Hudson Hemp is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in every aspect of our business. This commitment begins with the land and respect for the earth. As farmers first, we believe we have a responsibility to protect the land and soil through regenerative agricultural practices. The principal goal of a regenerative agricultural system is to build and maintain the soil’s ability to regenerate and recycle nutrients, and to capture and hold water while decreasing the farm’s dependence on outside inputs. Better soil leads to healthier crops and food supply, cleaner air and waterways that are shared by all.

The hemp plant itself is a miraculous plant in that its cultivation and distribution can provide natural food, fuel, shelter and jobs -   a myriad of benefits. Hudson Hemp stands firm in the commitment to ensure that these benefits extend to everyone, particularly populations disproportionately singled out, penalized or incarcerated by the War on Drugs and Cannabis executed over the last 50 years across the US.  Historical data further shows that these population are overwhelmingly Black, Hispanic and Native American. Hudson Hemp is not anti-law enforcement or anti-government, but pro-human rights and equitable justice. We understand the complexity of the history of the hemp plant and its relation to Justice.

In our own way, we assist in repairing the harms of historical prohibition of cannabis on people and the environment while in the pursuit the healthy living.  This includes support for efforts to protect the industry and the environment from abuse caused by unregulated cannabis cultivation and distribution. 

We support laws that require licensees to comply with regulations designed to protect our population and environment. We further support legislation that provides meaningful allocation of tax revenues and public policy to be directed to cleaning up the environment and improving social good.  Allocations that we support include:

• Invest government revenues in communities most adversely impacted by drug arrests and incarceration. These allocations are intended to strengthen communities disproportionately harmed by the drug war.
• Remove barriers to entry for employment in hemp-related industries particularly for people who have past misdemeanor or felony convictions. This cannot be the sole basis for denying employment in the hemp industry.
• Establish community reinvestment funds targeting low income communities of color that suffer higher rates of arrest and incarceration. By investing in programs that offer people a new start - such as workforce development, economic development, mental health counseling, legal services and re-entry counseling - States can mitigate past devastation to targeted communities
• Reevaluate sentencing reform. Explore how we can substitute incarceration and financial penalties with drug education, counseling, or community service. Protect young people from long-term effects of felony charges and convictions that arise from uninformed life choices and overly aggressive law-enforcement.
• Establish “social use” clubs or on-site consumption spaces. This is imperative so that all people have safe places to consume cannabis, free from criminal justice intervention.
• Increase funding of research into plant-based medicine and diets. Focus on how cannabis interacts with the human endocannabinoid system that can be accepted as a medicine for all, and a potential remedy for a range of ailments and disease. 
• Strengthen state laws that require licensees to meet environmental regulations or risk losing their license and facing civil fines or criminal prosecution.

The cannabis industry will not thrive if these identified severe dislocations are not directly addressed. Moreover, the hemp plant has thousands of viable unique uses that can benefit humankind. It is imperative we create a platform for innovation. We believe that diversity leads to better innovation. The best ideas emerge from a collection of the best and brightest minds to leverage these capabilities. Ideas come from everywhere. In the goal of unlocking the virtues of the hemp plant, we need to lead the industry and bring together broad perspectives and ideas. 

Here is how Hudson Hemp as a company participates in this values movement in our industry. We are taking  action on the following: 

• Actively pursue a diversity and inclusion philosophy in hiring for executive management and staffing positions in our organization. This includes pursuing women and minority candidates. 
• Establish affiliated farm alliances around small business enterprises and women and minority owned farms. Hudson Hemp helps these farms get licensed to grow hemp, consult, set best practices and assists in making a market for the end product. 
• Actively pursue supplier diversity vendor contracts including consulting contracts, legal, financial and procurement.
• Hudson Hemp regularly participates in, and provides content for, educational programming around hemp and carbon emissions topics.
• Hudson Hemp actively pursues investing in women and minority owned businesses and product development.
• Hudson Hemp actively participates in policy and regulatory discussions at the State level and with respect industry programs.