Social equity programs (SEP) are designed for those members of society that are economically and socially disadvantaged. Specifically African Americans, women, and the homeless. It aims to strengthen their participation in the cannabis industry as well as include more diversity and economic empowerment. Oftentimes, they live in so-called: “Disproportionately Impacted Communities”. This term stems from the War on Drugs, a war that started in 1971. It has put very tough laws into place that increased law enforcement for minor drug offenses. This led to “communities of color” being targeted and becoming the victims of “disproportionate” circumstances. As a result, social equity programs have been developed as a tool to counteract past harms of cannabis prohibition.
Equality vs. Equity
Social equity programs are built on the concept of social equity. Understanding the difference between equality vs. equity is very important in this context. Equality might appear to be a synonym with equity but it’s not. According to the definitions of Mary E. Guy and Sean A. McCandless, equity is based on the concept linked to the “distribution of fairness” and cannot be measured quantitatively. Meanwhile, equality can be measured quantitatively and aims to create “sameness” by making everything identical.
Race Factor
Racial disparities emerge as one of the factors of having disproportionate communities within a society. Despite the similar amount of drug usage/consumption among White Americans and African Americans with 18.5 % vs. 20.1% (see graph below). African Americans are 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for cannabis-related charges, according to the American Civil Liberties Union‘s (ACLU). Other research shows that 30% of African Americans are arrested because of drugs, while 80 percent of those who are in jail for a federal drug offense are African American or Latino. Drug penalties are handled more seriously as well with 20% longer prosecutions and incarcerations.
Social Reform
According to The Bureau of Justice Statistics, half the population of twelve states’ prisons consists of African Americans. Such racial disparities have culminated in May 2020, as a reaction to the police brutality in George Floyd’s murder. Widespread social protests were evoked not only within the US but also internationally. This sparked a crucial debate on Black Lives Matter and the definition behind it. Due to this, many African Americans are more discouraged to break out of that vicious cycle and take a step into the cannabis business that is welcoming them. In the cannabis industry, the racial disparities are visible too: 4% are African American cannabis business owners, even though the US has a 13% of African American population (see the image from 2017). Social equity programs aim to eliminate these types of racial disparities that appear to be more prevalent in states that have not legalized cannabis yet.
Gender Factor
Besides African American communities, social equity programs within the cannabis industry are eager to incorporate other socially underrepresented members of society, such as women and the homeless. These individuals are encouraged to become cannabis business owners and boost their careers by receiving higher executive positions. In 2019, Marijuana Business Daily brought out a data report on: “Women & Minorities in the Cannabis Industry” that makes it clear that not all social equity programs include women, and most of the time the main hurdle is their lack of established capital. In order to start a cannabis business, one needs thousands of dollars, and if one does not have that money one needs to find an investor or get a loan. Women tend to struggle with that and consequently receive fewer funding opportunities and fewer resources in terms of consultancy and guidance to strategically implement their business plans.
Side Effects of Drug-Related Crimes
What makes matters worse is that anytime an individual -no matter their race or gender- was in jail, arrested or convicted of a drug crime, this remains on their record and has major consequences for their future, especially regarding their access to job and business opportunities, housing options, student loans and other benefits. They are denied that access that others have. This, of course, creates limited opportunities for them. With the lack of access comes the lack of space from the society to let them develop their full potential. Instead of severely punishing those who committed drug-related crimes, social equity programs support these individuals because of their inclusive, optimistic and humane approach without being judgmental of their past.
Cannabis Legalization as a Chance to Become Expunged
So far, one can notice a pattern that every time a state legalizes cannabis for recreational or medical purposes, this changes the state’s drug laws to a point that someone who was arrested, convicted, or jailed while cannabis was prohibited, might become eligible to become expunged. This implies that these individuals are eligible to get the low-level cannabis-related drug offenses in their criminal record cleared and they receive a fresh start. This might sound easy but in reality, this is a very difficult process since it depends a lot on diverse factors, such as having access to the necessary resources in order to get through that transition, money to cover legal advice costs, effort, endurance and regained faith in the legal system. Some states have Expungement Initiatives, one form of social equity program, that assists these individuals and communities through that process.
Many Differences but One Common Objective
Each state has different cannabis laws and this reflects itself in the different types of social equity programs that exist. While some might focus more on education and training, others focus on promoting economic development. However, what they all have in common is the objective to increase social equity and include diversity. They do this by providing business opportunities and a support network for the affected target groups. These programs open the doors to the cannabis industry that are encouraging disadvantaged people to discover never-seen-before opportunities. Some states include social equity services in their cannabis programs, while others don’t. The following below will show some strong examples of states with successful social equity programs and other exceptional states.