Yes, cannabis is legally available right now in over 30 states but today tens of thousands of Americans have been and are still being imprisoned for non-violent cannabis charges, like Bernard Noble was.
Bernard Noble didn’t deserve to serve one single day in prison.
Meeting Bernard Noble is an illuminating experience. He’s a joyous distillation of strength, endeavor and grace. And so it became our mission to inform, educate and help repair some of the damage done to the countless victims of the 87 year war on drugs, specifically those victims of non-violent cannabis prosecution.
B NOBLE was founded to raise awareness and understanding about the hundreds of thousands who have been prosecuted and criminalized for the nonviolent use and/or possession of cannabis, a powerful plant-based medicine.
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GRASS IS GREENER DOCUMENTARY
Weed. Marijuana. Grass. Pot. Whatever you prefer to call it, America’s relationship with cannabis is a complicated one. In his directorial debut, hip hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy presents an unparalleled look at the racially biased history of the war on marijuana. A range of celebrities and experts discuss the plant’s influence on music and popular culture, and the devastating impact its criminalization has had on Black and Latino communities. As more and more states join the push to legalize marijuana, this documentary dives deep into the glaring racial disparities in the growing cannabis market.
The film is, in essence, the story of cannabis prohibition in the United States. The film includes interviews with popular artists, such as Snoop Dogg and B-Real from Cypress Hill, as well as attorneys, influencers, and people who have been personally affected by drug convictions, including Bernard Noble. The timeline starts in the 1920s jazz era where Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday were all targets under racist policies. The timeline then moves into the modern era where cannabis is a booming industry with an uncertain future.
VIEW GRASS IS GREENER TRAILER
100% SCORE ROTTEN TOMATOES
"Grass is Greener brings to light a complex issue with a steady hand what can be summed as enforcement and incarceration are big business, politics and laws are tied to propaganda to win elections, and the results/prosecutions are pursued to show citizens, who are the investors in this equation, a return on their investments. Now, with the legalization and the government’s reluctance to wipe the slate clean of past incarcerations, is sending the message is enforcing the point the film is trying to make; that if you are African-American, you are going to jail for the green, but if you are white, you are going to profit a large amount of green into your bank account. Grass is Greener is a stand-out documentary from Fred Brathwaite, whose documentary is eye-opening as it is sobering."
- Ready Steady Cut
"Freddy traces the roots of the federal government’s efforts to ban it on the basis that it makes people “crazy” (propaganda films like Reefer Madness tried to push this message to the masses). But it really was a way to arrest and incarcerate Black people.
As Freddy carries the tradition of cannabis and Black music through the popularization of reggae (Bob Marley’s son Damian Marley is interviewed) and the rise of hip-hop (he talks to Darryl McDaniels, Chuck D, B-Real, and — of course — Snoop Dogg, among other hip-hop legends), he also discusses how a substance that had been proven to be non-addictive and less harmful than alcohol became a Schedule 1 narcotic during the Nixon administration. And, since Nixon’s secret tapes have come out, we’ve learned as a country that the “war on drugs” that he started and Ronald Reagan accelerated was more racially motivated than anything else. Mandatory minimum sentences and three-strike laws are part of that movement."
- Decider
"The Verdict: For all of its gravity, Grass Is Greener always keeps an even keel when it comes to making the doc accessible to the people who need to heed its warnings most. After all, most of its arguments will rank in the “well, duh” tier of political rhetoric for those already receptive to its message. Numerous activists argue for reparations to communities most affected by anti-marijuana policy, as well as immediate release and expunged records for those still in prison for possession or distribution. At one point Freddy observes that over $1.4 billion in tax revenue has been made on legal pot, and yet approximately 600,000 people were arrested last year for possession.."
- Consequence
TO GENERATE AWARENESS AROUND THESE HARSH AND UNJUST DRUG LAWS, B NOBLE HAS PARTNERED WITH CURALEAF TO CREATE HIGH-QUALITY PRE-ROLL 2-PACKS AND WHOLE FLOWER. 10% OF THE PROCEEDS FROM EVERY PACK WILL GO TO LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS WHO PROVIDES RETURNING CITIZENS THE NEEDED SUPPORT TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL, POST-INCARCERATION FUTURE.
The high-quality cannabis products B NOBLE sells in nine states helps Bernard Noble and his family. We also donate a portion of our sales revenue to organizations committed to helping those who have been impacted by the U.S. criminal justice systems harsh sentences for nonviolent cannabis offenders. Bernard Noble represents the countless nonviolent cannabis victims serving time to this very day. Alongside our U.S. partner, Curaleaf, we have worked side by side towards our mission to raise awareness around these unjust drug laws.
