Updates on Racial Equity in The Cannabis Market

***Updated November 14, 2021***

Please read below for information on the Vermont Cannabis Equity Coalition “What Equity Looks Like” community discussion and CCB Social Equity Town Hall Meetings.

The Vermont Racial Justice Alliance submitted sweeping recommendations to the Cannabis Control Board (with the Vermont Cannabis Equity Coalition – VCEC) to inform the rule-making process and amend H.414, our current Cannabis Policy in House Government Operations Committee.  Our work with the VCEC is to ensure a cannabis economy in Vermont which is racially just, economically equitable, agriculturally accessible, and environmentally sound.

As we have said before, the cannabis market is the first market to be created in Vermont since the acknowledgment of the existence of and the commitment to eradicate systemic racism. It is imperative that historical and ongoing economic oppression and exploitation of Black Americans be considered in every aspect of the development, rollout and regulation of this market

Research indicates that most cannabis market rollouts address social equity with the status quo approach of attempting to “correct harm caused to those “impacted” by disproportionate policing of cannabis in Black and Brown communities. We continue to seek the introduction of a more substantive and appropriate approach that accounts for the impact of systemic racism across the entire market and beyond.

We have also strongly urged the CCB to integrate equity into their operational processes to ensure the creation of a sustainable and equitable market from the onset. We offered a list of global racial equity recommendations largely reflecting the enabling statute of the Racial Equity Executive Director.  We urged the CCB to address market equity by ensuring that the social equity programming is provided adequate and sustainable funding. Our position from the onset has been that Black folks must have access to capital and land ownership, if there is any hope in creating an equitable cannabis market. 

You can find a copy of the report here

We’d like to hear more from you! Send your comments to info@vtracialjusticealliance.org

Here in moving forward we will provide running updates on how you can be involved in this process:

Social Equity Cannabis Taxation and Regulation Updates 

• What Should Racial Equity Look Like in the Cannabis Market?  A community discusion on the VCEC’s social equity recommendations.  November 16, 2021, 4:20 PM.  Register HERE.
• Social Equity Town Hall Meetings *Updated Nov 14, 2021*
  • Winooski Social Equity Town Hall, November 18, 2021, 6:00 PM.  Vermont Student Assistance Corp, 10 S. Allen St., Winooski, VT
    https://ccb.vermont.gov/event/winooski-social-equity-town-hall
    Attend online HERE
  • Bennington Social Equity Town Hall, November 20, 2021, 6:00 PM. Location TBD.
    https://ccb.vermont.gov/event/bennington-social-equity-town-hall.  Attend online HERE
• CCB Report to the General Assembly, Nov 1, 2021
  https://ccb.vermont.gov/sites/ccb/files/2021-11/Nov.%201%20Report.pdf
• CCB Report to Committees On Market and Fee Structure , Oct 15, 2021
  https://ccb.vermont.gov/sites/ccb/files/2021-11/Vermont_CCB_Report_Oct_15_2021-1.pdf

No Taxation and Regulation without Reparations!