Cannabis Company Funds Summer Job Programs for At-Risk Teens

Image courtesy joethegoatfarmer.com

Lately, the cannabis industry has been making some prime
choices left and right that have lead to not only betterment of the industry’s reputation,
but also legitimately making a difference in the general community. The latest
example of this is a donation from Curative Health Inc. to the city council of
Bloomington, IL to support a youth summer job program.

According to an article for the Pantagraph,
Curative Health Inc.—who is a part of the parent company Columbia Care LLC—donated
$20,000 specifically to help at-risk youth. Columbia Care is based out of New
York, and provides their cannabis services via dispensaries in New York, Massachusetts,
Arizona, Illinois, and Washington.

This donation was part of an initiative put in place by Mayor
Tari Renner when Colombia Care applied for a dispensary license in the area. The
idea was that dispensaries and medical cannabis businesses could get the green
light to open up, but they had to be willing to give back to the community and
help at-risk teens with jobs. So far, Columbia Care only has a business in
Chicago, but is thinking about opening one in the area closer to Bloomington. The
city does not currently allow any dispensaries, but the state actually came up
with the idea that community/dispensary involvement would be a good way to help
get relationships off to a good start, which shows improvement full circle.

Columbia Care LLC approached Renner with the offer to make a
community donation, and Renner decided that she would like to put the funds
towards a youth program, which the company was totally on board with. “Every
U.S. Conference of Mayors has at least one major panel on at-risk youth jobs
programs,” said Renner. “They realize that an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure. It’s not just keeping [at-risk youth] busy during the summer as
kind of a recreation program. It’s learning the value of work.”

What is so awesome about this is that the initiative combats
the very thing that anti-cannabis scare tactics used to preach–that the plant
will lead at-risk youth astray. Now, with legalization moving into the area, it
is harder for underage kids to get their hands on the plant, and easier for
them to get a head start on their job searches.