Missouri to Conduct Marijuana Business Demographic Survey Amid Concerns of Exclusion of Black Communities from the Industry

During a recent outreach event in St. Louis, Abigail Vivas, the chief equity officer with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, publicly pledged to advocate for a demographics survey for cannabis business owners. This survey aims to address a significant concern about the medical marijuana program's alleged exclusion of the Black community from the rapidly growing billion-dollar cannabis industry.

As the newly appointed chief equity officer since February, Vivas emphasized the importance of collecting data to ensure fairness and inclusivity in the cannabis industry, in line with the spirit of the constitution.

The microbusiness cannabis program in Missouri, intended to grant access to communities most affected by marijuana criminalization, is set to award 48 licenses this fall. The application window is from July 27 to August 10. This program was designed to address the underrepresentation of Black-owned cannabis businesses in the state, as well as potentially few women-owned businesses.

The policy response to the survey results includes freezing the number of new regular licenses in Missouri until June 8, 2024. During this time, only microbusiness licenses can be issued, with the aim of creating more equity for underrepresented groups.

Stakeholders, including state officials and industry leaders, will need to support these new microbusinesses over the next year. Several companies, such as BeLeaf Medical and Harvest 360, are sponsoring accelerator programs to assist microbusiness applicants.

Amendment 2 Consultants, led by John Payne, has partnered with Show-Me Organics to provide assistance to microbusiness applicants. Larger businesses can also benefit from collaborations allowed under the law, but it is crucial to recognize the disparity between the arrest rates of Black Missourians and White Missourians for marijuana possession.

To address these disparities, Vivas will write an annual report including data on the number of microbusiness license applications and awards based on the seven eligibility criteria. This report, mandated to be completed by January 1, will shed light on who the microbusiness program is benefitting and present opportunities for the department to collaborate with the business community to promote inclusivity and equity.