Cannabis Social Equity Programs can be traced back to the era of President Nixon where

the anti-drug war started. It initiated the issue pertaining to the already manifested
problem of drug addicts. Anti-drug war was a kind of policy to discriminate and suppress
the black African-American and Latino origin. Racially regulation of Marijuana has
instigated a long-standing discrimination against the people of color. The policies that
were carried out by the Nixon administration and successors as well shown their color
until recently when the modern policy makers in the era of Obama conceded that the
policies are systematically corrupt and are based on racial injustice. Regulating the
Marijuana industry and introducing the Social equity program is just a step in the right
direction as stated by People-Stokes, a Buffalo Democrat “It will not end racism. But it is a
crucial step in the right direction”. The social equity programs are comprised of some
factors that include
Social Equity Program of Sacramento, California:
1. Expungement of criminal records
2. Priority conditional use and business operations permits Processing and fee
waiver/deferral Other benefits TBD (community organizations working with city to
make recommendations)
Ohio State Equity program:
1. The law requires at least 15% license allocation of marijuana cultivating, processing,
retail and storage to the groups identified as African-American, Latino, Hispanic,
Indian-American origin.
Florida, Pennsylvania and several other states has authorized and legalized the medical
marijuana use and required the law to promote diversity and pay reparations to those who
were victimized and are still victim by the anti-drug war policies that are in effect.
After going through the details that are provided on the respective websites one may argue
that it is quite feasible and anything that we should be proud of but at the same when it
comes to application of those laws and rules there is a complete contradiction. Firstly, the
law offers the reparation in the form of ‘Expungement of criminal records’, it is a step
through which the victims that were vexed due to bad policies and laws are going to get a
chance by getting rid of their criminal record that is an obstacle to their careers and living
an ordinary life. When it comes to application of those rules, it is identified that for the
purposes of clearing record one has to face the enormous financial burden. So, it has
created a gap between the person who can afford and those who cannot. Research suggests
that after getting records clear the person involved are more likely to get the jobs and less
likely to go to prison. Another factor is issuing the license for the legal use of cannabis. The
cannabis business industry is dominated by the white majority as suggested in different
researches and this table shows the same.
The cannabis business industry is overcrowded by the white and due to their supremacy,
the persons that were affected by the bad laws and policies are being deprived of their
second chance. Due to their gross involvement the minorities are being suppressed in the
name of illegal marijuana users and the policing is inflicting a great deal of pain and misery
towards them. The analysis suggests that the Cannabis Social Equity programs are being
used as a tool to legalize the white supremacy and are systematically corrupt with respect
to racial justice. In application these laws are yet another step to suppress the minority
races as they did through Jim Crow laws where the White supremacy was promoted and
the segregation of blacks was carried out. Those were the laws that targeted the blacks and
these laws are also discouraging the black participation in the business industry and
become independent.