate, or completely anonymously.  In many cases, the donations are completely rebuffed if contributed directly.  There is no way to determine the actual amount donated to charity since cannabis was legalized years ago.

Why Don’t Charities Like To Accept Donations From Cannabis?

Most charities have been dissuaded from accepting cannabis donations because of regulatory issues.  For example, Colorado Children’s Hospital states that because banks will not handle cannabis money, they are unable to accept cannabis donations.  Others claim their views do not align with those of the cannabis industry.  There is a well-known story in Calaveras County, California where the local Cannabis Alliance attempted to donate money to a depleting community school.  The prohibition-minded city council members quickly rejected the donation without discussion despite their town’s dwindling economy and poor budgeting.

Even though the rejection of charitable donations is disheartening, we are happy to report light at the end of the tunnel.  As the cannabis community continues to grow, so does public awareness and acceptance.  In San Francisco and other progressive cities, many government-funded non-profits will happily take legal cannabis donations despite the “risk” of losing their government aid.  In Denver, there are several charities eager to accept public donations for veterans, local homeless, public event spaces as well as retail outlets and parks.  So far, it has been fantastic to watch the success of these charities and to see change.  We can only expect our cities to continuously flourish because of the cannabis market.

Cannabis Donation Solutions

Is your business ready to make donations?  At Cannabis Marketing Inc., we know the ins and outs of cannabis philanthropy.  We are eager to help your cannabis company help the less fortunate of the world and we will not let the word “no” stand in the way when it comes to charity.   Call us today to find out how we can connect your cannabis brand with successful charities nationwide to make real change in your community.