Meet Jervonne Singletary, Asst. Vice President, Legislative Affairs NYCEDC
Obsessed with politics and currents events from a young age, there’s no doubt Jervonne Singletary, Assistant Vice President of Legislative Affairs for the NYC Economic Development Corp (NYCEDC ) is exactly where she’s supposed to be. In her work with the NYCEDC, it is her personal mission to restore the communities that have been destroyed by criminalization at a significantly disproportionate rate. MJ Lifestyle’s Jennifer Skog photographed Jervonne in San Francisco’s revered Clarion Alley Mural Project and interviewed her for our third issue on Cannabis Policy and Social Justice. In a time when our country is in turmoil, it is up to every one of us to collectively rise up, take action, and fight for justice and change. Jervonne is an extraordinary voice for Black and Brown communities that have been dramatically impacted by the War on Drugs and we are honored to share her voice here.
WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A YOUNG GIRL? WHAT DID YOU DREAM OF BECOMING?
I was super inquisitive and argumentative. I was obsessed with politics and current events even as a little girl. I always wanted to be an agent of change in the world. At first, I wanted to be a police officer like my father, then an attorney and I think I settled on a Marine sometime around high school. I’m glad none of those worked out.
HOW DID YOUR CANNABIS JOURNEY BEGIN?
I’ve worked in New York City politics since 2008. My first experience with cannabis came when the New York State legislature was working to advance a decriminalization bill. Many are unaware, but New York State actually decriminalized the possession of 7⁄8 an ounce of cannabis back in the ‘70s, but due to a technicality and the expansion of stop and frisk policing a lot of minority youths were getting arrested for public possession.
In 2013, we worked on “in plain view” legislation which would allow persons to carry and have in plain view of law enforcement the 7⁄8 an ounce to correct the discrepancy and make personal possession punishable by a fine only.
In 2016, my company hosted a competition for proposals that would create good jobs for New Yorkers. I submitted the idea of expanding the State’s medical program to adult use cannabis. This was after Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska had legalized and California had just passed Prop 64. These states were experiencing benefits like increased tax revenue, job creation, and a decrease in opioid addiction and violent crimes. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the political climate would inevitably begin to shift.
“For 90 years cannabis was criminalized, and the impacts of that criminalization were borne on communities of color at a disproportionate rate. Cannabis prohibition remains one of this country’s most flawed policies.”
WHAT LED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER WITH NYCEDC?
Economic Development advances and strengthens communities and helps them realize their full potential—I wanted to be a part of that change.
WHAT YOUR ROLE IS AS ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF NYCEDC?
I analyze legislative policy and assist with City, State and Federal elected official coordination for the organization.
WHAT IS IT LIKE WORKING ON CANNABIS POLICY FOR A CITY LIKE NEW YORK?
It’s truly a balancing act. When I worked on the Mayor’s Marijuana Task Force, I realized that there are so many valid opinions that need to be thoroughly considered. Everyone who I’ve encountered while having conversations about the plant has had such a unique perspective and added so much nuance to the discussion. New York City is unlike any other city in the world, it’s nearly 9 million people, we have concerns that most other jurisdictions couldn’t conceive, and we aren’t a quiet bunch. So, to work on such a transformative and controversial policy like cannabis legalization you have to take all of these views, concerns, and positions into consideration, especially if you want the plan to be successful.
WHAT ROLE DOES GOVERNMENT PLAY IN ENSURING THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY FOCUSES ON SOCIAL EQUITY?
The government plays a primary role as far as I am concerned. For 90 years cannabis was criminalized, and the impacts of that criminalization were borne on communities of color at a disproportionate rate. Cannabis prohibition remains one of this country’s most flawed policies.
So yes, if governments have now come to this awakening about the benefits of cannabis then they must restore the communities that they destroyed. And we must be intentional about it, equity in cannabis policy can’t be an afterthought. We must develop policies that create opportunities for people.
HOW IS THE CITY PREPARING FOR LEGALIZATION, AND IF LEGALIZED, WHAT WOULD THE INITIAL STAGES OF LEGALIZATION LOOK LIKE FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVE?
Right now, it’s more of a wait and see. The NY State legislature missed their self imposed deadline of April 1 but they have until the end of June to pass the bill this session. So, we know it’s coming but there is so much that we won’t know until we see a final bill, issues like local control and dual licensing still need to be determined.
In the meantime, there are some amazing groups doing the groundwork with marginalized communities and women to get them prepared for the business opportunities that will come with legalization. people are getting themselves ready, not waiting on government, which is amazing and exactly what should happen.
In terms of economic development planning, we’re in the process of identifying business supports and interventions that have worked in other industries to determine if they can be applied to cannabis. We are looking at the best practices of the cities and states that have legalized before us to see what would work in NYC.
HOW DO YOU THINK ABOUT CANNABIS AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL WHEN THERE IS SO MUCH UNKNOWN ABOUT THE MARKET SIZE?
At the time I began advancing legalization in 2016, conservative estimates pegged the market at $7 billion nationally. If New York State saw even a 10th of that market we’d be a major player. Now estimates have increased to over $25 billion for the US and continue to trend higher as more states legalize.
Also, while we may not know the exact size of the legal market, we know the population size, nearly 9 million, couple that with the fact that New York already consumes a tremendous amount of illicit market product, nearly 77 metric tons by some estimates. It’s not hard to make a pretty informed calculation that the legal New York State cannabis market will be huge.
ARE THERE THINGS NEW YORK CAN TEACH OTHER MAJOR CITIES (LOS ANGELES, CHICAGO, MIAMI, HOUSTON, PHOENIX) ABOUT HOW TO IMPLEMENT RESPONSIBLE CANNABIS SALES AND USE?
Every locality is different, and it really depends on the aims of that municipality. It’s crucial to carefully set up your adult use regulatory and tax framework. The equation is not all about maximum taxes in year one. It will take at least five years for the market to stabilize and we need to be cognizant of that. So be patient on the tax side, and don’t set the taxes too high because that only fuels the unlicensed product market.
WHAT COULD THE INDUSTRY BE DOING BETTER IN YOUR OPINION, RIGHT NOW FROM A PUBLIC POLICY PERSPECTIVE?
It depends on how you define the industry. If by it you mean the advocates, they’ve been really clear on what they want and how to achieve it.
If you are talking about business interest in the industry, I think they need to engage more. The industry needs to be more explicit about the financial commitments they will make, they need to be explicit about who they are going to hire and what their plans are to ensure diversity.
New York State will literally be starting from scratch and we have a lot to learn when it comes to cultivation, distribution, and manufacturing so the industry has a significant role to play there as well.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE FROM THE INDUSTRY?
Outside of a real commitment to equity and gender diversity, I want to see a commitment to environmentally sustainable practices in all stages of production but especially in product packaging. I’d love to see the industry move away from plastics in as much as possible.
WHO DO YOU CONSIDER A HERO OF YOURS?
I have so many, but I look up to trailblazers in the industry like Charlo Greene who started a cannabis movement in Alaska, Minority Cannabis Business Association Vice Chairwoman Shanita Penny, Women Grow Chief Executive Officer Dr. Chanda Macias and Executive Vice President Gia Moron. Other trailblazing women like Rihanna, Josephine Baker, Shirley Chisholm, Bessie Coleman, Madam C.J Walker, and principled individuals like Muhammad Ali and Colin Kaepernick.
This interview is from the archives and our third print issue, click for MJ’s full interview with Jervonne and so much more from our Social Justice issue.
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