The state Cannabis Regulatory Commission has designated 30% of cannabis business licenses for diverse ownership groups — 15% for certified minority-owned businesses, and 15% for those certified as women owned or disabled veteran owned. Certification requires that a 51% interest or more is held by a combination of minorities, women or disabled veterans, and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of the owning minorities.
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.