In this 2022 story, debbiemarieb_ investigates how social inequities in the cannabis industry affect Black-owned small businesses.
In 2020, when Illinois legalized recreational marijuana sales, its process for dispensing licenses included a promise to favor “social equity” applicants—businesses that are at least 51 percent owned by someone who had a prior cannabis conviction, and businesses that planned to hire people with such convictions. Moncheri Robinson and her family jumped at the opportunity.
Frustrated, Robinson responded to the email to request her application’s score—the total number of points awarded based on criteria such as the planned facilities, employee training plans, security and product safety, and social equity status, which gave qualified applicants an additional 50 points out of a maximum 250.
On September 27—the first bitterly cold morning of fall—an alliance of social-equity business owners and cannabis advocates held a press conference outside the governor’s West Loop high-rise to demand immediate relief for businesses that were awarded social equity licenses in the past year. Such businesses have 180 days to begin operations, after which the state may revoke their licenses. The social equity license winners described the struggles they’ve encountered in meeting that deadline.
Craft growers currently can only grow a maximum of 5,000 square feet of cannabis; the association is asking for that maximum to be upped to 14,000 square feet. Jordan Melendez, an organizer with the Southwest Side Coalition for Change, said canopy limitations force small business owners to give a large percentage of ownership to financiers. CREDIT: Ruby T.
Fleming co-owns several cannabis equity companies in Illinois, including Public Square LLC and South and West Side Carriers LLC. But Fleming said they’re the least valuable licenses right now because you must transport marijuana from a legal Illinois entity, and the big MSOs will not give anyone a contract to begin. “You’d be a fool to believe that they’re gonna give you a contract,” he chuckled, “You really think these white people gonna let you move they drugs?”
“I got pretty good at it. And then when I found Illinois was about to become recreational, we had decided, ‘Hey, let’s go ahead, start out.’”
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
Similar News:Vous pouvez également lire des articles d'actualité similaires à celui-ci que nous avons collectés auprès d'autres sources d'information.
An ode to Black women - Chicago ReaderAt first glance, Gio Swaby’s artwork can be deceptively simple. Her portraits are marked by thin, black lines that sketch the images of beautiful, confident Black women. But looking closer, you are drawn into a complex composition of stitched, knotted, and dangling threads and colorful appliqued fabric on a raw canvas background. Simplicity and complexity […]
Lire la suite »
Electro-industrial artist Debby Friday explores a world of emotion - Chicago Reader'Packed into a succinct, live-wire 33 minutes, Good Luck is testament to how effectively Friday can capture life in all its dense, unpredictable emotions.' | ✍️ misterminsoo Debby Friday, Thu 4/20, 9 PM, at theemptybottle
Lire la suite »
What goes around comes back around - Chicago Reader🎭 'Jagged Little Pill, an original musical inspired by Alanis Morrisette's 1995 album, hits hard in a touring production with Broadway in Chicago.' | ✍️ FinnWrites broadwaychicago
Lire la suite »
From classic to kitsch - Chicago Reader🎭 'Overall, ABT’s performance at the Auditorium Theatre felt a little uneven and not as weighty as one would expect from such a storied company, with the exception of Rudd’s Touché, the shining star of the night.' | ✍️ JT Newman
Lire la suite »
Tongue tied - Chicago ReaderThe best way to approach “Tongue & Nail” is by starting with the artworks that inspired the ensemble. And you won’t miss them. Kat Bawden’s visceral microfilm, Tongue Tie, is playing on loop on Iceberg’s gallery wall. The black-and-white video displays a tongue, close-up and painfully bound by thin twine. Beneath the video is Tarik […]
Lire la suite »