As seen in TapintoSOMA

MAPLEWOOD, NJ –  On Wednesday, September 21st, 2022, SOMA Action Cannabis Equity Initiative Committee will host a social equity and expungement event at The Woodland in Maplewood. This event is designed to address the disparate impact that cannabis arrests have on minority communities. Criminal records can have a debilitating generational impact on the lives and livelihoods of individuals and their families. Formerly incarcerated people often suffer from restricted access to employment, housing, banking, education, professional opportunities, and voting.

According to committee member Jill Cohen, Founder of TheCannaBossLady and Cannabis Dispensary License Awardee, “cannabis usage is nearly identical across all racial groups, but arrests for cannabis disproportionately affect communities of color. We need to support the legacy operators who created this industry and their families who were affected by the war on drugs.”