{"id":49129,"date":"2021-07-28T09:43:20","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T17:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/07\/28\/colorado-governor-announces-new-cannabis-business-office-with-focus-on-social-equity\/"},"modified":"2021-07-28T13:45:34","modified_gmt":"2021-07-28T21:45:34","slug":"colorado-governor-announces-new-cannabis-business-office-with-focus-on-social-equity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/07\/28\/colorado-governor-announces-new-cannabis-business-office-with-focus-on-social-equity\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado Governor Announces New Cannabis Business Office With Focus On Social Equity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-100.jpg\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1500\"> <\/p>\n<p>Colorado officials on Wednesday announced the launch of a new office to provide economic support for the state\u2019s marijuana industry.<\/p>\n<p>The Cannabis Business Office (CBO) \u201cshows our administration\u2019s focus on growing this thriving industry that supports jobs and our economy,\u201d Gov. Jared Polis (D) said in a press release.<\/p>\n<p>The division, which was created as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/leg.colorado.gov\/bills\/sb21-111\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bill<\/a> signed into law in March, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-governor-signs-marijuana-social-equity-bill-as-lawmakers-vote-to-increase-possession-limit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">being funded by cannabis tax revenue<\/a>. It will focus on creating \u201cnew economic development opportunities, local job creation, and community growth for the diverse population across Colorado.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Importantly, it will be prioritizing social equity, offering resources to people from communities most impacted by marijuana criminalization. That includes loans for equity businesses, grants to support job creation and technical assistance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis office will offer tools like technical help and improve access to money for businesses,\u201d Polis <a href=\"https:\/\/oedit.colorado.gov\/press-release\/new-cannabis-business-office-to-support-innovation-and-job-creation-in-colorados\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said<\/a>. \u201cWhere the federal government has fallen behind, Colorado will lead. Colorado is, and always has been, the best place to live, work, grow and sell cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/jaredpolis\/posts\/10159465147177530\" data-width=\"552\" \/>\n<p>The governor had initially asked lawmakers back in January to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-governor-requests-5m-to-support-marijuana-entrepreneurs-and-social-equity-businesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">create a new a new cannabis advancement program<\/a> as part of his budget proposal.<\/p>\n<p>CBO will fall under the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Tristan Watkins, the new Cannabis Program manager, said it will \u201cprovide novel and ambitious programming to provide more equitable opportunity in the cannabis industry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs the office expands, we are confident it will further solidify Colorado as the leader in the nation\u2019s cannabis industry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ColoradoCBO\/posts\/107062265010901\" data-width=\"552\" \/>\n<p>Beyond this <a href=\"https:\/\/oedit.colorado.gov\/cannabis-business-office\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">program<\/a>, the state has worked to achieve equity and repair the harms of prohibition in other ways.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Polis signed a bill in May to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-governor-signs-bill-to-double-marijuana-possession-limit-and-calls-for-pardons-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">double the marijuana possession limit for adults<\/a> in the state\u2014and he directed state law enforcement to identify people with prior convictions for the new limit who he may be able to pardon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2014<br \/>\n<strong>Marijuana Moment is already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tracking more than 1,100 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9128 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-99.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Learn more about our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/bills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/marijuanamoment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.<br \/>\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The governor signed an executive order last year that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-governor-grants-thousands-of-marijuana-pardons-with-new-clemency-powers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">granted clemency to almost 3,000 people<\/a>\u00a0convicted of possessing one ounce or less of marijuana.<\/p>\n<p>Funding for the new office is made possible by tax revenue from a booming cannabis market in the state. In the first three months of 2021 alone, the state saw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-sold-more-than-half-a-billion-dollars-in-legal-marijuana-in-2021s-first-three-months\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more than half a billion dollars in marijuana sales<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The lack of access to federal financial support for marijuana businesses became a pronounced issue amid the coronavirus pandemic, with the Small Business Administration saying it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/businesses-that-indirectly-work-with-marijuana-industry-ineligible-for-federal-coronavirus-loans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unable to offer those companies its services<\/a>, as well as those that provide ancillary services such as accounting and law firms.<\/p>\n<p>Polis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-governor-asks-congress-to-let-marijuana-businesses-get-coronavirus-aid-funds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote a letter to a member of the Colorado congressional delegation<\/a> last year seeking a policy change to give the industry the same resources that were made available to other legal markets.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"02RILtWxtq\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/analysis-house-vote-on-aocs-psychedelics-research-amendment-shows-rising-support-despite-defeat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Analysis: House Vote On AOC\u2019s Psychedelics Research Amendment Shows Rising Support Despite Defeat<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p \/>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-governor-announces-new-cannabis-business-office-with-focus-on-social-equity\/\" target=\"_blank\">Colorado Governor Announces New Cannabis Business Office With Focus On Social Equity<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\" target=\"_blank\">Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&#013;<br \/>\n&#013;<br \/>\nRead More: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marijuanamoment.net\/colorado-governor-announces-new-cannabis-business-office-with-focus-on-social-equity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Colorado Governor Announces New Cannabis Business Office With Focus On Social Equity<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colorado officials on Wednesday announced the launch of a new office to provide economic support for the state\u2019s marijuana industry. The Cannabis Business Office (CBO) \u201cshows our administration\u2019s focus on growing this thriving industry that supports jobs and our economy,\u201d Gov. Jared Polis (D) said in a press release. The<span class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/07\/28\/colorado-governor-announces-new-cannabis-business-office-with-focus-on-social-equity\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":49130,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49129"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49131,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49129\/revisions\/49131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}