CHICAGO, IL — On Wednesday, October 2nd, 2019, the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus(CABC) is demanding for opportunities and economic justice for African Americans. This concern is prompted by the City of Chicago’s existing plan for businesses preparing to offer recreational marijuana use on January 1, 2020. According to the Department of Planning & Development’s current plan, eleven existing businesses will utilize their current location as a recreational site to sell recreational marijuana in the first year of legalization. However, these same eleven businesses will be given the opportunity to exclusively open a second recreational site, in the first year, before new businesses get a chance to bid. Of the existing eleven businesses, none of the owners are African Americans. This current plan gives an unfair advantage to current cannabis owners and no opportunities for African American participation. The CABC is demanding for African American participation with cannabis now.
