Efforts to help Black and brown people succeed as cannabis entrepreneurs are not working — despite efforts in weed-legal states to encourage diversity in ownership and management.
Why it matters: People of color have been disproportionately targeted by the “war on drugs,” so, as the pot industry expands, cities and states have tried to make social justice a priority in granting licenses.
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But people in underrepresented groups often lack access to the capital they need to go up against “big marijuana.”
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They also lack the family-and-friends connections that give others a boost.
Driving the news:
In July, three Democratic senators (Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer and Ron Wyden) released a discussion draft of legislation to remove cannabis from the federal list of controlled substances — a move meant “to end the decades of harm inflicted on communities of color.” […]
