While it was known for some time that these white-owned businesses would be allowed to open first, social justice advocates were stung by the lack of businesses owned by Black, Indigenous or people of color, especially given the state’s continued reassurance and laws to ensure racial justice. According to Leafly’s 2021 Seeds of Change report, only 2% of the nation’s legally operated cannabis companies are Black-owned. Meanwhile, Black New Jerseyans are over three times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than their white counterparts. New Jersey also ranked 11th in the nation for the highest rates of arrest of Black people for marijuana.
In an interview, commission representatives said it views social equity as not a finite goal but as a continuous journey, noting that it’s working to ensure parity in the marketplace. But because it will take time for a cannabis business owned by a Black, Indigenous or person of color to open, advocates said that diversity and inclusion have not yet been achieved.
“The work has been done. The foundation has been laid down. And there’s more work to do,” said Wesley McWhite, director of the Cannabis Regulatory Commission’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion.