Industry

Marley Partners With Minority Group to Help Erase Oregon Cannabis Convictions

Published on August 25, 2016 · Last updated July 28, 2020
Jamaican Reggae singer Bob Marley performs in front of an audience of 40,000 during a festival concert of Reggae in Paris, France, on July 4, 1980. (AP Photo/Str)

Marley Natural, the official cannabis brand of the late Bob Marley, has partnered with the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) to launch a social impact initiative called Rise Up. The partnership will fund a series of projects that reflect the reggae star’s vision for an inclusive, compassionate, environmentally responsible community.

A key piece of the initiative will involve helping individuals in Oregon remove past cannabis arrests and convictions from their criminal records. At the Rise Up Expungement Day on Aug. 27, organizers will lead individuals through the process of requesting that the state expunge the convictions. By the end of the event, participants will have filed a motion to set aside non-violent, cannabis-related felony arrests and convictions that occurred in Oregon.

“With Marley as our partner, we are gathering the kind of firepower needed to make a measurable positive impact in communities impacted by the war on drugs,” MCBA Chairman Jesce Horton said in a statement about the new partnership. Civic stewardship by Marley Natural, he added, will help insure that “we don’t just build another industry; we build a better industry.”

Completing all the necessary steps should take less than two hours, and all costs and fees are included. Participants must be 18 or older and have a valid state-issued I.D. or U.S. passport, and only certain offenses qualify. More details are available at on the event’s website.

The two groups developed the Rise Up expungement program as part of both organizations’ shared mission of lifting communities that have been harmed by the social injustices of cannabis prohibition and the war on drugs. A spokesperson for Marley Natural said the company’s commitment “to Jamaica and communities harmed by prohibition, through Rise Up, will continue to grow in scale and scope as we expand our operations globally.”

“Marley Natural operates with a strong social conscience,” the company said, “and we source our products in an environmentally and socially responsible way, as we believe Bob would have wanted.”

Editor’s note: Marley Natural and Leafly are both subsidiaries of Privateer Holdings.

Shop highly rated stores near you

Showing you stores near
See all stores
Gage Peake
Gage Peake
Gage Peake is a former staff writer for Leafly, where he specialized in data journalism, sports, and breaking news coverage. He's a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Journalism and Mass Communications.
View Gage Peake's articles
Get good reads, local deals, and strain spotlights delivered right to your inbox.

By providing us with your email address, you agree to Leafly's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.



Stay In Touch

Receive updates on new products, special offers, and industry news.

By providing us with your email address, you agree to Leafly's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Leafly mobile app
Get high for less.
Download the Leafly app.
Download Leafly: Marijuana Reviews on the App Store
Download Leafly Marijuana Reviews on Google Play




The material provided on Leafly is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Leafly is not engaged in rendering medical service or advice and the information provided is not a substitute for a professional medical opinion. If you have a medical problem, please contact a qualified health professional.


© 2024 Leafly, LLC
Leafly and the Leafly logo are registered trademarks of Leafly, LLC. All Rights Reserved.