Rooted In Hosts Week of Free Cannabis Classes Through the Support of Mayor Wu and the Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion.

Rooted In Logo Resized White Background

Rooted In Logo Resized White Background

BOSTONJune 7, 2023PRLog — Rooted In is hosting this year’s Boston Cannabis Empowerment Series, a week-long set of modules held throughout Boston, beginning June 12th, culminating on June 18th. The City of Boston and its Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion have a charge to make Boston a global model of economic equity, aiming “to encourage, empower, and enable them in their pursuit to participate.” This program aligns with the ethos of what Rooted In stands for – it will create space for resources, information, and access to those most affected by the “war on Drugs.”

Rooted In has a community-focused mission to drive more wealth building opportunities directly back to their neighborhoods. The founders all live in Roxbury, where all four work, and raise their children. Founders Joanne and Brian Keith, Rokeya and Solmon Chowdhury, bring over 20 years of combined experience as small business owners and 30 combined years as engaged community participants.

The week-long series of classes are free, to bring more information to everyday individuals who are interested in starting a cannabis business, want to get into the industry, or otherwise are involved with the process.

Topics include the history of criminalization & social justice, licensing types, business structures, Host Community Agreements, access to resources, equity programming, marketing and more. Additionally, attendees will be given the opportunity to tour City Hall and interact with the offices and departments they will need to engage with to move their process along. More information about these hands-on workshops can be found on Rooted In’s website (https://www.rootedinroxbury.com/event/boston-empowerment-…). (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-cannabis-empowerment-ser…)

“We believe that the Cannabis Empowerment Series is an important initiative towards promoting equity in the Boston cannabis industry. As a participant of Boston’s Equity Program, we have experienced the benefits firsthand in areas such as grants and technical support” said Rokeya Chowdhury of Rooted In.

Rooted In’s mission is to build a community-conscious cannabis business, committed to engaging, serving, and benefiting members of the community through financial success and social responsibility.

The Rooted In team developed a shared benefits model using a network of friends, family and associates from their neighborhood and through the community organizations they participate in, targeting friends and local people of color. Rooted In has several investors including 55 local investors, of whom 96 percent are of the BIPOC community, 50 percent are women, and many are Boston residents from Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, and Hyde Park.

The revenue generated by the ROOTED IN cannabis establishments will create a pipeline of generational wealth opportunities for Boston families, returning these revenues back to their own community.  The team intentionally developed a model with a low threshold minimum participation, just $1,200 to offer people who are not wealthy a chance to have a financial stake in this newly emerging cannabis industry.

Rooted In is open for business Monday – Saturday 10a – 10 pm, Sundays 11 am – 8 pm at 331 Newbury Street, Boston Massachusetts. Visit rootedinroxbury.com for more information.