Officials say quest for cannabis sales equity in New Jersey is a top priority
NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey legislators have received more than 700 applications for recreational marijuana dispensaries. The state says it is prioritizing residents who have been most impacted by the war on drugs.
CBS2's Ali Bauman takes a look at what it will take to achieve equity in the cannabis industry.
Hasniah el-Amin is a serial entrepreneur. The New Jersey native has her hand in half a dozen businesses, including Buddah Bowls in Belleville.
But el-Amin's life looked very different eight years ago, when the then-24-year-old was arrested in Newark.
"We got pulled over. They said they smelled marijuana. They searched the car and I had marijuana on me and I was arrested," el-Amin said. "I was absolutely terrified at the time."
READ MORE: Officials: 10,000 people bought recreational marijuana on first day of sales in New Jersey
Her charges were eventually dismissed and in 2018 el-Amin then applied to the state for a medical marijuana dispensary permit.
"I had gotten certified in indoor horticulture as well as business of marijuana. I then applied in 2018 for the licensing. We were denied," el-Amin said.
Now that New Jersey is growing its recreational cannabis industry, state legislators say they are committed to prioritizing minority-owned businesses, and business owners with prior pot convictions.
"Here in the New Jersey, a Black person was three and a half times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, despite similar rates of use. So it's essential that as we think about building this industry going forward, we do it with that in mind," said Ami Kachalia of ACLU NJ.
But despite the state's promises, of the 12 dispensaries currently licensed in New Jersey to sell recreationally, none are minority owned. About half of the 102 conditional licenses have been issued to Black-owned businesses.
And the state has yet to release how many of those are owned by people with prior pot convictions.
"This is only, as I said, the beginning of a multi-year project to get this market where it needs to be and it will be reflective of the diversity of this great state," said Jeff Brown, executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
"They say one thing and do another and nobody is being held accountable for it," el-Amin said.
READ MORE: Recreational marijuana dispensaries in New Jersey open their doors for the first time
El-Amin said she plans to apply again for a dispensary license.
"What would you want to see the state doing now to make their promises a reality?" Bauman asked.
"The application in itself is a lot of work, a lot of work and a lot of money, and if you don't necessarily know how to do that but you know about marijuana, where's the help for those people?" el-Amin said. "Where's the programs to help those people make those connections and get in those doors to be able to get in the business?"
"Access to capital, technical assistance, and prioritizing people to make sure that their applications are at the top of the pile," Kachalia added.
The state has also committed to reinvesting a significant portion of pot's tax revenue back into those communities most harmed by the war on drugs.