America’s first Black and Veteran-owned cannabis dispensary sits on the corner of Tejon St. and 32nd Ave in Denver, Colorado. Nestled in the hip Lower Highlands (or LoHi) neighborhood, Simply Pure attracts both locals and tourists alike. Reminiscent of the artsy LoHi aesthetic, a vibrant mural of green land reaching the city marks the side of the dispensary’s entrance. Inside, the store boasts a wide array of cannabis concentrates, flowers and edibles, including shelves dedicated to Black and women-owned cannabis products.
“We pride ourselves in carrying every Black-owned product that is made in Colorado, and we also pride ourselves in carrying as many of the women-owned products that we can find,” said CEO Wanda James, who co-founded the dispensary with her husband, Chef Scott Durrah.
The laid-back, welcoming atmosphere of Simply Pure-coupled with the attraction of premium cannabis, charms a wide demographic of people. Any type of person can be found checking out this popular dispensary, which includes a local couple in their late 80s who are sure to make their regular stop.
James and Durrah are also neighborhood locals and make sure their business is rooted in the community. The store was just one of the hosts for the local “Growloween”, Denver’s largest pet parade. There, they passed out treats for pets and humans. They also sponsor veterans, health activities like yoga and pilates, and more. A block away from the store is one of the couple’s restaurants led by Chef Durrah, Jerk Pit Smokehouse. If a restaurant customer brings a $25 receipt to Simply Pure, they’ll get a free joint or edible. Vice versa, they’ll get a free dirty mojito, rum punch, or appetizer.
Simply Pure is a community staple. James’ history with the cannabis business and advocacy, however, did not start here. In fact, it was learning of her own brother’s incarceration due to cannabis usage, which forced him into slave labor at a federal penitentiary, that inspired James to lead efforts on national cannabis legalization.
“From that moment, because I’ve always been a cannabis connoisseur, we decided that we were going to talk about slave labor, mass incarceration and the attack on Black and Latino communities in America because of cannabis,” James expressed. “And we’ve been talking about it now for 15 years.”
The Cannabis Vanguard
Determined to drive meaningful change, James joined forces with several influential Black women to establish The Cannabis Vanguard, a leading research collective at the forefront of advancing positive reform in the cannabis industry.
The Cannabis Vanguard (TCV) is made up of cannabis professionals and political leaders who make compelling arguments centered around cannabis legalization, expanding the cannabis market, amending the lives affected by cannabis incarceration, which are disproportionately Black and Brown individuals and, in turn, making this market and potential success accessible to this demographic.
In their most recent efforts, TCV helped push Vice President Kamala Harris to put the legalization of cannabis on her presidential agenda. Their latest Op-Ed, ‘Congress Must Act Now – Americans Are Ready and So Is the Next President – ‘It’s Time to Legalize Cannabis,’ calls for the immediate federal legalization of cannabis and cites the numerous benefits of this action. These benefits include the universal approval of cannabis from a national demographic, the massive economic potential of tax revenue in a federally legalized cannabis market, the range of opportunities for jobs and entrepreneurship in cannabis and also the “moral obligation to end this cycle of injustice” in regards to those criminalized by cannabis which a majority again are Black and Brown individuals.
The article highlighted the need to expunge the criminal records of those charged for non-violent cannabis crimes and targeted grants that could help those historically discriminated against flourish in this industry.
Last Monday, Oct 14, Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled her ‘Opportunity Agenda for Black Men’, which listed initiatives specifically targeted to invigorate the lives of Black men. One of the key points highlighted in this agenda is federally legalizing marijuana and creating cannabis business opportunities for Black Americans. In the agenda, Harris promises to “fight to ensure that as the national cannabis industry takes shape, Black men—who have, for years, been overpoliced for marijuana use—are able to access wealth and jobs in this new market.”
This move for cannabis by Harris was undoubtedly influenced by the work of The Cannabis Vanguard.
Along with Wanda James, TCV was founded by Gia Morón, CEO of GVM Communications; Toi Hutchinson, former Illinois Cannabis Czar and State Senator; Roz McCarthy, CEO of Minorities for Medical Marijuana; Shanita Penny, Principal of Budding Solutions and Linda Mercado Greene, CEO of Anacostia Organics.
James’ extensive resume in both cannabis and politics has made her a pioneering voice in the cannabis industry and changing cannabis policy. What’s more, she also has a life journey that grants her a powerful voice in virtually any space. Her credentials include being a veteran, corporate executive, politician, entrepreneur, social advocate and ‘Cannabis Connoisseur.’
