Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs struggle for traction in Black and Indigenous entrepreneurs struggle for traction in Canada's cannabis industry Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation report shows little diversity in leadership of cannabis sector Joyita Sengupta - CBC News Posted: 11 Hours Ago Last Updated: 3 Hours Ago A new report reveals 84 per cent of Canadas cannabis industry leaders are white. Black entrepreneurs in the industry try to push through the systemic barriers in their way. 2:22 Read Comments Ashley and Michael Athill, the brother and sister team behind a new Black-owned craft cannabis cultivator called HRVSTR, have had their growing facility in place since May of last year. But up until now, they haven't been able to grow or sell any product. Located in Ontario's Durham region, the pair finally received their licence last week and are one final municipal inspection away from getting started. The high start-up cost is what they point to as the foremost reason why they haven't met a single other Black-owned cannabis cultivator in Canada. "It's a difficult thing for anybody to achieve coming from my background," Michael said. ADVERTISEMENT While the Athills were able to self-fund HRVSTR with their own savings and assets, they acknowledged that income inequality along racial lines makes it more difficult for other Black entrepreneurs to do the same. "We essentially have to build the facility before we even submit an application. So that's not even just rent, but that's also utilities and it's all the equipment that we need to purchase," Michael added. Michael and Ashley Athill Ashley and Michael Athill, the CEO and COO of HRVSTR, say they have yet to meet any other fellow Black-owned Canadian cannabis cultivation companies. They point to the high cost of facilities and licensing wait times as barriers to success. (Joe Fiorino/CBC) Ashley began looking for a way into the cannabis industry in 2012 when she heard legalization was looking like a possibility. She recalls standing out at conferences and industry events. "I think it's pretty common knowledge that [the industry] is predominantly white, but that didn't deter me at all because I knew a lot about cannabis," said Ashley. "I had value to bring to the industry as a person of colour, as a woman of colour." A policy brief released Oct. 14 by the Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation and the University of Toronto looked at c-suite level executives, parent companies and licensed producers in Canada. The research reveals that two years after legalization, 84 per cent of cannabis industry leaders are white and 86 per cent are men. The report found that only 2 per cent of industry leaders are Indigenous, and just 1 per cent are Black.