Mildred Barnes Griggs wanted to get into the cannabis business to revitalize the economy of her small hometown of Marianna, Arkansas. But when she and her expert team applied for a license to grow, all they got was disappointment. Their application was supposed to be judged on merit, but, in this case, the meaning of merit isn’t all that clear.
This story is Part 3 of 8 in a series called Fair Shake, about what drug laws and the cannabis business can teach us about social equity in the U.S.
Listen to Part 1: A Laboratory for Fairness and Part 2: Black-owned.
Written and reported by Ann Marie Awad, with Mona Zhang of Politico
Lead producers: Luis Antonio Perez & Rebekah Romberg
Editor: Dennis Funk
Music: Daniel Mescher, Brad Turner
Executive producers: Brad Turner, Kevin Dale
Additional producers: Jo Erickson
Illustrator: Jonell Joshua
Thanks also to Kim Nguyen, Jodi Gersh, Clara Shelton, Matt Herz, Martin Skavish, Rachel Estabrook, Francie Swidler.
On Twitter: @COPublicRadio