When you choose B NOBLE you choose to be a part of the work righting the deeply embedded wrongs of the past and pave a path to the future where nonviolent cannabis criminality falls into the trash can of history.
Our B NOBLE cannabis beneficiaries vary by state.The following organizations are excellent examples of the types of groups your purchase supports:
The S.T.A.R.T. Project, Arizona
Green Book Academy, Florida is a group of cannabis entrepreneurs committed to the specifics of education needed to achieve job creation for all. Through our initiative of building robust career based curriculums, we elevate the learning standards of the Cannabis and Hemp Industry and help create the next generation of cannabis workers.
North Lawndale Employment Network, Illinois
MassCultivatED, Massachusetts
From The Block To The Boardroom, New Jersey
BERNARD NOBLE TODAY
B&A CAJUNS FOOD TRUCK
After hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the lower 9th Ward in 2005, Bernard Noble, whose home was destroyed, ended up on an evacuation bus to Kansas City, Missouri. With the meager food stamp allotment he received, Bernard utilized his Cajun cooking skills to whip up delicious treats; He began to sell food to his friends to make a few extra dollars. In 2010, he’d went home to New Orleans for a quick visit with his family and to purchase ingredients. That’s when Bernard was arrested and sentenced to 13 years of hard labor for two joints worth of cannabis.
When we were putting B NOBLE together, Bernard would always explain his dream of finding a way back to Kansas City and returning to cooking to make a business selling his Cajun treats.
As the B NOBLE idea became a reality in 2021, we told Bernard we were going to make his dream a reality. In 2023 we got a food truck for Bernard, branded it and now he's back to cooking in Kansas City!
CANNABIS WELLNESS, EDUCATION & ADVOCACY
Bernard visits various cannabis grows and dispensaries around the country where he learns about the science of cannabis and how it works to improve our health and overall wellbeing. This is Bernard visiting the Ilera Holistic Healthcare facility in his home state of Louisiana. Its head, Dr. Chanda Macias explains the plant and its powers.
RECENT PRESS
Former Prisoner And Fab 5 Freddy Take B NOBLE Cannabis To Europe
Black-owned and former prisoner-operated cannabis company B NOBLE recently acquired Germany-based CanPharma, resulting in access to distribute medical cannabis in both the UK and the EU, after expanding to nine state markets in the US. The brand continues to demonstrate how to help right the wrongs of the drug war and the devastation it caused.
B NOBLE Is Pot for Prison Reform, and Fab 5 Freddy's On Board
Curaleaf and hip hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy have launched B NOBLE, a cannabis pre-roll named for a marijuana martyr.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bernard Noble, a New Orleans native, had lost everything. It was a moment when it would’ve been understandable to simply wallow in despair. But Noble isn’t much of a wallower. So instead, he set off for Kansas City, Missouri, and found opportunity in his adversity.
Fab 5 Freddy Explains How to
"B NOBLE" With His Social Equity Cannabis Brand
Hip hop pioneer and filmmaker Fab 5 Freddy gives producer Tracy Daniels an exclusive interview that goes behind the founding of social equity cannabis brand B Noble, the fight for Bernard Noble's freedom, and Freddy's history of advocacy.
FAB 5 FREDDY: My dad was a serious cannabis aficionado and I would see him roll up and smoke with his friends. As a little boy, I went into the bathroom with some of his stash and tried to roll it in notebook paper, and obviously didn't know what the hell I was doing. He came into the bathroom like, “Sniff sniff, what’s going on?” I was like, “Oh nothing, Daddy!” And he was like, “Oh, okay.” When I grew older, I realized he definitely knew what was up because he could smell it. Then following in his footsteps as a young teenager, I would smoke with my homies, you know. By then I had figured out where my dad kept his stash and I'd dip into that and help myself.
B NOBLE GLOBAL
In countries around the world cannabis has been illegal most of the twentieth century. Like in America that’s beginning to change. There’s many passionate cannabis users across Europe and Amsterdam in the Netherlands has been a beacon for decades with their renowned and forward thinking coffee shop / dispensaries. There’s now many countries in Europe allowing access to medical cannabis and the European Unions largest country, Germany just decriminalized and rolled out their adult use cannabis regulations which is certain to influence other EU countries. The B NOBLE team seeing that change is in effect has made some significant and strategic moves. We recently acquired a German pharmacetuical cannabis distribution company, CanPharma which now allows us to distribute high quality cannabis to German medical patients as well as new folks entering the adult use market. With our new licenses we can source, import & export high quality cannabis from other countries in Europe and around the world. Also recently joining the B NOBLE team is Mario “Sherbinski” Guzman, the genius cannabis geneticist responsible for some of the most highly regarded strains in todays cannabis like his Gelato series.
We were recently in Barcelona for Spannabis and traveled around Europe visiting some grow facilities we may be working with.
