Why the cannabis industry needs social equity programs
Throughout the war on drugs era, the heavy-handed enforcement of marijuana prohibition resulted in the lopsided criminalization of people of color.
Despite a near equal propensity between whites and people of color for possessing marijuana, police have historically targeted Black and Latino communities when doling out criminal repercussions.
Since white folks have traditionally received a pass from police, prosecutors, and judges, their records remain largely clean. On the other hand, people of color are disproportionately arrested and charged for the same crimes in extraordinarily high numbers.
When speaking of social equity, what's at stake isn't only who does and doesn't have a clean enough record to participate in the legal cannabis industry. The impacts of racial profiling, disproportionate imprisonment, and institutional racism are also felt economically.
Here in 2020, rich white men are again on the cusp of complete monopolization of yet another lucrative industry. Social equity programs are the best chance for people of color to slow down the cannabis industry’s monopolization — and give a greater diversity of interests a seat at the table.