Social justice in the cannabis industry

We all know that the cannabis industry has exploded and shows no signs of slowing down, with continued legalization and slowly reducing stereotypes and stigma. Reports from 2021 show that the 37 legal cannabis states have offered 321,000 full-time cannabis jobs. With so many jobs, the issue of social justice in the cannabis industry has become even more pressing.

If we go back a little in history, blame was mainly placed on minority groups. Immigrants from Mexico were originally accused of importing cannabis into the United States, essentially “infecting” our culture. Communities of color become targets for distribution blame and related violence. The bias haunts these minority groups to this day.

What is social justice?

Social justice is about assessing the needs of people across the country to give them access to opportunities for success. Equity means that all people receive the resources they uniquely need to have an equal chance of success. It is recognized that not all start with the same resources and some groups face higher barriers to success.

There are many hurdles to getting your foot in the cannabis door, from seeds to sales tracking to security systems. The biggest thing keeping equity out of the cannabis industry is how expensive it is to get started. Licensing costs are a major hurdle, and minority business owners face the greatest difficulties.

Ways to ensure justice? A big deal is not capping the number of people who can participate and not creating those fees that are so massive that only the wealthy can participate. It really needs to be ensured that we are not promoting an anti-competitive industry. There should be equal opportunity for minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, and military-owned businesses. It’s also important to ensure they have the skills to compete and thrive in the industry.

Photo of Terrace Barksdale from pixel

Social Justice and Cannabis

According to a 2019 report by Marijuana Business Daily, only 1 in 5 cannabis companies are owned by minorities. Luckily, there are organizations that are taking steps to create more equity in the industry. For example, The Equity Organization is dedicated to supporting drug and other criminal justice reform policies for the industry, educating the community and advocating for effective and equitable approaches to cannabis policy, among other issues. There are also organizations that help smaller cannabis companies and entrepreneurs with money management and even small loans.

Additionally, certain states have lowered application costs for minority applicants, and with cannabis sales generating billions of dollars in tax revenues, those monies are flowing back into the communities hardest hit by the ban, funding things like education, job training, and development programs for small businesses.

Deciding exactly who benefits from social justice programs can be a complicated task. These programs target people of color, people on low incomes, and people who have previously been imprisoned for cannabis offenses. The good news? Black-owned cannabis brands are growing in number and stature, and some are even making social justice part of their business plan.

Are you planning to invest in the cannabis industry? What do you think of social justice in the cannabis industry? Do you think lowering the financial hurdles for licensing will help small business owners? Please share your views with us and don’t forget to follow us @cannalifenet!