People of slow color to join the legal movement of marijuana: NPR

As marijuana becomes legal throughout the country, blacks and Latinos are often left out of new business opportunities. Human rights advocates say that people of color are often reluctant to join the growing legal economy of marijuana because they have been targeted much more often than whites during the war against drugs. Studies show that members of these communities have been arrested and imprisoned for illegal marijuana use far more often than whites.

While Massachusetts was developing laws on legal marijuana, officials wrote what they saw as an innovative social equity program aimed explicitly at giving a boost to members of these communities.

But this part of the state law does not work – no black or latino candidates have applied for a license in Massachusetts.

"They are afraid of the government, man," said Sieh Samura, a declared cannabis activist. "It's still a new thing.And there are taxes, there is the government, there are all kinds of things, you know.Just because people say it's legal .. it's not welcoming to everyone. "

Studies show that blacks and Latinos at the national level were arrested and incarcerated for offenses related to cannabis and other drugs, at least four times more than whites. The long-term effects of the war on drugs launched in the 1970s are still evident in many communities of color.

For example, the town of Somerville, Massachusetts has issued an order requiring 50% of recreational marijuana licenses to be awarded to black and Latino candidates.

"We want to make sure everyone has a real, genuine opportunity to participate in this economy in the future," said Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone. "If this is not the case, we begin to lose the fabric and soul of our community, and then social inequality grows, becomes larger, and we can not allow that to happen. growth-friendly community, but we want to make sure that ordinary people are able to participate in this. "

Samura, a veteran of the war in Iraq, said that marijuana for medical purposes was of great help to him, allowing him to cope with the effects of PTSD. As a black man, he sees himself as a pioneer of marijuana in a long-term community. He explains that this relationship between law enforcement and communities of color is why many black and Latin American entrepreneurs are reluctant to start a marijuana business for recreational purposes.

To be a model for others, Samura and his wife Leah have created a recreational marijuana business called 612 Studios. For months, they have been going to a huge marijuana grow-op in Milford, Mass., To participate in The Sira Accelerator, a 12-week program designed to attract more people of color into the industry. raising funds, helping with marketing, packaging and distribution.

This program is managed by Sira Naturals, which grows marijuana and creates products for its own medical clinics and some other leisure businesses. Mike Dundas, President and CEO of Sira Naturals, said the company wanted to help long-time marijuana advocates, such as Samuras, or people who frequented the illegal pot market.

"We consider that our program, the Sira Accelerator, offers some kind of a helping hand to those who operate – and who have the competence, passion and dedication for cannabis-based products – in the illicit market, to move from the regulatory side, to move on to books, and help make it easier to start their businesses, "said Dundas.

In exchange for advice and guidance, Sira takes a little less than 10% stake in the new company.

Sira also hopes that the accelerator will help her open a leisure store in Somerville, where she already operates one of three medical dispensaries. The company can not get a recreation license before black or Latino entrepreneurs, because of the city's ordinance. Dundas, who is white, admits he has trouble finding and coaching people of color who want to open a business in Somerville so his company can open his own retail store.

Karen O. Keefe, the national policy director of the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project, said many attempts have been made in the country to help candidates from black and Latin American communities, but none has been heard. worked.

"None of the states have the diversity we would like to see in the cannabis industry," she said.

Some marijuana business owners have expressed frustration with the fact that states "choose winners and losers" in the marijuana industry. But O & # 39; Keefe argued that this industry is different, given the adverse effects of the war on drugs. The question remains, however, what is the best way to put the odds on an equal footing.

"The states that are going to progress will look at what happened in Massachusetts," said O. Keefe. "Why did such good intentions not yield as much fruit and diversity in the industry as expected?"