It’s been seven years since Duane Dunn opened his cannabis dispensary in Tacoma and he still remembers the feeling of joy he had when it first opened. “It was exciting because it was a new industry, it was challenging because it was constantly evolving and changing, and I was happy that I could do something else other than IT,” said Dunn, who had left the IT field after nearly 20 years in the industry. In 2014, he was able to secure a cannabis license after an intense application process and paying a large sum for the application fee. His business, Emerald Leaves, opened on Tacoma’s Sixth Avenue in 2015.

As one of the only Black dispensary owners in Washington, however, Dunn said it hasn’t been an easy process to navigate, nor has it been an easy industry to break into, thanks to inequities in the system.

State lawmakers have yet again introduced proposed bills aimed at correcting some of those inequities. Senate Bill 5706 was requested by the governor’s office and is sponsored by Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-Seattle. The bill would create a community reinvestment program and has a companion bill in the house. The Senate had a public hearing in the Senate Labor, Commerce, and Tribal Affairs Committee for the bill on Jan. 19, where many testified in favor. [Read More @ TheOlympian]