John Turner, owner of Bomaye, a Philadelphia-based company that helps people obtain medical marijuana cards, says his parents inspired him to pursue a career in cannabis.
For 40 years, his father, a veteran attorney in the Delaware Valley, has represented people facing long-term prison sentences for weed. Turner said young Black people account for many of his father’s clients — which isn’t surprising considering police are four times more likely to arrest Black Americans than white Americans for cannabis-related offenses, despite similar usage rates. His mom is a breast cancer survivor. She used medicinal cannabis to treat her symptoms.
“That kind of inspired me to do this work in my own way,” Turner said.
Bomaye also helps organize expungement clinics in New Jersey, where voters overwhelmingly voted to legalize weed for adult personal use in 2020.