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Longtime New Jersey cannabis advocate Leo Bridgewater was named among 10 recipients in a national business accelerator program for underrepresented entrepreneurs in the industry. Bridgewater, a Trenton-based consultant and well-known figure in New Jersey’s run to legalize cannabis, received a $50,000 grant from Eaze, one of California’s largest marketplaces for legal cannabis and delivery. Bridgewater’s business vision entails using profits from the cultivation and processing space for vocational rehabilitation and uplifting a network of self-sufficient equity businesses that can lead the charge in establishing generational wealth within underrepresented communities. “When you talk about minority inclusion and equity, these are things we’re not talking about in our understanding of this plant or this industry,” said Bridgewater, who is also the national director of Veterans Outreach with Minorities for Medical Marijuana, and instrumental in getting PTSD added as a qualifying condition for medical use in New Jersey. The initial investment will allow Bridgewater’s consultant business to look toward getting cultivation and processing licenses once the state’s cannabis market opens up to adult consumers. Eaze would then consider carrying his company’s products on its menu. Bridgewater runs a consulting company, BridgeH2O, and also has a strain named after him by the same at Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus. The strain was named after him for his advocacy work for veterans suffering from PTSD. Creating a path for other economic ecosystems of color to thrive within the state will be key, said Bridgewater, who was recently profiled by NJ Cannabis Insider’s CannaInfluencers series ahead of last year’s elections. “Making sure this industry is reflective of its consumers is something that’s going to be really, really, really important if we’re to be leaders in this industry,” he said. #equality #socialjustice #cannabisreform #blacklivesmatter #hemplife420 #hemplife420news (at New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CK4l1Wcplmj/?igshid=1dcte11ruash1