Medical/adult-use cannabis is legal today in 40 states and the District of Columbia.
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The United States cannabis industry is estimated to be worth $80 Billion by 2030.*
is a strategic investor in multiple cannabis ventures in multiple states.
Our goal is to help foster a more inclusive cannabis industry for the benefit of all.
*Flowhub.com
OUR
STORY
OUR STORY began on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, in April of 2019. A group of accomplished Black women gathered to relax, rejuvenate, and share future goals. Economic empowerment, health and wellness, and “giving back” to our communities were common themes discussed. Before departing, one friend asked another to talk about a recent business investment. Everyone leaned in as attorney Sherri Blount (pronounced “Blunt”), the
co-founder of a newly opened medical cannabis dispensary in Washington, DC, shared her experiences, as well as industry projections.
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The group was intrigued and a few vowed to learn more about the evolving industry. Several months and conference calls later, nine women emerged ready to pursue cannabis-related business ventures in multiple states. The group included two Blount sisters and two Moore sisters. “Blounts&Moore” was born.
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Motivated by an entrepreneurial spirit, the need for a health and wellness alternative, and a desire to serve the Black community, our new team turned ideas into action. We partnered with a multistate cannabis operator to learn every key aspect of the cannabis industry. We engaged a medical expert to teach us about the efficacy of the plant in treating ailments , especially those prevalent among Black Americans. We immersed ourselves in best practices for cultivation, manufacturing, and retail. We explored various investment opportunities, including CBD, hemp, and ancillary services. Most importantly, we studied the cannabis legalization trends and opportunities in all fifty states.
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By December 2019, with a solid business strategy, we committed to pursue vertically integrated opportunities (cultivation, manufacturing, and retail) in states with limited licenses. We subsequently filed applications in Illinois, Virginia, and Arizona. We also committed to make intelligent passive investments. Our first investment was in a CBD business in July 2020 for $700K. In May 2021, we raised $6.8M in 14 days for our second passive investment. In July and August 2021, we won licenses with our Illinois partners to become vertically integrated in Illinois -- including two craft grow licenses and six dispensary licenses (four in the Chicago/Naperville/Elgin area).
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We are now focused on the last cannabis frontier in the United States – the Southeast. In March 2020, Virginia became the first southern state to legalize both medical and adult-use cannabis. We believe other southern states will soon follow, reflecting the positive change in public sentiment about cannabis and states' need for additional tax revenue. Unlike the past, we are not waiting to be invited to the cannabis business table after the prime seats have been taken. We are studying the legislative blueprints and working within local communities to build our own table – with plenty of seats. We encourage others to do the same.
OUR FOUNDERS
We are a group of socially conscious women entrepreneurs who have excelled in diverse careers. We are current and former corporate and non-profit executives, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and philanthropists. Collectively we have extensive experience in law, medicine, media/communications, retail, government, public policy, education, the arts, and the social justice arena.
We are civic, political, and business trailblazers who have been the ‘first’ of our race and gender to break many barriers and achieve many goals. Now we aim to be trailblazers in the multibillion-dollar United States cannabis industry, bringing the Black community with us.
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Sherri Blount
Chair
Gwen Adolph
Principal
Dale Cochran
Principal
Karen C. Phillips
Principal
Earline Richardson
Principal
Terri W. Roberts
Principal
Marva Smalls
Principal
Rita Scott
Principal
OUR INITIATIVES
WHERE WE ARE
6 Licenses for Adult Use Cannabis Retail
(Awarded September 2021)
2 Licenses for Cannabis Craft Grows
(Awarded July 2021)
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1 License for Transportation
(Awarded January 2023)
Virginia
1 Pending Application for a Vertically Integrated
Pharmaceutical Processor Cannabis License (Dec 2020)
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WHERE WE ARE GOING
South Carolina
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North Carolina
NEWS
Blounts&Moore want African American communities to have access to generational wealth — and they think cannabis is a key. Read the full article on RollingStone.com
Meet the Women Bringing Weed to
the Deep South
Blounts&Moore will be the Model Cannabis Social Equity Partnership in Illinois
Awarded 6 cannabis dispensary licenses and 2 craft grow licenses
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With longstanding ties to Illinois and exceptional social equity partners, Blounts&Moore is poised to open 6 dispensaries and 2 craft grows throughout the state. The team won four licenses in Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Region 5 (Chicago/Naperville/Elgin); one in BLS Region 12 (St. Louis Metro); and one in BLS Region 2 (Cape Girardeau).
“The many positive attributes of Illinois make it the perfect state in which to launch our vertically-integrated operation," shared Chair Sherri Blount. "We know the state well. My husband was raised on the south side of Chicago, and my son and grandchildren live in Illinois. I’ve owned property in Chicago for several years. We have exceptional Illinois partners and we look forward to contributing to the community by bringing jobs, tax revenue, cannabis education, and top quality, accessible dispensaries. We are opening doors to the cannabis industry."
The Illinois Cannabis Social Equity Program was designed to offer disadvantaged residents and communities of color disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs an opportunity to benefit from the cannabis industry. The nine founding members of Blounts&Moore have partnered with impressive partners as part of the Social Equity Program, including Lolita Bonaparte, owner and operator of Lolo’s Gourmet Cookies, a company that specializes in CBD-infused homemade edibles, Larry T. Brown, Mildred Davis, Catherine Haskins, Titus Hughes, Frederick Spencer & Chico Tillmon. “I’m excited to be a part of a team with incredible Black businesswomen,” said Haskins. “We’re ready to lead the Illinois cannabis industry as the model social equity partnership.”
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Cape Giraradeau
St. Louis
Chicago,
Naperville & Elgin
Market 96 Oswego
Market 96 has inaugurated its first cannabis dispensary in Oswego, Illinois, September 2023 marking the start of its expansion with plans for five more locations across the state. This Oswego location is at the forefront of our growth in the cannabis industry.
Market 96 Chicago
Market 96 opened its flagship cannabis dispensary in Chicago's South Loop, a 3,700-square-foot site at 527 S. Wells St., in July 2024, representing a significant milestone in its strategic expansion across Illinois.
Blounts&Moore Wellness, LLC, was founded in North Carolina and South Carolina to advocate for the health and economic benefits of medical cannabis - the new green economy. We view the cannabis plant as an effective health and wellness solution, and the cannabis industry as a new avenue to jobs and community wealth-building. With strong Carolina ties, we are eager to see both states make historic progress with the passage of SB 711 (NC) and H3361 (SC), their respective Compassionate Care Acts. Both bills will provide patients with an impactful alternative medicine, position state universities as leading researchers in cannabis, and create broad-based economic opportunity for the states' diverse populations.
CONTACT
OUR OFFICES
Blounts&Moore Illinois
527 South Wells Street, Suite 100
Chicago, IL 60607
Blounts&Moore Wellness NC
410 Bridge Street, Suite 12
Jacksonville, NC 28540
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Email: info@blountsandmoore.com
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