Lena Waithe has a new project on her hands and it’s elevating her to new heights.
The Emmy-winning writer and producer recently announced the launch of FIRST DRAFT, her first cannabis partnership and collaboration with entrepreneur Chris Ball’s Ball Family Farms.
“There were some opportunities that were presented to me to do collabs, but it felt like it was really more trying to capitalize on my brand and my name, and it just didn’t feel organic,” Waithe tells ESSENCE about why she decided to team up with Ball Family Farms.
She said it wasn’t until she’d met Chris did a cannabis partnership truly make sense.
“He’s so passionate about it—he invited me to his plant and I saw him in his element. And he said, ‘if we’re going to do business, you’ve got to get to know me.'”
It wasn’t long after did they forge a friendship, and decided to move forward with creating FIRST DRAFT, a hybrid mix described as a fruity experience that evokes calm, bliss and creativity. It was released in November in Los Angeles area stores.
Her decision to venture into cannabis consumership is a smart one, as the the U.S. cannabis market size was estimated at USD 13.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 15.8 billion in 2023. Black women are still largely underrepresented in leadership in cannabis; men own 80% of cannabis businesses per a recent survey from MJBizDaily. What’s more, Black people make up just 2% of the cannabis companies in nation.
“We want to change the face of ownership in this industry,” Ball tells ESSENCE.
Ball, who was formerly incarcerated for selling weed when he was younger, launched the company from his legacy experience. Now, he’s aiming to pipeline opportunities to minorities aiming to break into the space, one that has largely been extremely profitable for white owners. His partnership with Waithe includes a five-part digital mini-series on Lena’s Instagram page exploring their journey launching FIRST DRAFT. It also highlights Ball’s inspiring journey breaking barriers in a space originally designed to lock Black people out.
Chris Ball, Ball Family Farms
“Eventually it’ll be legal everywhere, particularly once the government figures out how to continue to tax it and make a profit, but ultimately, we believe that it is a good business,” Waithe explains. “It’s not an easy business at all. And I think that’s what Chris has made very clear to me. Hopefully people will understand that it’s not a get rich quick scheme. It’s not easy money. It’s not the gold rush. It takes time. It takes a great team, a lot of really great people to make sure you’re doing it right and make sure you have great product. It takes a village.”
Outside of her partnership, Waithe is also gearing up for the second half of the latest season of The Chi.
“We had an extended season this year, 16 episodes—never done that before,” she shared. “It’s going to be a big year.”