Jersey City’s cannabis market is slowly taking shape, but the predominantly Black and Hispanic Bergen-Lafayette neighborhood is being left behind, a quarterly report from the Cannabis Control Board revealed.
The first quarterly report issued by the city’s Cannabis Control Board (CCB) says 23 cannabis retailers have been approved, with 78% being minority-owned. But out of those 18 businesses, only five are Black-owned and another five are Hispanic-owned.
Half of the businesses owned by Black and Hispanics are micro-businesses, which are limited to 10 employees and 2,500 square feet.
The 27-page report, which includes the number of businesses approved in each ward, shows the Heights is the most popular neighborhood for cannabis retailers with eight new businesses, followed by the Downtown area with six. None of the applicants approved by the CCB are located in Ward F.