The Massachusetts Social Equity Program isn’t just unravelling, it has unravelled according to this article and it looks to me here at cannabis law report that those who created the program did so with little backup or oversight and have now left to pursue other activities.
“They sell us a bag of dreams especially in the state. They’re like ‘oh! you’re economic empowerment.’ There have to be diversity plans. There have to be positive impact plans,” said Rose. “It’s not real. It’s not happening. They’re liars. They don’t care.”
According to the Cannabis Control Commission, 38 licenses have already been surrendered, not renewed, or revoked – more than twice the number reported by the Boston Business Journal in November of last year. Operators across the state are saying that something needs to shift or many more businesses will start to fold in the coming year.
Dennis Benzan, the owner of the cannabis company Western Front, said the challenges are enormous. “In this industry, you truly feel like you’re a sharecropper,” he said “You’re really just paying an enormous amount of taxes, you’re paying vendors, mand you’re paying landlords. We’re so regulated, we can’t access capital markets. Hence, we’re trapped.”
Many operators in the social equity space, including Benzan and Rose, think the Cannabis Control Commission isn’t presenting a realistic picture of the market to equity candidates. They said the state is still promoting training programs for social equity applicants who will never get their businesses off the ground.
“You can’t encourage people to join a program that is upside down because you’re selling them a pipe dream,” Benzan said,
“By definition, the social equity candidates are the people who were harmed most by the war on drugs,” said Shaleen Title, a former member of the Cannabis Control Commission. “They don’t have access to the same resources like mentorship, friends, family that others have. That’s the whole reason why we created the social equity program.”
Read the full article
Also read / listen to this interview with Shaleen Title September 2022 on GBH Morning edition where she sings the praises of her work on equity and smaller business owners
Title also interviewed by Forbes on August 10 2018 by Tom Angell where she says
Tom Angell: Why was it so important for you to make sure the equity program was a key part of the legalization launch in Massachusetts?
Shaleen Title: It’s clear from looking at the rollout of other states – many of which I was involved in – you can’t just hope for fairness and inclusion and have it happen. Combined with keeping small entrepreneurs in mind with all of our decision-making, creating a formal equity program was a way to intentionally connect employees and business owners from disproportionately harmed communities with the resources they need to thrive.
Angell: Were there any challenges in convincing your fellow commissioners or other stakeholders to adopt the equity program?
Title: All of my fellow commissioners are as committed to equity as I am, so I don’t recall needing to convincing anyone; however, the main challenge has been to structure the program so that it has a real impact rather than being lip service. That entails careful data collection and evaluation, flexible decision-making and deliberate outreach. It’s also important to pay special attention to funding for restorative justice as well as fairness at the local level, both of which are already addressed in the law.
Also read these articles about the Massachusetts equity program
Equity, Not Equality: How Massachusetts Is Ensuring a Diverse Cannabis Industry
Cannabis Control Commissioner Shaleen Title On The Push For A More Inclusive Marijuana Industry
https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/2019/05/28/shaleen-title-cannabis-equity
Massachusetts Marijuana Regulator Talks Social Equity And The Presidential Election
Ensuring Restorative Justice and Equity in the Cannabis Industry ft. Shaleen Title
https://drexel.edu/dornsife/news/events/details/?eid=35219&iid=93792
