Minority communities in Missouri fear being left out of the potential state cannabis market

By Nicolas Jose Rodriguez

As the state nears another possible vote to legalize recreational marijuana in Missouri, local minorities fear being left out by regulations. “The industry is growing, but our commitment isn’t,” Brennan England, state director of Minorities for Medical Marijuana, told the Missouri Independent.

Although the state has no records of licensee races, there is only, according to Abe Givins, a social justice activist and co-owner of Village, a vertically integrated, minority-owned medical marijuana company and part of the Viola Brands franchise few licenses were granted to black business owners. After medical cannabis was legalized in the state, regulators issued limited licenses.

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According to a report released by the Missouri Medical Cannabis Trade Association (MoCannTrade), the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has approved 322 facilities, including 185 dispensaries, 63 infused product manufacturers, and 46 marijuana grow facilities. In addition, the department has licensed and certified a total of 386 facilities to grow, manufacture, test, ship, and dispense medical marijuana to patients in Missouri.

Legal Missouri 2022, one of the proposals likely to land in front of voters this fall, would allow the state to cap licenses, giving current license holders an advantage over new applicants. For the first 18 months, the state would only issue recreational cannabis licenses to companies that already have medical marijuana business licenses.

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“[Legal Missouri] creates monopolies,” said Rep. Ashley Bland-Manlove (D), President of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus. “People who have the desire and the ability and maybe the absolute bare minimum capital will be excluded.”

Legal Missouri 2022

The proposed legislation would create 144 “microlicenses” for applicants in ZIP codes with high incarceration rates for marijuana. However, licenses alone do not guarantee access to capital or business networks.

According to Adolphus Pruitt, president of the NAACP’s St. Louis chapter, lack of access to traditional banking is another burden on black business owners in general.

“These microlicenses will allow black people to enter the market because they don’t have the capital,” Pruitt commented in support of Legal Missouri.

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“If you want equity for the people who win the microlicenses, you want to have some level of limits there,” added John Payne, campaign manager for Legal Missouri.

On Tuesday, a committee of the Missouri House of Representatives heard testimony on a proposal sponsored by Republican Rep. Ron Hicks that would legalize recreational marijuana without licensing restrictions, arguing that those businesses affect minority-owned businesses.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.