States Help Minorities Enter Marijuana Industry

Source: Phillytrib.com

Some cities, states with legal pot are trying to make up for the toll marijuana enforcement took on minorities by giving them a better shot at joining the growing marijuana industry. The efforts’ supporters say legalization is enriching white people but not brown and Black people who have been arrested for cannabis crimes at far greater rates than whites. Recreational pot is legal in eight states and the nation’s capital. Twenty-nine states permit medical marijuana. There’s no solid data on how many minorities own U.S. cannabis businesses or how many seek a foothold in the industry. The lack of diversity, they say can be traced to multiple factors. The Minority Cannabis Business Association has drafted model legislation for states considering new or revised marijuana laws.