Reclaiming Power: How the Black Cannabis Industry Aims to Combat Mass Incarceration
Better to Speak spoke with Sheena Roberson, founder of CannabisNoire, about the intertwined impact of racial inequity and cannabis, and how she’s working to educate Black folks about the cannabis industry and empower them to find their lane within it.
The Problem
Mass incarceration in Black communities after the Clinton Administration’s “War on Drugs” lingers on as a disproportionate amount of Black and brown people are still arrested and jailed for minor drug charges, specifically marijuana. Axios reports that “Black consumers of marijuana nationally are 3.6 times more likely to be arrested than their white counterparts on cannabis charges, despite roughly equal rates of use.”
Why It Matters
This narrative directly conflicts with narratives of the entrepreneurs who dominate the cannabis industry – and are overwhelmingly white and male. According to a 2017 survey by Marijuana Business Daily, less than 10 percent of cannabis business owners are Black or Latinx. Specifically, less than 1 percent of dispensaries are Black-owned.
How people and communities Are Taking Action
Similar to other industries, social and financial capital leave historically excluded individuals and communities behind when it comes to taking advantage of the industry that people of color primarily build the market for.
There have been efforts to create more business opportunities for Black people and people of color in cannabis industries, specifically to ensure licenses are distributed equitably. However, critics say that they don’t go far enough to address racial inequities that create barriers to entry.
According to The Guardian, the cannabis industry is creating jobs at a rate much faster than any other industry in the U.S. This article also presents more creative and innovative opportunities to get involved in the cannabis industry that don’t require as many pre-requisites or regulations like licensing.
But – how many of those opportunities are being clearly presented to the very people who are the most impacted by the criminalization of cannabis? And how are these structural efforts working to address the irreparable harm to individuals, families, and communities due to mass incarceration?
LEARN MORE + TAKE ACTION:
First in Line – Report by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute
