New rules stir fear Black Missourians will once again lose out in marijuana licensing

When a marijuana legalization amendment was being criticized last year over concerns it would calcify the lack of Black participation in the burgeoning industry, Adolphus Pruitt was one of its most vociferous defenders.

Pruitt, the president of the St. Louis City NAACP, and other local NAACP leaders insisted the constitutional amendment establish a “microbusiness license” program. The intent was to award marijuana licenses to business owners who live in communities that have long felt the brunt of marijuana criminalization — and studies show that’s largely Black communities.

But Pruitt’s tone changed recently when he saw the fine print in the requirements for the microbusiness license application the state will release on June 6.

“I was shocked,” Pruitt said when he saw the list of ZIP codes the state deemed as qualifying for historic high rates of incarceration for marijuana-related offenses.

Of the 121 ZIP codes listed, nine are in the St. Louis region — but none are in north St. Louis where about half of the state’s Black population resides.

Three are ZIP codes for P.O. Boxes — two in downtown St. Louis and one in St. Charles.