The Power 100: Documenting Black Leaders Who Shaped Cannabis Culture, Community, and Reform

As the cannabis industry continues to professionalize, consolidate, and globalize, one question remains largely unanswered: Who laid the groundwork that made today’s market possible and at what cost?

In recognition of Black History Month, Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM) has released its inaugural Power 100, a list recognizing 100 Black leaders whose advocacy, policy work, entrepreneurship, research, and community organizing materially shaped the modern cannabis landscape.

The list is released as M4MM marks its 10-year anniversary, positioning the Power 100 not as an awards program, but as a historical record—one meant to capture contributions that predate mainstream legalization narratives and venture-backed success stories.

“This list is about impact, not optics,” said M4MM Founder and CEO Roz McCarthy. “It documents who showed up early, stayed when it was difficult, and carried the weight of advocacy when there was no economic upside.”

Why the Power 100 Exists

Long before cannabis became a multibillion-dollar industry, Black communities bore the brunt of prohibition through disproportionate arrests, incarceration, and economic exclusion. While legalization has expanded access and investment opportunities, the individuals who fought for reform often at personal and professional risk have rarely been formally recognized.

The Power 100 seeks to close that gap.

Rather than focusing on annual performance metrics or revenue milestones, the list evaluates long-term influence, including:

• Advancing patient access and medical programs
• Shaping local, state, and federal cannabis policy
• Building advocacy organizations and education platforms
• Creating pathways for equity participation
• Normalizing cannabis through culture, research, and public discourse

In many cases, the honorees’ work predates legalization entirely, spanning the medical cannabis era, early reform efforts, and grassroots organizing that laid the foundation for today’s policy frameworks.

A Decade of Advocacy as Context

M4MM’s decision to release the Power 100 coincides with a decade of organizational growth that mirrors the broader evolution of cannabis reform.

Over the past ten years, M4MM reports:

• Supporting 500+ equity business operators
• Engaging across 27 state medical cannabis programs
• Reaching 500,000+ annual digital impressions
• Providing 2,000+ individuals free access to medical cannabis education and advocacy services
• Distributing 100,000+ pieces of educational literature
• Facilitating 1,500+ hours of business-to-business instruction
• Contributing 5,000+ hours of policy planning and preparation

These figures underscore the infrastructure that has quietly supported patient access and equity conversations while national attention focused elsewhere.

Not a Ranking—A Record

Importantly, the Power 100 is not ranked.

“There’s no hierarchy to liberation work,” McCarthy noted. “Some of the most influential leaders never held titles or attracted capital but their fingerprints are all over today’s policies and programs.”

The list includes a cross-section of:

• Policy advocates and legislative architects
• Medical professionals and patient educators
• Founders and operators in regulated markets
• Researchers, attorneys, and public servants
• Cultural leaders who shifted public perception

Together, they represent what M4MM describes as the connective tissue of cannabis reform—the people who bridged health, justice, and opportunity long before those intersections became industry talking points.

Media Partnership and Documentation

The Power 100 is being released in partnership with Cash Color Cannabis, which will support editorial amplification, interviews, and digital storytelling around the honorees throughout the year.

According to M4MM, the list will also live as a permanent archive on its website, accompanied by profiles, historical context, and ongoing updates—positioning it as a living record rather than a one-time announcement.

Why It Matters Now

As federal reform remains uncertain and capital continues to consolidate within the cannabis industry, questions around equity, access, and historical accountability are again coming to the forefront.

The Power 100 arrives at a moment when:

• States are revisiting or recalibrating social equity programs
• Medical patients face new access challenges in adult-use markets
• Policymakers are assessing the real outcomes of legalization

By centering the people who shaped reform before it was profitable, the list challenges the industry to reconcile growth with responsibility.

Looking Forward

M4MM has indicated that the Power 100 will become a recurring platform—expanding into policy briefings, educational programming, and public recognition tied to broader reform efforts.

For now, the inaugural list stands as a reminder that the cannabis industry did not emerge fully formed—and that its future credibility depends, in part, on how well it remembers its architects.

As legalization continues to evolve, the Power 100 reframes a critical question:

Who gets credit for building the road and who is still being asked to walk it?

About the Power 100

The Power 100 recognizes 100 Black leaders whose sustained contributions materially advanced cannabis advocacy, patient access, policy reform, education, and industry participation over the past decade.

Powerlist

(Presented as documented by Minorities for Medical Marijuana. No ranking.)

1. Fab 5 Freddy
2. Al Harrington
3. Ricky Williams
4. Eugene Monroe
5. Brandon Wyatt, Esq.
6. Belicia Royster
7. Cherron Perry-Thomas
8. Chef Stacey Dugan
9. Michael “Coach” Harris
10. Hope Wiseman
11. Dr. Octavia Wiseman, DMD
12. Nadir Pearson
13. Tauhid Chappell
14. Cat Packer
15. Dasheeda Dawson
16. Leo Bridgewater
17. Gillie Da Kid
18. Gibran Washington
19. Gia Moron
20. Chelsea Wise
21. Martin Mitchell
22. Wanda James
23. Roz McCarthy
24. Hazey Taughtme
25. Naomi Granger
26. Edie Moore
27. Jasmine Jackson
28. Whitney Beatty
29. Amber Senter
30. Virgil Grant
31. Antoine Mordican
32. Scheril Murray Powell, Esq.
33. Dr. Terel Newton, MD
34. Dr. Rashan Hodges, MD
35. Ruben Lindo
36. Christina Johnson
37. Jesce Horton
38. Linda Green
39. Alphonso “Tucky” Blunt
40. Corvain Cooper
41. Method Man
42. Snoop Dogg
43. Ernest Toney
44. Tahir Johnson
45. Suzanne Nichols
46. Kristal Bush
47. Mike Tyson
48. Cassandra Frederique
49. Dr. Chanda Macias
50. Arianna Kirkpatrick
51. Mehka King
52. Cimone Casson
53. Thunder Walker
54. Shanita Penny
55. Rodney “Hurricane” Carter
56. Toi Hutchinson
57. TaShonda Vincent Lee
58. Kevin Ford
59. Amber Littlejohn
60. Courtney Davis
61. Khadijah Tribble
62. Caroline Phillips
63. The Dank Duchess
64. Todd Hughes
65. Jason Marshall
66. Nicole Buffong
67. Shanetha Lewis
68. Erik Range
69. Eric Foster
70. Sirita Wright
71. Shanel Lindsey
72. Danielle Drummond
73. Jay Jackson
74. Nichelle Santos
75. Dr. Lisa Pickney
76. Dr. Bridgett Cole Williams, MD
77. Dr. Kelly King, MD
78. Fredericka Easley
79. Mary Pryor
80. Aiesha Goins
81. Kristi Price
82. Sheena Roberson
83. Chris Jackson
84. Wiz Khalifa
85. Dr. Jean Talleyrand
86. Drs. Janice, Rachel & Jessica Knox, MD
87. Rico Lamitte
88. Guy Rocourt
89. Lizzy Jeff
90. Chef Zarilla Bacon
91. Redman
92. Kebra Smith Bolden
93. Otha Smith
94. Sephida Artis-Mills
95. J.R. Fleming
96. Dr. Hervé Damas, MD
97. Derrell Black
98. Devin Alexander
99. Brendan Robinson
100. Jay Mills