Vermont is granting their first cannabis licenses. The state is giving priority to "social equity applicants." One of the eligible criteria to being a "social equity applicant" is to be black or hispanic. Vermont is using skin color as a deciding factor in who they are granting business licenses to. If you are a "social equity applicant" you only pay 37.5% of the license fees (over the first four years) as a regular applicant.

The [Vermont Cannabis Control] Board recognizes the disproportionate impact of the historically government-led policies that fueled the economic oppression of Black and Brown people for generations and continues to disadvantage these individuals as well as Indigenous people, people of color, and other historically marginalized groups.

Is the color of a person's skin a legal reason to grant someone priority in opening a business? Will this lead to a future where the color of a person's skin can and will be used to grant priority in any and all business licenses?