U.S. Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) released a statement after none of the 56 licenses to sell cannabis in the State of New Jersey were issued to Black-owned businesses.
“I am outraged to hear that Black-owned businesses have been shut out of the state’s cannabis marketplace,” Payne said. “Black users are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than white users, even though overall use for both groups is almost the same. New Jersey has a chance to correct this inequality and allow people abused by the system to finally benefit from it with a fair distribution of cannabis business licenses.”
Medical cannabis is commonly known as marijuana and has been legal in the state since 2012. In 2020, the state legalized marijuana for recreational use and allowed the creation of cannabis stores and shops.
According to the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, no Black-owned cannabis business has been granted a license in the 10 years of legalization.
“We are seeing the same inequality with these licenses that we see in marijuana arrests,” Payne said. “Gov. Phil Murphy promised that the state’s cannabis industry would right the wrongs of the past as it concerns social justice. Now, New Jersey needs to uphold this promise. I join the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey in their outrage that this inequality continues to plague our state, our society, and our country.”