The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), in partnership with the Bureau of Cannabis Control, has announced $15 million in grant funding through the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions. This program seeks to advance economic justice for populations and communities disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition by providing funding to local jurisdictions that are committed to promoting equity in the legal cannabis marketplace and eliminating barriers to entering the regulated cannabis industry.
“Cannabis prohibition and criminalization has had devastating impacts on generations of Californians,” said Nicole Elliott, senior advisor on cannabis to Governor Newsom. “As we work to safely reopen our economy, leading with equity across all sectors will ensure a just recovery and further our commitment to create a truly diverse legal industry. These efforts stand as a testament to our values as a state, and I applaud the work being done by these jurisdictions as they thoughtfully embrace this challenge.”
Individuals convicted of a cannabis offense and their families suffer the long-term consequences of prohibition and criminalization. These individuals have a more difficult time entering the adult-use cannabis industry due, in part, to a lack of access to capital, business space, technical support, and regulatory compliance assistance. Jurisdictions will use this funding to develop their cannabis equity programs and assist their equity program applicants and licensees by providing low/no-interest loans or grants, reduced licensing fees or waived fees, and technical assistance, including one-on-one consulting and training and navigation assistance with cannabis licensing and regulatory requirements.
At least $11.5 million of the funding, in the form of low/no-interest loans or grants, will be directly allocated to cannabis equity applicants and licensees specifically identified by local jurisdictions as being linked to populations or communities that were negatively or disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition and criminalization.
Locally, the City of Modesto is slated to receive a $75,000 grant. The grant awards build upon the $40 million in cannabis equity funding awarded by the State of California.
