May 11th–May 17th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times State Licensed Dispensaries & Doctor Cer tifications 27 ‘Make No Mistake’ Cannabis workers rally on 4/20 for better working conditions. BY KATYA SCHWENK F or stoners — and Arizona’s cannabis industry — April 20 was a THC-infused holiday full of celebration. For some local cannabis workers this year, however, 4/20 was a rallying cry. Budtenders, cultivation workers, union organizers, and elected officials gathered in a union hall in midtown Phoenix on April 20 to call for improved working conditions. “Make no mistake — cannabis workers make 4/20 possible,” said Drake Ridge, the assistant director of communications for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 99, the union that hosted the event. “Cannabis in Arizona is now a multibillion- dollar industry, and the very workers who made this prosperity possible cannot be left behind.” Since recreational cannabis was legal- ized in Arizona in 2020, the industry has blossomed, but the fruits of the industry’s labors haven’t been celebrated by everyone. With limited licenses and a push toward vertical integration, locally-owned outfits have been bought out by powerful cannabis companies. As profits have grown, so too has a movement to organize cannabis workers in Arizona. UFCW Local 99 has spearheaded the push to unionize dispensaries across the state through a campaign called Cannabis Workers Rising. Despite resistance from companies such as Curaleaf — which in 2020 fired a worker for attempting to unionize a dispensary — the effort has seen some major successes. Dispensaries across the state, including two Zen Leaf and two Curaleaf locations in metro Phoenix, have voted to unionize and are now beginning contract negotiations. In January, the National Labor Relations Board sided with workers who brought unfair labor practice charges against Curaleaf. The regulatory board found that the cannabis giant “made illegal threats and promises to discourage employees from organizing, and created the impression that workers’ union activi- ties were under surveillance by Curaleaf.” ‘They just care about money’ Yet, the fight to improve working condi- tions in Arizona’s dispensaries continues. Malek Kmeid, a dispensary store associate in Tucson, told the crowd that he and his coworkers struggled to make a living wage, despite the profits they say multistate cannabis companies are raking in. “There is no cannabis industry without cannabis workers,” he said. Angel Guerrero, a brand ambassador for cannabis company PuraEarth and a medical marijuana patient herself, told Phoenix New Times that since recre- ational cannabis was legalized in Arizona, companies have been prioritizing profits over working conditions and patient care. “They just care about money. That’s all they care about,” she said. Guerrero said she hoped that the wave of union activity might change that. Elected officials, including state Rep. Analise Ortiz and Phoenix City Councilmember Betty Guardado, spoke at the event. “We know that so many voters voted to legalize cannabis because they were tired of the prison industrial complex profiting off of our backs,” Ortiz said. “And now we have corporations profiting off the backs of these workers.” | CANNABIS | Katya Schwenk At a union hall in midtown Phoenix, workers rallied for improved working conditions at dispensaries.
