17 Jun Temescal Wellness Embraces Diversity

Like many organizations in the cannabis industry, and in fact companies in all industries, the last year has been one of tremendous introspection and learning. Our team has embarked on a mission to take a hard look at who we are, how we operate, and to do the work to be better. We’re not perfect, and let’s face it – as a white-male owned business, we have both a lot to learn, and a responsibility to make every possible effort to amplify the voices of marginalized communities impacted by the war on drugs, and advocate on their behalf.

Our Diversity & Inclusion Council was formed at a time when Black Lives Matter protests were happening across the country, and conversations around the experiences of BIPOC communities in the United States were front and center in the media and online. The group of team members that volunteered to do this work for our company started with one question: how can we be better, and take tangible action where it is needed?

We feel it is important to both our team members and our patients to be transparent about our efforts, and to start having broader conversations about our goals and the actions we are taking in 2021.

The Diversity & Inclusion Council’s mission statement:

We are the Life Cannabis Company and our lives are entrenched in diversity. Temescal Wellness is devoted to celebrating and actively promoting inclusivity in the workplace, in communities we serve through charitable activities, and in the vendors we choose. Our high standards go beyond the cultivation of our cannabis as we strive to create a welcoming and hospitable environment for all. We celebrate the unique voices and experiences of our patients and team members and, by working together toward a common goal of inclusivity, we enhance the spaces we inhabit.

The actions that we hold ourselves accountable to

1. Donating resources as well as time

• Ongoing partnerships with local nonprofit organizations to provide continued support
  • My Friend’s Place – Dover, NH
  • Hero Pups – Stratham, NH
  • Seacoast Outright  – Portsmouth, NH
• Collecting change from patients in-store to allow our guests to join in our philanthropic efforts
• Monthly company donations to local organizations that align with our initiatives
• In a post-pandemic world, we anticipate a return to organized volunteer efforts with local organizations

2. Prioritizing BIPOC and other minority-owned vendors for contracts

• Thoughtfully selecting vendors to work with

3. Concerted efforts to diversify staff

• We recognize that a diverse team is a force multiplier.
• We encourage diversity of team members to mimic the municipality we operate in
• Committed to internally promoting diverse candidates to management/leadership positions

4. Using our social platforms to advocate, educate and amplify

There is a lot of learning and unlearning to be done in terms of how the war on drugs has impacted BIPOC communities. We use our social channels to promote news and information designed to educate the broad public. We advocate for reform of laws to not just legalize cannabis, but to free those incarcerated and expunge their records. And we amplify the voices of BIPOC creators with a priority on sharing content they create.

It is important to us that our messaging on our platforms is not merely performative. We are allies and intend to be agents of change, and we want to pass the mic and use any privilege we have to amplify other voices.

It doesn’t stop there. When you visit us, you will see diversity peace flags displayed, welcoming patients and employees at each dispensary location, and our production facility. ALL are welcome here. We hope you experience that each time you visit, and join us on social media in spreading awareness on the importance of equality in the eyes of the law, and justice for all.

There’s more work to be done, and we know that it is important to listen, and learn from a diverse group of leaders and community advocates on how we can do and be better. We will continue to build toward that goal, and are grateful to our staff and patients for all you do to help us improve.