Local governments looking to legalize marijuana across the nation are starting to think about racial equity—at a time when a multi-billion dollar cannabis industry is excluding the communities most devastated by the War on Drugs.
As of 2017, more than 80 percent of U.S. marijuana business owners and founders were white, while only 10 percent were Hispanic, Latino or black, according to a survey by theFrom Chicago, Illinois, to Saint Paul, Minnesota, officials are trying to support better minority entry into cannabis businesses. In some cases, that means giving black and brown people grants to set up shop. In others, it means undoing criminal records leftover from the drug's prohibition.
Minnesota State Rep. Ryan Winkler, together with the governor's administration, is working on a legalization bill for the next legislative session that's sensitive to barriers to entry. He's exploring state-facilitated business partnerships between people with cash-in-hand and those that don't have money to spare, among other provisions.
"One of the messages that has come through loud and clear from the beginning is that the communities most adversely affected by the War on Drugs and by cannabis prohibition should be able to participate in the economic development opportunities associated with legalization," Winkler toldWhile recreational marijuana use is about the same across races in the U.S.
Run-ins with the legal system on top of barriers to licensing and loans can all lead to minority business owners to look elsewhere for income, according to reporting by
Destroyed drug dealers lives
The industry needs a makeover. You have a bunch of middle and upper class who are hiding in the closet who could help break all the sterotypes.
How many people are still in jail for this?
How does it destroy lives. JUST DON’T USE IT! 🙄🙄🙄 period.
Pot should be legalized in the USA at the Federal Level 🇺🇸
Needs to be at least a million + interest for each court appearance.
Fuckin government owes me pain and suffering for ruining my criminal record with bullshit marijuana convictions. dont have any respect for ppl who dont understand the healing power of smoking weed. The world would be a better place with less of other things and more weed Leafly
Racebaiting headline. You literally don’t care if you actually make the world MORE racist, just as long as you upset people enough to click on your shit...
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I need local governments to make the rap industry less racist so my white kids can all be rappers.
Stop already, Stop!
Right...we should always choose our farmers by the color of their skin rather than their knowledge of agriculture. Idiots.
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