Tahir Johnson

Tahir Johnson, the former director of social equity and inclusion for the U.S. Cannabis Council and the Marijuana Policy Project, has spent years working to evolve the standards around social equity in the industry. Having transitioned from advocate to entrepreneur, the CEO of Simply Pure, a cannabis retail store in Trenton, New Jersey, he wants to be an example for others to follow.

“I’ve had a number of amazing milestones in the industry but my biggest by far is winning the dispensary license in New Jersey,” Johnson says. “I was awarded one of the first 11 retail licenses and expect to be the first Black-owned, adult-use dispensary to open in the state.”

Johnson was initially drawn to the cannabis industry because he saw the need for things like access to capital for minorities and says he wanted to help make a difference. The Howard University graduate was working as an investment advisor and serving on the diversity council of Morgan Stanley before transitioning into cannabis and starting out as a budtender in Maryland. He soon found a better role for himself as the head of diversity, equity and inclusion at the National Cannabis Industry Association, where he played a pivotal role in launching the association’s equity scholarship program.

Johnson has made considerable contributions to bettering equity in the industry and now on the precipice of becoming one of its few Black business owners, he says if he could go back roughly 10 years, he would tell himself, “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

“I remember comparing myself to many of my peers from college at that time and feeling like I wasn’t where I wanted to be professionally, but once I found what I was passionate about I was able to establish the confidence and positive momentum to propel me towards my goals,” he says.