3 years ago, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana.

And in a speech in 2020, Governor JB Pritzker made it clear he wanted to do things differently

than other states.

Almost all states that have legalized have done so in a way that produced a multi-billion

dollar industry dominated by a handful of corporations and individuals that lack diversity.

In other words, Pritzker was saying the cannabis industry was extremely white.

And Illinois wanted to change that by writing legislation with the goal of making the industry

more diverse.

Illinois is attempting to produce a cannabis industry that actually looks like Illinois.

But three years on, only a handful of minority-owned cannabis businesses have opened in the state.

Other states are also trying to make their cannabis industries more equitable.

But our colleague V. Paul Manga says that black and minority entrepreneurs still face an uphill

battle in this growing industry.

The social equity programs that have been put in place so far are going to be very disappointing.

And that ultimately, there's going to be a lot of frustration on the part of minority

communities because they will be largely shut out from the cannabis business.

Welcome to the journal, our show about money, business and power.

I'm Kay Limbaugh.

It's Tuesday, December 20th.

Coming up on the show, the struggle to diversify the cannabis industry.

The scientists of today are creating the next big thing.

On the Wall Street Journal's future of everything podcast, get an early listen to what tomorrow

...