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Racial, Economic and Social Equity within the Commercial Marijuana and Hemp Industry Sectors
How to achieve these outcomes in a systemic approach
The path of racial, social and economic empowerment through the State level legalization of Medical and Adult-Use Recreational Marijuana requires intentionality, policy and broad economic considerations.
The Commercial Marijuana sector is the newest entry into the legal pharmaceutical and healthcare industry and unfortunately has repeated many of the same failures of other older Commercial industry sectors regarding diversity, equity of opportunity and inclusion from the onset of the industry. Initial adopting States and municipalities within have failed to include policy to drive ownership and economic empowerment for Non-White communities in the initial Statutory language and Municipal level ordinances. Diversity of ownership and executive level leadership is lacking and efforts to “catch up” place applicants of Color behind the growth of the industry and can institutionalize disenfranchisement without State and Municipal level intentional policy correction through amendment of existing statutory law or in new adopting Statutes to drive inclusion.
Fortunately, several States (via equity and opportunity driven Legislators, Municipal and County level elected officials, State Regulatory…
