COMING HOME: CANNA TOURISM AND THE BLACK DIASPORA
Cannabis tourism is undoubtedly the future of travel and will revolutionize how we plan our next trip. This is not a new concept, and cannabis tourism is simply seeking out destinations of travel based upon the availability and accessibility of cannabis. I’ve sat down with several experts and it amazes me how they don’t see this trend, as if wine, beer, and alcohol tourism doesn’t already exist. Travel is a billion-dollar industry, and so is cannabis.
The merging of the two worlds are inevitable when you have the entire CariCom
(Caribbean Community) meet, and they all decide that the War On Drugs is a failure and it’s time to legalize cannabis. No one is more aware of that failure than black people throughout the diaspora and beyond. While we continue to be locked up in legal states at a disproportionate rate, our Caucasian counterparts freely boast of month after month of record sales in their prospective cannabis businesses.
Cannabis tourism will open up the opportunity for those of Jamaican, Haitian, and any other Caribbean descent to go home and utilize family land to create retreat spaces that people will gladly pay to come visit. Even if you were not one of these descendants, would you not like the option to visit one of these tropical destinations to learn about new cultures, their history, and try new food, all while consuming premium organic local-grown cannabis? This is why I encourage those throughout the diaspora, separated from their original homeland, to recognize the potential of cannabis tourism and get involved early.
Black people are farmers and explorers by trade, so cannabis tourism is the best of both lucrative worlds. We also shouldn’t forget about the importance of medical tourism to our community. Many people do not have access to quality care in remote areas so it is necessary for medical professionals to travel to them to provide those much-needed services. That requires transportation services like planes and taxis, and also lodging, while they render these services. The logistics needed to ship medical supplies is paramount, and will require local support, that will inevitably strengthen relations in foreign countries. All a win-win!
The future of cannabis tourism will allow Black and brown people the opportunity
to travel without risking their freedom by bringing cannabis with them on their vacations. It eliminates language barriers, and guarantees that you have all the products you need to have a successful trip. If you want edibles over flowers, we can arrange that, or if you would prefer to just have an infused massage, we can handle that as well. As the Director of Outreach and Development for Coral Cove Cannabis Health and Wellness resort in Jamaica, my team makes sure you have at least a half-dozen variety of strains to try in your room upon check-in. We even have pain salves that you can rub on for immediate relief when you arrive, if your travel plans have been stressful.
This is the new norm, and I’m excited about the legalization transformation happening right before our eyes. Canada is now federally legal and they offer direct flights to St. Kitts—a potential green rush opportunity. Whatever your thoughts on the subject are, cannabis tourism throughout the diaspora is inevitable, and this will be the closest thing to reparations I believe we will get. Take advantage of this business and pleasure opportunity, and make sure you don’t let it sail away into the sunset.