Representative Donald M. Payne, Jr. issued an official statement on January 28, announcing his disapproval that not a single cannabis license, out of 56 licenses issued in New Jersey, was granted to Black-owned businesses.

New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) is the entity in charge of issuing any cannabis licenses, and the CRC has not issued one to any of the state’s Black business owners. The CRC started taking applications from adult-use cannabis growers, manufacturers and testing labs on December 15, 2021.

Medical cannabis has been legal in the state since 2012. Last year, New Jersey legalized marijuana for adult us, paving the way for retail sales. But in the 10 years of legalization, not one Black-owned cannabis business has been granted a license, according to the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.

“I am outraged to hear that Black-owned businesses have been shut out of the state’s cannabis marketplace,” said Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. “Black users are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white users, even though overall use for both groups is almost the same.  New Jersey has a chance to correct this inequality and allow people abused by the system to finally benefit from it with a fair distribution of cannabis business licenses.  Instead, we are seeing the same inequality with these licenses that we see in marijuana arrests. Governor Phil Murphy promised that the state’s cannabis industry would right the wrongs of the past as it concerns social justice.  Now, New Jersey needs to uphold this promise.  I join the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey in their outrage that this inequality continues to plague our state, our society, and our country.”      

The African American Chamber of Commerce (AACCNJ) brought up the issue in the first place, saying that Black business owners were excluded from New Jersey’s cannabis business in a press release issued January 27.

“Our intent here is not to go back and forth with Governor Murphy and the CRC, but is to make a point,” Founder, President and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, John E. Harmon, Sr., IOM told High Times. “I believe that we spent a lot of time establishing medical cannabis that dates back to 2009 with Governor Christie, and Governor Murphy has expanded it. In that length of time, somebody should have figured out the process. They knew—it’s well-documented—that Black and brown people had been severely penalized from this industry. So New Jersey has not put a policy in place like New York to include minority women. Had that policy been in place, the equity would have been clearly understood […]”

Harmon continued, “Without policy, you leave it to others to get in where they fit in. That doesn’t say much to the people who gave this administration 94 percent of the vote.”

“Based on conversations I’ve had, with stakeholders, out of the 56 licenses awarded to date, none has been awarded to a Black-owned business. People need to know what’s going on,” stated Harmon.

A specific CRC requirement, Harmon says, that license applicants maintain site control while the CRC considers their applications, is what’s keeping some Black entrepreneurs from participating in the industry. Applicants must have control of the real estate of operations. This means that many applicants are burdened with monthly lease payments which cannot be deducted as a business expense—given the federal status of cannabis.

Social justice is the backbone of dozens of state cannabis reform bills across the country. Governor Phil Murphy ushered in the creation of New Jersey’s cannabis industry in the name of social justice. “The clock is ticking,” Harmon said, mirroring what other state leaders are saying as well.

States around the country are touting social justice with provisions such as a social equity fund in New York, but walking the walk is another story.   

Furthermore, getting New Jersey’s adult-use cannabis consumer market online may not meet a self-imposed deadline originally set for late February. Jeff Brown, the executive director of the CRC, said a number of factors are still in the way before sales can begin.

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Black Cannabis Week is returning for the second year in a row between September 19-26, 2021. The goal of the event is to provide a variety of educational seminars and services for people of color, and push for improved social equity in the industry. 

“We have long been an integral part of the cannabis industry from labor to creators. These roles have garnered little to no attention or regard,” the Black Cannabis Week website states. “During this week, we will educate, celebrate and elevate Blacks in cannabis. Black Cannabis Week (BCW21) is a collective web of educational and informational experiences to empower Black communities to move toward social and political change. In collective work, we aim to educate, destigmatize and advance the efforts of social justice.”

The event is being held as a collaborative effort along with the Diasporic Alliance for Cannabis Opportunities (DACO), Minorities for Medical Marijuana and Philadelphia Cannabis Business Association, and other cannabis groups. Among the event’s offerings, it will feature a political round table with Pennsylvania Senator Sharif Street, who will speak on new cannabis regulations. An estimated 30 speakers will be present to cover a variety of educational topics, including a hempcrete workshop, free cannabis certifications, expungement services and networking opportunities.

According to Cherron Perry-Thomas, who’s also a DACO Social Impact Strategist and the founder of the Cannabis Opportunities Conference, Black Cannabis Week is dedicated to helping Black cannabis entrepreneurs stake their claim in the industry. 

“Black and Brown communities have been an afterthought in the evolving global cannabis industry,” Perry-Thomas said in a press release. “If we fail to prepare and learn now, we will be too far behind to enter into this emerging field. It’s imperative that we learn the facts about cannabis, the unjust laws that have created the stigma, explore opportunities for empowerment, and reduce the barriers to help more Black and Brown communities switch from consumers to decision makers which is our mission with Black Cannabis Week.”

Although most of the event will be held digitally, those who live in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area can visit Temple University to attend a Communities of Color Career Event and expungement fair in person. 

“The cannabis industry has been on track to grow into a favorable financial and social tool for change,” the Black Cannabis Week Instagram posted on September 7. “Entrepreneurship, jobs, innovation are just a few of the positive impacts resulting from an accessible and inclusive industry. The industry has provided all kinds of new positions, and many of them are high-paying. And as the cannabis industry grows, so, too, does the number of job openings in the field.”

Supporting events such as Black Cannabis Week is essential to cultivate opportunities for non-white cannabis entrepreneurs to participate in the industry. According to a 2017 survey conducted by Marijuana Business Daily, 81 percent of cannabis business owners are white. At the time of the survey, only 5.7 percent were Hispanic/Latino; 4.3 percent were Black, and 2.4 percent were Asian. 

Efforts to improve social equity in the United States continue to grow as well. The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency has launched a new program called the Joint Ventures Pathway Program to improve social equity in the state. Social Equity classes have been established in Arizona for those who are eligible for dispensary licenses. 

Organizations such as the California Cannabis Equity Alliance are demanding that social equity remain a focus as the industry continues to ramp up. These are just a few of the many examples of how advocates are fighting for social equity, but there’s still plenty of progress to be made.

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