"When queer artists are visible and celebrated for their uniqueness and brilliance, it counteracts the 'othering' we often experience as LGBTQ+ people," says Luke Anderson, co-founder of CANN, a cannabis-infused social tonic, which kicked off Pride month with a new campaign fronted by RuPaul's Drag Race current reigning supreme, Symone, as well as Gigi Goode, Rosy Thorn and Song of Summer contender Vincint (if you haven't listened to "Higher," get up to speed now). In an industry dominated by and too often centering cis-hetero men, CANN is positioning itself toward a wider, and more inclusive market.
According to Anderson, who co-founded CANN with his business partner Jake Bullock as a queer-owned brand, they have what he describes as a duty to be inclusive in their marketing in an effort to help legitimize the LGBTQ+ community within the cannabis industry.
"Beverage brands are still using predominantly heteronormative marketing toolkits, so we also try to be a bit subversive with the details here," he says. "If the Fanta Girls were drag queens when I was growing up, I might have felt safer to explore sexuality and gender identity without as much fear or self-destruction."
Seth Yakatan
Known for solutions that yield results, Seth Yakatan has completed or advised on acquisitions and corporate finance transactions totaling over $3 billion. He is CEO of Katan Associates International—a financial strategy and merchant banking firm specializing in commercialization and asset monetization—especially those within life-science and e-commerce sectors.
Sources:
https://www.papermag.com/cann-social-tonic-2653416001.html