Reefer blowers, dank smokers, kush queens, lend me your ears! I have come to discuss the new system of cannabis legalization, but not to praise it.

If Missouri’s law legalizing weed for adults 21 years and older is something you’ve taken advantage of — dashing into dispensaries on Delmar for the student discount that takes 10 cents off your anxiety-relieving Grease Monkey — then you may be interested in the impossibility of industry penetration, persistent criminalization despite legalization, and why six-dollar discounts are made up for a seemingly extraneous 6% sales tax.

In a previous Student Life article, I proposed a myriad of supported benefits and disproven theories regarding the devil’s lettuce. A myth-busting guide for potential and experienced users, it noted the notoriously unsubstantiated and blatantly racist claims that earned weed its daunting status as a Schedule 1 drug and a misleading reputation as one of the most controversial, non-medically-termed “gateway drugs.” 

Since then, even more states have legalized recreational weed. Fortunately, while medical marijuana has been legal in the state since 2018, in November of 2022, Missouri became the 21st state to legalize recreational cannabis, a law that has officially supported recreational sales since February 2023. While this has surely inspired merry hotboxes galore and allowed the unmistakable skunky aroma to waft on every corner — Missouri became a top-selling state within the record-breaking time frame of a month — these changes re-center the question of who most benefits from legalization, and who’s left putting together a roach blunt. 

Alas, I have a confession to make. As you may have deduced, this will not be an article about “free weed” in a literal sense; gas is going up. But, if you care to know why, since being freed, many weed distributors still have not been popularized, and dispensaries only seem to be operated by the already wealthy — stay stoned!

Who’s Benefiting? 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, 31 states allowed dispensaries to stay open as essential businesses. In fact, legal dispensary sales were up to 17.5 billion dollars in 2020. As such, it is puzzling why former street pharmacists aren’t acquiring licenses and setting up shop in droves, but there are a few key barriers keeping this from happening. 

Despite being a lucrative endeavor, penetrating the legal weed business requires far more resources than most small-business owners have. For starters, in most states, businesses need to have vertical integration, or to be able to support the entire production process themselves — including manufacturing, distribution, and running and operating a storefront. 

Licenses are also incredibly hard to obtain. In 2019, just two licenses in Florida were notoriously sold for 95 million dollars. Prior to recreational legalization in 2016, Californians were promised a one-acre growing limit, which was an attempt to protect small businesses and social equity. However, the rule proved ineffective after big marijuana businesses spent 1.6 million dollars lobbying against it, leading many who were hoping to take advantage of the social equity allotment to feel misled.

In major-sale states like Florida (which has only legalized medicinal weed), California, and Arizona, those smoking their tree and selling it too are mostly limited to a handful of billionaire corporations, like Trulieve, Curaleaf, and Liberty Health. According to available statistics, the St. Louis industry is also largely dominated by wealthy residents and multi-state operators like Greenlight and Harvest, although this is hard to verify. Unlike some other states, Missouri doesn’t provide detailed public documentation of cannabis licenses issued. 

Criminalization

Making up only 13% of the U.S. population, Black people account for 40% of those still incarcerated for drug charges, and although use-rates between white and Black people are roughly the same, Black people are still four times more likely to be arrested for weed use. 

Additionally, people who were formerly incarcerated for weed still have difficulty getting jobs in legal states, and they’re even unlikely to be afforded jobs within the cannabis industry. 

Some states have tried to remedy this. For example, despite decriminalization in 1977 and introducing recreational use in 2021, New York postponed full legalization of recreational dispensaries until 2022 amidst equity and racial-justice concerns. Upon legalization, the state prioritized licensing those most impacted by criminalization and nonprofits planning to support the formerly incarcerated. 

In 2018, Massachusetts introduced the first statewide social equity program, helping formerly incarcerated people from communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs to work in the industry and open dispensaries. New Jersey has a similar program, although many people in both states have reported financial hurdles beyond the state level that still make the industry impenetrable.

In Missouri, Amendment 3 — supported by the organization Legal Missouri 2022 — included the criteria that some nonviolent cannabis charges would be expunged from records, and that people incarcerated, on parole, or on probation would be released for the same offenses. And remember the 6% sales tax from before? The amendment also dedicates dispensary taxes to funding the expungement process, drug treatment, veteran healthcare, and the public defender’s office according to John Payne, campaign manager of Legal Missouri 2022. 

However, it is concerning that the language outlining measures of support, especially for communities of color, are too vague and don’t do enough to ensure fair access to the market. 

Missouri’s NAACP President Rod Chapel eventually withdrew NAACP support from the Legal Missouri 2022 campaign, and went as far as to urge against voting for Amendment 3, saying, “Nobody has any idea how the expungements are going to work, and even though the law is in effect, there’s not a single person introducing [expungement] under Amendment 3. It’s supposed to be automatic. It’s supposed to provide a way back for our people, African Americans and others, who have been overly criminalized and penalized as a result of these marijuana convictions, and it doesn’t do that at all.” 

What’s Next?

On October 6, 2022, President Biden pardoned thousands of people with federal cannabis possession charges and urged governors to pardon those convicted for weed possession at the state level. Biden also called for his administration to move with urgency toward changing marijuana’s federal status as a Schedule 1 drug. He has not yet proposed decriminalization at a federal level, and his release measures still exclude those convicted for selling.

As legalization efforts spread across the nation and many take steps towards instilling marketplace and criminal-justice equity, it’s encouraging to imagine a whole new world of za. However, states and the federal government still have a long way to go before vital changes really make weed use and sales legally equitable, so it’s important to hold elected officials accountable for promises of fairness and support. In the meantime, here are a few minority-owned weed businesses and brands to support if you are over 21 years old in Missouri — happy 420 weekend!

Luxury Leaf Marijuana Dispensary

A Black woman-owned business, Luxury Leaf is one of the highest-rated cannabis companies in Missouri and was the first Black-owned dispensary in the state. 

Franklin’s Stash House

Based in Kansas City but sold in dispensaries all over Missouri, Franklin’s Stash House was the first Black-owned cannabis business to produce weed products sold in dispensaries in Missouri. 

The Cola Lounge

Innovative in its approach, The Cola Lounge is one of very few cannabis dispensaries that offers a lounge area to socialize and relax in. 

ViolaSTL

Currently only serving medicinal patients, ViolaSTL is the only Black-owned dispensary in downtown St. Louis and plans to expand and begin accommodating recreational customers soon, too!