As the market for the recreational use of cannabis develops in Illinois, more work needs to be done to give minorities a fair shot at ownership of dispensaries. Since the Illinois’ Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act went into effect on Jan. 1, no minorities have secured licenses to operate a dispensary. While the law has good intentions, with provisions designed to allow minority-owned businesses access to licenses, no African Americans or other people of color currently have one.
As drafted, the legislation contains a few loopholes that established cannabis operators can exploit to their benefit. A few changes to the statute would create a more level playing field for minority owners in Chicago and the rest of the state.
It would be the fair thing to do. Minorities in urban areas have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs, a failed policy that criminalized possession and dealing of banned substances. Their communities were eviscerated by the incarceration of people of color, especially African-American men who turned to drug dealing as a way to earn money.
Legislators have taken this history into account. Laws in Illinois and other states have included “social equity” provisions in legislation legalizing cannabis, which are intended to help populations harmed by past drug policies to access the economic benefits of cannabis legalization. The Illinois law uses various tests to determine whether a business qualifies as a “social equity applicant.” Under one test, an applicant can qualify if control of the applicant, and at least 51% of its ownership, are held by one or more individuals who have resided in an “disproportionally impacted area” for at least five of the last 10 years (these areas are census tracts that meet one of several criteria, such as having a poverty rate of at least 20%, having 75% or more of its children participate in the federal free lunch program, or having an average unemployment rate that is more than 120% of the national average). Applicants can also qualify if 51% of their ownership is held by individuals arrested or convicted for crimes eligible for expungement under the act. Alternatively, applicants with at least 10 full-time employees qualify if 51% of current employees either reside in impact areas, or if those employees themselves have records eligible for expungement.
Unfortunately, these provisions make it too easy for white owners to exploit.
Here’s how it works: under the Illinois law, applications for conditional adult use dispensing organization licenses are scored on a scale from 0 to 250. Social equity applicants automatically receive 50 out of 250 possible points. That’s a nice head start, especially when the difference between a successful application and a losing application can be one point or less.
This makes it all too tempting for white applicants to game the system. Some recruit “owners” who help them qualify as social equity applicants, only to have those “owners” magically disappear after the license is granted. I’ve heard stories of people getting paid as much as $25,000 to stand in for that purpose. White-owned businesses can also just hire enough low-paid budtenders to reach the employee demographics required to qualify for social equity advantages. In many cases, you can’t fault people because they’re following the rules to the letter technically, but the intended benefits aren’t being realized. That’s a problem.
There are signs states are catching on to these tricks. Last year, Ohio revoked the cultivation license of Harvest Health and Recreation Inc., over suspicion that it had falsely claimed to be owned by an economically disadvantaged group. Harvest also surrendered permits for two dispensaries in Pennsylvania for allegedly misrepresenting its business there.
It’s a start, but much more work needs to be done. In the patchwork of states that have legalized cannabis, there is a lack of minority participation at all levels of the supply chain, from cultivation to processing to retail. They are steps to take, both legislatively and in regulatory enforcement, to ensure that social equity applicants can obtain licenses and thrive in the years to come. And while no law is perfect, there are specific ways to make the Illinois legislation more fair to social equity applicants. Here are six:
Legislators had good intentions in enacting the cannabis law, but improvements are needed. Pursuing the above changes would be a good start to creating a more fair and just competition for those intended to benefit from social equity programs. Given the history of criminalization of the use and sale of cannabis, and its devastating effects on urban communities of color, the changes wouldn’t just make economic sense for these areas, but would be the right thing to do.
Kevin Slaughter is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group who solves problems and assists clients with complex commercial transactions. Throughout his decades of experience as a corporate attorney, Kevin has focused his practice on the areas of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and private offerings. Most recently, he has expanded his practice to include procurement matters, airport concessions and cannabis. He has a broad range of experience working with clients from a multitude of business sectors including the automotive, manufacturing, healthcare and food industries.
Working on both domestic and international M&A transactions, Kevin has achieved exceptional results for his clients. He has in-depth knowledge in drafting and negotiating a variety of commercial agreements, including: master supply/service agreements; distribution agreements; reseller agreements; development and licensing agreements; and manufacturing agreements.
Kevin uses his extensive experience in corporate law and excellent interpersonal skills to advise owners and senior executives on a broad spectrum of issues. Above all, he listens to his clients to understand their needs, goals and objectives. Kevin earns their trust and confidence by employing an analytical yet pragmatic approach that is centered around accomplishing the business objectives of his clients in a responsive, efficient and effective manner.
In 2018, Kevin was recognized as a “Notable Minority Lawyer” by Crain’s Chicago Business. Active in his community, he serves as general counsel to the Boy Scouts of America Pathway to Adventure Council in Illinois.
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