![]() And yet, among people with an ownership interest in a licensed recreational marijuana business in the state, only 3.8% are Black and 1.5% are Hispanic or Latino, according to the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency. ![]() Hundreds if not thousands of Michigan residents remain incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses - and, not surprisingly, they tend to be people of color.īefore 2018, Black Michigan residents were 3.6 times more likely to be arrested than whites for marijuana possession, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Prosecution of low-level marijuana offenses has put scores of people in county jails and state prisons, disrupting families and ruining countless lives. Let’s begin by acknowledging that the war on drugs has taken a devastating toll, especially in communities of color. Nonetheless, there is always room for improvement as Michigan’s cannabis industry moves from infancy to adolescence. As our region’s legal cannabis economy continues to blossom, transforming vacant storefronts into growing concerns and sprouting thousands of new jobs, we really are quite pleased with where things stand today. On the occasion of this year’s 420 Week, the annual celebration of all things cannabis, let’s take an especially savory moment to reflect on the astonishing progress we’ve made in Michigan toward normalizing our favorite herb.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |