For many, recreational cannabis provided an opportunity to accomplish more than provide a safe, legal market for the kind herb. State and local governments saw a chance to get points on the package through taxation, providing some relief to strained public safety and school budgets. Activists for cannabis justice reform also found an opportunity to redress some of the damage caused by the drug war on already distressed communities, often of color. According to Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA), 15 out of 36 states with recreational and/or medicinal cannabis markets have some sort of social equity program.
Unfortunately for women, people of color, and those with past cannabis-related convictions, attempts at diversity and equity have not made the cannabis industry more inclusive and representative.
