Editor's note: This article has been reviewed and updated for accuracy in 2026. As legal cannabis takes shape across the United States we are seeing positive outcomes in legal states. The cannabis industry is projected to reach over $30 billion by 2023 and has also sustained over 250000 much-needed jobs during these pandemic times. One thing that has been fairly slow off the mark is people of color entering the growing cannabis market. In this article, we will discuss the past, present and future of this predicament we are seeing unfold in the industry that is often compared to the Californian Gold Rush of 1848. The True Color of Cannabis History To understand where we are today and where we are heading we also need to understand the past. A very dark past in the history of the world and that was a racial bias that was very much prevalent for the past few centuries. Let's be honest black, brown and yellow people have not exactly been included on the same playing field as whites in almost every industry across the spectrum. It goes back to the days of slavery where African Americans played a major role in the development of the agricultural industry during the 19th century. This was largely due to the widespread practice of slavery, especially so in the hemp and cotton industries. “Hemp… is abundantly productive an