B Noble Inc. and Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. announced the Phase 2 launch of the B Noble brand in Illinois.

Ten percent of proceeds from the sale of each B Noble product (two one-gram pre-rolls) will be donated to a local organization dedicated to advancing social equity and providing opportunities to those directly impacted by the War on Drugs.

Illinois products will benefit North Lawndale Employment Network, which runs multiple programs for returning citizens to find work. These include U-Turn Permitted, a four-week job readiness-training program for individuals with felony backgrounds. They also run Self-Employment Pathways for Women, a job readiness program for returning women that teaches the skills needed to run a small business.

B Noble was founded in partnership with well-known visual artist, filmmaker and hip-hop pioneer Fab 5 Freddy, to raise awareness and create funding to defend people from cannabis-related criminalization.

“Our partnership with Curaleaf is our deeper dive into dedicated social equity work,” said Fab 5 Freddy. “B Noble exists to generate legal funding for the defense of people wrongfully charged with non-violent cannabis-related crimes.”

B Noble is a for-profit, cause based cannabis brand. Founded by Fab 5 Freddy [Yo! MTV Raps, Grass is Greener], B Noble aims to help liberate Americans that are and have been incarcerated for non-violent cannabis related charges. Bernard Noble was sentenced to 13 years of hard labor for carrying less than two joints worth of cannabis and was released after spending seven years behind bars. It is a landmark case that demonstrates the impact of severe U.S. laws on cannabis, and Bernard’s story represents one of the 600,000 people each year who are arrested for cannabis possession and suffer collateral consequences as a result of the War on Drugs.

The brand is dedicated to telling the story of namesake Bernard Noble, who was arrested in Louisiana and sentenced to 13 years hard labor in prison for possessing the equivalent of two joints. In 2017, Bernard’s case began to draw attention across the country, and he quickly became a national symbol for the need to reform the country’s unjust drug laws, sparking advocacy and a movement to free him. As a result, Bernard was released seven years into his sentence.

The Phase 1 rollout in July 2021 called attention to Bernard’s harsh sentence and introduced B Noble to Curaleaf dispensaries in Massachusetts and Maryland.

This partnership with B Noble is Curaleaf’s first large-scale brand venture in alignment with its dedicated social equity work, as a part of its Rooted in Good corporate social responsibility program. Led by Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility Khadijah Tribble, Rooted in Good delivers social impact by focusing efforts within three key pillars: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Social Equity; and Sustainability, ultimately achieving key goals through the Company’s strategic social partnerships.

Curaleaf plans a national rollout to six additional states on October 18, 2021.

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