The following is part of a letter written by the policy team at Equitable Opportunities Now, a nonprofit that “educates and empowers people of color to become active participants in the Massachusetts legal cannabis market,” to state lawmakers who are currently considering multiple critical cannabis bills. This part of their testimony addresses barriers to equitable participation and the promotion of businesses owned by and career pathways for justice-involved individuals. We also published EON’s research on where Mass cannabis tax revenue is going and whether the state is equitably reinvesting in communities harmed by the war on drugs here. -TJM Editors
Guest Opinion: Black And Brown Cannabis Entrepreneurs Can’t Afford To Keep Waiting | Talking Joints Memo
The investments and policy decisions we make now will have a lasting impact on whether we create a truly equitable industry.
![Picture of Equitable Opportunities Now team at 2022 Celebration of Equity Champions at Black Market in Roxbury. Image includes: - EON Lead Trainer Laury Lucien, - EON Programming Co-Chair Eve Marie Santana, - Cannabis Control Commissioner Nurys Camargo, - Rep. Chynah Tyler, - EON Co-Founder Shanel Lindsay, - Director of Business Strategy for the Mayor's Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Alia Hamada Forrest, - EON Co-Founder and former Commissioner Shanel Lindsay, - Former Sen. Sonia Chang Diaz, - BECMA Policy and Advocacy Lead Darien Johnson, - EON Policy Co-Chair Armani Whitr - EON Media Director Ian Powell](https://masseon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/DSC_0323-1200x914.jpg)