NextSharkNextShark.com

2 women cannabis experts aim to destigmatize weed among AAPI with their ‘Conscious Consumption’ guide

2 women cannabis experts aim to destigmatize weed among AAPI with their ‘Conscious Consumption’ guide

A project led by Asian Americans aims to mobilize and destigmatize cannabis with a beginner’s guide to “conscious consumption” of weed.

May 18, 2022
SHARE
A project led by Asian Americans aims to destigmatize cannabis in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community with their beginner’s guide to the “conscious consumption” of weed.
Modern Cannabis, an education-anchored project launched by Eunice Kim and Sysamone Phaphon, features the booklet “Modern Cannabis: A Beginner’s Guide to Conscious Consumption.” It was originally written in English and then translated into 11 Asian languages, including Bahasa, Cambodian, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Malay, Mandarin, Tagalog, Thai and Urdu.
The guide introduces the history of cannabis and tackles the ways in which it is consumed. It teaches different terminologies and how to read product labels. The goal is to make cannabis more inclusive and accessible to the AAPI community.
“Only 4% of the entire cannabis industry is Asian-owned; the percentage trickles down to a negligible number when talking about AAPI women,” Kim told NextShark. “Aside from the industry being highly inequitable, the cannabis stigma runs so deep in the Asian community. Unfortunately, cannabis has long been associated with laziness, criminality, and mental illness.”
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

“What may be accepted and normalized within majority groups of white Americans isn’t always the case for non-white cannabis users, as we as AAPI must also contend with stigma forces within our community, including being the model minority, the concept of shame and guilt.”
Kim, 35, is the founder and chief executive of HiVi, an online cannabis education platform. Phaphon, 37, is the founder and chief executive of KhuenPhu, a CBD wellness brand built to modernize Asian healing tradition.
Their project includes a social media campaign that spotlights AAPI women leaders in the field. They are also organizing community events throughout California and New York on behalf of Modern Cannabis. Kim and Phaphon hope to educate the community, especially older generations and non-English speakers, ​​about the wellness benefits of cannabis.
“We know this is not going to be received with open arms the way we — in an ideal world — would love to see it,” Kim told the Los Angeles Times. “But we want to see that shift and we want to hear stories from younger generations in our community coming back and saying, ‘Hey, look. We shared the book and [its] content with our parents, our grandparents. And we’re starting to have more of that candid conversation’ or ‘They’re trying products instead of leaning on their prescriptions.’ We’re excited to see that shift happen — even if it’s a slow one.”
“I’d like to remind the community that Asians have been consuming cannabis for thousands of years,” Kim added. “It’s been a healing plant for generations — since ancient history. The Chinese have the first recorded use of this plant. So whatever convoluted journey it’s been on since, let’s remember that and go back to our roots.”
 
Featured Image via CRYSTALWEED cannabis
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Michelle De Pacina

      Michelle De Pacina is a New York-based Reporter for NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.