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reserve your ad hereSitting down with Sam de la Paz on his lush tropical patio on the Big Island in Hawai’i, we strategize about Social Equity and reform as we enjoy cannabis grown on the Āina (sacred land). The top of Sam’s mind is to keep the legal market in the hands of the Kanaka (Native Hawaiians) and Legacy growers. Sam moved to Hawai’i with his family last year, where he divides his time working in social justice as well as consulting for Big Island Grown (BIG), one of the most prominent brands. Due to the limited licensing structure that the state decided to roll out as its medical framework, BIG is among just 8 in the state of Hawai’i. This position creates a bit of tension between him and the small farmers but also positions Sam to have a stronger influence overall to affect real change for the state of Hawai’i, especially for the Kanaka people.
This is not Sam’s first rodeo. For over a decade, he has been a fixture in the Northern California legacy community with his company GreenWave Consulting, along with serving as the Fundraising and Communications Manager for Origin’s Council, a 501c4 nonprofit that advocates on behalf of legacy cannabis cultivators in the Emerald Triangle and throughout California. Sam is a real-life superhero- dedicated to keeping the power in the hands of the people and fighting corporate takeover of the industry.
In January, I traveled to Hawai’i to document the state of affairs in the adult-use cannabis market and to work with Sam to engage the Kanaka and other legacy growers in building a coalition. What came to light during this process is how far we need to go to move the needle.
“If we want to see legalization pass in Hawai’i, then the stakeholders need to organize in a constructive fashion with amendments and relations with legislators.” Sam explains, “Otherwise, it’s just ‘kill kill kill’ out there. That is not the way meaningful policy is formed. Because if you are destructive and only destroy things and don’t find a way to get a seat at the table and build constructively. That is how bad bills get passed– because politicians and regulators stop listening.”

To be on the island in the midst of the Hawai’i State Senate meetings and the peak of the action for SB669 was both exciting and nerve-wracking. We paid close attention to the action– as politicians and influential players held last-minute hearing sessions on the weekend during the Cannabis Expo– while many stakeholders were preoccupied, with little notice of the hearing. Sam contacts members of organizations like Big Island cannabis Hui (association) and HICIA (Hawai’i In Cannabis Association) to organize the Native community and Legacy growers to keep the power in their hands. But fighting for what’s right is a full-time job. And Hawai’i has some of the worst problems with political corruption in the nation.
Today the state of Hawai’i is structured under medical cannabis laws, and in order to obtain cannabis legally, you must carry a state medical card. That could have changed with SB669, but the bill was dismissed before it gained any traction. Many people believe that is for a good reason. The bill favored keeping power in the hands of the existing eight cannabis companies exclusively and only granting licenses to the operators who are already in business. This type of legislation is dangerous as it gives near-monopoly control to a small group of people. Laws like this, a similar problem to California’s Prop.64 debacle, also only boost the ‘illicit’ market because the barrier to entry to be a legitimate business is far too high.
Protestors weighed in with heated online debates, ultimately leading to so much controversy that the speaker of the House did not touch the bill, thereby killing the proposed legislation on the House floor. Many from the activist community are relieved, including the award-winning attorney with Native Hawaiian roots, James Anthony.
“The Native Hawaiian, and other activists, want to see a legalization that will benefit the legacy market and other people who have survived the brunt of the War on Drugs,” James says.
James Anthony splits his time between the Big Island and Oakland, where he is well-respected as one of the top leading experts in Social Equity. As California transitioned from medical to recreational laws, James provided pivotal legal aid to groups who engaged with the Oakland City Council, ultimately launching the first Social Equity program in the United States. He agrees with a fellow cannabis lawyer and federal lobbyist Shaleen Title when she says that the term ‘Social Equity’ has been co-opted by the forces of commercialization. Advocates like James remain optimistic but also realistic when it comes to the future of cannabis in Hawai’i.
“We are hopeful that future bills will take that reality more seriously. What needs to happen is decriminalization and the release of cannabis prisoners. The best equity program is structuring the market so that it discourages ‘plantations’ (Hawai’i is notorious for enabling corporate control),” James tells me.
Like James Anthony, Sam de la Paz is seeking to make an impact for the people of the Big Island, but is ultimately met with resistance by the community, who are hesitant to meet up in person. When I asked James about this, he explained that there are strong cultural dynamics on the island that make it challenging for people to trust each other. The Native Hawaiians are wary of new people due to hundreds of years of history of exploitation by outsiders. Given that Sam has only been on the island for a year, he hasn’t yet developed the trust from the locals.
The Kama’aina, or ‘true locals’ in Hawai’i, are the Indigenous people of the Hawaiian islands, with their deep-seated cultural roots and traditions. The other local communities are that of the plantation economy: immigrants from the Philippines, Japan, Korea, and other places (some with many generations on the island and others who are migrant workers). Finally, there are the settlers and tourists from the United States and other places, often gentrifying and displacing the Kanaka communities. The Kama’aina are wary of the settlers in general, but like any cannabis community, the historic need for secrecy also fuels the resistance of farmers and business owners to organize in person. This is a double edge sword because there is so much at stake.
