California marijuana regulators announced on Tuesday that the state is launching a first-of-its-kind grant program to support cities and counties in establishing local cannabis business licensing programs to address unmet consumer demand and help curb the illicit market.<\/p>\n
The Department of Cannabis Control\u2019s (DCC) Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grant will provide $20 million in funding to localities across the state, prioritizing those where surveys show a disconnect between the availability of licensed retailers and rates of cannabis use among adults.<\/p>\n
Local governments are eligible if they currently have no retail licensing programs but plan to develop and implement one. Jurisdictions that intend to support equity-centric licensing policies will also be prioritized.<\/p>\n
DCC has already identified 18 counties throughout the state where \u201cthe proportion of licensed cannabis retail outlets is low compared to its share of consumer consumption,\u201d including Fresno County, Orange County and San Diego County.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause cannabis consumers within these areas would benefit from expanded access to licensed cannabis, these counties\u2014and the cities within them\u2014will receive priority review should they apply for a grant and implement a permitting program,\u201d the department said.<\/p>\n
\nTo ensure all California consumers can access legal cannabis products, California has allocated $20 million for the Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grant. Awarded funding will help local governments implement retail licensing programs. Find out more here: https:\/\/t.co\/uVW9sTiLKh<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/gksJxmOvmJ<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 CA Department of Cannabis Control (@CAcannabisdept) February 14, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
Localities that have opted out of allowing marijuana retailers, with no plans to license them in the future, are ineligible for the grants. Jurisdictions that have licensing programs, and those where retailers have already been approved, also don\u2019t qualify.<\/p>\n
\u201cExpanding access to California\u2019s retail cannabis market is an important step towards protecting consumer safety and supporting a balanced market,\u201d DCC Director Nicole Elliott said<\/a> in a press release. \u201cThe retail access grant program ultimately seeks to encourage legal retail operations in areas where existing consumers do not have convenient access to regulated cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Funds made available through the program<\/a> can be used for supporting equity applicants and licensees, completing permitting reviews, covering permitting costs and for personnel to support licensing initiatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cLack of access to California\u2019s legal cannabis marketplace threatens consumer safety and perpetuates the illegal market. By financially supporting the creation of pathways to retail licensure and creating incentives to ensure consumers have access to legal retail, these grant funds are intended to help reduce illicit market activity and provide consumers with access to legal retail stores and regulated products.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cities and counties can apply<\/a> for the licensing grants from March 10 to April 28. The first phase of $10 million worth of grants will be awarded by June 20. The remaining $10 million will be made available to those awardees starting June 30 as they begin issuing retailer licenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first time a state has offered grants to provide access to retail cannabis licensing at the local government level,\u201d DCC said. \u201cWith over 60 percent of California jurisdictions not offering local retail licensing<\/a> for cannabis, the retail access grant program can provide much-needed assistance to cities and counties, as they partner with the state to ensure consumers have sufficient access to regulated cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n
This announcement comes days after California officials announced that they\u2019ve awarded $15 million in grants to support local efforts<\/a> to promote equity in the marijuana industry.<\/p>\n
The Governor\u2019s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) distributed the funds to 16 cities and counties across the state through the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions. Applications\u00a0opened for the program late last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n
GO-Biz separately distributed a round of community reinvestment grants<\/a>\u00a0last year totaling $35.5 million with tax revenue generated from recreational marijuana sales.<\/div>\nMeanwhile, DCC announced in October that the state would be\u00a0awarding up to $20 million in marijuana tax-funded grants<\/a>\u00a0to universities that carry out research into cannabis science and policy\u2014including studies on preventing monopolies in the legal industry and securing the genetics of \u201clegacy\u201d strains.<\/p>\n
California is also making moves to\u00a0expand its marijuana market beyond the state\u2019s borders<\/a>, with regulators recently seeking a formal opinion from the state attorney general\u2019s office on whether allowing interstate marijuana commerce would put the state at \u201csignificant risk\u201d of federal enforcement action.<\/p>\n
The request for guidance from DCC is a key step that could eventually\u00a0trigger a law that the governor signed<\/a>\u00a0last year, empowering him to enter into agreements with other legal states to import and export marijuana products.<\/p>\n
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) also said last year that he wants to see marijuana federally legalized<\/a>, in part so that his state\u2019s cannabis farmers can \u201clegally supply the rest of the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Separately, in the state legislature, a senator recently\u00a0refiled a bill to legalize possession of certain psychedelics<\/a>\u00a0after his last attempt was derailed in the eleventh hour of the 2022 session.<\/p>\n
\nNorth Carolina Senators Discuss Medical Marijuana Bill, As House Leader Signals New Pathway To Passage In His Chamber<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
The post California Announces $20 Million Grant Program To Expand Marijuana Retail Licensing In Underserved Areas<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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\nRead More: California Announces Million Grant Program To Expand Marijuana Retail Licensing In Underserved Areas<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"California marijuana regulators announced on Tuesday that the state is launching a first-of-its-kind grant program to support cities and counties in establishing local cannabis business licensing programs to address unmet consumer demand and help curb the illicit market. The Department of Cannabis Control\u2019s (DCC) Local Jurisdiction Retail Access Grant willContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"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\/61859"}],"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=61859"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61859\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61860,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61859\/revisions\/61860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}