Women, minority execs show few gains in U.S. cannabis industry, according to the latest data from the MJBiz Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Report. Get your copy here.
There are a few simple truths about social equity in cannabis: People from marginalized communities need job opportunities, companies need skilled workers and government mandates aren’t working as intended.
Here’s one more truth: Companies are independently leveraging the push for social equity to create a stronger, diverse workforce.
Particularly in states with established, maturing markets such as California, there’s an obvious need for cannabis companies to be proactive.
By forming strategic partnerships with organizations inside and outside the industry, companies are circumventing red tape to bring real change while boosting the workforce with skilled job candidates.
Both partners benefit financially and socially by bringing more people from underserved communities into the sector and providing them with needed training and living-wage jobs.
Problem-solving in the private sector
While there’s no denying a segment of the cannabis industry has direct ties to the legacy market (myself included), it’s still a touchy subject.
In the early years of state regulation, lawmakers weren’t keen to allow those with cannabis convictions into a now-legal enterprise amid the specter of federal crackdowns.
Those early limitations and poorly executed expungement programs failed to rectify decades of bad policy and...
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