You know that old saying, “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired” — that is how I feel about the term social equity (SE) as it is used in the cannabis space. I am sick of social equity not being social equity.
According to the National Association of Cannabis Businesses, “The goal of social equity laws is to ensure that people from communities disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and discriminatory law enforcement are included in the new legal marijuana industry.”
When social equity first started back in 2016 in Oakland, it was truly intended to make the upcoming California adult-use cannabis licenses accessible to the population most affected by the War on Drugs. This included those currently incarcerated (to be swiftly expunged upon legalization in each state), the formerly incarcerated, and the communities (mostly Black and LatinX) that were over-policed (terrorized) during that same time period. It was a beautiful dream that turned into a nightmare for many of the people it was intended to assist with the creation of jobs, ownership, and generational wealth.
Who does social equity work for?
Honestly, with a few exceptions, no one. Social equity has been an abject failure across all states where cannabis is currently regulated.
Who is profiting from social equity initiatives?
As far as I can tell, the lawyers and consulting firms that are writing the applications. Lobbyists, activists, advocates, and policy wonks who charge fees to governments and private companies to “consult” on their social equity initiatives, often with very little or no connection to the needs and wants of the SE operators they are supposed to be championing in the cannabis industry.
Who is not profiting from any state social equity initiatives or legislation?
The SE operators and prospective operators. For the most part, they bear the financial burden of the initiatives and legislation influenced and in some cases written by lobbyists, activists, advocates, and policy wonks. I want to believe that this is just about not knowing better but regardless of intent, harm is being done. For example:
- Instead of advocating for access to capital, they advocated for business loans and high taxes.
- Instead of advocating for entrepreneurship classes, they advocated for job training classes.
- Instead of advocating for transition programs to assist legacy operators, they advocated for fee waivers.
None of these are inherently bad, but they are not helpful in creating an equitable cannabis industry. We can see their failures right now, in real-time. Too little too late, without meaningful impact.
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Tue / Feb 1st by Christine De La Rosa
Photo Credit:
- Ganjapreneur
Source : Ganjapreneur
Link to original : Social Equity is ‘The Hunger Games’ for BIPOC & Formerly Incarcerated Cannabis Founders
