Meet the Social Equity Team: Sarah Davis, Case Manager
The LCB Social Equity Team is excited to add a new topic series to the blog: Meet the Social Equity Team! The series will highlight our dedicated team members, other LCB employees and agency partners who contribute to the success of the Social Equity in Cannabis Program.
We met with Sarah Davis, Social Equity Case Manager, to hear about her background, her thoughts on the program, and her hopes for the future.
Q: What is your role at the LCB?
Sarah: I’ve been in the role of Social Equity Case Manager at LCB for just about two years. As case manager, I assist the Social Equity team, help implement the program, and serve as a liaison between the Social Equity applicants and LCB. I assist with program needs as they come up to help with the successful implementation and licensure of our applicants.
Q: What drew you to this line of work?
Sarah: I have my master’s degree in social work, and I love helping people get the tools they need to succeed. My career before this had been entirely in child welfare and I had done some program implementation while there.
I feel passionate about helping communities that have been impacted by the War on Drugs, and program implementation, so this job looked like it would be a good fit for me. I like to see people reach their dreams and be able to celebrate with them.
Q: Why do you think social equity in cannabis is important?
Sarah: There was a severe over-policing of black and brown people disproportionate to white communities because of the War on Drugs. Black and brown communities were targeted for doing the same thing that white communities were doing, and their punishments are and have been harsher.
And there are still people today that are incarcerated for cannabis, so the bigger picture in this is if Washington can have a good, strong program, then other states will want to implement their own. I have high hopes for the Safe Banking Act, and I think as time goes on, cannabis will destigmatize more and more.
Gaining employment in an industry that once incarcerated you is also a powerful healing tool for many to find empowerment from the unfair things that have happened to them in the past that were overtly racist and prejudiced. So many people that have been the victims of the War on Drugs have also been the victims of generational trauma.
Q: What are your hopes or visions for the future of the program?
Sarah: My hope is that we can get folks licensed and that there will be more financial support, and more support finding viable locations.
I hope that Social Equity applicants see successful business ownership and start turning profits in their businesses, and hopefully use their Social Equity plans over the years to help improve their community for all cannabis owners, not just social equity.
Giving back and making the world a better place is everybody’s responsibility. We all have a piece in it and how you do that is up to you.
Thank you so much to Sarah for taking the time to speak with us! If you enjoyed this interview and would like to see more, please let us know at LicensingSocialEquity@lcb.wa.gov.