A true advocate for cannabis and social justice, James has dominated corporate, political and social arenas, and the changemaker doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.
“I’m just a warrior at nature and I like a good fight every now and then.”
Wanda L. James was born in Seattle, Washington, in 1963, the daughter of a British mother and a Black Texan father, a cowboy who served in the U.S. Air Force. As a child of the military, she moved often, spending her formative years in Colorado, England, and Germany, where her father was stationed four times. Her parents divorced when she was 10, and she was primarily raised by her father in a household with four brothers.
”I just didn’t get the message that you’re not supposed to change things or that you’re not supposed to speak up, and I think that guided a lot of my choices,” James said. “Being the only girl in the family, there was never a distance between what chores we got, how we were spoken to, or what we were supposed to do. So I think especially being a woman in this space, that’s been an important piece in moving forward. But, more importantly, it’s standing up for other people and for other folks that don’t have a voice. And you know what? I’m just a warrior at nature, and I like a good fight every now and then,” she adds with a laugh.
A Veteran
James attended the University of Colorado Boulder as a first-generation student. In her junior year, she decided to join the Navy, particularly due to her fascination with astronauts and the profession’s common history. Wanda James made history as the first Black woman to complete her school’s Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program. After graduating college, James served for five years as an officer in Naval Integrated Underwater Surveillance (IUSS).
“I loved it,” James said of her time as a Naval officer. “It was furthering that call to remove the word ‘can’t’ out of [my] vocabulary because being a woman in the military, you’re hit with things that you don’t think you can do; how many miles you can run, how many push-ups you can do or how many people you can lead. So every time [I’m] faced with something that feels like it’s too big to overcome, I’m reminded of my military experience, and I’m like, ‘there was a time when you couldn’t do a hundred pushups,’ you know? So, it just removes the word ‘can’t’ from your vocabulary.”
A Corporate Executive
James completed her time in the Navy in 1991 and swiftly transitioned into the corporate arena. She had two jobs in corporate America that led her to be an executive of Fortune 100 companies, Avery and Unum. Additionally, she was also an executive of one of California’s largest non-profits, Southern California Presbyterian Homes (SCPH). While in the corporate space, James met her now husband, Scott Durrah, who is also a veteran. James worked alongside Durrah, a revered chef, to open six restaurants across California and Colorado. As a widely successful business owner, she offers invaluable direction to starting entrepreneurs: Make sure to be funded as much as you possibly can.
“It’s hard to bootstrap a business. So it’s good to have people in your circle that are sure that you have plenty of access to capital, because you always think that you’re going to do better in your first year than what you do,” she advised. “Having as much money as you can possibly put your hands on, I think, is one of the most important things that any entrepreneur can do.”
James went on to highlight that these days a lot of entrepreneurs that document their journeys on social media don’t tend to show the grittier aspects of their labor.
“They’re not posting the parts where they’re up to four or five o’clock in the morning to where they feel sick to their stomach because they’re not going to be able to make some quick payment that’s needed tomorrow morning at eight o’clock,” she said. “Understand that you’re going to work hard. You’re going to put in more hours in your own business than you ever dreamed about putting in for corporate America,” James added. “It becomes like a baby or a child that you’re raising. So everything you have goes into the process of building that business and you’ve got to be prepared to do that work. I wouldn’t have it any other way, though. Being an entrepreneur really gives you an opportunity to really change things.”
Politics
With change always on her agenda, after five years in the corporate world, James decided to switch gears to follow her passion: politics and the marijuana industry.
Ever since a young age the changemaker was always attracted to politics and even ran for student body president. Throughout her life, James has been involved in local politics in both Colorado and California, and this has led her to be trusted to work with and manage many high-profile political campaigns. In 2001, following the death of former Los Angeles Representative Julian Dixon, James joined the race for the 32nd Congressional District seat and lost. She explained how this loss helped inform and shape her future work and success.
“[I] lost-lost tremendously-but learned so much and got to work with so many people. So, over the next 20 years, I had two consulting firms-including a policy firm that worked with a lot of different politicians. And then when I came out to Colorado, I ran Congressman Jared Polis’ campaign-who is now Governor Jared Polis,” James shared.
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has pledged to legalise marijuana if elected President while in an interview with radio host Charlamagne tha God. pic.twitter.com/i69mk8Wx8X
— The Feed SBS (@TheFeedSBS) October 16, 2024
Amongst countless other political accolades, James has worked in presidential politics, including on former president Barack Obama’s Colorado Finance Committee and then his National Finance Committee. She also worked on the National Finance Committee for Vice President Kamala Harris during her first run for president and also for President Biden. James, who previously served as a former president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, helped organize a fundraiser for Harris back in 2019 in Colorado and was also able to join her National Finance Committee that same year.
