Equitable Opportunities Now submitted the comments below with these suggested red-lined edits to the Cannabis Control Commission in response to a call for public comments to their proposed draft Model […]
Tag: Cannabis Social Equity Advisory Board
EOED Assistant Secretary for Communities and Programs Juan Vega will share general information about the agency’s plans for the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund and share the EOED’s progress in implementing the changes included in the FY23 supplemental budget (that you helped to pass!) in coordination with the Legislature, Executive Office of Administration & Finance, Comptroller’s Office, and other government partners.
Yesterday, the Legislature passed, and Gov. Maura Healey signed, the closeout FY23 supplemental budget that will unlock millions of dollars in grants and loans to cannabis equity businesses. This is an important step toward creating economic opportunity for communities harmed by the war on drugs, as envisioned by voters when they passed Question 4.
“The law passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Maura Healey today will unlock millions of dollars in grants and loans to cannabis equity businesses. This is an important step toward creating economic opportunity for communities harmed by the war on drugs, as envisioned by voters when they passed Question 4.
“We appreciate all the work that Gov. Healey’s Administration has done in preparation for the launch of the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund and hope they will work quickly to roll out a simple, transparent, user-friendly application process as soon as possible.”
The group Equitable Opportunities Now, which “educates and empowers people of color to become active participants in the Massachusetts legal cannabis market,” is on top of the situation, and has sent two letters to Beacon Hill lawmakers this month outlining the situation as well as the stakes.
Equitable Opportunities Now, a nonprofit that has fought for equitable cannabis policies since the passage of Question 4 — including Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2022, which created the new fund last year — is asking legislators to make an immediate one-time $50 million investment in the fund before the end of the year in addition to passing Gov. Healey’s proposed long-term fix.
The investments and policy decisions we make now will have a lasting impact on whether we create a truly equitable industry.
Are we equitably reinvesting cannabis revenue in communities harmed by the war on drugs?
The investments and policy decisions we make now will have a lasting impact on whether we create a truly equitable industry.
Sign up for this virtual session to share and/or listen to recommendations and concerns from Economic Empowerment applicants & licensees, Social Equity Program participants, entrepreneurs from disparately harmed communities, and other stakeholders about how we can ensure effective and equitable implementation of An Act Relative to Equity in the Cannabis Industry!