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CJEI guests say New York’s MRTA offered promise but left barriers for impacted communities
Summary
On BronxNet’s Social Justice Forum, Terrence Coffey and Jameel Mairi said New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act set equity goals but the rollout has left capital, real‑estate and outreach gaps that keep many formerly incarcerated people and marginalized neighborhoods from participating in the legal cannabis industry.
Professor Terrence Coffey, co‑founder and executive director of the Cannabis Justice & Equity Initiative, and Jameel Mairi, co‑founder and chief operating officer of CGEI, told BronxNet’s Social Justice Forum that New York’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) created a framework for equity but that significant barriers remain for communities harmed by past cannabis enforcement.
Coffey said the MRTA, signed into law on 03/31/2021, promised to correct racial disparities in enforcement and to build an equitable legal market. "We really carry the burden," he said, arguing that Black and Brown communities and people who remain incarcerated for past cannabis offenses have not yet reaped the economic benefits of legalization.…
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