The Sweetleaf Collective, California‘s Oldest Cannabis Brand And Compassion Program, Celebrates Their 25th Anniversary With A Huge Give Back To Veterans, Terminally Ill, and POC patients.
Sweetleaf Collective’s 25th Anniversary
The Sweetleaf Collective began helping low-income veterans, terminally ill, and POC patients after the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996. They are currently celebrating 25 years of compassion with a holiday campaign to help patients and veterans access 300 pounds of free medical cannabis. They are a nonprofit that organizes compassion patients so they can access free medical marijuana, also referred to as compassionate cannabis. Funds raised go to organizing patients and not to the purchase of cannabis.
Dennis Peron, the founder of the California Medical Cannabis Movement and Industry, one of the authors of proposition 215, and also one of the original compassion activists, once said, “Thanks to Sweetleaf Collective for caring for so many patients who have no other access to this medicine.”
In 2021, Sweetleaf and their partner project, Team Compassion, have helped California patients access over $2 million worth of free medical cannabis. Over 1,000 veterans and patients all across the state of California have benefited from this program.
300 Pound Holiday Compassion Drive
One of Sweetleaf’s main partners, Team Compassion recently received a 300-pound flower donation from Soma Rosa and Elk Horn farms. This donation is currently at Highway 1 Distribution and is waiting to get to patients across California. The December goal is to distribute this donation out through Sweetleaf’s Compassion Network. Sweetleaf‘s largest hurdle for this campaign is funding. Until funds are raised, this donation will be waiting in Santa Cruz to be distributed.
Sweetleaf relies on funding raised through their compassion lighter and rolling paper sales. For every $3 Compassion smoking accessory sold, a veteran or patient is able to access 3.5 grams of free medical cannabis.
To reach their goal of 300 pounds of holiday compassion, Sweetleaf needs to sell 40,000 lighters and rolling papers through participating cannabis retailers. They are looking to onboard new dispensaries and delivery services to help those most in need this holiday season. If 80 retailers purchase 500 lighters and rolling papers each, Sweetleaf will meet its goal. With the help of Highway 1 Distribution and Team Compassion, over 1000 patients will have the best holiday of their lives.“These patients need us. It is not an easy job, being surrounded by death, but somebody has to do it. And we are those people,” says Joe Airone, aka ‘Sweetleaf Joe’, of the Sweetleaf Collective.
Are you a dispensary or delivery service that would like to give back?
Sweetleaf‘s fundraiser is an incredibly easy way to participate in compassion without having to operate your own compassion program. Sweetleaf is also looking to hire salespeople to help sell lighters and rolling papers.
Cannabis brands can also support this campaign by becoming a sponsor of the Sweetleaf Collective. Contact Sweetleaf for a sponsorship packet.
The Patients And Why Sweetleaf Does What They Do
Sweetleaf’s focus has always been to create more access to cannabis for those most in need. After seeing the dramatic impact this medicine has had with patients, Sweetleaf Joe has always wanted to help more. He describes his life’s mission as “easing human suffering.”
“I have been to countless patients where, when we do a delivery, they are in tears,” says Sweetleaf Joe. “They communicate through their tears that they would have already passed on if not for this free medicine.”
Veterans suffering from PTSD have the highest rate of suicide in our country. Medical cannabis helps them to relieve their anxiety and depression and saves lives. Many people don’t understand that for a lot of our veterans, PTSD is a terminal illness.
RELATED READING: Compassion Never Left California Cannabis, In Fact It Is Stronger Than Ever
Cancer and HIV/AIDS patients report dramatic results when they have sufficient amounts of medical cannabis. Compassionate cannabis can sometimes reduce their daily pharmaceutical intake by an incredible 80%. This medicine saves their lives.
People of color have large amounts of undiagnosed PTSD in their communities from over-policing and systemic racism. Equity and compassion are two sides of the same coin. They both uplift and help underserved communities. Free medical cannabis helps these communities to heal, relieve anxiety, and improve their quality of life.
Together We Can Save Lives: How You Can Help
This holiday season, there are many ways to help ease human suffering through compassionate cannabis. Sell Sweetleaf’s lighters and rolling papers at your retail location. Introduce Sweetleaf to a dispensary owner or buyer. Purchase these products from your favorite pot shop. Become a sponsor of Sweetleaf and the Compassion Movement. Spread the word about this campaign. Tag a retailer you would like to see stock Sweetleaf’s products. Repost this story on your social media. Ask your budtender if their dispensary could begin selling Sweetleaf products.
If you are interested in working with the Sweetleaf Collective, please send an email to Sweetleafjoe@gmail.com or hit up their Contact Page
In closing, Sweetleaf would like to say TOGETHER WE CAN SAVE LIVES.
They would also like to say, thanks to the partners and sponsors below, Together We Have Been Saving Lives.
Sweetleaf would like to thank all of the sponsors and partners that have been helping make California Compassion happen:
Team Compassion
Padre Mu
Highway 1 Distribution
Operation EVAC
Weed For Warriors
Jazz Cabbage
Sonoma Lab Works
Cannasafe Labs
SC Labs
Rise Copacking
Locals Equity Distribution
They would also like to thank all of the partner compassion programs for helping to get free cannabis to those who need it most:
Dear Cannabis
Munchie Movement
A Therapeutic Alternative Dispensary
Cornerstone Wellness Dispensary
Blk Canna Joy
This is Jane
The Higher Path
Sweetleaf Lighter and Rolling Papers are available at these fine Dispensaries and Delivery Services:
Padre Mu (Bay Area Delivery)
Cornerstone Wellness (LA)
A Therapeutic Alternative (Sacramento)
Sparc (Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, SF)
California Street Cannabis (SF)
365 Wellness (Santa Rosa)
Marie’s Deliverables (SF Delivery)
Alpaca (SoCal Delivery)
The Higher Path (LA)
Tahoe Wellness (Lake Tahoe)
Torrey Wellness (San Diego)
Proper Wellness (Eureka, Rio Dell)
Marin Alliance For Medical Marijuana (Fairfax)
Berkeley Patient Group (Berkeley)
Satori Wellness (McKinleyville)
Papa and Barkley’s Humboldt Social (Eureka)
Sol De Mendocino (Mendocino)
Dragonfly Wellness (Fort Bragg)
Kiskanu (Eureka)
Elefante (Bay Area Delivery)
Juva (Bay Area Delivery)
Green Earth Collective (LA)
High Times (Coalinga)
BASA (SF)
