Social Equity Programs are a proactive effort to allocate space within the budding cannabis industry to business owners who were disproportionately targeted by the war on drugs. It lays the foundation for institutionalized diversity in the cannabis industry.
Something’s not
adding up
Now that cannabis is legal, we only see a fraction of BIPOC ownership compared the industry as a whole. And still so many in prison on non violent marijuana charges. Social Equity Programs are a necessary step to the healing of a people. And the data supports it.
0%
Ratio of Black owned cannabis businesses in the United States.
0
Number of people arrested for a marijuana law violation in 2018
0%
Percentage of people arrested for drug law violations who are Black or Latino (despite making up just 31.5% of the U.S. population)
What Can you do, you ask?
Use your power of choice to support social equity in Cannabis
When shopping for your cannabis products be sure to ask the budtenders at your favorite retailers which equity brands they carry and look for the Equity Trade Seal.
Social Equity operators represent a legacy of compassion and expertise that stems from experience. Many of them helped build this industry. Despite the deep scars left by the war on drugs, they have demonstrated that cannabis can not only serve as a restorative plant for the body but also heal the soul of a community.