Black entrepreneurs struggle to join legal weed industry

#business

So can African Americans actually get a foothold in the legalized marijuana business? Some black emerging entrepreneurs aren’t so sure.

Yes, it is true that black entrepreneurs face challenges in joining the legal weed industry. According to a report by Leafly’s Jobs Report 2021, the legal cannabis industry supports more than 321,000 full-time jobs; Black cannabis entrepreneurs make up less than 2% of the nation’s cannabis.

The report adds the prevalence of Black cannabis business owners varies from state to state, but Black cannabis entrepreneurs are few and far between.

In 2017, Black entrepreneurs made up roughly 4.3 percent of cannabis business owners while white people accounted for 81 percent of cannabis business owners.

However, many states now have ‘social equity’ provisions that give people and communities most impacted by the war on drugs preference in licensing. This is good news for black entrepreneurs who want to join the legal weed industry.