July 21st 2023.
A Missouri state official has promised to fight for the creation of a demographic survey of cannabis business owners. This comes after Black residents in the state have said that they feel left out of the industry. Abigail Vivas, the chief equity officer at Missouri’s Department of Health and Senior Services, believes that the survey is important in order to consider the spirit of the constitution.
In order to provide access to the billion-dollar industry to those that have been impacted by the war on drugs and criminalization, Vivas has captained four events across Missouri to educate residents on the micro-business cannabis program. This program is set to award 48 micro-business licenses and those interested can apply by August 10, 2023.
In order for micro-businesses to get a foothold in Missouri’s cannabis market, the number of regular licenses will be frozen until June 8, 2024. Cannabis is now recreationally legal in 24 states, with Virginia and Minnesota set to become legal by 2025. It is legal medically in 38 states and the District of Columbia.
Despite this increase in accessibility, Black people in the cannabis industry are still struggling to grab a piece of the market. According to Leafly’s Jobs Report 2021, Black people account for less than 2% of business owners in the industry. Only Colorado and Nevada have Black people accounting for at least 5% of the cannabis market, though in both states it’s no more than 5.6%. Vivas hopes that her efforts will help to provide more access to the industry for Black people in Missouri.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
