FIND MORE MARIJUANA COVERAGE AT WESTWORD.COM/MARIJUANA MARIJUANA TOKE OF THE TOWN Hispanics in Cannabis BY THOMAS MITCHELL Cannabis and the Hispanic community have a long connection in America, and that rela- tionship is as dark as it is deep. “Marijuana,” perhaps the most com- mon word used to describe the plant in the United States, is of Latin American origin. The term was quickly weaponized against Spanish-speaking communities and can- nabis users in the early 1900s, however, with law enforcement and the feds attach- ing a racist connotation to it. Decades later, the country’s fi rst federal cannabis arrest involved a Mexican-American man: Moses Baca was arrested (in Denver, no less) in 1937 for buying and possessing a quarter-ounce of pot, for which he served over a year in prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. Hispanics have often been on the painful side of America’s cannabis story, and the com- munity is still waiting for its much-deserved rewards from legalization, according to Jer- rico Perez. An attorney at law offi ce Vicente Sederberg and a boardmember of the National Hispanic Cannabis Council, Perez transi- tioned from criminal defense to cannabis law in 2014, and has since helped business owners attain cannabis licenses across the country. As Hispanic Heritage Month begins Sep- tember 15, we caught up with Perez to learn more about the community’s relationship with legal cannabis, and the steps needed to repair so many years of pain. Westword: How do you think Hispanics are represented in legal cannabis? Do you feel like there’s a fair amount of opportunity? Jerrico Perez: Currently, Hispanics are far underrepresented in legal cannabis, which is ironic, because they have been dispro- portionately punished for cannabis use for decades. Right now, there is not a fair amount of opportunity. How important is it to have Hispanics rep- resented in trades connected to cannabis, such as law or other ancillary areas in lawmaking, regulation or fi nance? It is incredibly important. Hispanics make 32 up a large portion of the U.S. population. If we don’t have voices from that population involved in the industry, we can’t expect to reap the full benefi ts that legalization has to offer. It’s no secret that inclusion stimulates economic growth. Even more important and obvious is the duty we have to rectify the decades of disproportionate damage that His- panics have experienced on behalf of the War on Drugs. Including Hispanics and other POC in an industry born of their incarceration is essential to our work in this industry. Communities of color have been vocal about their desire to partici- pate and profi t from legal cannabis. Have Hispanic groups and business own- ers been vocal enough about this? Should they be? I don’t think that they have been incredibly vo- cal, but we shouldn’t nec- essarily put this burden on them. Regulators and other stakeholders should be vocal about the need for Hispanics to partici- pate in the industry. We need to provide access to economic benefits, Spanish-speaking edu- cational materials, and outreach and mentorship for Hispanics and other POC to have fair access to opportunities in the legal industry. That said, we are starting to see more vocal- ization from the Hispanic population in the industry, with establishment of organizations like the National Hispanic Cannabis Council. It is important to Hispanics to unify their voice and representation in the industry. Are Hispanic-owned cannabis businesses in Colorado, California or elsewhere common? No, they aren’t. In fact, we have very few Hispanic clients. Starting and maintaining a business in this industry requires massive amounts of resources. From business planning to legal fees to dealing with state regulators, the fi nancial burden and level of sophistication required just don’t make this a viable option for a population of people that have been historically oppressed and left behind by the government now running the show. How have Hispanics put their cultural mark on commercial cannabis? How would you like to see it done? I think Hispanics are just starting to put their cultural mark on cannabis. Without having signifi cant representation in the in- dustry, it’s been hard to accomplish. Now that representation is growing and Hispanics are becoming more active in the industry, I think we will see more of that culture come through. Hispanic populations have historically used marijuana as a spiritual and healing tool, and I think that will be an important aspect of the mark Hispanic culture will make on the industry. Attorney Jerrico Perez is on the board of the National Hispanic Cannabis Council. How hard is it to get a marijuana business license nowadays in Colorado? How much harder has it become? At the state level, getting a license is not incredibly complicated. The process is pretty streamlined at this point. However, on the local level, with local limitations and mora- toriums, getting a license can be very diffi cult in Colorado. We are seeing more buying and selling of licenses than new clients who want to obtain a new license. If you were an aspiring cannabis business owner, which state would you be looking toward right now? If I had unlimited fi nancial resources, I would be looking toward states with lim- ited licensing structures, such as Florida or Alabama, where licenses will be valued upwards of $20 million. If I did not have unlimited fi nancial resources, as is the case for most aspiring cannabis business owners, I would be looking toward states that have a low bar for license issuance and allow unlimited licensing and wholesale distribution, such as Mississippi. In ei- ther instance, I would be looking toward new states as opposed to more estab- lished markets like Colorado, California or Oklahoma. Suggest future interview subjects at [email protected]. SEPTEMBER 15-21, 2022 WESTWORD | REAL ESTATE | RENTALS | HEALTH WELLNESS | SERVICES | EMPLOYMENT | ADULT | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | westword.com COURTESY OF VICENTE SEDERBERG
