Marijuana is one of the newest, most versatile and job-filled industries in America. It created 77,000 jobs last year.

frond The 37 states with legal marijuana will provide 321,000 full-time marijuana jobs by 2021 — more than the number of electrical engineer jobs, the report said.

With so many jobs, the issue of social justice becomes even more pressing.

Thankfully, many companies and organizations are taking legal steps to address this issue.

big hurdle for stocks

A major barrier to entry into the cannabis space is the cost associated with licenseIn Massachusetts, for example, the Commonwealth Pharmacy Association (CDA) sued for a provision that allowed only a few business owners to offer delivery services in the first few years of the legal profession.

This will provide clear support for minority businesses and help recover licensing costs. The CDA’s lawsuit has had major consequences, even though they have withdrawn the lawsuit.

Cannabis and Technology Today Talk to Meg Sanders and Erik Williams, owners of Canna Provisions, Massachusetts.

“The biggest factor keeping equity out of the cannabis industry is the cost of getting into the cannabis industry,” Sanders said. There are thousands of pages of regulations, from seeds to sales tracking to security systems to what you have to do in order to get a license A million things, creating an incredible barrier right there.”

She continued, “So if you want to address the social equity and economic empowerment issues in this industry, you need to rework the regulations. This is the first thing. Then if you go to the next level, then, why do these regulations exist? keep people away. There is no damage to the system, which is designed to function exactly as-is. That is to ensure that only a certain number of people can participate. “

Williams added that one reason social justice is hard to gain a foothold in the industry is that some people simply don’t agree to have a workable, socially fair, economic empowerment system. That’s why several new organizations have been created to assist potential entrepreneurs.

American Cannabis Council Initiative

American Cannabis Council (University of Southern California) is a nonprofit organization and one of the largest alliances of top cannabis businesses, associations and advocacy organizations.

They seek to use their collective expertise to advance social justice, end federal bans, update all regulations, and promote legal ethical standards within the cannabis industry.

Most recently, USCC hired Tahir Johnson, a former DEI manager for the National Cannabis Industry Association, as director of social equity and inclusion.Johnson is expected to rely on his diversity and tolerate.

“We’re on the verge of federal legalization of marijuana, and while there’s a lot of opportunity, I’m very interested in who gets that opportunity,” Johnson said. “USCC has that passion, and I’m in this position knowing that marijuana leadership is capable and Accountability affects real and honest change – and I look forward to making a difference.”

During his first 90 days, Johnson plans to use state-level strategies to engage key cannabis and non-marijuana stakeholders in equity communities, ensure equity efforts take place in all legalization conversations (both federal and state), and are enforced within USCC accountability and create a working group to help members move toward social equity goals.

Roz McCarthy, founder and CEO of Minorities for Medical Marijuana, said: “Tahir is a change agent working to address industry challenges related to social equity and social justice. Necessary troubles are encountered in the process of fighting for social justice.”

Towards a Fair Organization

This Equity organization Committed to assisting the industry in developing drug policy and other criminal justice reform policies, educating the community, and advocating for effective and fair approaches to cannabis policy and other criminal justice-related issues.

The organization was founded by Executive Director Natalie Papilion. The company has spearheaded several initiatives to create a fairer industry and help eliminate past marijuana convictions for formerly incarcerated individuals. Hopefully, once marijuana is federally legalized, there will be an established, fair foundation to build on.

exist Good Tree Capital, smaller cannabis companies and entrepreneurs can get help with money management and even microloans. The company made its first loan in 2017 and has since helped people with an average ROI of 28.7%.

The company uses proprietary algorithms to assess credit risk.They believe in their innovation Technology Allowing them to determine the likelihood of default more accurately than traditional banks. By removing opportunities for human bias around race or gender, their technologically cutting-edge approach can help remove barriers to capital for people of color and minorities.

Creating an equitable space for all is a work in progress. However, companies like USCC, Equity Group and Good Tree Capital are taking big strides to help everyone find a place in the cannabis industry. ?