Equitable Opportunities Now
While the House funded the cannabis equity grant and loan fund with 20% of excess cannabis revenue, the Senate only included 10% in their bill – putting tens of millions of dollars that could support Black and brown entrepreneurs at risk!
We need your help now to make sure this vital program is fully funded by emailing and calling your state senator and representative before it’s too late!
“..although Massachusetts led the nation by being the first state to require cannabis regulators like us to create economic empowerment pathways for communities most harmed by the war on drugs, we lag behind other states that have created, among other solutions, funds for small businesses to access capital. A final bill to create a fund for Massachusetts with 20% of excess tax revenue will help to level the playing field for our residents.”
An all-white Conference Committee will negotiate key differences between House and Senate cannabis reform bills, including whether the social equity trust fund should receive the full 20% of cannabis revenues envisioned by the law and included in the House, or just the 10% allocated by the Senate.
Please take a moment right now to urge your state legislators to ask the Conference Committee to strengthen the equity provisions of the final omnibus cannabis reform bill! Here’s how to take action:
“It is deeply troubling that none of the legislators of color in either chamber who championed these issues will be at the table to decide how accessible this new industry will be to local entrepreneurs of color and from communities most harmed by the war on drugs,” said Equitable Opportunities Now Co-Founder and Question 4 Co-Author Shanel Lindsay. “Now, the spotlight is on Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Ron Mariano and conferees to deliver a bill that reflects their stated commitment to equity.”
The House increased its proposed cannabis equity funding from 15 percent to 20 percent, thanks to Rep. Tyler’s advocacy and the support of leadership. Unfortunately, the Senate bill only allocated 10 percent.
Now is the time to let your state representatives and senators know that you hope they will encourage the Conference Committee to fully fund equity with 20 percent of cannabis revenue in the final bill.
Under the state’s current social equity program, only 23 of the state’s 253 licensed cannabis businesses are owned by entrepreneurs qualified for the economic empowerment and social equity programs administered by the Cannabis Control Commission. Shanel Lindsay, the co-founder of the advocacy group Equitable Opportunities Now, praised lawmakers in the House for the change and urged senators to retain the higher percentage in a compromise version of the bill.
We need your support in contacting YOUR Massachusetts State House Representative to ask them to support the Cannabis Omnibus Bill, including Amendment 1 to H4791 that increases the % allocated to the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund from the current proposed 15% to 20%.
Please join us Thursday (4/28) at 12 p.m. for EON’s virtual Rally for Cannabis Equity!
Come hear and amplify the stories of the entrepreneurs who will be most impacted by social equity cannabis reforms and hear from our partners in government Sen. Sonia Chang Diaz, Rep. Chynah Tyler, and Cannabis Control Commissioner Nurys Camargo.
“We are excited and thankful to the Senate for pushing this bill forward, but disappointed by the low allocation to the equity fund,” said Shanel Lindsay
Good morning community, urgent action is needed this week! Please take a moment today to contact Massachusetts local Senators asking them to VOTE YES on Senate Bill 2801 this week. […]