Local governments are trying to make the cannabis industry less racist
While recreational marijuana use is about the same across races in the U.S., black people are almost four times more likely to be arrested than white people
Newsweek (US)
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Thursday, October 17, 2019
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 the Marijuana Business Daily. From 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.
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