Social Equity

Minnesota cannabis officials have announced a $2 million grant program to support cannabis farmers and organizations that are working to help cannabis farmers in the state.

In a recent ruling, a Minnesota judge ordered officials to proceed with the social equity cannabis pre-licensing lottery that the state previously abandoned amid multiple lawsuits.

The California Governor’s Office has announced over $18 million in funding for local governments to support cannabis social equity applicants and licensees.

Nevada County, California is set to receive $500,000 in grant funding from the state to support cannabis social equity programs.

The launch of Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis industry has been delayed at least several months after officials abandoned a social equity early licensing plan this month, moving instead to open with general licensing later next year.

Eighteen New York organizations including civil rights groups, small business organizations, cannabis social equity leaders, and drug research advocates expressed concern in a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul about the administration’s perceived pivot away from the state’s cannabis social equity commitments.

A Minnesota judge blocked the state’s cannabis social equity license lottery this week in light of several lawsuits filed by applicants whose applications were denied last week.

Two lawsuits filed against the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management aim to delay the state’s social equity licensing lottery after the agency denied about two-thirds of the social equity applicants.

Minnesota officials this week denied about 1,200 cannabis social equity applicants, two-thirds of those who applied, for issues ranging from inadequate paperwork to “flooding” the application pool in an attempt to improve the odds of receiving a license.

Only seven of Missouri’s first 24 social equity cannabis dispensary license winners have been formally certified by state officials, while the other 17 were found to be ineligible by the Division of Cannabis Regulations.

The Social Equity Council in Connecticut engaged in “questionable business practices,” according to a recent audit by the state Comptroller’s Office, but officials were not found to have broken state laws.

Minnesota cannabis officials have received 1,817 applications for cannabis industry licenses. The first licenses will go to social equity applicants, and regulators have verified social equity status for 2,307 individuals, mostly veterans and people with cannabis-related convictions.

Delaware is earmarking $6.2 million in funding for social-equity cannabis industry applicants, including $4.2 million from industry application fees and an additional $2 million allocated by state lawmakers.

Delaware cannabis officials have warned that out-of-state entities are looking to scam potential social equity applicants by contacting them and trying to deceive them into helping pay for an adult-use cannabis license.

Officials with the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management said they had received more than 700 applications for social equity licenses within the first 24 hours of the application window opening.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently visited the Bloomfield cannabis company Prolific GrowHouse after the company unveiled a new cannabis strain named after the governor, ‘Murphy’s Sourz.’

Between 30-40% of Minnesota adults could qualify as applicants to the state’s cannabis social equity program under rules approved by state lawmakers earlier this year.

Minnesota House lawmakers last week passed social equity cannabis licensing provisions and other adjustments to the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis program.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey awarded grants totaling $2,350,000 to 50 cannabis social equity businesses in the state through the state’s Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund.

The Colorado governor’s office has announced the new Access to Experts pilot program — offered in collaboration with the Cannabis Business Office — to support the state’s social equity licensed cannabis operators.