He was arrested for cannabis possession. Now he's opening N.J.'s first Black-owned recreational dispensary
For Tahir Johnson, owning his very own cannabis dispensary, Simply Pure Trenton, in the heart of his New Jersey hometown was a full-circle opportunity to empower a historically oppressed community, minutes from the state’s capital of Trenton, that has been affected by the Reagan-era war on drugs.
“[Cannabis] is a multibillion-dollar industry that we don't have opportunities in. Here, you don’t really see a lot of people that are successful,” Johnson told Yahoo News, as he fought back tears. So, when recreational cannabis was legalized in New Jersey, he seized the chance to bring “a win” for the Black community to his hometown.
Righting the wrongs of the ‘war on drugs’
As part of state regulations, the commission will reserve 15% of licenses to minority-certified businesses to facilitate pathways into the cannabis industry for people of color, women and disabled veterans. Additionally, 70% of the sales tax will be reinvested back into the communities affected by marijuana-related arrests. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy calls it an effort to “leave behind the indefensible practices that led to the incarceration of countless people of color.”
According to the New Jersey Police Perspective think tank, by 1989, during President Ronald Reagan’s “war on drugs” global campaign to combat the illegal drug trade, the state had locked up more people for drug offenses than any other state in the country.
‘The career of the future’
Johnson said he did not let his charges define him. He left his hometown to attend college at Howard University, in Washington, D.C. After graduation, Johnson worked in finance for years before quitting a lucrative career at Morgan Stanley, leaving a six-figure salary to become a full-time budtender at a Medleaf dispensary in Maryland in 2018.
Johnson has also served as an advocate in the cannabis space for years, working at the National Cannabis Industry Association, as well as leadership roles for the social equity and inclusion programs at Marijuana Policy Project and the U.S. Cannabis Council. This year, he was also named to the Minority Cannabis Business Association’s board of directors.
‘Trenton makes, the world takes’
“You don’t see a lot of people win, and now we’re hiring people from here at every level. Being able to give good jobs that are paying better than a lot of the bigger dispensaries that have been open and to inspire people everywhere is the best feeling, especially for people here from Trenton because we’ve always had this saying, ‘Trenton makes, the world takes,’ but in our lifetime we haven’t really seen an opportunity like that for the Black community,” Johnson said.
Johnson also touted the prime location for his 7,000-square-foot business, surrounded by popular retail chains with high foot-traffic and an estimated 21,000 vehicles driving past every day, and an available 50 parking spaces for patrons. Patients will also experience their very own selfie-taking robot receptionist to greet you before you peruse the various strains of cannabis.
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