Please be aware that cannabis and related laws vary. Programming in this track is designed to inform attendees about this fast-changing industry, and does not promote the use or sale of illegal drugs.

The call for economic justice measures in the cannabis industry has reached the ears of lawmakers at the federal, state, and local levels. Equity–or providing individuals who have been hit hardest by the War on Drugs with opportunities to participate in the cannabis industry–is a pillar of pieces of federal legislation (like Senator Harris’ Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment of 2019), has been central to certain state cannabis programs (California, Massachusetts, Illinois), and is the focus of different localities (Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles). Yet even when cannabis legalization measures have equity plans, such legislation may fail to underwrite the ongoing requisite needs of equity program and participants.

This talk will focus on the equity aims of current/proposed legislation with regards to in state cannabis programs, the economic challenges that have become the harsh reality of any cannabis business owner, and suggest the design of economic justice programs in connection with broader cannabis legalization. Equity will not be just a hollow promise.