Social equity in Washington state cannabis industry at stake in legislative bills, licensing
Duane Dunn says he got lucky when he obtained his cannabis business license in 2014.
Before he opened Emerald Leaves in Tacoma, one of a few Black-owned cannabis retailers in Washington, Dunn supplied medical dispensaries from the crop he grew in his garage, which he said existed in a legal gray area. Though he avoided any issues with the law, a marijuana charge on his record could have prevented him from ever getting a license.