>>> WHEN IT COMES TO MARIJUANA

SENTENCING, THERE HAS BEEN GREAT

RACIAL DISPARITY WITH MORE

PEOPLE OF COLOR BEING ARRESTED

AND CONVICTED FOR MARIJUANA

POSSESSION.

NOW WITH THE PROSPECT OF IT

BECOMING LEGAL IN NEW YORK

STATE, WE LOOK AT ENTREPRENEURS

HOPING THE BREAK THROUGH AND

CREATING FINANCIAL EQUALITY WITH

THEIR WHITE PEERS.

OUR FRIENDS AT WXXI IN ROCHESTER

HAVE THE STORY.

>> ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A QUAINT

FOURTH FLOOR APARTMENT CONVERTS

TO A YOGA STUDIO.

PARTNERS AND YOGA INSTRUCTORS

OPEN THEIR HOME TO A FEW

FRIENDS.

WHO ON A BUSY WEEKEND, NEED A

MOMENT TO BREATHE.

>> DRIFT AWAY.

COME BACK TO THE SENSATION OF

BREATH.

>> FOLD FORWARD OVER YOUR LEGS.

>> THE TWO ARE MAKING A NAME FOR

THEMSELVES IN THE ROCHESTER YOGA

SCENE.

>> THE NEXT VOICE YOU'LL HEAR IS

THAT OF MY LOVELY PARTNER.

SHE'LL BE TAKING OVER FOR THIS.

>> WILLIAMS RECENTLY CO-FOUNDED

THE GROUP, BOOKS AND YOGA TO

PROMOTE A HEALED SELF AND

EMPOWERED COMMUNITY.

THEY SAY AN OPPORTUNITY TO

LAUNCH A BUSINESS TO A NEW HIGH.

>> AN HOUR AND A HALF AFTER

CONSUMPTION OF AN EDIBLE, WE

WOULD BE IN MEDITATION SO PEOPLE

WOULD BE FEELING THE EFFECTS.

IF IT GETS LEGALIZED, OUR PLAN

IS TO START A PROGRAM CALLED

WEED AND YOGA WHERE WE WOULD

HAVE YOGA CLASSES THAT ARE

INFUSED WITH CLASSES.

WE WOULD HAVE RETREATS THAT ARE

CENTERED AROUND CANNABIS AND

YOGA.

>> ONE OF THE AWESOME THINGS

ABOUT MARIJUANA IS IT CAN REALLY

BRING YOU IN TOUCH WITH PHYSICAL

AND MENTAL.

I THINK THAT PHYSICAL ASPECT IS

REALLY AWESOME.

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE

PRACTICE LIKE YOGA.

>> WHEN YOUR PHYSICAL STATE

BECOMES SO MUCH MORE SENSITIVE,

AND YOU'RE IN A POSTURE THAT IS

CHALLENGING, YOU CAN PROBABLY

MORE READILY REALIZE WHEN TO

BACK OFF, OR WHEN YOU CAN GO A

LITTLE FURTHER.

>> LENGTHEN THE SPINE --

>> THE YOGIS SAYING THEY HAVE

ENDLESS IDEAS FOR THEIR BUSINESS

BUT ADMIT THEY'RE LIMIT BY THE

UNKNOWN.

>> GETTING LICENSING.

EVEN IF IT IS AUXILLIARY.

HOW WOULD IT BE WRITTEN OUT?

>> THE LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE

NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE

REFORM OF MARIJUANA LAW SERVES

AS A RESOURCE FOR THOSE LIKE

WILLIAMS AND COLEMAN.

THERE ARE MAJOR QUESTIONS ABOUT

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS,

LICENSES AND MORE.

AND BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR OF

COLOR ADDS ANOTHER LAYER OF

COMPLEXITY.

>> I RUN A HUMONGOUS RISK

DEALING WITH THIS LAW

ENFORCEMENT.

>> AMERICA IS PUBLIC ENEMY

NUMBER ONE IN THE UNITED STATES.

IT IS DRUG ABUSE.

>> THIS WAR ON DRUGS AND

AMERICAN KARS RAGSRAGS,

INCARCERATION HAS DEVASTATED

NEIGHBORHOODS.

>> THEY SAID IT MUST USE

INVESTING AND DISENFRANCHIING

COMMUNITIES, MAKTD BY THE WAR ON

DRUGS.

>> HE'S CALLING FOR RESOURCES TO

SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURS EAGER TO

LAUNCH A MARIJUANA BUSINESS.

>> I THINK HOW THE LANGUAGE GETS

STRUCTURED SO THERE WOULD BE A

CERTAIN NUMBER OF, I WANT TO

SAY, PEOPLE, COLOR, OR

MINORITIES, WOMEN, HOWEVER YOU

WANT TO INDICATE.

IT REFLECTS.

PEOPLE HAVE AN ACCESS TO

BUSINESS BESIDES WHITE PEOPLE.

>> WE WANT PEOPLE TO START

BUSINESSES.

>> BOB TOUGHY IS THE PRESIDENT

AND CEO OF THE GREATER ROCHESTER

CHAMBER OF COMERS.

HE IS ALSO LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

UNDER CUOMO.

HE SAID THEY CAN HELP NAVIGATE

THE UNKNOWN.

>> I DON'T KNOW HOW ANYBODY

COULD START A BUSINESS.

THERE WILL BE SOME CONTROLS.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE.

MAYBE DISCUSSIONS ARE TAKING

PLACE TRYING TO PREPARE PEOPLE.

NOW GO SO FAR AS TO SAY WE WILL

LOOK AT HAVING CLASSES HERE, OR

GROUPS AND EVENTS TO HELP PEOPLE

SEE THAT PATH FORWARD.

>> EXHALE.

SIGH IT OUT.

>> WHILE THE PATH FORWARD IS

UNCLEAR, WILLIAMS CONTINUES ON

DEVELOP THE BUSINESS IDEAS AND

THEY WANT OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.

>> PEOPLE ARE JUST COMING INTO

OUR HOME TO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE

WITH US.

IT IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT

FOR US TO THINK ABOUT WHAT

REINVESTMENT LOOKS LIKE.

AND I THINK THAT WE CAN START BY

EMPOWERING BLACK AND BROWN

ENTREPRENEURS TO GET INVOLVED.

TO GET THEIR BUSINESSES SET UP.

WE KNOW ABOUT CANNABIS WILL BE A

MONEY MAKER.

IT NEEDS TO BE A MONEY MAKER FOR

THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN

DISENFRANCHISED.

>> WXXI NEWS.