Article by Marijuana Business Daily
Leadership positions in Canada’s regulated marijuana sector continue to be held predominantly by white males, according to a statistical analysis released this week.
The new analysis from the University of Toronto’s Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation included 700 executives and directors across 166 licensed cannabis producers and 56 parent companies.
It concluded that 84% of those leaders were white, and 16% were non-white:
- 6% were South Asian.
- 3% were East and Southeast Asian.
- 2% were Indigenous.
- 2% were Arab.
- 1% were Black.
- 1% were Latino.
Most of the Indigenous people included in the analysis are from the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs, which holds a majority stake in a licensed producer.
If those leaders were excluded, the analysis notes, Indigenous people would only comprise 0.6% of Canada’s cannabis leaders.
Four per cent of Canada’s federal cannabis licenses have been granted to Indigenous-affiliated companies as of September, according to figures provided to Marijuana Business Daily by Health Canada.
Eighty-six percent of the cannabis industry leaders analyzed by the University of Toronto were male, and 14% were female.