Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s Ties to Marijuana Industry Come to Light
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat from Texas, has been quietly involved in the legal marijuana business for years before joining Congress. This is notable given her earlier role as a defense attorney for a Texas man who received a life sentence tied to a marijuana-related incident, which has now come to the surface through various records and reports.
Crockett is identified as a 20% owner and the chief operating officer of Black Diamond Investments, a limited liability company that sought to establish a medical marijuana dispensary in Ohio in 2018. Notably, documents indicate that she was the main contact for this application. While this process unfolded, she represented a client in Bowie County Court.
The case involved Tyvon Montrell Garratt, who was convicted of murder for fatally shooting a man during a drug deal in February 2018. During an April 2018 bail hearing, Assistant District Attorney Kelly Crisp characterized the situation as a “drug deal gone bust,” as Crockett argued for a reduction in Garratt’s bail.
The application for the Ohio dispensary is extensive, spanning 148 pages and outlining the company’s safety protocols, staffing arrangements, and financial plans, all aimed at complying with Ohio’s stringent health regulations. The documents clearly state Crockett’s involvement in overseeing daily operations.
In the months following the application, a jury found Garratt guilty of murder for the shooting of Carlos Clark and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a hefty fine, according to local media reports. Further coverage confirmed this life sentence during a disciplinary hearing in December 2018.
Since then, Crockett has been an advocate for federal efforts to end marijuana prohibition. She has supported the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, introduced in August, which seeks to federally decriminalize marijuana, remove it from the controlled substances list, and allocate resources to communities impacted by drug enforcement policies.