“We’re proud to see her move forward now and in the work that she’s doing,” James said about Harris’ current 2024 election campaign.
University of Colorado Regent
In November of 2022, James ran for University of Colorado Regent and CU Regent, and this time won by a landslide. “Winning that race by the margins that we won was huge and felt really good after 20 years in politics,” she tells TheHub.news.
James was the first Black woman in 43 years to obtain her position. Coincidentally, the Black women who preceded James as a Regent 43 years ago was the reason why James was able to attend college at the University of Colorado Boulder in the first place. Regent Rachel Noel, who was the first Black woman to be elected into state office in Colorado, started a program during her tenure which focused on giving money and opportunities to first-generation students of color. It was this program that allowed James to attend college and start on her path to success.
“So it’s crazy to me that you never know how what you’re doing today is going to affect somebody 43 years from now,” James said. “I’m just honored to be in her footsteps.”
A Personal Connection to Cannabis Legalization
On July 1, 2010, James added to her legacy of trailblazing by establishing with her husband the first ever Black and Veteran-owned cannabis company in America, located in Denver, Colorado. The store started out selling edibles carefully curated by Chef Durrah and eventually became a full-on dispensary, Simply Pure.
The pair became the first Black and veteran marijuana license holders. They also recently founded an additional Simply Pure store located in Trenton, New Jersey back in July this year. James’ extensive history in politics helped guide her work in cannabis advocacy and legalization, but it was also her story that hit close to home that kick-started her journey. While James’ brother was on probation, he tested positive for smoking cannabis. He was sent back to a federal penitentiary for four years, where James found out he was quite literally forced into picking cotton.
“I mean, that’s just insult to injury,” she said. The American carceral system has an extensive history of forcing prisoners to do slave labor, which benefits many multi-million dollar corporate chains. “Why would you do that? When you start talking about somebody having to do slave labor, this is the very definition of slave labor.”
James is currently hyper-focused on the federal legalization of cannabis, and with Harris on the presidential ticket with her latest agenda geared toward Black men, this seems within reach. The Cannabis Vanguard’s Op-Ed notes that Black citizens are “nearly four times more likely to be arrested for cannabis possession than their white counterparts.”
“And yet, when we look at the business of cannabis or the industry of cannabis, less than two percent happen to be Black that owns businesses in this industry, and most of that is due to lack of capital and lack of ability to apply,” James added. “The rules and regulations are set up by corporations that insist that it costs hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars just to apply for a license.”
Back in May, President Biden announced his plan to reschedule cannabis from a Schedule I controlled substance (such as heroin) to a Schedule III substance (like anabolic steroids). This rescheduling would make the plant more medically accessible in states where cannabis is still illegal and also more tolerated in the criminal justice system. Otherwise, the legalization of cannabis is determined by the states; to date, 24 states have already legalized the plant. However, the rescheduling of cannabis doesn’t come close to eradicating the generational trauma and racial disparities cannabis intolerance of the past created. Many cannabis consultants like TCV have highlighted the necessity of the complete de-scheduling of marijuana-i.e., making it legal on a federal level. In doing so, this provides the ability to clean the records of those charged with non-violent cannabis-related crimes.
Through providing opportunities for these people to enter the business side of cannabis, there is a more just path to equity in this arena.
“So when we start talking about federal legalization, a lot of those barriers to entry that were created state by state and by monopolies built to keep people out of the cannabis industry will go away,” James continued. “That’s why the idea of federal legalization is important. On top of that, it also prevents certain states from over arresting which is almost always Black men for cannabis, cannabis possession, simple possession-things that nobody should be in jail for.”
Last week, James joined the Karen Hunter Show to discuss TCV’s call to legalize cannabis federally now. She highlighted how the federal legalization of cannabis provides a great deal of economic opportunity and brought the receipts to prove it. James shared how The Cannabis Vanguard provides researched talking points for politicians to convince them to push legalization efforts to the forefront.
Hunter publicly thanked James for her work.
“The way you move in the world is a blueprint because as you talk about [The Cannabis Vanguard] everybody is helping everybody, there’s no competition because the world is vast. [There are] enough ingredients for everybody to bake a cake-we all eat,” said Hunter. “That has to be the blueprint for how we do business moving forward, and I think you’ve set the table for that, and I want to say thank you publicly.”
James projected the cannabis industry’s value to reach 100 billion dollars by 2030, and she is determined to have Black, Latino, and Indigenous people, along with young adults, at the forefront of this success.
