“I have been working with the African American community in my area for six years to get licenses and know first-hand this analysis is true. I will continue to fight for economic opportunities for everyone in our region and state,” said Rep. Paul Jacobs.
I encourage you to read this opinion by Will Jones III printed by the AFRO News:
“For years, I lived in a neighborhood where the closest store to my house in any direction was a liquor store or convenience store plastered with ads for tobacco, alcohol and the lottery. It was no accident. These stores weren’t serving the community, they were feeding off of it.
“I watched neighbors struggle with addiction, families trapped in cycles of poverty and young people surrounded by messages telling them that their value was in what they could smoke, drink or gamble away.
“Confronted daily with the predatory tactics of the addiction-for-profit marijuana industry—especially in its targeting of minority communities—I became firmly opposed to any legislation that would commercialize marijuana or regulate it like alcohol. (Read the full article HERE.)