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A WGVU initiative in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation using on-air programs and community events to explore issues of inclusion and equity.

Could GR help correct past wrongs that happened to people of color in relation to marijuana?

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In Michigan, African American men are ten times more likely to be arrested for a marijuana offense compared to their white counterparts even though both groups use marijuana at the same rate, according to 2017 data from the Michigan State Police, and righting these wrongs according to Landon Bartley, senior planner at the City of Grand Rapids, is exactly what city officials want to do when it comes to people of color accessing the marijuana industry. 

“The commissioners were saying how do we make it easier for people of color to participate in this industry.” 

In an effort to incentivize people of color to apply for licenses the city commission passed the Marijuana Industry Voluntary Equitable Development Agreement – an agreement that according to Bartley was created to prioritize applicants who live in the city of Grand Rapids, as long as they pay the city’s application fee of $5,000, commit to hiring 30 employees, and meet the minimum amount of capital required by the state which runs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. 

“We know that there is a greater proportion of people of color living in the general target area than outside of it. That’s a factor that we can use by incentivizing participation of people within the general target area but we can’t look at the applicant’s color.” 

But Tami Vandenberg, a local marijuana advocate, says that the only way the City of Grand Rapids can ensure the industry benefits people of color is by reducing barriers.

“Smallest licensing fees, smallest capital requirements that is how you get the absolute most amount of people in – which is going to be more women, more people of color.” 

Despite their efforts, the majority of those who applied for a medical license in Grand Rapids were large out of town companies, according to the latest data from the City of Grand Rapids. 

Michelle Jokisch Polo, WGVU News. 

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