Michigan Gov. Ended Ban on Medical Marijuana Biz Licenses for Previous Cannabis Convictions

By Maureen Meehan

Michigan’s Governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed a bill that would expand the number of people eligible to obtain a medical marijuana business license.

However, the measure is House bill 4295, contains an exception for those convicted of distributing marijuana to minors, under the law available on Governor Whitmer’s website. The new law comes into force immediately.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash

The legislation is designed to solve an issue that advocates of legalization and social justice have consistently highlighted not just in Michigan but across the country.

Where are the People of Color?

While state and city leaders and cannabis advocates across the country have embraced social justice programs aimed at redressing the injustices of the drug war, their efforts have not yet succeeded in getting people of color into the legal cannabis industry.

Why?

Given that people of color have been more likely to be victims of marijuana criminalization in the past, restrictions on participation in the industry are seen as discriminatory. Despite roughly the same consumption rates, blacks are 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than whites.

RELATED: Why Social Justice Is Important For Cannabis, and What States Are Doing About It

A recent ACLU report confirms that marijuana arrests now account for more than half of all drug arrests in the United States, and of the 8.2 million cannabis arrests between 2001 and 2010, 88% were simple possession.

Similar regulations went into effect last September in Washington state allowing individuals with criminal records or multiple offenses to be considered for cannabis business licenses.

RELATED: State cannabis reform brings social justice to the fore

Additional steps have recently been taken in Vermont, Illinois and Colorado to break down barriers to entry for those wishing to join the legal marijuana industry.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.