MJ Biz write
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Trulieve Cannabis has settled a lawsuit with a Black former middle manager who accused the Florida-based medical marijuana multistate operator in a complaint filed last month of paying her and other Black employees less than whites.
According to court records filed April 13, Florida-based Trulieve reached a settlement with Brooke Bennett, who worked as a manager in the company’s 200-person St. Petersburg call center from August 2018 to 2022.
Terms of the settlement weren’t disclosed.
But Bennett’s claims come at a time when the cannabis industry continues to struggle to extend opportunity to racial minorities, whose ownership of marijuana businesses and representation in C-suites are dwindling.
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Last year, only 12.1% of U.S. marijuana executives were nonwhite, down from 13.1% in 2021 and 28% in 2019, according to the 2022 MJBizDaily report, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Cannabis Industry.”
It’s a similar story for cannabis business ownership by racial minorities.
Bennett’s suit also highlights the struggles encountered by marijuana industry employees, particularly those from marginalized groups.
To learn more about Trulieve’s settlement with Bennett as well as diversity in the cannabis industry, check out today’s Featured story by MJBizDaily reporter Chris Roberts.
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