Social Equity

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board said it will prioritize social equity opportunities in the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis market.

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) reintroduced the MORE Act on Friday, which seeks to end cannabis prohibition and establish new federal social equity provisions and opportunities.

The Illinois House of Representatives passed a social equity cannabis licensing bill this week; the proposal now moves to the Senate for consideration.

The city of Denver is set to license new cannabis businesses for the first time since 2016 but new applicants must meet the city’s social equity requirements, and some neighborhoods will be excluded as they are already oversaturated with cannabis businesses.

Edmund DeVeaux is a New Jersey-based cannabis industry lobbyist and President of the New Jersey CannaBusiness Association.

Washington’s new cannabis social equity provisions, which will offer grant funding and expert advice for qualifying individuals, were signed into law on Monday.

Gretchen Schmidt is the Faculty Program Director for Excelsior College’s Graduate Certificate in Cannabis Control.

The City Council in Denver, Colorado is poised to approve regulations establishing cannabis delivery, retail social equity licensing, and new social consumption options in the city.

Washington state failed to pass key updates to its medical and adult-use cannabis systems this year, including the state’s long-awaited home grow bill.

The Connecticut Judiciary Committee approved the governor’s cannabis legalization proposal this week, moving it one step closer to a full floor vote.

Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said last week the city is ready to legalize adult-use cannabis sales as soon as the Congressional rider blocking the reforms is gone.

Illinois set a new monthly cannabis sales record in March with $109 million worth of cannabis sold.

Cannabis use and possession are officially legal in New York after Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed the state’s legalization bill into law on Wednesday.

The recently opened Legal Greens in Brockton, Massachusetts is the first Black woman-owned recreational cannabis dispensary on the East Coast.

The National Hispanic Cannabis Council launched on Thursday to raise awareness around cannabis-related health, economic, and legal issues and to promote participation and leadership in the cannabis industry.

An Illinois proposal would establish new cannabis industry licenses after leaked documents revealed that just two percent of registered Illinois cannabis business owners last year were Black or Latino.

California officials are awarding $15 million in grant funding to localities, much of which will be distributed as low- or no-interest loans or grants for cannabis equity applicants.

Alvin Edwards is the founder of Fruits of Our Labor, which hires former prisoners to provide professional services; David Moss is the chief development officer for cannabis dispensary From the Earth. Together, they have created an equity-building partnership in cannabis.

In new amendments to his adult-use cannabis proposal, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is calling for a $100 million Cannabis Social Equity Fund and for establishing cannabis delivery in the state.

New social equity legislation in Massachusetts includes language establishing cannabis business loans, loan forgiveness, and more.

Former NBA All-Star Chris Webber and JW Asset Management LLC have joined to launch a $100 million private equity fund aimed at investing in cannabis companies led by entrepreneurs of color.

A recent Cannabis Compliance Board report in Nevada found that most cannabis industry operators in Nevada are white, male, and older than 34-years-old.

The Washington State Task Force on Social Equity in Cannabis has called for the state to prioritize race over location for equity applicants and to let funds reserved for equity applicants go to current licensees who would meet the program’s requirements.

A group of Oregon activists, business owners, and lawmakers have put forward the Oregon Cannabis Social Equity Act, which aims to use cannabis tax dollars to help repair damage done by the racist drug war.