Unchecked, the Hawai’i cannabis industry- and its corporate stakeholders- can easily turn cannabis into the new plantation economy– a fact pointed out by James Anthony. This is the risk that SB669 introduced and why so many people were up in arms about the way it was drafted. True Social Equity is not about handing over business licenses to new emerging brands when they are forced to compete with major corporate players, a fact that James Anthony points out. If done right, Social Equity is about creating low barriers to entry for small businesses and providing long-term and meaningful resources for those most negatively impacted by the War on Drugs.

***
Passing the joint to Sam, we laugh as we watch the neighborhood stray cat lounging awkwardly in the warm afternoon rain. His computer is open to an extensive email thread with as many farmers, care providers, and small business owners as Sam could get in touch with in Hawai’i. Although they were too reserved to meet in person, the outcome was strong. People who corresponded in the email thread responded with their opinions, personal experiences, and feedback.
“People are really pissed.” Sam says, “They are not necessarily angry at the dispensaries, but they don’t know that they need to direct their anger towards a constructive strategy in order to be heard and have a seat at the table.”
The overall sentiment is that people are fed up with feeling sidelined and left out of the equation. There is a concern that there is not enough contact with state legislators, and some people expressed a desire to build better rapport than has been accomplished over the last few years. Sam emphasizes the need for strategy.
“I have watched farmers really suffering where I’m from in Mendocino County, and the plight of the small farmers is the same struggle that is happening in Hawai’i,” Sam says.
“The small dispensary operators are not the enemy; in fact, we need to work together. We need to understand that BIG alcohol, BIG tobacco, and BIG pharma are the real enemies.”
Hawai’i has a very conservative constituency and voting base, and cannabis reform is not important to many politicians. Additionally, ideas like Social Equity programs are also not well understood. Sam advocates for Social Equity and Cannabis Stakeholder boards (not just committees) for research, education, and even hemp fiber production– in order to gain support from demographics that otherwise shun cannabis.
“It is imperative that the legacy stakeholders, Kama,āina, and kanaka have a seat at the table as legalization rolls out. It may not be overnight. The existing licensees may be granted some runway to operate as they are already regulated, tested, and compliant.” Sam emphasizes: “But there needs to be a body of the people moving forward. We have to think big picture, and this is the single biggest mistake that all other states have made. By not including the stakeholders and Social Equity qualifiers, they will never diverge from a prolific illicit market.”
It is from this angle that we can get the most buy-in from conservatives and get the most out of the policies that are being put forth. This idea is important because not only would it increase the potential for cannabis to be taken seriously in Hawai’i but also because cannabis is incredibly under-researched when it comes to how much we actually know or understand in general.
“It makes sense for Hawai’i to be an ideal state to support scientific research of cannabis. Community-Based Participatory Research can further empower and bring relevance to small Legacy farmers in the state of Hawai’i– who have produced some of the most world-renowned Cannabis for decades.” Sam says enthusiastically, “There are so many different bio-regions and climates here. It is a perfect place to study this plant.”
Sam would know, too, because before he was a passionate activist, he was a serious farmer. In Hawai’i, Sam is dedicated to serving ALL who have suffered the throws of adult use and medical prohibition. This goes for licensed Cannabis businesses to Legacy and Kanaka, who seek to participate in this flourishing landscape and mitigate extractive corporate takeover. He is dedicated to serving the Kanaka and the Hawai’i cannabis community. But rejuvenative farming of all types is really where Sam sees his biggest impact on the island, where in a state of nearly a million and a half people, more than 90% of the food is imported. Sam may be new to the island, but he has big ideas and a lot of conviction to see them through, with a spirit of Aloha (love) that can only be cultivated by years of getting down to earth as a cannabis cultivator and expanded greatly by his dedication to social justice.
“All the great social justice movements have emphasized a love ethic.” — Bell Hooks.
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Samantha Sage is a Community Impact Strategist, and the founder of Kind Philanthropy. She is a second-generation social entrepreneur in Cannabis, raised in Northern California on farms, at hemp festivals, and surrounded by activists and leaders from a young age like Dennis Peron and Jack Herer. Based in Oakland, CA, Samantha has a Master's degree in Nonprofit Leadership and has over 15 years of service leadership in the Bay Area and beyond. She works with companies of every type on the supply chain, empowering them to partner with good causes and promote equity, social justice, and environmental awareness (ESGs & Corporate Social Responsibility in other words). This year she founded the Terpene Tournament, alongside her business partner, as a platform for terpene education and community impact. When she is not hyping up community impact, Samantha guides sound healings, creates visual arts, and fills up passports with international travel.