By Scott Simon, NPR on November 26, 2022

Scott Simon speaks with Matthew Robinson, a Black business owner who was arrested twice for marijuana possession and recently received a license to open a cannabis dispensary in New York state.

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

This week, 36 applicants in New York state learned they would be allowed to open stores to sell cannabis for recreational adult use. The state gave priority to people who’d been arrested for a marijuana-related offense when the substance was still illegal in New York, a move that’s intended to correct for discrimination in the past. One of those recipients is Matthew Robinson, a 36-year-old Black business owner in Troy, near Albany. He was arrested twice for marijuana possession and later served 12 years for his involvement in a robbery of a convenience store. He joins us now. Thanks for being with us, Mr. Robinson.

– Read the entire article at NPR.